Page 225 - A Woman Is No Man

daughters for me to take care of, but now I have to worry about how you
want to raise them—”
“No! You don’t have to worry.”

“Is that so?” Adam stepped toward her, and she shrunk back against the
headboard, feeling the room close in on her.
“Please, Adam, I swear, I didn’t mean—”
“Shut up!”
She turned from him, but he smashed her head into the headboard. Then
he grabbed her by the hair and dragged her into their daughters’ bedroom.
“Stop, please! The girls—”

“What’s the matter? You don’t want them to see? Maybe it’s time they
see what it means to be a woman.”
“Please, Adam, they shouldn’t see this.”
“Why not? Don’t you walk around sad all the time, anyway? Are you
trying to scare them off marriage? Is that your plan?”
He grabbed her by the sides of her face and twisted her head so she had

a full view of her daughters in bed. His hands moved to her neck, holding
her still. “Do you see these girls? Do you?” She struggled to catch her
breath. “Do you?”
“Yes,” she managed to choke out.
“Listen closely, because I won’t say this again. My daughters are Arabs.
Are we clear? Arabs. If I ever hear any talk of choices again, I’ll make sure
they wake up to your screams. I’ll make sure they see what happens when a

woman disobeys her husband. Fahmeh? Do you understand me?”
Isra nodded, gasping for air, until Adam released his grip. He left to
shower without another word.
Isra cupped her hand to the side of her head and felt blood.

Later she would think it was her books that had made her do it. All the
feelings that had silenced her for so long—denial, shame, fear,
unworthiness—were no longer enough. As soon as she heard the water

running, she went back into the girls’ bedroom. She opened the window.
The cool air was harsh against her skin. She climbed out. As soon as her
feet hit the cement, she ran.
Where was she heading? She didn’t know. She ran down Seventy-
Second Street and onto Fifth Avenue, pausing only to catch her breath. It
was midnight, and all the shops were closed with the exception of a deli on