Amina began to cry.
She could not bear to look at him.
“Baba, please forgive me.”
He remained silent.
“I thought you were hiding things from us. I thought you were becoming a burden. I was angry about our situation, and I made you pay for it. I accused you of stealing. I spoke to you in ways I would never want someone to speak to my own father.”
Her voice broke.
“You came into this house with two bags, and I made you feel as if even those two bags were too much.”
She covered her face.
“I am ashamed of myself.”
For a long moment, Suleiman watched her.
Then he reached for the glass of water on the table.
“Shame is useful only if it teaches us to behave differently,” he said. “I cannot erase what happened, my daughter. But I can give you the chance to show me that you have learned something from it.”
