chapter 19

Ishmael is finally “repatriated” to live with his uncle. He is worried about what to do there especially if his nightmares and migraines return. He also feels such guilt over being the only one in his family to have survived the war. Nonetheless, he packs his few belongings and with his heart beating very fast, he says goodbye to Mohamed, Alhaji, and Mambu. Mohamed embraces him, but Alhaji just claps him on the shoulder. Ishmael never sees this longtime friend again. Esther gives him her address and tells him he can come any time. As soon as Ishmael arrives at his uncle’s house, his uncle picks him up and carries him to the verandah. He says in a formal manner that he welcomes him like he would welcome a chieftain. Then, everyone else in the family hugs him, and his aunt makes him a chicken dish for supper. This is a great honor, because chicken is only served on special occasions. Allie shows him where he will sleep, and Ishmael is impressed by how neat and clean the room is. His chores are made very clear, and this calms Ishmael’s nerves. Later, his uncle and aunt go for prayers at the mosque, and when they returned, they play a cassette of a storyteller. That’s when Ishmael finally begins to feel comfortable with people who are happy all the time. A day or two later, Allie gives Ishmael a set of dress clothes and tells him they are going to a dance at a pub. They have to sneak out so his uncle doesn’t know. Once he arrives, Ishmael feels somewhat out of place, because everyone seems to know someone else. So, he begins to dance by himself in the corner. Then, he is approached by a girl and they start to dance. They date for a few weeks but she begins to ask to many questions about ishmeals past and there was just to much pain and memories for ishmeal to start revealing to strangers. Ishmeal went to a job interveiw where everything is very strange to him. There were tall buildings and a box that transported them through out the building (escalator). when ishmeal tells the man of his reason to get the job the man just smiles and that angers ishmeal, and ishmeal does not know why.