Summary

Alia has a shower and it seems as though her mind is occupied. Her stomach is “rounding” (49) and this makes her anxious. Alia has not told Atef that she is pregnant although she does want to; she has not been able to find the nerve to do so after Atef returned from war. The night of the baby’s conception had been a “frenetic coupling” (49) very different to their usual lovemaking, and there is the suggestion that something bad has happened to Mustafa.

After much persuasion from Salma, Alia agrees to go to Kuwait to visit Widad who has been ill and struggling recently. She does not feel close to her sister, only having seen her several times over the last decade, and resents Atef and Mustafa for being able to stay in Nablus while she is made to go away. Her...