Authors: Ayesha Zaman
“
Come, h
a
ve
dinn
e
r.”
S
h
e
said polite
l
y
.
He
w
a
s
c
onfus
e
d
a
nd
c
a
me to the t
a
ble
w
i
t
h Mrs.
W
ick
e
ts.
“
Good
e
v
e
ning E
d
win.”
Alicia
sm
i
led.
“
Good
e
v
e
ning,
S
o
r
r
y f
o
r
dis
t
u
r
bing
a
ll
of
y
ou
a
t
th
i
s
t
i
me on
the
c
lock.”
He
a
dd
r
e
ssed Mr.
W
ick
e
ts,
si
t
t
i
ng
on
the tabl
e
.
“Come
on
b
o
y
!
I
f
I
did
not
g
ree
ted
y
ou
l
i
ke
m
y
wif
e
,
it do
e
s
not
me
a
n
that
I
’ve
a
n
y is
s
u
e
a
t
y
our
a
r
riv
a
l
.
”
He
s
a
id
c
h
e
wing the bi
t
e of
pi
z
z
a
.
“
Th
a
nk
y
ou
so
much
un
c
le.”
He
sm
i
led
a
nd
f
e
lt
r
e
lax
e
d
on
his words.
“
A
c
tual
l
y
I
c
a
n
’
t
igno
r
e
the
a
p
p
e
t
iz
ing
me
a
l
e
v
e
n
if
t
h
e
P
r
e
s
e
nt com
e
s to
m
ee
t
m
e
.”
He
w
a
s s
t
i
l
l ch
e
wing.
Ev
e
r
y
bo
d
y
laugh
e
d
a
t h
i
s comme
n
t.
“
T
a
ke
som
e
th
i
ng Ed
w
in
.
”
Mrs.
W
ick
e
ts ask
e
d h
i
m.
“
Alicia
h
a
s
c
ook
e
d
the
mou
t
h
w
a
te
r
ing
p
a
sta.”
Mr.
W
ick
e
ts
s
a
id.
Ed
w
in and
A
l
i
c
ia look
e
d
eac
h oth
e
r
a
nd smi
l
e
d.
“
I
f
y
ou
don’t
wish
to
ea
t
i
t
,
w
e
’ll
a
sk
our
c
h
e
f
to
c
ook something of
y
our
c
hoic
e
.”
Alicia
te
a
s
e
d hi
m
.
“
No
I
’m
fine
with
i
t
.”
S
a
y
ing
th
i
s
he
took
some
p
a
sta
in
a plate
a
nd st
a
rt
e
d
ea
t
i
ng i
t
.
Mr.
W
ick
e
ts
sta
r
ted
tell
i
ng
l
i
t
t
le
stories
a
bout
his
ea
t
i
ng h
a
bit
a
nd the
r
e
w
e
r
e
lau
g
h
e
rs
a
nd
c
h
u
c
kles on the
tabl
e
.
A
f
ter
the
dine
r
,
Alicia
t
ook
Ed
w
in
to
h
e
r
room
while
Mr.
a
nd Mrs.
W
ick
e
ts w
e
nt
t
o their
r
oom.
Alicia
sat on h
e
r
b
e
d
a
nd
Ed
w
in on a n
e
a
r
b
y
sof
a
.
“
Now
tell
m
e, wh
a
t’s t
h
e
pro
b
lem
?
”
Alicia
a
ske
d
.
“
His
c
onta
c
t
num
b
e
r
ca
n
’
t
be
r
ec
ogni
z
e
d
a
nd
t
h
is
is
qui
t
e str
a
ng
e
.”
H
e
said.
“
Y
e
s
it
is
wh
a
t
c
ould
be
the
r
e
a
son
b
e
hind
i
t
?
A
n
y
id
e
a
?
”
she
a
sked
hi
m
.
“
I
th
i
nk…”
he
took a
p
a
u
se
“
m
y
f
a
te..
.
”
he
b
eca
m
e
sad.
“
A
r
e
y
ou
mad?
W
h
a
t
d
o
e
s
th
i
s
h
a
pp
e
ning
h
a
s
to
do
with
y
o
ur
f
a
te
?
”
she
a
sked.
“
You
know
a
bout
m
y
p
a
r
e
nts
a
nd
th
i
nk
Un
c
le
F
r
e
d
r
ick
did the s
a
me.”
H
e
said.
“
W
h
a
t
a
re
y
ou
talking
l
i
k
e
,
y
ou
ought
to
p
r
a
y for
him
a
nd
I wish he
will
be
a
l
i
v
e
,
s
a
fe
a
nd
sound.”
S
he
s
a
id b
e
ing
c
on
ce
r
n
e
d.
“
W
ho s
a
id
m
y
p
a
r
e
nts d
i
e
d
?
”
he
a
sked
h
e
r.
“
W
h
a
t
?
Th
e
y
did not
di
e
?
”
she
f
ro
w
n
e
d.
“No, th
e
y
le
f
t
m
e
a
t
t
h
e
ir
wil
l
.”
He
b
e
c
a
me s
a
d
a
g
a
in.
“
W
h
a
t
?
L
e
ft
y
ou wil
l
ing
l
y
?
”
she
g
ot surp
r
i
s
e
d.