<p>The living room was eerily silent, except for the hum of the air conditioner. The TV was on, but the volume was completely muted. She entered and greeted everyone. A chorus of voices responded in unison. She walked up to Abba, knelt, and greeted him before sitting on the floor beside Aunty Rabee’ya. All the children sat on the floor while the adults occupied the chairs.</p><p>In the family, Aunty Hafsa was the eldest, followed by Aunty Rabee’ya, then HEEDAYA, Na'eema, Ihsan, and finally Mubashshar. Aunty Hafsa, HEEDAYA, Ihsan, and Mubashshar were Umma’s children, while Aunty Rabee’ya and Na'eema were Momma’s children.</p><p>From the moment HEEDAYA sat down, her head remained bowed. When she had entered, she had locked eyes with Umma, who shot her a warning look. Aunty Rabee’ya gave her a reassuring smile, but HEEDAYA was too anxious to return it.</p><p>Abba cleared his throat, and HEEDAYA’s heart pounded faster. She silently prayed.</p><p>“The reason I gathered you all here today is for something very important. But before I get to that, I want to start with Rabee’ya because, as everyone knows, my words are like a knife—they are final and unchangeable, like words carved into stone.”</p><p>He looked at Aunty Rabee’ya, whose heart was racing because she knew the meeting was about her.</p><p>No one spoke, so Abba continued:</p><p>“Rabee’ya, have you found a man you wish to marry?”</p><p>Umma smirked, hiding it so only Momma could see. Momma’s face darkened with anger, realizing that Umma was taking pleasure in the situation because she knew that finding a suitor for Rabee’ya was no easy task. Swallowing her frustration, Momma averted her gaze and focused on the carpet on the floor.</p><p> </p><p>—</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
