Paradise

On the final day of Uncle Aziz’s visit, he is in serious discussion with Yusuf’s father. Yusuf admires the feast, hoping to get some of the remainder, but his mother prefers to give extra food away to neighbors and those in need. Yusuf doesn’t mind, however, sharing the leftovers with one beggar named Mohammed who would tell Yusuf stories of how his past good life had fallen apart. Mohammed’s servile gratitude also endears him to Yusuf’s mother. Once, Yusuf stole a coin out of his father’s pocket, a silver rupee. It was too much money to spend or give to Mohammed without suspicion, so Yusuf keeps it hidden in a wall crevice.

After the meal, Uncle Aziz and Yusuf’s father retire to other rooms to rest. Yusuf cleans up the food and dishes alone, as his mother goes to speak with his father. When she comes out again, she gives Yusuf a big, long hug. He initially struggles against it, as he believes he is too old for that, but his mother does not relent. The hug and the tears he sees in his mother’s eyes start to worry Yusuf. He worries that perhaps his parents had another argument where his father threatens to get another wife or unfavorably compares Yusuf’s mother to his first wife. The first wife was from a prestigious family, and her father forbade the marriage. However, Yusuf’s father secretly courted her and stole her away. After eight years, she begged her family to let her return with her two sons. The dhow they traveled in was never seen again. Yusuf’s mother does not explain her sorrow but only says that his father will tell him.

Yusuf’s father comes out after resting, puts his arm around Yusuf, and asks if Yusuf would like to take a trip with Uncle Aziz. Without waiting for an explanation why, Yusuf packs up his things and leaves. He does not realize that it might be the last time he sees his parents. After the novelty of the train ride dims, Yusuf thinks of his mother and cries while Uncle Aziz dozes. Eventually Yusuf sleeps, but he dreams of his mother as a dog that gets killed and of his cowardice as a newly born entity. When they arrive at the town, a porter carries Uncle Aziz’s baggage and shouts for people to clear a path for him. Aziz’s house has many trees and is surrounded by a high wall. A young man named Khalil rushes out of the shop to greet Uncle Aziz. He kisses Aziz’s hand and speaks to him in Arabic. Aziz goes toward a walled garden inside but indicates for Yusuf not to follow. Yusuf realizes he has lost the rosary from his mother on the train as he follows Khalil into the shop.

Everyone Yusuf meets is kind to him, though Uncle Aziz doesn’t smile at him and only appears once or twice a day. Khalil takes Yusuf under his wing, instructing him on running the store and inquiring about his old life, but sometimes he strikes him. His nickname for Yusuf is kifa urongo, meaning “living death.” He explains that Aziz is not actually Yusuf’s uncle and that he should call him seyyid. They sleep on mats outside the store, and Khalil further explains that both he and Yusuf are there because their fathers owe or owed money to Aziz, and the boys are working there until the debts are paid off. Khalil’s father died before he could pay off the debt. Khalil suggests that Yusuf learn Arabic so that Aziz will like him better.

Yusuf notices packs of wild dogs gathering nearby at night. They worry him, as he sleeps outside. He dreams that the dogs stand over him on two legs. He says nothing about them to Khalil because he notes that Khalil doesn’t even seem to notice them, though they seem to get closer every night. One night, the dogs come too close, frightening Yusuf to the point of messing his pants. His startled cry awakens Khalil, who shoos the dogs away. At first, Khalil is angry with Yusuf for not saying anything about the dogs, but then consoles him when Yusuf keeps crying. He tells him stories of wolves raising humans and ghouls and other supernatural beings. Khalil thinks he saw a wolf-man once and tells Yusuf about the layers of Hell. Yusuf notices that Khalil makes the customers laugh, often by seeming like a clown. The women who come to the store coo over Yusuf, particularly an old woman named Ma Ajuza. She takes to calling him “my husband” and tries to embrace him whenever she sees him. He tries to avoid her, but Khalil assists her by sending Yusuf to places where he knows she’ll be. Yusuf complains to Khalil that she’s old, fat, and has tobacco-stained teeth, but Khalil thinks those are trivial issues and that Yusuf should accept her love.

Aziz seems worried and pensive. He goes over the books with Khalil every night. He then prepares for a journey to the interior of the country. Many packages arrive, along with fierce retainers, or guards, to watch them. The mnyapara wa safari (journey foreman) is Mohammed Abdalla, who cannot join the retinue until later, as he has some business to attend to. Khalil thinks he is evil. Yusuf knows there are women in the house, who are sometimes visited by other women dressed from head to toe in black with henna tattoos on their hands. When Yusuf asks about them, Khalil responds that it is just “the Mistress” who lives there and that she is crazy. When Yusuf asks about Khalil’s mother, he responds that she and his brothers left him and went to Arabia. After Aziz leaves, Yusuf and Khalil go into the town to see more of it, including the sea. At the mosque for Friday prayers, Yusuf notices that Khalil doesn’t seem to know the words. They join some boys for a game of kipande, and Yusuf does quite well. Khalil tells the customers about their game, embellishing the story each time, making himself seem clownish and Yusuf heroic. Khalil starts spending more time in the house than in the shop, which used to be the focus of all his energy. Yusuf ventures farther into the walled garden, noting mirrors on the trees. One day, from behind the wall, the Mistress calls to him. When Yusuf asks Khalil more about her, Khalil becomes defensive and angry.