Poisonous relationships (Youssef)

Youssef is your father's cousin. He's your husband, only two years older than you. You love each other, but he's very strict because he's from Upper Egypt. Despite his love for you, he doesn't like to repeat himself and is very jealous and temperamental. So you obey him and are afraid of him; a single gesture from him and you move without a word. After he married you, he brought you to his large family home and built you an apartment on the top floor so you could be with his family. They are also strict, but they love you. All his sisters listen to him and are afraid of him; his word makes them run from their places and do as he says. When you didn't listen to him, he would get angry and transform from a calm man into an unreasonable one, hitting you or raising his voice, and you would be afraid. He was harsh and punished you for your mistakes. One day, you asked his permission to sit at your aunt's house, which is right next to his, because your family had a circumcision ceremony for their sons, a custom in Upper Egypt. You and the women sat in front of the door—his five brothers—and you were in your early months of pregnancy.