Raheel’s mother Parveen was unmatched for stubbornness but eventually even she had to crumble before fate. Yes, she said—the words like a scorpion on her tongue—go find me a decent Mehsud girl for my son.
I dislike how women are second-class citizens in some cultures. Even my mother was according to my father. His parents were first-generation-born in the US to German and Swedish parents. They had the Old World ideas of what women should and should not do. The men were not to do women's work or help out with parenting except to discipline with harshness. The men wouldn't cook or clean as that was beneath them. I have forgiven them as I now realize we all retain bad habits passed down through the generations and have to weed them out so we can perhaps change for the better for our children. Oh, you are good at telling a story and I enjoy reading your work.
In my experience both here, and there, I've found that women are sometimes the most relentless destroyers of other women's lives, and men sometimes must fight their own female relatives in seeking to be good husbands and fathers.
Everywhere, always, it's individual character that matters more than anything.
Stories of the kind of misogyny so ancient it feels like a law of nature always depress me and leave me feeling like a brawler that was humiliated rather than given the dignity of being knocked out, beneath contempt.
This is a revenge story that made my entire afternoon.
If I do go to my ancestors someday, I will consider it a completely acceptable version of an immortal reputation for future historians to spend at least several hours boggling, "why was this woman so mean to everyone's mom?"
There's revenge, which may or may not be a fine thing, and then there's retribution. I have always said I may not win, in the end, but for damned sure I will go down fighting.
More. More.
This is a very fine writing, I enjoyed it very much, thank you.
Thank you. So glad you've chosen to visit me here.
I feel as though I was there.
It is always such a pleasure to have you join me on the adventure.
I dislike how women are second-class citizens in some cultures. Even my mother was according to my father. His parents were first-generation-born in the US to German and Swedish parents. They had the Old World ideas of what women should and should not do. The men were not to do women's work or help out with parenting except to discipline with harshness. The men wouldn't cook or clean as that was beneath them. I have forgiven them as I now realize we all retain bad habits passed down through the generations and have to weed them out so we can perhaps change for the better for our children. Oh, you are good at telling a story and I enjoy reading your work.
In my experience both here, and there, I've found that women are sometimes the most relentless destroyers of other women's lives, and men sometimes must fight their own female relatives in seeking to be good husbands and fathers.
Everywhere, always, it's individual character that matters more than anything.
I'm so glad to have you as a reader of my work.
Stories of the kind of misogyny so ancient it feels like a law of nature always depress me and leave me feeling like a brawler that was humiliated rather than given the dignity of being knocked out, beneath contempt.
This is a revenge story that made my entire afternoon.
Guess what my late ex-mother-in-law's name was...
I mean I kinda already did. :)
I used to think it was rather tawdry of writers to do thinly-veiled savaging of their social circle for pleasure and profit.
I do still think it's wrong to mock the innocent whose only failures are a lack of the approved refinements and cachet.
But the guilty? Darling laptop, let us do some more holy work together...
On the other hand, I deeply appreciate THICKLY-veiled savaging, especially of the sort that will be pored over with fascination by future generations.
If I do go to my ancestors someday, I will consider it a completely acceptable version of an immortal reputation for future historians to spend at least several hours boggling, "why was this woman so mean to everyone's mom?"
There's revenge, which may or may not be a fine thing, and then there's retribution. I have always said I may not win, in the end, but for damned sure I will go down fighting.
Ha!
(All the true stuff is in Fruits of Winter in the Unfiction section.)