Page 235 - A Woman Is No Man

In fact, Fareeda was doubly glad Isra wasn’t pregnant; she could barely
handle the four children she had. Fareeda noticed how Isra looked at her
girls, a flatness in her eyes, as though they were sucking the life from her.

The last thing Fareeda needed was to worry about her running away again,
as though she hadn’t heard anything Fareeda had said about covering her
shame.
Something came to Fareeda then, a puzzle piece snapping into place.
Her eyes shot to the door. She cut off Umm Ahmed, slammed the phone
down, and rushed outside. She lowered herself onto the front stoop, pulling
her nightgown over her knees as she did so. A hint of sunlight flickered on

her legs, making them yellower than usual. She fingered the edge of her
nightgown, pulling it lower still. Behind her Isra and Nadine called her
name, softly at first but then with more force, but she refused to look at
them. No. She would sit there until Sarah came home from school, until she
figured out what was wrong. If her daughter wasn’t cursed, then why hadn’t
any of the suitors proposed marriage? What had her daughter done?

The sky darkened and rain started to fall, beating against Fareeda’s face.
She didn’t get up, didn’t move. All she could think of was Sarah. Her
daughter must have done something to have ruined her reputation. But
what? And how? She came home straight from school every day, she had
never once left the house alone. So what could she have possibly done? She
heard Isra and Nadine approaching again.
“I’m staying right here,” she said when Nadine touched her shoulder.

“Right here until Sarah comes home.” She turned to stare them down.
Nadine squinted at her, but Isra’s eyes skirted to one side. Fareeda couldn’t
tell whether it was one of her stupid expressions or if she knew something
Fareeda didn’t. It was possible. With all the time they spent together, Isra
could’ve picked up on something. Sarah could’ve even told her. Right there
under her nose all this time.

“Isra,” she said, lifting herself up. “Has Sarah told you something?
Something that might explain why none of her suitors have proposed?”
Isra stared back at her with round eyes. “No. She hasn’t told me
anything.” She said each word as though they pained her on the way out.
Fareeda studied Isra’s face, the trembling lip, the meek expression. The face
of a child. Clearly she knew nothing. She wondered how Adam must feel,
coming home to that face every night. It was no wonder he came in reeking

of sharaab. Despite her disapproval, she couldn’t blame him, had even