Section 13: Chapter 19 and 20 Summary

In Chapter 19, Ali continually makes excuses to Esi about why he cannot visit her. A year after marrying Ali, Esi has settled into her new life, and all of her hopes for marriage have been fulfilled; since Ali is rarely around, she is free, contented and able to concentrate on her job. Esi realizes that she likes working, and though she feels bad about he daughter, she enjoys her freedom which is "almost like before she had got married the first time and had had a child" (page 138). After the trip to Bamako, a change starts taking place in Esi. She feels more like Ali's wife and expects him to become more of a husband. She begins to wonder how they will have children since he is around so seldomly. She is lonely and misses Ali, especially when she...