Page 111 of Sexting the Pakhan

Karina bends forward, shaking silently.

Priya whispers, “They are magnificent.”

I press a hand over my mouth to keep from laughing too loudly. For a few minutes, the suspicious men outside fade behind the sight of my daughters standing on the little rug in front of the room, one sparkling, one serious, both mine.

The music quiets.

Miss Elena smiles at the children. “Who would like to welcome our families?”

Nadia steps forward. My heart squeezes. She holds her little card with both hands, clears her throat, and says, “Welcome, families. We are happy you are here to see our learning.” She pauses, then adds, “Please clap at the end.”

The room erupts. I laugh with everyone else, but my eyes burn.

Mila leans toward Nadia and whispers something. Nadia whispers back.

Miss Elena says gently, “Girls, we’re still on stage.”

Mila straightens and gives the room a dazzling smile like she meant to do all of it.

I hold my phone up and whisper, “Perfect. Both of you, perfect.”

Karina leans over and whispers, “You’re recording the entire thing, right?”

“I’m taking pictures,” I whisper back.

She stares at me. “Zoya.”

“What?”

“Video.”

“Oh my God,” I whisper.

Priya, seated on my other side, whispers, “I’m recording. I’ll send it to you.”

I look at her like she has just saved my bloodline. “I love you.”

Priya whispers, “Understandable.”

I switch to video too late, of course. I catch the last twenty seconds of the song, mostly Mila waving at me mid-line and Nadia looking furious because waving is not in the choreography.

The song ends. The room claps. Mila bows.

No one else bows.

Nadia grabs the back of Mila’s dress and whispers something that makes Mila straighten immediately.

Karina whispers, “Nadia is going to run a country.”

“She already runs our house,” I whisper.

Miss Elena steps forward and says, “Now our children are going to show you the friendship tree they made this week.”

The children turn toward a wall covered in brown paper branches and bright handprint leaves. Each leaf has a child’s name written on it. Some names are neat. Some look like they were written during an earthquake.

Mila’s handprint is yellow and covered in glitter.

Nadia’s is blue and perfectly centered.