As she stood miserably under the spray of water in their ancient bathroom, whose shower consisted of an unsightly pipe installed on the wall, she thought to herself. For all I know, Najm will turn out to be a “monster” too. I’ve got to be careful about everything. I’ve got to stand on my own two feet, and not go crying on somebody’s shoulder about what somebody else did to me when the person whose shoulder I’m crying on might be even worse that the person who hurt me in the first place. As a girl who’s only semi-pretty and semi-successful, I’ve got to learn to depend on myself. At the same time, I don’t want to judge Najm unfairly. I want to give him a chance.
* * *
Zain was getting ready for work when the telephone rang. Her grandmother answered. It was one of Zain’s maternal aunts in L
