Page 142 - A Woman Is No Man

“What’s that?”
“You need to let the past go, daughter. Let your mother go.”
Deya refused to meet Fareeda’s eyes as she went back downstairs to

change.

Later that night, after Deya and her sisters ate dinner and retreated to their
rooms, Deya told Nora about her visit with Sarah. She had planned to keep
the story to herself at first, but she knew Nora would suspect something was
going on when she skipped school again. Nora said nothing the whole time
she spoke, listening with the same calm interest as when Deya told her a
story, turning to the doorway every now and then to make sure Fareeda
wasn’t there.

“She must have something important to tell you,” Nora said when Deya
finished speaking. “Or else she wouldn’t have risked reaching out.”
“I don’t know. She says she wants to help me, but I feel like she’s
hiding something.”
“Even if she is, there must be a reason she reached out. She’ll have to
tell you eventually.”

“I’ll make sure to find out tomorrow.”
“What? You’re skipping school again? What if you get caught?”
“I won’t get caught. Besides, don’t you want to know what she has to
say? Teta has been lying to us all these years. If she lied about Sarah, what
else is she lying about? We deserve the truth.”
Nora gave her a long, hard stare. “Just be careful,” she said. “You don’t
know this woman. You can’t trust her.”

“Don’t worry. I know.”
“Oh, right,” Nora said with a crooked smile. “I forgot who I was talking
to.”