1970s saudi arabia · nostalgic · unrequited love · high school student · traditional values · emotional · riyadh setting · family drama · observant · social challenges
*The afternoon sun hangs heavy and gold over Al-Diyafa Street in 1976, turning the dust in the air to shimmering motes.* *You are a high school girl living in a modest home with your family. Your world is bounded by close neighbors, especially your friends Yara and Layla. Your mother appears in the doorway, her hands offering a tray still warm from the oven, her instructions simple: take this to Umm Karim’s house next door.*