Accepting You

Chapter Twenty One

The insult struck Asiya so hard that she became numb.

Expectations.

Expectations.

Expectations.

Racist.

Yusuf's family is racist.

Yusuf had made it sound like their expectations were nothing. Small things. Silly things. Insignificant things.

How would she fit in when they had already decided there was no place for her?

Wanting his wife to be a specific skin colour was not nothing. Hating someone because of their skin colour was not nothing. Yusuf's family was racist.

"You're leaving. Now." Asiya's mum pushed her chair back. "Get out of my house."

Aunt Hina remained seated and engaged Asiya's mother in a stare-down. Hannah, sitting between them, shrunk in her seat as though lasers were beaming above her head from the women's eyes.

"I was only answering Asiya's question," aunt Hina said.

Asiya's mother turned to Aminah. "Aminah, please clear the table. I will inform your father that Yusuf and his family are leaving." She swept out of the dining room without a backward glance.

"Hina, please, let's just go," Hannah begged quietly.

"I wasn't planning on staying," aunt Hina said haughtily.

Hannah jumped onto her feet. Her head was low, and her face was flushed. She hurriedly gathered her things together while aunt Hina stood over her, her hand guarding the purse she hadn't removed from her shoulder.

Asiya simmered in her seat while her sister moved around her, carefully stacking half-eaten plates with Fawaz on her hip.

Asiya didn't know which of her feelings were stronger. Anger or shame.

She was angry at Yusuf for lying and for watering down details about his family as though their true colours wouldn't eventually bleed through his words.

She was also angry for him. Aunt Hina hadn't only slandered her. Her words painted Yusuf, too, even if his pigment didn't allow his aunt to see it.

Aunt Hina had spoken so comfortably and easily in a stranger's home. What does she say in their own?

Asiya's body sank into her chair. Shame swirled in her stomach like a whirlpool.

She had been stupid. Allah had blessed her with eyes, but she had acted blind.

Yusuf's news at the station may have been incomplete and a lie, but it had still been a red flag. One Asiya had recognised.

Why did she ignore it?

Why did she carry it into her home? A place where she was supposed to be safe. Where the spit of ignorant words shouldn't have been able to reach her and seep into her skin.

Why had Asiya dropped her guard and convinced her family to lower their shields? She had introduced Yusuf to her parents and exposed disgusting hate to her sisters.

Yusuf had, in a way, warned her something bad would happen. Everything had been so predictable, yet Asiya had selfishly failed to protect her family from the attack.

"Asiya are you okay?"

Asiya blinked. Her sister and Yusuf's family were gone.

Yusuf moved closer to her. "Asiya, what's going on?"

Asiya placed her hands on the table. Her body felt heavy like she had been drenched in water. She pushed herself up onto her feet and met Yusuf's mesh of green and hazel eyes.