It always went the same way, those uncomfortable conversations that sometimes had to happen between parent and child. In such a small, close community, privacy was a rarity, so they would hike in silence up the hillside until they reached a ridge that overlooked the valley below. Only then would Khan speak what was on his mind: nuggets of wisdom and advice, harsh warnings about the reality of life, or often both in the same statement. On this day, the air was thick and sultry, and the sun blazed overhead.
"I heard that you and Awais Patil were fighting yesterday." He did not look at his daughter while he spoke. Instead, he gazed out at the valley.
"Yes, Father." Maya never bothered trying to hide anything from her father anymore. He always found out in the end. "He tried to kiss me, but I didn't want it." She thought it was something else wrong with her, that she made it to fourteen without any boys taking any interest in her and without taking any interest in them. Now when someone did show interest, she felt repulsed.
Khan closed his eyes and nodded. After a heavy silence he turned to look his daughter in the eye with a stern expression on his face that struck Maya to the marrow. "Superior men are within their rights to claim what they please. In the future, it would serve you well to remember this."
Maya blinked. "I don't understand." She had an idea of what he meant but hoped she was wrong.
"Was it too much for me to expect you to understand such a simple concept?" There was a bite in his voice: frustration, disappointment. "Do not refuse their advances. Is that simple enough for you to comprehend?"
Maya looked away toward the valley below. When she answered, her voice was soft and distant. "Yes, Father. I understand."