CHAPTER ELEVEN
Sami went round the dining table and helped Elias distribute cutlery and napkins. Maryam drizzled olive oil over a bowl of tabbouleh. Struck by how comfortable he felt in this domestic setting, Sami moved with ease, breathed at a normal rhythm and forgot to gravitate toward the window. He kept eying Petra’s closed door, waiting for her to join them. He hadn’t experienced this buoyancy indoors for a long time. Where had his anxiety disappeared to? Not that he missed it.
Elias tugged at his hand. “Can I go play now, Uncle Sam?”
“That’s not a good idea.” He lifted Elias to a chair. “Your mom will be upset, don’t you think?”
“It’s okay. I’m brave like you and Batman.”
“Brave. Not stupid,” Sami chuckled. “I never disobeyed my mom, at least not on purpose.”
Maryam took a sea
