Summary

In Chapter 10, Hamza began establishing a new life. He formed relationships, grew accustomed to the storeroom, and attended prayers at the mosque. Then one day, Nassor appointed him as the warehouse watchman. He had just received “a large propeller” for his boat he wanted guarded (185). Hamza moved out of Khalifa’s storeroom and into the warehouse. Khalifa “worried for his safety” (187). He did not know Hamza “had seen much worse” than the town drunks’ antics (187).

After the propeller was installed, Nassor “dispensed with” Hamza (190). He was overcome by sadness and despair. For a short time he had felt capable of surviving his “many regrets and sorrows” (190).

Noticing Hamza’s difficult circumstances, Khalifa invited him back to the storeroom. Shortly thereafter, Hamza approached Nassor about working in his workshop with the carpenter, Mzee Sulemani (192). Nassor obliged. Developing a “new occupation of carpentry...