Condolence Visit Summary

On the tenth day after Minocher Mirza's funeral, his widow Daulat awaits visitors with apprehension. Minocher's final days are spent in relative comfort after months of agony and he dies in peace. Daulat too is at peace, having seen him die with dignity. The visits, however, will make her regurgitate months of bad memories and are inevitable.

At 9 AM, the doorbell startles Daulat. It is neighbor Najamai, a widow for years. Since Minocher's death, Najamai has bombarded Daulat with advice and now is offering folding chairs and glasses for visitations. Najamai sees Minocher's elegant pugree and observes that Daulat must never sell it. She next sees an oil lamp still burning beside Minocher's bed and warns this is wrong. The dustoorji also instructed Daulat to let it burn throughout the four days of prayers at the Towers of Silence and then...