Dr. August. [TMAD series.]

"Sleep with me."

Christina couldn't believe it. She was having a baby brother or sister. Even though she was happy, she got scared because she Numra said that if she had a second child out of wedlock, she would abort it. Christina placed a small smile on her face, grinning a little.

"Oh.......okay." Christina smiled, disguising her voice. "Let me call you back so that I can uh.....um..tell my husband the news!"

"Alright. And once again, congrats!" The doctor smiled. "Take care, Numra."

Christina hung up the phone, not knowing what to do. She got up and started pacing back and forth, wondering what she should say. What she should do. How she should address it. Seconds later, Numra walked through the door with two large bags.

"OH MY ALLAH." Christina jumped as she held her chest, glancing at her mother.

"I brought turkey burgers and fries!" Numra cheered as she inched her way into the hotel.

"Mom, why do you look all.......dirty?" Christina asked as she looked at her mothers filthy body.

"Sorry, sweety. Military school is difficult." Numra sighed as she placed the bag down and took off her filthy jacket. "I'm about to get in the shower right now."

"Wait!" Christina said. "Mom!"

"Yes, dear?" Numra said, glancing back at Christina.

Christina wanted to tell her mother so bad, but she was afraid that she would get rid of her baby. Christina scratched her head, looking a little off.

"Are you going to military school again tomorrow?"

"Yes, dear. I go there everyday." Numra giggled. "Why?"

"Are you guys going to be doing, y'know, physical stuff?" Christina asked in a worried tone.

"Well, we have to go through a series of segments on where we endure certain pains to see what it's like in the army." Numra replied in a soft tone. "We have to go through it to know what to do on hand."

"But, don't you worry about harming the baaaa........back of your....back?" Christina asked, changing the "baby" word.

"What? You're so silly, Christina." Numra said as she rubbed her hair. "Anyway, I'm going to get in the shower."

It was a sad attempt, but it was worth it.

Christina knew that those type of things would harm the baby in a very dramatic way. Christina laid in her bed and drifted off into a deep sleep thinking of ways on how to tell her mother. Instead, she winded up going to bed with it on her mind. When Numra got out of her half an hour shower, she stepped out in her bra and underwear, finding her mother sitting up in the bed and crying while she clenching her teeth together.

"Mother!" Numra said in Persian as she rushed over to her and sat on the bed next to her. "Are you okay?"

"من خیلی ترسیده،, Numra." Athena said, rocking back and forth. "آنها به من."

"Who's coming to get you?" Numra said in her language, responding back to what her mother said. "What's going on?"

Numra's grandmother shook a little bit, then looked at Numra with her teared filled eyes.

"Mom, how did you get back in the US?" Numra asked, still speaking in their language. "What happened to you?"

It all started, 20 years ago . .

"Athena, come cook for me." Numra's father, Frank, demanded as he sat in their living room with Numra. "I'm hungry."

Numra was only 3 years old at the time. It was the winter of 1991, which was a few days from Numra's past birthday. Like Numra, Athena found herself feeling like another mans slave for almost 10 years due to the arranged marriage that her parents made for her. Athena felt that it was right at first, but now she felt like she was being held as a slave. A worker. A maid. As Athena fixed a large bowl of spaghetti sauce and noodles, she took the plate and smashed it into Frank's face. Frank quickly got up and grabbed his wife, giving her a look of fury.