Chapter 14

Summary

• Yara returns to the counseling center on Friday at two o'clock in the afternoon, greeted by Silas the culinary teacher at the door.
• In the office, William asks Yara to discuss the incident with her colleague Amanda that led to her outburst.
• Yara explains her frustration was due to being stereotyped, as well as her disappointment at not being able to chaperone a trip and see the world.
• Yara contemplates her life choices and wonders if she's been guided by an invisible hand rather than making decisions entirely for herself.
• She struggles with communicating her feelings of oppression and the cultural differences in the objectification of women to William.
• Yara concludes that silence may be better than trying to express herself and risk being misunderstood or having her experiences minimized.
• William acknowledges Yara's privilege but wants to dig deeper into what oppression looks like to her.
• When asked about her childhood and parents, Yara is reluctant to discuss them, insisting they're not relevant to why she's there.
• Yara resists revisiting painful repressed memories, comparing it to the persistent pain of a throbbing tooth.
• William expresses that without examining her past, it may be difficult for her to benefit from the counseling sessions.
• The rest of the session passes in silence as Yara is unwilling to let William help her through exploring her past.
• Yara believes Amanda's ignorance, not her upbringing, caused her reaction, and she hesitates to share her childhood experiences with someone who might not understand.
• Back in her office, alone, Yara allows herself to cry, feeling that even if understanding her past could help, she is unable to confront it and share with her mother.