Summary

This chapter takes place two years later. The narrator pledges to “change the pace and manner of my narrative” (215). The narrator focuses on Warĩĩnga, who now lives in a small single room apartment in Nairobi. This new Warĩĩnga has stopped dying and straightening her hair; she wears simple jeans and a khaki shirt. She has become a mechanical engineer specializing in motor vehicles. She remembers her first day in a garage, where she was tasked with solving an engine problem. Warĩĩnga’s skill earns her the adulation of the men in the garage. When another man tries to grope her sexually, Warĩĩnga assaults him with her judo and karate skills. One day, Warĩĩnga discovers that their garage has been sold to Boss Kĩhara, who wants the land for a big tourist hotel.

Warĩĩnga and Gatuĩria are...