He cooed over our newborn and gently stroked his cheek, smiling in unabashed adoration.

I wondered what Mama was protecting about my late father. What dirty linen had she discovered and hidden before anyone came across it?

Papa had asked mama to make my hair in a special way; so instead of six cornrows, she made twelve and added green and blue beads to the ends of each braid.

Short fiction by Moses Abukutsa

Short story on love, freedom, family, and marriage.