silent, anguished cry. (Staples, 170)
Chapter 19
The next morning when Shabanu wakes up she sees that the sky is cloudy and she
sees it as a good omen for the wedding, but then she realizes there will be no wedding
because of Hamir s death. Auntie acts like nothing has happened about her miscarriage.
Everyone blames Shabanu for what happened to Hamir. Nazir Mohammad s brother is
negotiating a truce between the two families and they are waiting to see what will happen.
They have to meet at Yazman with Rahim to negotiate what will happen. Rangers show
up and they escort them to Dingarh. There, another group of rangers escort them to
Yazman. They are then dropped off at the wing command headquarters, where they will
talk with Rahim and his brother Nazir Mohammad. While the women are talking, Phulan,
Shabanu, and their cousin Sakina talk. Sakina tells them how it happened and Phulan gets
very depressed. While Sakina was telling them the story, Shabanu forgot about her
cousins, and they were screaming because they climbed a ladder into a tree and the ladder
had fallen. A man shows up and helps her get the boys down. He is fairly old, about
fifty-five.
Thank you, I say, looking into the man s face. He has kind eyes with a twinkle
in them. His hair is gray around his ears, and he is clean-shaven. (Staples, 186)
Chapter 20
The men talk all night and part of the morning. Shabanu goes into where the
women are talking and asks them if they are talking about her or Phulan. She said that if
they are they should be in there too. Shabanu gets mad but Mama tells her that she has no
say in what she does, that all of the older women would decide for her and Phulan.
Shabanu finds out that Phulan is to be married to Murad and Shabanu will be married to
Rahim, the old man that helped her get the children out of the tree. Suddenly Phulan is as
happy as she was before when she was going to marry Hamir. Shabanu is very angry.
Shabanu will be his fourth wife. Shabanu tells mother that she wants to go live with
Sharma and Fatima, Mama slaps Shabanu and sends her head flying.
A minute ago you were grieving for Hamir! I say to her. How can you change
like the wind? (Staples, 193)
Chapter 21
They all go back to where they were camped outside Mehrabpur and they do not
recognize the place. Where their lean-to was there is now a village of mud huts. Rahim
sends presents to Shabanu, and the family gets a servant to clean house and cook.
Shabanu gets a set of gold rings, bangles, and a nose ring too. Everyone from the
countryside has come to Hamir s house to see the house of the man who died and brought
good fortune and wealth to his family. Auntie has lost a lot of weight. Phulan is getting
very demanding because she now has nothing to do since there is a servant, so she makes
everybody else get things for her. Sharma comes and tells Dadi that Shabanu will be
Rahim s slave and she will be poor when Rahim dies. Sharma and Dadi argue about it for
a while and then Dadi goes and smokes his hookah. Fatima tells Shabanu to listen to the
other women tell Phulan how to make a man happy and maybe she will be Rahim s
favorite, instead of his slave.
The choice is you make him so happy that he can t bear to be away from you for
a single moment. If he treats you badly come stay with us. (Staples, 209)
Chapter 22
Uncle comes from the city for the wedding and so do all of their relatives from the
desert and other places. Hundreds of people come for the wedding. Shabanu just wants
to go back to the desert where she can be happy. Shabanu thinks that Rahim is greedy,
because he has three wives and wants a fourth. Shabanu goes to the mahendi celebration,
and listens to what Fatima told her to. Now Shabanu starts to feel happy for her sister,
and not angry at her, for getting to marry Murad. They dress Phulan for the wedding and
Shabanu is certain that the instant Murad sees her, he will fall into love with her. Phulan
marries Murad and then they go to his house.
For the first time I feel free–free to be happy for my sister, free to think about my
future without him. (Staples, 220)
Chapter 23
Most everyone leaves the day after the wedding except Shabanu s family and
Sharma and Fatima. Shabanu is worried that if Rahim loves her, then his other wives will
hate her because he loves her and she is a desert girl. Sharma and Fatima leave and
Shabanu is worried about what to do. She wants to go live with them, but she knows that
will ruin her whole family s lives. When they get back to their house it starts to rain and
Dadi goes to see if the sand in the toba has been blown away and if it will hold water.
Dadi and Mama tell Shabanu that she is too old to look after the camels now, and that she
has to learn how to take care of a house. Shabanu begins to have her monthly bleeding,
but she hides it from her parents. She hears her parents making love during the night and
she thinks of how bad it will be to have Rahim s old body and hands touching her. She
wonders what it would be like to have a man touch her. Shabanu leaves during the night
because Dadi says that he will beat her because she has started her monthly bleeding and
has been hiding it from him. She takes some of his clothes, Xhush Dil, and a pot of water
and leaves. Sher Dil and Mithoo follow her, but she finally gets Sher Dil to go back to the
toba. Mithoo however, will not go away. So finally she gets Mithoo to trot beside her
and Xhush Dil. She goes over the sand hoping the wind or rain will cover her tracks.
They are making good time and Shabanu is getting happier by the hour when Mithoo steps
in a foxhole and breaks his leg. Shabanu decides to wait for Dadi to get there and help
Mithoo. Dadi shows up and picks Shabanu up to her feet. He beats her with a stick until
she is covered in blood, but Shabanu remembers what Sharma had said and does not make
a sound. Shabanu is disoriented and hears crying, but it is not her, it is Dadi hugging her
and crying. Shabanu decides that she will marry Rahim, but she will never be very close to
him.
I stand straight and let the stick fall against my ribs and my shoulders. I am silent.
Keep your reserves hidden. I repeat Sharma s words over and over, drawing on the
strength of my will.
I refuse to cry out, and Dadi in his fury is like Tipu, bloodlust in his eyes. He can
beat me to death if he likes. The pain grows worse as the blows strike already-bruised
flesh. But I take Sharma s advice. I recall the beautiful things in my world and, like a
bride admiring her dowry, I take them out, one by one, then fold them away again, deep
into my heart. (Staples, 240)