The next day, Maya informs her parents that she plans to go to New York in August. She is calm but also terrified. Asif and Sofia struggle to understand why their daughter dictates what she plans to do, and they are angry. Maya says that she will be 18 and legally allowed to live her own life. Asif wonders how she will pay for everything. Hina says she plans to help Maya financially. Sofia is furious; Asif says what they are experiencing is punishment for raising Maya with American values. Maya points out that her parents worked hard to build their dental practice, and she wants to work hard to make movies. Asif gives Maya a choice: She can choose New York or her parents. Maya chooses New York. Asif tells her that as soon as she is 18, she must leave their house. He gets up and leaves. Sofia says, “You have broken your parents’ hearts” (250). Hina tells Maya that she made the right decision and that she is brave. She hopes that Maya’s parents will come to understand someday.

In Dearborn, Michigan, a senator gives Kamal Aziz’s eulogy.