Page 26 - A Woman Is No Man

Fareeda opened the basket to display a wealth of gold jewelry within.
There were oohs and aahs from the crowd. She handed Adam one piece of
gold at a time, and he secured each item on Isra’s skin. Isra stared at his

hands. His fingers were long and thick, and she tried to keep from flinching.
Soon heavy necklaces hung from her neck, their thick coins cold against her
skin. Bracelets laced her wrists like ropes, their ends shaped like snakes.
Coin-shaped earrings pricked her ears; rings covered her fingers. After
twenty-seven pieces of gold, Fareeda threw the empty basket in the air and
let out another zughreta. The crowd cheered, and Isra stood before them,
wrapped in gold, unable to move, a mannequin on display.

She had no idea what life had in store for her and could do nothing to
alter this fact. She shivered in horror at the realization. But these feelings
were only temporary, Isra reminded herself. Surely she would have more
control over her life in the future. Soon she would be in America, the land
of the free, where perhaps she could have the love she had always dreamed
of, could lead a better life than her mother’s. Isra smiled at the possibility.

Perhaps someday, if Allah were to ever grant her daughters, they would
lead a better life than hers, too.