Mother (Ikbal) Timeline and Summary

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• Ahmed tells us that she always thought her mother never did anything, that she had no profession at all. She understands that this isn't so in later years.
• She remembers that her mother was a good singer but can't remember any of her songs in Arabic.
• She recalls that her mother died two years after her father but can't recall the exact date.
• Mother and Nanny, Ahmed says, did not like each other. However, they agreed on the important things in raising Ahmed.
• Ahmed learns that her mother had a premature baby who died, possibly because of her mother's behavior, before Ahmed was born.
• She tells the story of her parents' meeting and marriage. Her mother is a bit of a mystery, though, because she was reserved.
• Ahmed recalls the tenderness with which her mother treated a wayward relative and is a little baffled. Her mother wouldn't have been that kind to her.
• She remembers when her mom revealed that she would have liked to be a writer.
• Her mother also shares with Ahmed the importance of never harming another person.
• Mother slaps Ahmed and berates her for the interaction with Freddy, who tried to molest her. Ahmed retreats from her mother in anger and resentment.
• Ahmed remembers her mother's tenderness toward her after the other children had left home.
• Father tells her that Mother wanted to interrupt the pregnancy (when she carried Ahmed) because she didn't want more children. Ahmed is stunned.
• Mother pleads with Ahmed to understand—she didn't know how much she would love her daughter at the time.
• Ahmed feels her mother's and father's spirits present with her in Cambridge. Mother only leaves her after she excuses her for any harm she might have done.
• She steps back and recalls her mother's early life and her time at Zatoun.
• Ahmed remembers that her mother made her quit sports after she was photographed for the newspaper in her running shorts.
• Mother visits Ahmed twice in England during her time in graduate school. The first time, Ahmed marries Alan. The second time, Mother is really sick.
• Mother dies shortly after returning to Cairo from that second visit.