“Well? What happened? I want to know everything,”
Aunty Afrouz demanded.
I smiled at her, but my smile felt tight and unnatural.
“I’d like to wait for Sara. I’ll tell everyone then,” I said. That
would give me a little more time, I thought. I took a sip of tea.
“Who knows when Sara will turn up. Tell them now,
it’s such good news,” Maman said, leaning forward. Her cheeks were pink
and her eyes sparkled; she was like a schoolgirl bursting with a secret.
“Good news?” Aunty Afrouz said loudly.
The room went quiet and everyone turned to me with
smiles of anticipation.
Maman beamed. “Go on, tell them,” she said.
My heart began to pound and my mouth felt full of sand.
“Shouldn’t we wait for Sara?” I said weakly.
But Maman would not be persuaded. “You can tell her
later,” she said.
