Paradise

Yusuf visits Zulekha three nights in a row, and the lack of communication persists between him and Khalil because of it. Zulekha asks about Yusuf’s mother and the trade journey. He asks her questions that are intended for Amina, but Amina deflects them. Zulekha doesn’t want to hear Amina speak so much compared to Yusuf, so she interrupts and heavily compliments Yusuf on his good looks. She suggests he breathe on her face to heal her. Yusuf leaves after Zulekha dismisses Amina, though he touches her face first. Amina is waiting for him. She warns Yusuf to keep away from the Mistress because her obsession has grown stronger. Yusuf resists, saying that only by visiting the Mistress can he keep seeing Amina. He asks again why she doesn’t resemble her brother. She explains that they are not siblings. Khalil’s father once saw someone try to kidnap two little girls in a boat, so he tried to save them. The kidnappers got away with her sister, and Khalil’s father adopted her. The man who drew up the adoption papers made the amulet to protect her. She describes her life now as hellish. She envies Yusuf’s joy at working in the garden. Yusuf asks if she will leave Uncle Aziz, but she laughs and responds that she always knew he was a dreamer.

Yusuf asks Khalil why he couldn’t just tell him about Amina, and Khalil responds that he was ashamed. Khalil tells him what he knows about Amina: She and her sister were magendo, “property” to be sold off. Khalil’s father called Amina kifa urongo, like Khalil called Yusuf, and would feed her like a little bird and listen to her chatter. One day he said he would give her their name, citing the reference to God making all people from a clot of blood. Khalil was to be rehani until Amina was of age to marry, but their father died before that could happen. Then Mohammed Abdalla came to take them away, and he made Amina undress and molested her. If Amina leaves without the seyyid’s blessing, Khalil will be rehani again or have to repay the debt; therefore, Amina won’t leave. Khalil stays there out of honor, to make up for his father’s sin of having sold her. Yusuf refutes Khalil’s reasoning, stating that he’s hiding behind the concept of honor. However, he feels his resolve crumble when Khalil questions him about where he would go with Amina, what they would do, and how they would stay safe. Yusuf imagines making his case for leaving to Amina, arguing that though they would lose the beautiful garden and be banished, things could be better than now. He thinks of his parents, too, and realizes that he holds no remorse for them. He imagines visiting them when he’s free to thank them for the hard life lessons they taught him by selling him.

Khalil’s gaiety returns, and customers speculate on why. In the evening, Yusuf visits Zulekha for the last time. He plans to ask Amina to leave with him. However, Zulekha meets him alone at the door. She speaks to him passionately and puts her hands on his shoulder. He turns to run, and she grabs his shirt from behind, ripping it. Khalil goes in to calm her while Yusuf sits on the terrace, reeling from the encounter. Yusuf imagines where he could flee among the places he’s known, but nowhere is safe. When Khalil comes out, he reports that Zulekha says Yusuf attacked her and tore her clothes. She has sent Khalil to gather townspeople so she can make accusations in front of witnesses. Yusuf pleads his innocence, but Khalil already believes him because this was the kind of situation that he had warned Yusuf about. Khalil thinks Yusuf should leave immediately, but Yusuf thinks that will make him look even more like a criminal. When they return to the shop, they realize Uncle Aziz has returned. Yusuf sleeps, not afraid to face him.

Uncle Aziz approaches Yusuf at daybreak. Yusuf pleads his innocence, but Uncle Aziz is more concerned with why he visited the Mistress in the house so often. Yusuf admits that he went so often to see Amina. Uncle Aziz seems somewhat satisfied and mentions that he stopped in Yusuf’s town recently. He states that Yusuf’s father has died and his mother has moved away. He was going to make an offer to let Yusuf continue to work with him and call the debt paid. Uncle Aziz lets Yusuf kiss his ring and says they’ll discuss his plans for Yusuf to travel for him later. As he leaves, he warns Yusuf and Khalil to be wary of Germans who might start kidnapping people for their army, as there may be war between the Germans and English soon.

Khalil tells the customers that Uncle Aziz has found girls for him and Yusuf to marry, sisters. Khalil says that they can have a double wedding and live across the road and work in the shop. Yusuf initially thinks that Khalil’s exuberance with this tale is his relief that things didn’t go badly with the merchant, but then he realizes that Khalil is mocking him, that while Khalil is still there to atone for his father’s sins in selling Amina, Yusuf has no such excuse. Yet they are both servile and kiss the merchant’s ring. Khalil laughingly tells Yusuf that he had better start calling Uncle Aziz “seyyid” now.

When askari soldiers arrive, led by a German officer, the people scatter and hide. Khalil and Yusuf board up the shop and peer out to watch as the askaris lounge in the clearing. He sends sets of three askaris to search the area. The set that checks the garden and house reports that there is fruit but nothing else. The other sets return with men they have rounded up. After a while, they march off in a column toward town. Khalil checks on the house while Yusuf checks out the remains of the askari encampment. Beyond the shade tree, he sees dogs eating at the piles of excrement. They shield their food from him, as if they recognize that he is someone who would eat it, too. Yusuf recalls his dream of his cowardice covered in its afterbirth and relates it to the terror he first felt when he was abandoned by his parents. He feels he knows what his hunger and fear would turn into. Behind him, the door to the garden bolts shut. Yusuf runs after the column of marching men.