I made a pot of coffee and sat with him at the table in pajamas. It was a ritual of sorts, sitting across from each other, face-to-face. There were few rituals in our lives, certainly non that carried any history, at least not the history of traditions, of nations and faiths. So these small things mattered. I would make sure to sit with him at the table.
-- Asya (Page 1-Page 35)

Importance: This passage reveals how expatriate couples must consciously create meaning in the absence of inherited cultural frameworks, transforming ordinary domestic moments into deliberate acts of connection. Asya's recognition that they have "few rituals" that carry the "history of traditions, of nations and faiths" acknowledges the cultural displacement that defines their existence—they live outside the ceremonial structures that typically provide life with rhythm and significance. Her decision to "make sure to sit with him at the table" demonstrates the intentional effort required to...