9-11

ILLUSTRATIONS

September 11, 2001

September 11, 2001. I was at work when the news broke. I got two calls that day that I will always remember. My father’s voice calmed me. I whispered to him in Urdu that I couldn’t talk now. He told me it wasn’t my fault and my coworkers were not accusing me of anything (they weren’t). “Drink water,” he said. I was expecting Imaan at the time. The second call was was from a gallery owner. She left a terse message for me to pick up my painting immediately. I was confused because there were still a few weeks left to my contract. When I arrived at the gallery, my painting was wrapped in brown paper, and left by the door to pick up. No words were spoken, no eye contact made. I brought the painting home. It was my first Arabic calligraphic painting that said “Peace.”