I know enough to know that no woman should ever marry a man who hated his mother.

When God Created MothersWhen the Good Lord was creating mothers He was into His sixth day of overtime when the angel appeared and said. Youre doing a lot of fiddling around on this one. And God said Have you read the specs on this order She has to be completely washable but not plastic. Have 180 moveable parts...all replaceable. Run on black coffee and leftovers. Have a lap that disappears when she stands up. A kiss that can cure anything from a broken leg to a disappointed love affair. And six pairs of hands. The angel shook her head slowly and said. Six pairs of hands.... no way. Its not the hands that are causing me problems God remarked its the three pairs of eyes that mothers have to have. Thats on the standard model asked the angel. God nodded. One pair that sees through closed doors when she asks What are you kids doing in there when she already knows. Another here in the back of her head that sees what she shouldnt but what she has to know and of course the ones here in front that can look at a child when he goofs up and say. I understand and I love you without so much as uttering a word. God said the angel touching his sleeve gently Get some rest tomorrow.... I cant said God Im so close to creating something so close to myself. Already I have one who heals herself when she is sick...can feed a family of six on one pound of hamburger...and can get a nine year old to stand under a shower. The angel circled the model of a mother very slowly. Its too soft she sighed. But tough said God excitedly. You can imagine what this mother can do or endure. Can it think Not only can it think but it can reason and compromise said the Creator. Finally the angel bent over and ran her finger across the cheek. Theres a leak she pronounced. I told You that You were trying to put too much into this model. Its not a leak said the Lord Its a tear. Whats it for Its for joy sadness disappointment pain loneliness and pride. You are a genius said the angel. Somberly God said I didnt put it there.

Sadie heard her inside cleaning up the kitchen and wondered what dreams Bettys mother had for herself if all mothers had them bottled up beneath their mother exteriors.

Beauty is not who you are on the outside it is the wisdom and time you gave away to save another struggling soul like you.

And eventually in that house where everyone even the fugitive hiding in the cellar from his faceless enemies finds his tongue cleaving dryly to the roof of his mouth where even the sons of the house have to go into the cornfield with the rickshaw boy to joke about whores and compare the length of their members and whisper furtively about dreams of being film directors Hanifs dream which horrifies his dream-invading mother who believes the cinema to be an extension of the brothel business where life has been transmuted into grotesquery by the irruption into it of history eventually in the murkiness of the underworld he cannot help himself he finds his eyes straying upwards up along delicate sandals and baggy pajamas and past loose kurta and above the dupatta the cloth of modesty until eyes meet eyes and then