The Fifth Candle
They chanted prayers over and over, as though they had already decided I was the source of the family's bad luck.
Humiliation crashed over me like a tidal wave, leaving my nose stinging and my eyes burning. Even so, I refused to cry. I gritted my teeth and stayed silent, knowing that no one there felt sorry for me. If I shed a single tear, I would only make myself the punchline of another joke. By the time it was over, I had gone completely numb.
There was a heavy ache in my lower abdomen, a tearing pain that grew worse with every passing second.