Xala

The president of the businessmen’s association and El Hadji rode in the latter’s Mercedes out into the suburbs. Meanwhile, Yay Bineta was leaving N’Gone’s villa. She was disappointed. She was convinced that El Hadji’s other two wives were plotting to get rid of N’Gone. She vowed that she would work to ensure that the two other women would either be tossed aside or subordinated. She went to visit her brother. Old Babacar was sitting and reading the Koran. Mam Fatou welcomed her and hoped for news about N’Gone.

Yay Bineta announced that El Hadji had not consummated the marriage because he had the xala. To solve the problem, she said, El Hadji had gone to seek out a healer. She blamed his wives for causing his impotence.

Mam Fatou confessed that she hadn’t been pleased about the marriage and worried that the deal may have been “too good to be true in these times” (31). Yay Bineta was outraged. Mam Fatou backpedaled, saying that she was merely worried about her daughter. Yay Bineta felt her dislike for her sister-in-law more acutely, particularly for her dominance of Babacar, whom Mam Fatou now ordered to go help El Hadji. She told him to go see his new son-in-law at his office. This time, Yay Bineta agreed with her sister-in-law. She handed her brother the keys to N’Gone’s car and the license. Babacar obediently left. Yay Bineta and Mam Fatou, meanwhile, put aside their mutual dislike to figure out how to combat El Hadji’s jealous wives. 

Old Babacar returned home after waiting in vain for El Hadji all morning. Mam Fatou sent him back to El Hadji’s import-export office. Madame Diouf figured the old man was just one of the poor guests who attended her boss’s wedding. She asked Babacar to take a seat while she returned to her day’s tasks. Babacar listened to the beggar chant and admired the man’s voice.

Oumi N’Doye entered the office, looking for El Hadji. Madame Diouf said that he wasn’t there. She then invited Oumi N’Doye to wait for her husband alongside Babacar. Oumi N’Doye sat down and opened the pages of a women’s magazine that she had just bought. She loved looking at glossy photos featuring the latest fashions and reading stories about cinema stars. But, she had felt uneasy since her husband’s wedding. She felt devalued by her husband’s third marriage. Being the middle wife also put her in a precarious position. Much of her ill will, however, was directed not at her husband but at Adja Awa Astou. It annoyed her that the first wife did not vocalize her disapproval of the new marriage. Oumi N’Doye concluded that Adja must have been quietly pleased with the fact that El Hadji now had a new favorite. Oumi N’Doye thought of divorcing El Hadji. Then, she realized what so many women of her station did: without his financial help, she had no way of caring for herself or her children.

Madame Diouf looked at her watch and announced that she had to close the shop. Oumi N’Doye rose and asked where El Hadji was. Madame Diouf insisted that she didn’t know. She had seen him once that morning, but he had left with the president of the businessmen’s group and hadn’t returned. Babacar stood and announced that he was N’Gone’s father. He left the message that he expected to see El Hadji at his home. Oumi N’Doye left, enraged. When Babacar asked the secretary who she was, Madame Diouf said that she was El Hadji’s second wife. Surprised and embarrassed, Babacar rushed after her, eager to meet her properly. When he got out onto the street, Oumi N’Doye was nowhere in sight. Seeing the beggar beside him, he dropped a coin onto the sheepskin on which the beggar sat.

Meanwhile, Alassane dropped Adja and Oumi N’Doye’s children off at the latter’s villa. When Oumi N’Doye saw Mariem, she asked her daughter to go fetch her father, who was at N’Gone’s villa. Mariem returned quickly, saying that El Hadji wasn’t there and that no one had seen him that day. Mactar began to complain about Oumi N’Doye not having a car, while his other wives did. Oumi N’Doye agreed, annoyed with how much she had to spend on taxis. She also disliked being overlooked. She sent Mactar to Adja’s house. If El Hadji was there, she said, she wanted him to see her immediately. Mactar went, on the promise that, if they did get a car, Oumi N’Doye would lend it to him. 

Mactar also had no luck with finding his father. Oumi N’Doye was now worried. Her husband had assured her that he would visit and usually kept his promises. She felt neglected. Still, she readied herself for his potential arrival. She made herself beautiful with the hope that she would keep him with her throughout the night. It was now 1:00am. Feeling threatened, she couldn’t sleep.