A Place for Us

From a hospital bed, Rafiq reflects on Amar’s difficult birth and how relieved he was that the doctors got Amar breathing. Hadia comes into Rafiq’s hospital room, revealing that Rafiq is there for an MRI and sequence of tests based on some information Layla shared regarding Rafiq’s recent headaches, disorientation, and faulty balance. Rafiq reveals that he was persuaded to go to the hospital where Hadia works not so much for his own sake as for Layla’s, knowing she could stay with Hadia, Tariq, and their grandchildren (Abbas, age seven, and Tahira, age four). He reflects on how, because his grandchildren are not his children, his only obligation is to love them—and so he is loved by them in return. This sentiment contrasts with Rafiq’s reflections on Amar; Amar’s pains and disappointments always seem to make him retreat into misery, so Rafiq became harder in parenting his son.

Hadia and her colleague, Dr. Edwards, return with Rafiq’s MRI result—they have found a tumor, but it is operable. Rafiq then reflects that where the thought of his daughters working outside the home once disquieted him, he is now proud that Hadia is a doctor and