around in the kitchen preparing breakfast. The spicy smell of beef haleem — wheat, lentils, and beef with coriander, cumin, and turmeric — drifted up the stairs and made her mouth water. There would be leftover samosas too, with green chutney from supper the evening before.
Dalal stepped out of bed and looked down at Meeza, still sleeping so peacefully with one arm flung over her head on the pillow. Meeza’s other arm was wrapped around her stuffed teddy bear, Boo. Meeza had her own room but sometimes came to sleep with Dalal in the middle of the night when she got lonely. Meeza didn’t like being alone much.
Dalal kept her eyes on Meeza’s face as she skirted around her bed to the bookcase near the closet. She knelt and reached her hand behind the Quran her parents had given her on her tenth birthday. She let out a breath of relief to feel the thin diary still in its hiding place.
Ghazi hadn’t found it on his last search of their room because she’d carried it to school in her knapsack two days before. Immediately upon arriving home after school, she’d told her mother she needed to use the bathroom upstairs. She’d tucked the book inside her underwear under her dress before getting off the bus. It had felt strange but comforting to have it next to her skin. She’d hurried upstairs and hidden the diary in the bookcase before scurrying across the hall into the bathroom. By the time Dalal entered the kitchen, her mother had already emptied her knapsack onto the kitchen table as she did every day when Dalal came home. Dalal felt a flush of guilt at this small rebellion but if she had to do it over, she would not change one thing.
Dalal pulled out the diary and straightened the books in an even row as they had been. She tucked the book under her arm as she crossed back to her bed and got under the covers. She rolled onto her side so that she faced away from the door and pulled the sheet over her head. When she was sure nobody was stirring across the hall, she opened the diary and squinted at the delicate swirls and loops in blue ink. The scrap of paper she used as a bookmark was still in place and she flipped to the spot she’d left off. She began reading.
I got up this morning and heard them talking in the kitchen, like old women conspiring. Odd. They looked at me with guilty eyes when they saw me standing in the doorway. I pretended not to notice and ate my breakfast even though I wasn’t hungry. I put on the black hijab and ugly long coat as expected and hurried for the bus. I prayed I wouldn’t meet Susan and Josy and I was lucky today. If they saw me in the head scarf and coat, they’d tell all the other girls. I hate, hate, hate their sly looks and superior way of looking at me. Brit met me in the park with my jeans and T-shirt. I changed behind the trees while she kept watch. She brought lip gloss and eye shadow and a little mirror. I’ll have to remember to rub the makeup off before I leave school. Ghazi is hanging around more, spying on me and reporting back. If they knew, well, I won’t think about that today. Chad Stephens smiled at me when I walked into history class. My heart is singing.
Oh joy of joys! Brit told me at our lockers this morning that Chad wants to take me out this Friday to the movies!!!! My heart is going to burst wide open, I am so, so happy. There has to be a way to be allowed out without them suspecting. I will go no matter what. I will find a way to have a night away from them if it’s the last thing I do. I will have a life.
Dalal jumped as Ghazi’s alarm clock began its wake up beeping in his room next to them. The wall muffled the annoying sound but Ghazi would let it go on a while before he woke enough to hit the snooze button. Dalal quickly closed the diary and decided she’d hide it in the bedclothes and take it to school again in her knapsack. She didn’t trust her brother to stay out of their room today because he only had one class at the university this
Dalal stepped out of bed and looked down at Meeza, still sleeping so peacefully with one arm flung over her head on the pillow. Meeza’s other arm was wrapped around her stuffed teddy bear, Boo. Meeza had her own room but sometimes came to sleep with Dalal in the middle of the night when she got lonely. Meeza didn’t like being alone much.
Dalal kept her eyes on Meeza’s face as she skirted around her bed to the bookcase near the closet. She knelt and reached her hand behind the Quran her parents had given her on her tenth birthday. She let out a breath of relief to feel the thin diary still in its hiding place.
Ghazi hadn’t found it on his last search of their room because she’d carried it to school in her knapsack two days before. Immediately upon arriving home after school, she’d told her mother she needed to use the bathroom upstairs. She’d tucked the book inside her underwear under her dress before getting off the bus. It had felt strange but comforting to have it next to her skin. She’d hurried upstairs and hidden the diary in the bookcase before scurrying across the hall into the bathroom. By the time Dalal entered the kitchen, her mother had already emptied her knapsack onto the kitchen table as she did every day when Dalal came home. Dalal felt a flush of guilt at this small rebellion but if she had to do it over, she would not change one thing.
Dalal pulled out the diary and straightened the books in an even row as they had been. She tucked the book under her arm as she crossed back to her bed and got under the covers. She rolled onto her side so that she faced away from the door and pulled the sheet over her head. When she was sure nobody was stirring across the hall, she opened the diary and squinted at the delicate swirls and loops in blue ink. The scrap of paper she used as a bookmark was still in place and she flipped to the spot she’d left off. She began reading.
I got up this morning and heard them talking in the kitchen, like old women conspiring. Odd. They looked at me with guilty eyes when they saw me standing in the doorway. I pretended not to notice and ate my breakfast even though I wasn’t hungry. I put on the black hijab and ugly long coat as expected and hurried for the bus. I prayed I wouldn’t meet Susan and Josy and I was lucky today. If they saw me in the head scarf and coat, they’d tell all the other girls. I hate, hate, hate their sly looks and superior way of looking at me. Brit met me in the park with my jeans and T-shirt. I changed behind the trees while she kept watch. She brought lip gloss and eye shadow and a little mirror. I’ll have to remember to rub the makeup off before I leave school. Ghazi is hanging around more, spying on me and reporting back. If they knew, well, I won’t think about that today. Chad Stephens smiled at me when I walked into history class. My heart is singing.
Oh joy of joys! Brit told me at our lockers this morning that Chad wants to take me out this Friday to the movies!!!! My heart is going to burst wide open, I am so, so happy. There has to be a way to be allowed out without them suspecting. I will go no matter what. I will find a way to have a night away from them if it’s the last thing I do. I will have a life.
Dalal jumped as Ghazi’s alarm clock began its wake up beeping in his room next to them. The wall muffled the annoying sound but Ghazi would let it go on a while before he woke enough to hit the snooze button. Dalal quickly closed the diary and decided she’d hide it in the bedclothes and take it to school again in her knapsack. She didn’t trust her brother to stay out of their room today because he only had one class at the university this
Similar Books
