Page 139 - A Woman Is No Man

Deya opened her mouth to object, but thought better of it. She needed to
prolong her sittings with him until she knew what to do. “I’m not sure what
I think,” she said. “This is only the second time I’ve ever met you.”

“I know,” Nasser said, blushing. “But they say people usually know if
something feels right instantly.”
“Maybe when deciding on a pair of shoes,” Deya said. “But picking a
life partner is a bit more serious, don’t you think?”
Nasser laughed, but she could tell she had embarrassed him. “To be
honest,” he said, “this is my first time agreeing to sit with the same girl
twice. I mean, I’ve sat with a lot of girls—it’s exhausting, really, how many

my mother has found at weddings. But nothing serious ever happened with
any of them.”
“Why not?”
“There was no naseeb, I guess. You know the Arabic proverb, ‘What’s
meant for you will reach you even if it’s beneath two mountains, and what’s
not meant for you won’t reach you even if it’s between your two lips’?”

Deya’s contempt must have been written across her face. “What?” he
asked. “You don’t believe in naseeb?”
“It’s not that I don’t believe in it, but sitting around waiting for destiny
to hit feels so passive. I hate the idea that I have no control over my life.”
“But that’s what naseeb means,” Nasser said. “Your life is already
written for you, already maktub.”
“Then why do you wake up in the morning? Why do you bother going

to work or school or even leaving your room, if the outcome of your life is
out of your hands?”
Nasser shook his head. “Just because my fate has already been decided,
that doesn’t mean I should stay in bed all day. It just means that God
already knows what I’ll do.”
“But don’t you think this mentality stops you from giving things your

all? Like, if it’s already written, then what’s the point?”
“Maybe,” Nasser said. “But it also reminds me of my place in the
world, helps me cope when things don’t go my way.”
Deya didn’t know whether she found weakness or courage in his
answer. “I’d like to think I have more control over my life,” she said. “I
want to believe I actually have a choice.”
“We always have a choice. I never said we don’t.” Deya blinked at him.

“It’s true. Like this marriage arrangement, for instance.”