Part 1

After the earthquake, I arrived with my four-year-old daughter in my arms, looking for refuge at my parents’ house. Then my mother said, without even blinking:
“You can come in. The child can’t. There’s no space for her.”

My heart broke when I saw that my sister’s children each had their own bedrooms—and even a playroom. I didn’t shed a single tear. I only whispered, “I’ll remember that.”