It began to rain.
***
“You don’t understand,” Bakira called after the councilwoman. “There are no options for me. None. You have taken all of them. I know what we are here. You say Nasheen is ruled by God and Queen, but it is not. It is ruled by rich, blind, First Family women like you who wish to divide and conquer us. I see what you made us, and I reject it. We are not just the bloody afterbirth, the mess you leave behind as you claw your way to prominence. We are human beings, as good as you. Better. I know we can build something better.”
“Then go build it,” the councilwoman said.
***
When Bakira jumped from the roof, it was with the knowledge that she would not die – she had jumped many times from the roof of her farmstead and lived.
She jumped not because she wanted to die, but because in that one moment - one passing, glorious, unforgettable moment, she could believe the message written in the stars was for her, for her children, for Nasheen, for Umayma. She could believe there was someone waiting to catch them all on the other side, someone inviting them home.
Someone who believed in them enough to wait.
END
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Afterbirth Page 3
