Summary

When Aaliya does finally sleep, she dreams of Hannah, the girl she described as being the one her mother disrespected the most. In her dream Hannah was younger than she. The man who was to be Hannah’s husband was even younger than Hannah but they kissed and had sexual intercourse. Aaliya believes she dreamed of Hannah as her mind’s unconscious way of telling her how alone she is.

Aaliya gets up slowly and stiffly. She boils water for tea in the kitchen. As she sits the lights go out because the government’s electricity is out again. It is only through her books that Aaliya knows what it is like to live in a city where the services are reliable. She does wonder, though, if people who live in countries where things are as they expect them to be feel more...