‘I’ll never get used to it,’ Tawfiq said as they drove into the square.

Sofia knew what he was talking about. ‘I quite like it,’ she offered, looking at Behnaz’s turquoise gate. Three months previously Sofia had returned from her annual holiday in Sydney to find Behnaz’s old brown gate painted vivid turquoise. When she complimented Behnaz on the gate’s makeover the only response she got was a ‘humph’. When she queried Behnaz about the colour choice she got the silent treatment. It was left to Iman to fill Sofia in on the scandal of Behnaz’s turquoise gate.

Behnaz’s nephew, who had been staying with his aunt while Sofia was away, had been put to work painting the gate. Being an enterprising fellow, and careful with his afghani, the nephew secured a half-used can of turquoise paint from a friend for half a packet of cigarettes. While most people, including Ahmad, Hadi and Tawfiq, didn’t like the turquoise gate, Iman said the reaction of Ahmad’s wife, Badria, had been particularly harsh, although she suspected that the ‘miserable’ Badria had not only been offended by the vibrancy and beauty of that particular shade of turquoise but had felt betrayed by Behnaz, who she considered to be a kindred dour spirit. Iqbal found the whole thing an amusing diversion in the square, Rashid had no opinion, and Jabril and Zahra, whose home had mauve trimmings, quite liked it, but Iman positively loved it…

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