#Epidemic
Summer heat mounts against my skin, and mourning comes in the form of a Facebook message. I’m on the highway, about 65 kilometers into an unseen future, when my phone chimes. The words are cast in playful pinks and unassuming blues: el-bakaa l’Allah, habibti—‘eternity is for God, darling.’ It is a condolence native to the Middle East, dealt to those grieving the loss of someone dear. I had not lost someone, or rather, I wasn’t yet aware of who I…
