“Mama is sitting right there,” Raúl replied sharply. “Please show some respect.”
“You brought this woman into our home and expect us to celebrate?” Fatou demanded. “What will people say about us?”
“What people say is not the most important thing in my life.”
Nadia looked at Raquel.
“Why would a woman your age want to marry a man like my brother?”
Raquel went pale.
“Nadia,” Amina said weakly from her chair.
But Nadia continued.
“Does he even know what he’s doing? What happens when she’s gone? What happens to him then?”
Raúl stepped forward.
“Stop.”
His voice was so firm that his sisters fell silent.
“You are talking about a woman who has treated our family with more kindness than most people ever have. She helped Mama receive medical care. She helped you stay in school. She has never asked you to repay her, and she has never demanded that I abandon my independence.”
