Read the following passage from "Another Evening at the Club."
Putting the ring away in his pocket, he bent over her and with both hands gently patted her on the cheeks. It was a gesture she had long become used to, a gesture that promised her continued security, that told her that this man who was her husband and the father of her child had also taken the place of her father who, as though assured that he had found her a suitable substitute, had followed up her marriage with his own funeral. The gesture told her more eloquently than any words that he was the man, she the woman, he the one who carried the responsibilities, made the decisions, she the one whose role it was to be beautiful, happy, carefree. Now, though, for the first time in their life together, the gesture came like a slap in the face.
Which of the following best describes the relationship between Samia and her husband, Abboud Bey?
A. admiring
B. concerned
C. patronizing
D. respectful