With her father dead but Hossam alive, she could have stayed in the apartment. Though her brothers and sister would have objected at the outset, they would likely have come round and accepted that it made sense for her to go on living with Hossam in the apartment, since he at least was bound to get married and have a family. Things would have been so different if Hossam had lived.
‘The devil take you, you who killed my nephew and are now killing my father too,’ Safeya said under her breath.
For the rest of the day she outdid herself, preparing one dish after the next for the family meal. No curses or mumbles came from her father’s room. At lunch, she was delighted to see him eat a bit more yoghurt than his customary one bowl.
Trying to suppress their giggles and lower their excited voic
