A full table

"I sit here and watch

the many cloudy days

nights of escape, hidden of

the searing hearts.

I sit here and wait

for when I have a smile that triumphs the last fall of day."

For a moment, she could have mistook what she heard of her mother's voice as care but it wasn't. It was a play on her empathy that she should be pitied enough not to be asked of her dues. she knew Salima would resist making demands if she used that voice.

"You better go see your uncle. medical textbooks are expensive. Food prices are higher everyday." pushing into her voice even from the distance, woes of the helpless single mother, as always.

"You made your choice and you better help yourself. Heaven helps those who help themselves." Her mother made it sound like they were entitled to her brother who is her uncle's money. She hated their dependence.