When Mother heard that her niece, Nada, had gotten into a starring role in one of the plays that the Baghdad College of Fine Arts was putting on, she was happy to attend to support her. Last year during the Baghdad Art Festival, a play protesting the Iraqi invasions was put on to great international success. Nada was starring in an adaptation of it. Mother was not like Son, who read from all the languages of the world. She had never seen a play acted out in her life. Therefore she entered the college theatre venue and felt completely out of her element. The older women were in abaya and niqab, but they were in extravagant colours and decorated with unique ornaments and broaches. As for the younger generation, they were dressed completely differently—in long, flowing dresses that respected the dress norms but that Mother would never feel comfortable wearing.
Not a single person made an attempt to greet Mother, and she accepted that. What she didn't like was how when her niece came out, she made eye contact with Mother but didn’t go out of her way to say hi. Nada was in a tight black shirt and pants. She had glowing white make-up on. On stage it probably evened out with the lighting, but outside Nada looked clownish, and Mother did not like it.
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