Out of Spite to You

She gritted her teeth and said angrily, “If you had valued him, not only your cousin but everything would have been yours… What can I say about your incompetence that made us lose him!” Angry and frustrated by my mother’s biting words, I said with annoyance, “He wasn’t such a big deal anyway! Where could he have gone? Either up north or to Europe… At most, he’ll be back in two weeks! Why are you making such a big deal out of it, Mom?” She stared straight into my eyes and said, with measured and emphatic words, “Ali has gone to Dubai! But not for a trip! For good! He went to manage his father’s company’s Dubai office!” My hand unconsciously gripped the edge of the steel sofa, and a dark veil momentarily covered my vision. Ali had gone to Dubai? For good!? Ali had gone to Dubai, for good, Ali had gone…