I had to go somewhere else. Chicago. San Francisco. Atlanta.

I ran my hands over my jean pockets and felt the outline of my passport. Why had I brought my passport? I don’t know. Maybe some part of me, when I imagined the possibility that I might not go back home, saw this as some kind of national emergency, one where I might even need to flee the country? Crazy, I know.

On the other hand, looking at the list of possible destinations, it didn’t seem so crazy now. I had my Wiki money. I could go anywhere. And why not somewhere outside America? London. Paris. Barcelona.

That was when I looked to the right of the departures sign and saw a gelato shop. Bright, heavenly lighting, and an array of the most colorful ice cream flavors I’d ever seen in my life. I stepped toward the light to better inspect the rainbow colors, the strawberry reds, the chocolates and vanillas.

Now that I think of it, it’s wild how a gelato shop can change the literal course of your life.

Interrogation Room 38

Roya Azadi

BEFORE WE GO further, ma’am, please allow me to apologize for my son’s startling behavior on that airplane today. I assure you it was completely out of the ordinary for him, and nothing to worry about—just a private family matter. And please allow me to apologize for my daughter. I understand why you want to speak with her, and I appreciate that you’ve allowed me to be in the room during your questioning. But she has been very emotional this past month, with her brother gone. Haven’t you, Soraya? Look, she’s rolling her eyes now because she doesn’t like it when I put words in her mouth. What teenage girl does?

My purse? Yes, of course you may have a look. Here.

Those are all hand sanitizer bottles. I assure you, they are less than—oh, no, that one is, yes, that one is more than three ounces. I am so sorry. It was on sale at CVS, and I wasn’t thinking . . .

That is my phone. You need my password? Of course. Soraya, please, calm down. It’s fine.

That is a picture of me with my students. I posted it on Instagram at the end of the school year. I teach at a Farsi school, and when I teach, I wear the hijab. You see, I am not wearing it now, but the class takes place at a mosque, so I wear it then.

That—that is my friend Maryam’s Instagram page. Those are Quran verses. She is quite devout. I do not see how this is relevant to—um, yes. I, I understand the verse. It is about finding your path when you are lost. It is quite peaceful, I assure you. Though it is in Arabic, not Farsi. Officer, Islam, like any religion, is very complex, and people practice it in many different ways, and I hope you don’t—

I understand you have to do your job and ask questions. Absolutely. I completely understand. And I appreciate your patience with us, with my husband—I understand your colleagues needed to question him separately, because of a past issue. We are more than happy to answer whatever questions you have. But please know that what happened on the plane, it is a sensitive matter, a delicate issue that we are still working through as a family. Soraya was correct earlier, when she assumed what I would have wanted to say. In our culture, these matters are usually dealt with privately.