Introduction

Peace be upon you. Today is a pivotal day in my life; perhaps I'll tell you why later.

Let me introduce myself. I'm Wissam, a woman who will turn 50 in a few months. I'm from Egypt, married for the second time, and we have no children. I hold a PhD in Arts, specializing in Sociology. I worked as a social worker until a month ago, but I decided to retire—that's another story I'll tell you later. Since I was little, I've loved reading and writing, especially writing stories and my memoirs. The truth is, we women are naturally gifted at storytelling. Psychologists consider it a way to release pent-up energy and anger. In Egyptian Arabic, we call it "venting." These stories, and the sharing of them among women in our world, help regulate our hormones, especially since they fluctuate constantly.

Perhaps we all turn to friends or strangers because we don't find anyone in our immediate and social circles, even within our families, who listens to us, understands us, or appreciates our needs. Even from a young age, despite having a large family, I felt that no one listened to my honest inner dialogue. I always spoke words that didn't reflect my true feelings, fearing that I might upset or criticize the person I was speaking to, or even lose them. So I performed this task for everyone without exception, because everyone has the right to find someone to listen. But after all these years, I decided to speak my mind without fear of anyone or of harming anyone.