Page 173 - A Woman Is No Man

Khaled stood up. “So that’s your solution? Instead of encouraging him
to stay in school, to do something on his own, you turn to Adam, again, as
though he is the only man among them? When will you stop spoiling them?

When will you start treating them like men?” He turned to his younger
sons, his index finger shaking. “You two don’t know a thing about this
world. Not one damn thing.”
Oh, for goodness sake, Fareeda thought, though she said nothing.
Instead, she pulled the skillet of shakshuka closer, taking two, three bites in
a row, chugging her chai to keep the food moving. Food, it was the only
thing left that gave her comfort. She was considerably thicker now than

she’d once been. But that didn’t bother her. In fact, she would spend all day
eating if it didn’t cost so much. Of course she knew that burying her
feelings in food was unhealthy—that it could kill her. But there were other
things that could kill her, too, things like failure and loneliness. Like
growing old one day and looking around to find a husband who resented
you, kids who no longer needed you, who despised you despite all you’d

done for them. At least eating felt good.