He didn’t want her at the table during family meals or anywhere near when visitors arrived
He believed she was cursed, and when Zainab turned 21, he made a decision that would destroy what was left of his already broken heart.
One morning, her father entered her small room, where Zainab sat quietly, running her fingers over the braille pages of an old, worn book, and placed a folded piece of cloth on her lap.
“You’re getting married tomorrow,” he said curtly. Zainab froze. Those words made no sense. Get married? To whom?
“He’s a beggar from the mosque,” her father continued. “You’re blind, he’s poor.”
“He’s the perfect man for you.” She felt as if the blood had drained from her face. She wanted to scream, but no sound came out. She had no other choice. Her father had never given her one.
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