Chapter 9

Summary

• Yara finishes her housework and expresses her emotions through painting while her daughters play upstairs.
• Preparing a meal for her in-laws' visit consumes her Sunday, leaving her feeling detached from reality when they depart.
• Yara receives an email from Jonathan, her department head, requesting to meet her about an incident at a department meeting.
• During the meeting, Jonathan addresses a complaint about Yara calling a colleague racist, expressing there is no excuse for such conduct.
• Yara defends herself, stating the colleague made unfair assumptions about her ethnicity and marriage.
• Jonathan insinuates that Yara may have personal issues, noting her absenteeism at various department events.
• When Yara denies any issues, Jonathan suggests employee counseling as he has already enrolled her in the Employee Assistance Program.
• Jonathan informs Yara that he is reassigning her class to another instructor to allow her time to address any personal concerns.
• Yara feels punished and questions if her colleague will face any consequences, but Jonathan insists the matter is confidential.
• Yara reluctantly takes the counseling brochure from Jonathan and leaves, feeling pressured to conform.
• Back in her office, Yara is distressed at the thought of losing her job, which provides stability for her and her daughters, and she recalls her mother's face, vowing not to end up the same way.
• Yara realizes she may have no choice but to accept the recommended therapy to keep her job.