Chapter 22

Summary

• As Thanksgiving break nears, Yara feels demotivated and disinterested in work and life activities, including her job at the college and cooking at home.
• She experiences melancholic visions of her mother, filled with sorrow and guilt, which seem to mirror her own emotions.
• On the last day before the break, her colleague Silas brings her a homemade coq au vin dish, leading to a warm and grateful exchange between them.
• Yara enjoys the dish, reminiscing about her summers in France and feels appreciative of Silas's cooking skills and his compliment on her new hair highlights.
• At home, Yara prepares musakhan for her husband Fadi but is distracted by the thought of making friends with another man, Silas, leading to feelings of panic and guilt related to a troubling childhood memory with her mother.
• Fadi arrives home in a bad mood due to stressful family matters involving financial issues with his father's business.
• The tension between Fadi and Yara grows as they struggle to communicate over Fadi's troubles, with Yara trying to comfort him and Fadi being dismissive.
• Finally, Fadi opens up about the stress over his father's tax problems, showing vulnerability and frustration, and Yara responds with empathy and physical affection.
• The chapter concludes with an intimate moment between Yara and Fadi, providing temporary relief from their respective burdens and strengthening their emotional connection.