The chapter begins with Yara describing a disturbing phone call her mother receives, which informs her of Teta (Yara's grandmother) passing away in Palestine.
Following the phone call, Yara's mother becomes extremely withdrawn and grief-stricken, staying in her room and neglecting herself and household duties.
Yara takes on the responsibility of caring for her younger brothers during this time, trying to maintain normalcy by feeding them and distracting them with cartoons.
Eventually, Yara's mother emerges from her room, looking disheveled and unkempt, and begins to clean the kitchen with a faraway look in her eyes.
Yara feels the weight of their loss deeply, realizing that her family will never return to Palestine and mourning the loss of her grandmother and the impact on her mother.
Her mother's frail and hollow appearance reminds Yara of a skeletal painting she once saw, indicating the extent of her mother's suffering.
Yara's mother prepares coffee with an antique set given to her by Teta, and Yara notes her mother's movements mimicking those of her grandmother.
When Yara tries to comfort her mother, she is sharply rejected, and a sense of tension and unresolved conflicts between them is implied.
Yara's mother is hostile, blaming Yara for various problems and expressing regret over her daughter's existence while lamenting her own unmet needs.
In an outburst of anger, Yara's mother shatters the treasured coffee cups and curses Yara with a "terrible life," a punishment for being a "terrible daughter."