Summary

In Chapter 4, Shirin arrives home with just enough time to shower before dinner. Her parents insist on a family dinner together. Shirin's father influenced Shirin to begin sewing, and now she often alters clothes she finds in thrift shops. Shirin talks about the role of food in the Persian culture. She knows having a family dinner is not normal for every family, but “For us, it was normal” (35). When Shirin finally gets to the phone, she has missed several texts from Ocean. Shirin shares phone time with her parents and brother and worries about the number of texts. They decide to communicate by AOL Instant Messenger. Shirin is surprised there are no personal details on Ocean's profile. She deletes her own information, feeling that having him read it would be an intrusion. Shirin can tell Ocean is trying to be friendly. She feels...