Kiffe Kiffe Tomorrow

Hamoudi loses his job as a security guard after he’s blamed for things disappearing from the warehouse. Hamoudi feels he was blamed because of his race, but his own parents assume he’s guilty, as he’s been in so much trouble over the years. Doria experiences another disappointment when she overhears some girls on the bus talking about her favorite actor, the man who plays the lead character, Jarod, on the American series The Pretender. One of them says that she’s read on the internet that the man who plays Jarod is gay, ruining him as a fantasy object for Doria. Meanwhile, Doria admits, she finds herself thinking of Nabil and wondering when he’ll be back, but insists she only wants to tell him off

Doria and Yasmina go into Paris to see the Eiffel Tower, which Yasmina has never actually visited, “though she’s been living half an hour from it for almost twenty years” (92). Doria reflects that the only people interested in the towers in her neighborhood are journalists doing stories on social problems. Doria and Yasmina do not have enough money to go up in the elevators, and a pigeon poops on Doria’s only good jacket. She consoles herself with fantasies of how she’ll help others when she’s grown up and is no longer poor.

Lila and Sarah return from Toulouse, and Doria hears the story of Lila’s marriage to Sarah’s father. The two of them met young and fell in love, but faced opposition from both their families, as Lila’s family were traditional Algerians, while her boyfriend’s family were French, with a family tree stretching back generations. Lila feels they married “more out of rebellion than love” (94). Her father-in-law expressed his disapproval by serving pork and making jokes about religion whenever Lila visited. Now divorced, Lila still dreams of finding her perfect mate, like in the women’s magazines she reads. Doria finds herself wondering if Nabil might be a good match for her after all, and vows to have a serious talk with him when he returns.

The neighborhood is abuzz with the news that Samra, the “prisoner” who had to escape from her own family, has run away to be with a French boyfriend she met while working in a store. Doria admires her for getting way from her family but worries that Samra’s relationship may not last (as Lila’s did not) and that Samra could find herself abandoned and disillusioned. Doria’s wisdom teeth are growing in, causing her pain and necessitating a trip to the dentist. She wonders if their name implies a connection to wisdom or learning and says that she’s “learned that it hurts to learn” (101).

Sarah tells Doria that Hamoudi and Lila, Sarah’s mother, are in love. Doria feels betrayed, especially as Hamoudi has kept the relationship secret from her. Thinking of all the blows she has endured, Doria imagines herself as the subject of a TV documentary on how it’s possible to become completely disenchanted with life at the age of fifteen. She imagines a journalist narrating her life, beginning with her father’s disappointment at having a daughter and ending with Doria being told by a four-year-old that the most important male figure in her life has fallen in love with one of her friends.

Doria feels that Hamoudi has treated her like a kid, when in fact she has always had to understand things considered above her head. Even as a child, she did her family’s paperwork, including taxes. When she asked her father how the family had coped before, he beat her. She refused to cry, because that would have proved him that girls were weak. She reflects how different Nabil’s relationship with his father is. Nabil’s parents can read and write and buy him lavish presents at Christmas.

Yasmina finds a new job as a cafeteria lady in the local elementary school and even has a uniform with her name on it. She is happy and proud of her newfound literacy, frequently stopping to read the signs she sees and even buying a newspaper. 

Cyborg Services, the substitute social worker, comes to visit. After discussing Yasmina’s new job, she changes the topic to Doria’s future as a trainee hairdresser. She asks Doria about her “sense of purpose” and urges her not to let others make decisions for her (106). Doria ends the conversation by responding in the manner she imagines a Hollywood film star playing a big scene would. Cyborg Services leaves but comes back because her car has been stolen. She asks to use their phone and is surprised to learn it’s been disconnected for weeks.