Mohamed Bouya Bamba

Angels of Mauritania
And
The Curse of the Language
 Mohamed Bouya Bamba
 I dedicate this book to Anoum Meiram, Fatis Bra, Khattou Sidi
Ally, Patricia Gala and Loubna Bilali who were extremely supportive
during a very difficult first year in the US.
To my host family Tim and Judi.
To Mohamed El Hanchi ould Ahmed ould Abdoullah who was a
soul mate and stood beside me from childhood and powered me during
very difficult years in Morocco. To Mohamed Yahya ould Abdel Wedoud
who was extremely generous and who put me back on track when I was
about to leave the university of Nouakchott and to his brother Abdel
Mountalib Wedoud and his friend Marrabou a Mauritanian visionary.
To my family who does not know what I am studying till now, I
am serious.
To every single friend I know and to all my friends who are no
longer friends and they are many.
To Mauritania my country and my people.
To the Fulbright program and all the staff who made my dreams
possible and especially Aly Babaly Sy
To Mauritanian Fulbrights
To Kent State University and the staff of ISSS
To the staff and faculty of the Institute of Applied Linguistics.
To all the people who helped me and whom I forgot their names.
And to the friendly people of The United States of America
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 Prologue

I am a land like any other land but a land that heard

people on me speaking different languages. And in several
events a language substituted a language and put it to
extinction. I saw people from different races living on me in
peace and in war. I saw them tolerating each other and I saw
them killing each other in cold blood. I heard them talking
about a language that belongs to a mother language spoken
in a land toward the direction from which the sun heats me
everyday since I came to existence but I cannot remember
that time, I do not know why. I am just a land there are no
lines on me but I heard people who lived and live on me
talking about lines that no one should cross. I heard them
saying that I belong to them because they were the first to
come and live on me. I heard them saying that I belong to
them because they belong to the same father, or they spoke
the same language, or they have the same cultures and
traditions. But I am just a land I do not understand most of
these things and I cannot have a judgment on them. I just
listened to them days and nights. They used all types of
animals to move around on me and tried to find pasture,
they always said that this is how they could survive. I am a
land that is why I can hear and see them wherever they go
on me. Before no humans lived on me just animals and
before that I do not know, I heard them saying different
things on how I came to existence, most of the time I laugh
because of what they say. They bury their loved ones in me
when they leave the upper world and they also bury in me
their enemies.
I heard them giving names from their languages to
places on me. They give names to the places they stayed in
for sometimes and to places they passed by, they said that it
helps them find their way back and forth. They name
mountains, hills, trees, dunes and whatnot. This same land
which is me was given several names even if it is the same
land. They called me the land of the turbaned people, the
land of Shinguit. The last name seemed to be a favorite
among my names especially for people who lived somewhere
toward the where the sun rises. People who lives and lived
on me organized great travels to that land. I heard them
saying that they visited two holy places there. People of the
holy places called me the Sahara because they barely find
water and pasture on me. However, in the present times they
called me Mauritania and they forgot what it means and
people fight because each one of them thinks that the
meaning they have is the right one but I am the same land.
One of the meaning of this name is our land because
people fought on me several times, they do not want to leave
me because they think that I am their land, they think they
were the first to come here, many people pass by here and I
cannot remember who was the first. Everybody comes and
goes. They lived what they call tribes and they resisted
conquerors from any other land. People who lived and lives
on me came in groups some of them were called Arabo-
Berbers, another group was called Haratin and other groups
were called Africans, among these Soninke, Hal Pular and
Wolof. Each one of these people created an entity that
belongs to them on me and they did not ask me, I cannot
refuse but I would have appreciated if they did but they did
not.
People who lived on me now liked to sing about a place
they called Koumbi Saleh. They used to come in a group of
animals they called camels to exchanges things they own for
things they need and they come back to where they live. This
place still exists now on me but it is fading away like any
other place which used to be. People on me like very much to
live next to rivers and there is a long river that come from a
big body of water they called the ocean. People lived
peacefully next to this river which they call now the
Senegalese river. People talk about the great conqueror
Tanguella and his son Cole. They invaded places next to the
river and submit people who lived there and made them
speak a language they call Pulaar. When they did this they
caused a great change in this place. Lots of tribes who lived
on me became Hal Pulaar. This is what they taught me as a
land. They taught me that when a conqueror comes he made
people speak his language. They also talk about the great
Arab tribes the sons of Hassan who came and lived on me.
They also say that they made people of Sanhaja speak their
language which they call Arabic.
A lot of people lived on me and walked on me. One of
the earliest people who walked on me were the Garamentes
who used chariot to move around on me and they started
what they called trade between them and other people they
called the Romans. But what makes me laugh is that their
name is given to them by the Romans and as they say it is
from another language. They speak a language and they did
not name themselves. The name come from a language they
call Greek and it was brought by the powerful people they
call the Romans. They lived in tribes as did the people who
live on me. They were farmer and merchants. I do not hear
them talking about the language they spoke and even their
descendents who are the majority of the actual Haratins who
live on me today they do not know the language that their
ancestors, the Garamentes, spoke. They say that the
ancestors were a great nation but the descendents lost their
natives language and most of them live miserable life today
and they even lost their angel form. As a land on which all of
them lived and walked it hurts me to witness the event in
which a descendent loses connection with his ancestor, some
people say that they lost connection and other say they were
forced to do so.
I see people come and go. I cannot tell them to stay I
cannot take sides because I just a land to be walked on and
to be lived on. I heard languages spoken on me but I heard
them disappear into a thin air. Another great nation lived on
and their descendents still live on me but like the
descendents of the Garamentes they also lost their native
language. They say they just lost connection and they say
they were forced to lose connection with their ancestors.
They were the great tribes of Sanhadja. They liked me very
much and lived out of what I provide. They lived peacefully
on me and I saw them in their constant search of a better life
and I heard them speak their beautiful language that they
called Znaga Language. But like the Garamentes they lost
their native language. They say they lost it and they say they
were forced to lose it. It hurts me as a land to be denied the
beauty of hearing this language. But they never ask me they
always think that I am just a land they own me when they
want without asking me. They used to be a great nation now
their descendents who still live on me forgot that their
ancestors were a great nation and spoke a wonderful
language they no longer speak even they do not know about
its existence. Most of them live a miserable life. They lost
their language they lost the connection or as they say they
were forced to.
Bravery was extremely needed in order to live on in
peace and security. I remember a great people coming from
the direction of the sunrise. They called them Bani Hassane.
They spoke a beautiful language they call Arabic. They say
that they are great warriors who were able to offer protection
to people who lived with them. They came to this land and
stayed. Their descendents still live on me they still speak the
language of their ancestors. They made me wonder how they
were able to preserve their language from extinction or
marginalization. But their ancestors were able to offer
protection to people so no doubt that they would protect
their language from extinction. I also heard them saying that
the power is in the language itself. I heard them reciting
wonderful words in this language. They say it is the language
of the Koran a divine book revealed on a great man in a holy
place toward sunrise. His name is Mohamed and I heard
them saying peace be upon him. They lived and still live on
me but they did not lose their language.
Down toward the direction of the river, there lived on
me people who developed a strong relationship with it. They
developed this relationship through centuries. They drunk
from its water, they irrigated the fertile land with its water
too and their animals liked it so much because of the desert
that surrounds it from every directions, when one found
water in the desert one does not have to go around looking
for water, one just have to find a perfect spot for the whole
tribe and for the animals. Their lives are bound for survival.
They also developed this relationship by building boats by
which they crossed the venerated river. All these people did
not live on one side of the river they lived on both sides and
even now one can find people who belong to the same family
but they preferred to live on different sides of the river. As a
land I do not know exactly the reason behind the choice to
live on different sides but there have to be good reasons for
them to do so. They lived in peace and in war but they are
still the same family. They loved the land, the river and their
animals. They also spoke different languages and they
managed to pass them down to their descendents. This was
not an easy task because of invaders who always come with
their own language and as is the custom when you lose the
war you lose twice, you lose authority and you lose your
language. It is sad when a language is lost and it is also a
miracle when a language survives extinction.
The great Soninke people were one of those who
developed a relationship with the rivers and their
descendents still live there in peace. They said that they were
the great founders of the ancient Empire of Ghana. They
speak Soninke a wonderful language that survived time and
conquest too. They said also that they were among the first
people in the area to embrace Islam. Now they are scattered
around in both sides on the river but they are still the same
family and they still speak the same language, the Soninke.
The Soninke also includes two communities: the Wangara
and the Maraka. Each one of these communities has a focus,
some of them lived on trade and some of them lived on
plantation and it was obvious that those who lived out of
trade would move a lot around the area while the other
would develop a strong relationship with the land because
they live out of it. Like any other community who live on me
they also have a social hierarchical system that the Soninke
have to obey but what is amazing in this system is that you
do not chose your position in the society but you inherit it
from your father. They still live on me and they still speak
their language which they inherited from their ancestors the
great founders of the Ghana Empire which is now no more.
They lived in peace on me as well as in war but they survived
as did their language.
The banks of the venerated river know the wonderful
people of Fulani. They speak the wonderful language Pulaar
and people used a lot of names to call them but they are the
same wonderful people. People say that they are the
descendents of the great Egyptians and they migrated in
ancient times to live on me and then they scattered around
the region of the river and down toward the graceful forests.
The power of the river attracted them and the power of
nature around talk to their spirits in the dim past. These
people were really amazing with their way of life and
patience. They were known to be powerful pastoralist and
also traders in different regions in the surroundings of the
river. They are incredible. They spend days and nights on
foot leading their herds through the jungles and deserts in a
quest for life. It is also amazing the way in which they count
their wealth. One is a wealthy if he has the largest herds.
This means for them that one has really worked hard to raise
this herd. But it is really sad to know that in the dim past
fights between the Fulani tribes have been triggered over the
herds. Their descendents still live on me and they still speak
their language and their relationship with the river is still
maintained.
I cannot forget the wonderful dances for the great
Wolof emperor. Theses dances were performed by the
legendary Wolof people. In their turn they developed an
exceptional relationship with the river. Their drums were
always heard in a distance. These drums were played in
peace as in war. They speak the beautiful language: Wolof.
Their ancestors were able to preserve their language from
extinction. One can hear the descendents now on me singing
the praises of the great emperors who made the days of this
community in the distant past. The ancestor passed
wonderful gifts to their descendents. The ritualistic dances of
the Wolof are a way to spirituality and connection with the
river and the land. They also helped them preserve their
language which is now one of the most distinguishing
features of the Wolof people. They lived and live on me and
they still maintain the relationship and connection with the
land and particularly the rivers.
Through time life always went smooth with its ups and
downs. The people who lived on me learnt to coexist each in
its region and each speaking its own language. One day all
these people woke up and noticed that they to coexist with
another language and people they have never seen. But I can
say that in ancient times the ancestor of some of them had
the chance to trade with them but this time these people
with their extremely white skin and unintelligible language
came through the sea. They came with so many interesting
things but the most interesting thing is their languages. As
a land I saw people coming and establishing a relationship
with the land but these latter people did not stay but their
language stayed and it is still here even though it is not the
native language of any of these people who lived on I could
not find a reasonable explanation to this. The language is
not the language of any of the people who lived and live on
me and it strongly stayed. As a land I believe it is the curse
of languages which disappeared. These people who lived on
are cursed with a language which is not the native language
of any one of them yet they have to take care of it even on
the detriment of their native language. The future of my
people is bound to the unfolding of this curse. One loses
intentionally or unintentionally a language, one would
definitely take care of somebody elses language.
Now people who live on me defined the borders of the
land and gave it a name. They decided to live in what they
called a country. They named it Mauritania. And because of
the curse of the language they have to decide on a language
for the country and they said that the language is Arabic.
But wait a minute that is not the end of it. They also decided
that the language that the people who came through the sea
whose skin is extremely white has to stay side by side with
Arabic. Is not that a curse? You lose your language you have
to take care of a language which is not yours and you may
not even speak most of the time. Before the people who lived
on me used to fight over their material belongings now
because of the curse of the language they will fight over
languages. Their destiny now is to protect a language which
is not at all theirs. Is not that a curse? Issues that have to do
with languages and identity will trouble the history of this
nation and they will not overcome them unless they get rid of
the curse. They committed injustice against each other and
they failed to understand that that is due to the curse of the
language.
 I

The dawn found life over the rusty houses in the east of
Nouakchott. They should not be rusty and old but the
destiny of this nation made them so. The parabolic antennas
stuck out from them and pointed to the endless reddish sky.
The houses were packed and one barely found ones way due
to the mazes created by the unsystematic positioning of
houses and the fences that tore a lot of clothes of people who
passed by them at night or in daylight. People have to build
their houses using anything that came their way except
bricks and cement because they did not want to take the
risk. They would lose all the money and what they built will
touch the ground. So they improvise when they build their
houses. But they managed to get electricity into these house,
no one knew how they did it but they did it and they paid for
it too. They also had water. Everybody knew how they
manage to bring it home. They used old ways to get it into
their houses. They bought it from people who decided to live
by riding a cart dragged by a donkey. Yes a donkey a
wonderful donkey that sometimes get some kicks and in
often times got whipped in order for it to hurry up and
deliver the water to the thirsty. Cars cannot access these
houses. They can only do that in big the streets that
surround the rusty houses. With all these difficulties people
found happiness under the ceiling of these houses and they
even raised their children to become men and women.
At the end of one of the roads that connected to the
main road that headed east, a white Mercedes-Benz 190
speeded toward the direction of the rusty houses. One can
hear the quick changes in gears but it suddenly reached a
stop next to a local grocery that was in the habit of opening
early. The driver was wearing a white Daraa and a white
turban. There were two men in the back seat and one of
them got ready to leave, he got out of the car and seemed to
fumble in his pockets for something. He apparently found
what he was looking for but he continued to inspect what
was in his hand. He was looking for a specific thing. He
finally found it and gave it to the driver. The driver did not
like the fact that this man wasted his time he preferred that
the man should have kept ready what he gave him before he
arrives to his destination the driver also started to look for a
specific thing in the large pocket of his Daraa and he finally
found it and gave to the man and told him next time find it
before you reaches your destination. The man took what he
was given and stepped backwards as if waiting for the car to
move away. The driver shifts the gears and hit the gas to
disappear into a thin air. The man looked left and right and
decided to cross the road toward the other side of the rusty
houses. The road split theses houses into equal halves.
After crossing the road, the man unwrapped his black
turban from over his head, and wrapped it loosely around
his neck. He continued walking. He passed by a small shop
in the corner of the third house from the road. The
shopkeeper seemed to be happy to see him coming and said
how is the morning? The man stopped and turned toward
the shopkeeper and told him so many things that make you
happy. The shopkeeper smiled and said Thank God! He
sold something quickly to a customer and told the man are
you going to buy bread today? the man touched his pockets
and seemed to be looking toward the sky and said I think
so. He took out some money and only took some of it and
put it in his right hand and put back the rest into his pocket
and entered the small shop from the second door. Give me
three sticks of bread, said he to the shopkeeper. The
shopkeeper took the money from him and looked at it and
told the man this is not enough, you need to add more.
The man put his hand on his forehead for few seconds and
told the shopkeeper that is what I have now and you know
this is the end of the month. Then the shopkeeper put the
money in a drawer down the counter and reaches for a
plastic bag and opened it and took out of it three sticks of
bread and handed them to the man. The man took the
bread and said may God reward you brother! The
shopkeepers said nothing for a while but when the man
reached the door of the shop he told him I will count what
you should pay and keep it ready for you. The man stopped
and told him incha Allah!
He went out of the shop and continued walking. He
always passed by a woman in black trying light a fire in
order to make tea. He was surprised to know that she went
out everyday at the same time he passed and doing the same
activity. He looked down and continued walking. Before
reaching his house, a dog went out from under the fence of
his neighbor and scared him but it soon disappeared in the
fence of another neighbor. He finally reached the door of his
house and before he entered, he stopped by the door and
looked in the house. He saw no activity then he entered. He
went to the closest room and throw the sticks of bread and
said out loud wake up pour a cup of tea for us! and
suddenly to little girls went out of the second room and said
our father is here! and run towards him, he embraced both
of them and gave them a rare morning kiss but he felt sad
because he brought nothing to them as he used to do. The
girls noticed it but they did not ask because he told them
before not to ask him in case he did not bring something and
he proved to them that he cannot kick the sky. He reached
for one of the sticks of bread and cut two pieces and gave
them to his daughters. They inspected the pieces and
noticed that there is no butter inside they looked at each
other and did not ask him about it because they learnt the
lesson: take what you have and do not ask about what you
do not have.
A woman went out from the first room and she seemed
to walk with a difficulty. When the man saw her he asked
her how are you today? Are feeling well? and she said I am
doing fine after having some rest. Then he told her in
pregnancy someone has to be careful and especially not to
carry heavy stuff. Do not forget what the doctor told you.
She walked a little further from where he sat next to the first
door and sat. He looked at her and asked her can you make
tea for us today? and without looking at him she said yes I
can. And she ordered the girls to bring her the utensils of
tea and then she remembered that the bottle of gas is empty.
She told him that he had to kindle a fire because they had
no gas. Even though he looked tired he immediately stood up
and took a locally made stove, some coal and some paper
and went outside the house. He sat in front of the door and
put the coal inside the stove and put inside it some torn
paper and took out of his pocket a lighter then he kindled
the fire and with the blowing wind the coal started to send
sparks everywhere. He stood up and moved backwards a
little to let fire get hold of the stove and after few minutes
grabbed the stove and came back to his wife and placed it
next to the utensils of tea and returned to sit where he was.
His wife told one of the girls to go and bring her some water
in a container from the barrel of water next to the dour of the
house. The girls went quickly and took a container from the
kitchen and fetched water for her.
She sat cross-legged and approached the utensil of tea
to her. She took successively the container of tea and sugar
down from the main little tea table and put the cups of tea in
straight line and asked him if he wanted to drink tea without
mint. He told her that he did not want to but he had to
because he did not want to come back to the shopkeeper and
ask him again to give him some mint for tea. She moved the
teapot next to the cups and opened it then poured some
water into it, closed it and put it on the stove. While waiting
for water to boil she wondered if it is a good occasion to start
a conversation with him because she learnt the sign. When
he is quiet it is not a good time to do that but she felt a need
to talk to him. It is the end of the month and talking is not
something he likes at this time of the month. However, she
found courage and told him how is work these days? he
looked at her then looked down and told her as it is. Do you
think that it is going to get better? when she tried to answer
his question the water started to boil. She took the teapot
from over the stove and put it on the table. I know that
these are tough times, said she while opening the lid of the
teapot then took some tea from the tea container and put it
inside the teapot then closed the lid and waited a little for tea
to give.
Do you think that they were going to pay you this
month? she asked. I do not know and the only thing that I
know is that I have to keep working. If one keeps working
one lives on the hope of being paid but if one stops working
he has no other hope to live on. She took the teapot and
filled one of the cups then she emptied the rest in a waste
container by the side of the table. Then she added more
water to the teapot and put it back on the stove. I thought
several times of going back to work even before I deliver, I
think that I can do light stuff and help in the management of
the house, said she looking at him. You know that they
told you not to come back to work until you deliver and they
were clear on that because you can no more do the work you
used to do. You should wait until you deliver the baby and
then you will be able to work, he responded. She looked
away and said but you will not be able to pay all the debt by
your self and you know that you may not be paid this month
too.
I think of going back to my cousin and work some
days with them and ask her to help me with some money or
to ask her to pay me in advance. She is very nice and I think
she can do it because she did several times before. He
looked at her suddenly and told her these are tough times
and I know she will not refuse because she is generous
which is something she inherited from her grand parents but
you will make her give something she is in need of. Each
one of them looked in a different direction and the girls went
and sat close to their father each one of them sat at a side
and continued to look at their father in the face but he did
not look at them. The woman took the cup filled with tea and
started foaming the cups consecutively one after the other.
She was doing this with one hand and she used the other
hand to hold the table. The girls had small bits of bread and
waited for the tea. The father looked at his wife and told her
do not foam the cups too much. The most important thing
is the tea and you know I am having a terrible headache. My
friends at the work always do strong tea and it is impossible
for me to drink that type of tea and I have to wait until I
come back to make tea myself or have you make it for me or
one of my daughters may God leave them for me!
She continued foaming the cups one after the other
and said Amen! the girls looked at each other and smiled.
I plan to go back to my cousin tomorrow to work for her and
if she refuses I will ask her for help, said she. The man
looked away and told her I cannot prevent you from going to
your cousin and doing what you want to do but I am sure
that if you continue to be patient God will open it.
The teapot on the stove started to boil. She stopped
foaming the cups and took the teapot down on the table.
She took it up again and filled one of the cups and opened
the teapot then she reached for the sugar container, grabbed
it, opened it and took a small spoon inside it and put two
spoons of sugar in the teapot. Suddenly he told her to added
more sugar to the teapot and she added only one more and
waited for the tea in the teapot to cool down a little. I will go
to visit them tomorrow! she affirmed. Goodness is in that
decision but remember I told you not to. He concluded
while looking away. She filled a cup of tea and gave it to
him, he took it and sipped a little. This is so good may your
hands remain healthy! said he, and she said Amen! after
two sips he made a long sip that emptied the cup and took
some of the tea foam then he gave back the cup to her. He
ordered her to speed up the remaining two cups of tea
because he thinks that the first one took her long and he did
not want the day to get hotter as it is the rule in a city like
Nouakchott. Their conversation reached a dead end but they
knew each other and they knew that if they continue to talk
about this issue they will end up doing what they did before
and it is only the children who would be a victim to it, so
they learnt to keep quiet when they reach that level of
tensions.
Did the owner of water come today to fill the water
barrel? he asked. He did come and fill the barrel. he
continued to complain that he needs his money because he
has no money with which he will continue to run his
business and he told me that I should tell you that when you
come you should leave for him his money because it is the
end of the month and he affirmed that he is making his
calculations, said she. May God shorten his age! I told him
not to talk to you because I promised him that I will pay him
and I continued to tell him leave my wife alone and deal with
me. But I do not understand you women. I told you that
when he comes let him fill the barrel and do not talk to him.
Had not you talked to him he would not talk to you Oh! You
women! He shouted. Eh! I told you before that you should
not shout at me, my father does not shout at me and you
should not do that to me, the owner of water talked to me
first and I replied. You men too have problem and you are
not understood. She replied.
She put the cup back on the table and added some
water to the tea pot, closed it and put it back on the stove
and did not look at her husband. She ordered the girls to
come and sit next to her. He reached for something in his
pocket and took it out. It was a pipe and some tobacco
wrapped in a plastic sheet. He took a small iron string and
thrust it into the pipe in order to clean it. He took a pinch of
tobacco and put it in the wide end of the pipe then he took a
lighter and lighted the tobacco and he inhaled strongly from
the pipe and tiny sparks went out of the end of the pipe then
he exhaled the smoke in the opposite direction of where his
family sat. He looked carefully at his pipe and inhaled more
smoke he extinguished the pipe and put it back into his
pocket. I told you before not to smoke before the girls but
you do not listen to me. Your head is strong and you do not
listen to me. I told you that I do not want these kids to learn
smoking at an early age, you are going to killed them, she
shouted. But he did not even look at her. She knew that he
got angry and kept quiet. She got herself busy foaming the
cups for the second cup of tea.
The teapot started to boil. The woman used a piece of
her cloth to grab and put it down on the table. She waited for
it to cool down, meanwhile she continued to foam the cups
for the second cup of tea. He started to get sleepy while
waiting for the second cup. She opened the teapot and closed
it, and she filled one cup. She took it and poured it back in
the teapot and repeated the same thing again and again
until the tea cooled down. She took some sugar and put it in
the teapot and filled one cup and poured it back in the
teapot, this time she did it for sugar to melt. She poured a
little into one of the cup in order to taste it. She poured the
tea again into one cup and gave it to him. He took it and
sipped it quickly and told her: this is too cold, the last cup
has to be hotter so that it could heal up this terrible
headache that I have. She took the cup and put it back
forcibly on the table and looked at him for a second, then
she took the water container and poured some water in each
cup and began to clean them on the tea table, she finally
emptied all of them on the table. After cleaning the cups, she
put them one by one on a small tray so that they dry and
she cleaned the table with the water with which she cleaned
the cups. After cleaning the table she poured the water into a
waste container that she had on her left. She put the table
back to its position and put the cups again on the table for
the last cup of the three cups of tea.
The girls continued to sit by their father and from time
to time they mock each other silently. Their mother always
noticed what they did but she continued to foam the cups,
she suddenly remembered that she did not prepare the
teapot for the last cup of tea. She opened the teapot and
added some water and some tea, she closed it and put it
back on the stove and continued foaming the cups for the
last time. He got tired of sitting and lied down. She told him:
do not sleep before you drink your last cup and do not also
sleep in these clothes, they are dirty and you have not taken
a shower. He said while covering his face with his turban:
you know that I am extremely tired and you know that my
job is difficult that is why I am feeling all the parts of my
body and I cannot move them. I will do what you told me but
I will just have some rest before you give me the last cup.
She shook her head and continued foaming the cups.
One of the girls tried to stand up but her mom told her to sit
down and asked her where she was going. The little girl said
innocently that she was going to sit next to her father. She
told her that her father was extremely tired and would not
bear her and she advised her to wait until he changed his
clothes and took a shower. The girls looked at her innocently
and seemed to understand what she told them and they
continued to eat their bread. At the same time, the mother
continued to foam the cups consecutively. The father seemed
to surrender and slept. She let him sleep because she knew
that she would wake him up for the last cup. She ordered
one of the girls to go and bring her a stick. The girl went
quickly to the fence of the house and brought a stick. The
mom took the stick and used it to move the coal in the stove
because she felt that the fire started to die. After moving the
coal, she shook the stove to distribute coal evenly in it.
 She looked at her husband and told him to wake up
because his cup is about to be ready. He moved his hand
over his face and looked at her and told her to hurry up
because he was extremely tired. The teapot started to boil
again. She used the side of her cloth to take it and move it to
the table. She opened the lid of the teapot and waited for it
to cool down a little, then she close it and filled one of the
cups and poured it back to the teapot. She opened the sugar
container and took a small spoon in it and added two spoons
of sugar to it and closed it. She took it and shook it a little in
order to help the sugar melt. She put it down and waited for
a second then she poured some tea into the cup and gave it
him. He sat down and took the cup and drunk it in one sip.
He then stood up and told her: May He lengthen your age!
she took back the cup and said: Amen! he went to the next
room to change. He took off his shirt and ordered his wife
from the other room to tell one of the girls to bring him a
piece of soap and tell the other girl to take one of the plastic
containers and to take it to the barrel and fill it with water.
She ordered the girls to do what their father told them to do.
The girls did exactly what they were told to do. He went out
of the room and took the piece of soap from one of the girls
and went to take the water container. He grabbed it and
went to the toilet to take a shower. Their toilet is at the same
time a toilet and a bathroom. He stopped by the door and
took a cup of water and flushed it into the ground of the
toilet, seemingly he wanted to clean it before he could use it
again and apparently one cup was not enough. He took
another one and flushed it on the ground with it. This time it
worked. He forgot that he should use plastic sandals so he
had to come back to his room and took his plastic shoes and
come back quickly and took the water container and put it in
the corner of the toilet and then he entered and closed the
door which was a rusty metal sheet extracted from an iron
barrel. After closing the door he took off his clothes and put
them halfway on the door and his family now could hear
splashes of water in different direction of the toilet.
The woman sent one of the girls to fetch water so that
she would be able to clean the tea utensils. One of the girls
went to the little water container and brought some water.
She filled the cups with water and started cleaning each cup
separately and putting them nicely one by one on a small
table next to her then she cleaned the table and dried them
out with a cloth and then she put them back on the small
sugar and tea containers. Finally, she took a piece of cloth
and covered the tea utensils and asked one of the girls to
take them and put them in the corner of the room. The
woman lied with difficulty in the shade of the room which
started to disappear as the day moves on. The girls, after
doing what they had been told to do, came and sat next to
their mom as their father continued to take a shower. The
girls asked their mom what she was going to do today before
going to the neighbors to watch TV. She told them that she
would do nothing; she would just have some rest before
going to watch a Turkish series with the neighbors. They
asked her if she was going to take them with her to watch
the series. She said she would take them on one condition.
They must behave otherwise she would send them home
immediately. They should keep quiet and just watch and
avoid talking to anybody else.
The father finished his shower and went out of the
toilet while wet. He reached for the plastic container and
took it out from the toilet and tossed it on the ground and
went to his room. He wore a new gown even though he was
wet. He took a pillow from the pile of the pillows in the
corner of the room and put it next to the window and he
soon surrendered to sleeping. The wind blew calmly from the
window cooling his body that just got washed.
She told her daughter that they have to do something
before they go to the neighbors to watch the series. She told
them that she was going to clean the kitchen utensils, and
they would go to the market to bring rice and vegetables and
oil to prepare lunch. The girls shook their heads in
agreement. She told them to go to the woman who usually
sold vegetables to her and tell her that she gave them what
she usually gave her in terms of vegetables and after that
they should go to the woman next to her and tell her to give
them the quantity of rice that she usually took. The girls
agreed and shook each others hand and went out to the
market. It is the best moment of the day because they had a
moment to talk without the supervision of their father and
mother.
They went out of the fence and took the lane leading
the closest small market. One of the girls asked the other if
she knew the new job of their father. The other girl
responded that she did not know and wondered why she
asked her. One of them believed that it was not as good as
the job he used to have because now he brought nothing
with him except bread and it was without butter and once a
day. They passed through a tiny lane that led them
immediately to the small market. Once they got out of the
lane, both of them pointed to the woman that they need to go
to first and headed towards her. They got closer to her but
they have to wait because the woman is taking care of some
customers. When she finished with them, she asked the girls
about their mother and how she was doing. It has been
awhile they did not see her. The girls said that she was doing
very well but she was just resting at home. The woman
asked the girls what they needed today. They told her that
their mom told them to tell her to give them what she
usually took. The woman took a plastic bag and put different
types of vegetables in it, enough to fill it. The girls took it and
went to the other woman from whom they would take the
rice. They reached her and asked her to give them the rice.
She immediately gave them a small plastic bag filled
with rice. The girl that had nothing in hand took it and they
were ready to head back home. They shook their hands
again and headed back home through the same lane that
they took while coming to the small market. On the way
back, one of the girls asked the other if she thought that
their father would get back his job because they think that
his new job was not at all good. Their father now came home
everyday empty-handed. They did not like that fact. Before
he used to come with a lot of things they never imagined
absolutely better than bread. They noticed he could not even
afford butter and mint. So their mother always told them
that if could not afford butter and mint he would never be
able to afford anything else. They continued to shake their
hands and think of their fathers new job. They passed by
the shopkeeper who was not far from where they lived and
they heard once their father talking about him. They thought
that if their father was a shopkeeper he would be able to give
them things he would never provide with his new job. They
did not know the nature of his new job but they did not like
it. They did not know what it was but for sure they did not
like it. They went past the shop and reached the door of the
house and opened the door of the fence, the first enter and
then the second followed. The door was shut nicely without
waking up the father who was totally lost in his dreams
because of fatigue and staying off. They went to their mom
who was half-asleep in the shade which was fading away as
the sun of Nouakchott got closer to the zenith.
They stood next to her and dropped the rice and the
vegetables down on the ground. She suddenly woke up and
moved with difficulty to a sitting position. Their mom asked
them if the women told them anything. They told her that
the woman asked them if she was doing good and she gave
them exactly what they needed. The mother took the plastic
bags and inspected them for a second then she told the girls
to come and help her in the kitchen. They looked at each
other and smiled. They went together to a tiny room at the
corner of the house and they waited for their mother to go
inside the room and sat in her preferred place. The girls did
not enter the room but they just sat by the door. They told
their mom to finish preparing for lunch so they could all
catch the Turkish series. Their mom told them they should
not worry they will finish preparing lunch before the start of
their favorite series. She told her daughters to bring her
some water in order to clean the kitchen utensils that she
would use to cook lunch. They went quickly to the barrel of
water and used a plastic pipe to take the water out of the
barrel into the plastic container. The water spilled from the
container and that made them laugh and made their mother
angry. She told them to stop wasting the water. They
immediately stopped and brought her the water. She told
them that this would be the last time she would send them
to bring her water. She added she would no more tolerate
what they did. She cleaned the cooking pot and put it on the
gas stove and waiting for it a little to dry. And then she
added some oil. She poured some water in another plastic
container and dropped the vegetables in it. She took them
again and quickly cut them to pieces and threw them into
the cooking pot and let them fight with the cooking oil. She
covered the pot by an old lid. She waited few minutes for the
vegetables to cook, and then she turned off the stove and
told the girls that she was ready to go but she said that she
had to changes her clothes because they smell like the
kitchen.
The girls smiled and looked at each other while
shaking their hands. They told her to hurry up because the
series was about to begin. She moved with difficulty to the
room while putting her hand on her swelling belly, she
changed quickly and got out quickly from the room and
asked the girls to follow her to the neighbors. They went
through the door of the fence and walked to the immediate
neighbors. When they came they just missed the song that
started the series. One of the girls did not like it because she
missed her favorite Turkish song while the other was
indifferent. The mom only wanted to watch the series and
she did not care about the song. They greeted everybody
quickly because no one should talk while they were watching
the series. But people were allowed to make occasional short
comments from time to time. The comments were usually
about the most beautiful woman in the series. They always
had a weakness for her hair and her eyes. They dream to
have her beautiful eyes but that could only happen in
dreams. It was a time where they forgot about anything that
was happening in their life. They watch it with a great
attention as if it would change their destiny or at least their
lives would be one day like the one in the series or even
better. The life in the series was the life they longed for and
could not find in real life.
In their house their father woke up and found no one
in the house and of course he knew where they were now
and he hated that fact. He did not like Turkish series but he
could resist watching Turkish women as well as Latinas.
Latin American soap operas were very popular before
Turkish series. He always had issues with his wife because
of these series but his wife did not care because she thought
that the best moment in her life was when she had some free
time and watched these series. He went out of his room and
looked through the fence of the house of the neighbors. He
could see his wife and his two daughters watching TV
passionately to an extent that they did not notice that he
was watching them from the fence of their home. He went to
the kitchen to see if she cooked something for them. He saw
the covered pot and knew that she cooked. But he was not
interested in uncovering the lid of the pot because he knew
already what was cooked; he had been eating it for the last
month. He knew that it was the only thing he can afford now
with his new job. He came back from the kitchen and sat
inside his room which was furnished with a plastic carpet
and some pillows and his clothes hanging from the iron
ceiling. He just sat and thought of his situation and his new
job and feared that he would have to stay for a long time in
this job that everybody hated even the little girls and his
wife. But this was the only job he could find with the help of
his wife. Now he had to wait for his family to come back from
the house of the neighbors. He could not complain because
he complained before but still he knew that his wife and his
daughters could not live without watching those series. He
knew that they watched the life they wanted and they dream
of. He could not provide this life of sophisticated cars and
nicely built and furnished houses. He had to sit their in the
room that he did not like and dream to leave one day to a
better one. But how would he do that. That was a hard
question that he could not answer.
He lied down. He wanted to find a way out of his new
job that everybody hated. But that would not be easy these
days. He could not find a job. His wife went to her cousin
and found it for him. Before she went to her cousin he told
her that he did not care, any job would work for him. He
might have in mind that that was the only thing he would
find because he had no other option. He eventually got the
job he had now. He did not like it but it helped him bring
home pieces of bread for his daughters and wife. They did
not usually eat; they only did when they were extremely
hungry. He loved his wife and children but he could not
show them love as he had it in his heart. Perhaps love for
him had a material manifestation that was why they did not
like his new job and neither did he. Love needed something
that went with it for stability. He suddenly got frustrated and
felt an urge to call them and tell them to come and prepare
the food for him. But he knew that that would be in vain.
The power of the series was more powerful than his power as
a dad. He just decided to wait for them to finish watching the
series. He also believed that these series had a magical
power or a spell that they cast on people and have them
down. The power lied in the sophisticated cars and especially
the beauty of the Turkish woman and the Latinas. But he
could in no way express this fact openly, his wife would be
mad at him and he did not want her to go on a strike. She
was the type of woman who staged long strikes. No food, no
tea, and he would sleep alone in his room. The worst case
scenario was that she went to her family and it was not that
easy to bring her back. He continued to sit alone in the room
but there was one thing he avoided to think of, His debts. He
thought of everything except his debts.
He looked through the window to a passing car, it was
enough to change his thought over a serious matter that was
growing and growing. That was a good remedy for him. He
preferred to think of silly issues instead of thinking of
serious ones. His attention was also drawn a second time by
the happy people going out of the neighbors house after
finishing the series and getting ready to go. For him it was
also a nice moment to know that the episodes reached an
end because that meant coming back to reality. For him
watching the series was living in a dream. His wife needed to
wait for people to go first because the door of the room was
too much tiny. She stood up with difficulty and walked back
home with her daughters who could not walk together
without having their hands shaken. When she came back
she went directly to the kitchen because she knew that her
husband was already hungry.
She immediately started the fire under the cooking pot
and sat next to it. She waited for the vegetables to heat up
and then she added water. Then she added salt, shook it and
covered it. She waited for it to boil. When it boiled she had
rice ready in the water and added it quickly to the vegetables
in the cooking pot and covered it. But this time she did not
want to wait in the kitchen. She went out and sat in the
opposite shade of the rooms which started to grow as the
sun started to decline towards the elegant west of
Nouakchott. Her husband went out of the room and walked
a little bit and sat next to his wife as did his daughters. He
asked her if she was still determined to visit her cousin. She
told him that she had to because this was the only way by
which they can survive and pay their debts. Everybody
would come at the end of the month looking for his or her
money which we ate in peace. She thought that if they gave
their money in peace they should get it back in peace too.
They should not have to come looking for it. He thought that
he would not be able to pay this month because the money
he earned from his job was not at all close to enough.
They sat next to each other in the growing shade, the
daughters shook their hand and the parents were looking to
different directions but this did not mean that there were not
in love. Each one of them had it for each other. But there
was a great difference between love and taking care of a
family. She suddenly remembered that she left her pot on
the stove and that food might be burnt. Fortunately, it was
about to be burnt. She heard her husband asking her if
everything was alright. And she confirmed that everything
was alright. He also asked if she burnt the food because if
she did they would have to wait for dinner because
practically they had nothing to eat. She asked the girls to
bring her a plate and they did. She took the plate and put
some water on it and cleaned it then she distributed the rice
evenly in the plate and asked one of the girls to carry it to
room and they asked the father to come to eat. She stood up
and walked to the room and sat next to the plate. Everybody
waited for him to start eating. But he told them to bring
water for him so that he would clean his hands before he
ate. One of the girls went quickly and brought the water
container. He cleaned his hands outside the room on the
ground and so did everybody except the woman.
The father was the first to eat and then everybody
followed. While eating the man asked his wife if she was
going to spend a week with her cousin because he thought
she would not allow her to work. She was pregnant. But she
told him that she would try to convince her so that she can
earn some money to help them with the debt. Her husband
hoped that she would allow her to work for her for like a
week. He did not tell her that he had his doubts about the
whole idea of going to that house because the last time she
went there was to ask her cousin to find a job for her
husband and now she wanted to work to earn some money.
The whole idea was not at all right but he had no other
solution. The husband was sitting opposite his wife, while
the girls were sitting opposite each other and from time to
time they smiled to each other, while the smile could not find
its way to their parents and they knew for sure why.
It was the father that finished eating first and then the
wife followed. The girls were the last to finish. The woman
gave the priority to her husband in order to clean his hands
in front of the door while he helped her go second to clean
her hand. He did it by holding the water container in his
hand and pouring down the water. The girls got out of the
room and helped each other clean their hands. One of them
came back quickly to the room and took the plate to the
kitchen. The woman came back to the room and lied next to
one of the windows and the girls came and lied next to her.
The man came and sat next to the other window. He asked
her if she was going to sleep and she said yes. Now he said
that it was his turn to go and see what was going on in the
world. He liked to follow the news of the world and sit with
his friends and to show them that he knew what was going
on in the whole world. And on top of that his news analysis.
His friends liked very much his skills and he helped them
pass time and laugh. He told his wife before she slept that he
would go to the neighbors to follow the news. He wore a
clean gown and put on his turban and headed to the
neighbors.
He entered the neighbors house. Now it was only men
who were watching TV. The women were in the other room
and they could hear them talking about the episodes that
they had just watched while they were still eating their
lunch. He went to the room where men were watching TV. He
came and took off his shoes next to the door and entered.
One of the men was extremely excited to see him and others
stood up to greet him. He went ahead and sat next to the
owner of the house. The man gave him a pillow and others
lied on other pillows. One of the men asked what was going
on in the world today. The newest thing was that Obama
won the elections and became president. The Man was
surprised, he told them that he did not follow the news for
days but he said that that would be good for America
because he was the first black president. One of them said
that Obama said in his speech that he had a new vision for
the Muslim world. One of the men in the corner of the room
said that he preferred any president but Bush because he
believed he was bad and put the whole world in trouble.
Another man said that for him seeing Obama in the
white house gave him relief and made him optimistic about
the future. The owner of the house also believed that Obama
was better than McCain. He continued to say that democracy
was good and asked how it was possible for a man whose
father was a Muslim and coming from Kenya to become the
president of the strongest country in the whole world.
Everybody answered that it was democracy. Another
neighbor who just came believed that Obama had a great
challenge related to the legacy of two wars. The owner of the
house responded that Obama was a smart guy and would
deal properly with the issues. One of the men said the he
had a cousin whose son was in the US and called him that
morning and told him that he was happy that Obama won
and that he was hopeful that things would change to the
better in America. Another curious man asked how long his
cousins son had been in America. The man said that his
cousins son had been in America for ten years and that he
was in a State he forgot its name.
The owner of the house screamed at the women in the
neighboring room to make a cup of tea for them. One of the
woman answered that they were going to make it even before
he asked. He added that they should hurry up. Another
neighbor told them that it was enough talking about
international issues and asked them what was going on in
Mauritania. Everybody frowned. One of the men answered
angrily that there was nothing in this country but lies and
that he did not come here to discuss lies. He believed that
Mauritanian politicians are liars and they were used to
breaking promises. He exclaimed why should someone tire
himself with their stories and he added that they should
continue to talk about Obama. Everybody kept quiet. The
owner of the house said that what his friend explained was
true because those who were in power lived a wonderful life
and realized their dreams and all of them knew that they did
not care about anybody else. He asked him to look at the life
they were leading in these rusty houses and the food they
ate and the dirty water they drunk everyday. They came
illegally to power and they continue to lie and embezzle
everyday. There was seemingly no end to this problem. What
one had was only hope and waiting for the better. Some of
the men did not like what he said even though they lead a
difficult life because they had cousins who worked for the
government but they did not show him that they did not like
it. The man said that he did not care because the amount of
lies he heard in his life and especially the broken promises.
He seriously believed that there was no way out of this
dilemma so he preferred not to waste his time talking about
politics in Mauritania. Everybody seemed to focus on
watching TV after talking about Mauritania. It was easy for
them to talk about America than about their country. Things
went quickly and they drunk tea while watching world news
but the discussion reached an end because of Mauritanian
politics.
The man thought how someone could hate his country
to an extent that he did not want to talk about it. After
drinking tea and watching world news, the man told the
owner of the house that he had to go home now because his
wife and kids were waiting for him to come back but he
assured him that he would come back tomorrow if he had
the chance. The owner of the house stood up and greeted
him and the man went out of the room, took his shoes, wore
them and went back home. When he entered his house, the
girls were playing outside the room. He approached the door
and saw that his wife was still sleeping. He entered the room
and went to sit next to the window. His wife moved a little
and did not wake up. He took off his turban and put it on his
pillow, and then he lied and put his head on the pillow and
looked at his wife. The wind coming from the window played
with the end part of her cloth. The girls came and sat next to
their father and seemed to enjoy doing it but he was lost in
his thoughts about what was going on in his life. He thought
that the only thing he had was faith and hope, nothing else.
Tomorrow his wife was going to her cousin asking for
help but he did not have much confidence in what she was
doing because he thought it was aimless but he could not
convince her of the opposite. He was really careful with her
because she was pregnant and he did not want to oppose her
in anything she did. She was in her later stages of her
pregnancy and she did not accept that she could not do
everything she used to do, like hard work. He wanted to help
but there was no access to anything in this country. The job
he got and did not like she got it for him through her cousin.
He just had to be patient. But there was another issue. She
would deliver soon and they had no money to pay for her
delivery in the hospital. He did not like the national hospital
because he believed that the day he had to go there was
because he was dying. But he had to go there with his wife
who would be delivering. He stopped thinking about that
issue because he had no money in order to take care of it. He
looked at the iron ceiling and the heat coming down on him.
He thought that he did nothing wrong in life to deserve what
he was going through. Another big question came to his
mind. The girls and the coming baby might live the same
miserable life. He believed that they might inherit this
difficult life too because there was no guarantee that they
would have a better life.
He continued to look at the ceiling and put his hands
on the heads of his daughters who were sitting next to him.
He looked at them and they looked at him and knew that
there was something on his mind but they could not ask him
because he taught them not to. He had no answer to their
questions. Again, he asked himself when was the time in
which he would be able to help his family find a solution to
their problems and the kids were always on his mind. He
could not take them out of his thought. They had to have a
good and decent life. No one of them should be miserable or
inherit misery from his parents. He thought that he was a
victim of injustice. He suddenly heard someone knocking on
the door, he stood up and he quietly went out. A woman
seemingly from the next door neighbors was standing by the
door of the fence. When she saw him she told him that she
wanted some water. He told her to go to the barrel and take
some water. She had a small water container; she quickly
filled it from the barrel and headed out to the neighbors. He
noticed that the girls were standing by the door of the room
looking at him. He came back to the room and sat next to
the window.
He was planning to come back to his thoughts but
suddenly his wife woke up and asked him about the time he
spent with the neighbors and especially who was there. He
told her that there was the usual group of political analysts
who hated talking about Mauritania. The talk was about
Obama who became the president of the US. She was
surprised and happy because she liked Obama for some
reason and she remembered that her cousin had a son in the
US. He had been there for five years. She thought that her
cousin might be extremely happy too because Obama won
the elections. She said to him that that was a good news to
talk about with her cousin. She also thought why she could
not have a son who lived in the US like her cousin. She
prayed for what she had in her womb. She wanted him or
her to go to the US to study and work. But she thought that
those were mere dreams because her family was poor and
she inherited poverty and now she was afraid that her
children would also inherit poverty.
The day started to get darker on the unfortunate side
of Nouakchott. The family went outside the room and spread
a plastic carpet just in front of the room. The mother asked
the girls to bring some pillows from the room. The father sat
on the corner of the carpet and his wife sat on the other. It
got darker quickly. They could smell the smoke of the next-
door neighbor starting their fire on a stove. But tonight they
were not planning to start their fire because he did not want
to drink tea and their dinner would not need fire to be ready.
The night of Nouakchott was always a perfect time for
talking and they already had enough. They lied on their
plastic carpet and looked at the stars which brightened the
sky. He thought that finding a solution to their problems was
just like trying to grab those stars. And she thought that
having a child who would be successful and go to America to
study was also like reaching the end of that endless sky.
They almost had the same thought and they looked at each
other in the dark even though they could not see the
definition of their faces.
This was the perfect time for the girls to ask their
mother to tell them a story but their mother said she was
tired and that they should go to their father. He knew more
than she did. They agreed to go to their father and asked
him to tell them a story. He also was not in the mood but he
told them just to look at the stars and imagine themselves
on them. He told them that the stars can take them to
anywhere they want and that the stars were hopeful
travelers who did not stop moving. They told him that they
could not reach the star because they were very far. He told
them to just imagine themselves traveling on them. He
thought that this was what he lacked when he was a kid. He
was taught not to dream. He thought this was the perfect
time to teach them to do so. He told them that if they dream
of something they would get it. They were surprised and
asked him if this was real because now they thought if they
dreamed of something they would get it. One of them said
the she was dreaming of a nice house but she did not get it.
He told her to just continue to dream of it and she would
see. It might not be true now but in the future you might get
it. She was a little disappointed because she thought dreams
were not like magic they could not be realized at once. But
he found it difficult when one of them asked him if he had
dreams. He was speechless and did not know how he would
answer it. He told them he had no dreams because he was
not taught to do so. He was just taught to do what he was
told to do, no more no less. But he realized later that if he
had dream he could have been successful in life and offer his
family a better living conditions. He did not blame anybody
for his situation he was in now. But he felt sadness in his
heart. He was afraid of the fact that his daughter night not
think of him as a good example to follow in life because he
can only offer a piece of bread. But he offered them his love
and that was a great thing. Their mother was listening to
them and said nothing because she would also be
embarrassed. If she was asked those questions she would
not have answered. She kept quiet and did not show interest
in the conversation. The girls would not ask her questions
because they were taught not to do so.
The girls asked their father about dinner. He told them
that he would go and bring it soon. They asked him what it
was. He told them that they would know soon and they
should not be in a hurry. The woman told him to go and
bring it before the girls sleep. He said that it was too early
and that the girls would not sleep because he was talking to
them. He agreed to do what she wanted because she would
not wake them up if they sleep. He was convinced that he
should go now and bring dinner because it was crazy to
wake up the girls for dinner. That was a fight he did not
want to have again. He told the girls to go and sit next to
their mother. He went into the room and used a lighter to
find his way. He changed his clothes and headed out to the
street. As he was walking to where he would get the dinner
from, he thought that he should not have got married. That
was too much for him. He believed that it was a mistake to
have a family because he could not sustain it. The family
was growing too. He would soon have a baby and had
nothing by which he could name it. Things kept swirling in
his head. He stopped and thought again. He was now afraid
of a thought that he could never pronounce and did not
allow it into his thoughts. It was the idea of divorce. But this
would not solve anything and would show him as a coward
who was not able to face his responsibilities. In addition, he
would lose his job because she found it for him through her
cousin. But he thought that even the job was just another
headache because he performed a killing physical activity
and his salary was always late. He also thought of his
daughters and the coming baby who would grow without his
father but he also thought that that would be good for them
because their father was a failure. He was a shameful
failure; he could not sustain a family and would leave their
mother alone while she was carrying a child.
He thought that they would never forgive him and they
would never look him in the face. He continued walking. He
ruled out the idea of divorce because it was going to worsen
the situation. Rather, he said to himself that he would just
attach to hope and pray for a solution of his problems. A
friend passed by and stopped him. After greeting, the friend
asked him if he was alright because he saw him absent-
minded. He responded that he was doing well and that
everything was alright. The friend asked him about his
family. He said that they were doing alright and enjoying life.
Eventually, they said good bye to each other. He learnt in life
not to tell the truth about his social circumstances. He
should always portray it as perfect. People would talk about
his social life. But he preferred them talking about it in
doubt than talking about it having him as the source of their
talk. He knew that the society was talking about him, his
family and his difficult life.
After walking across the main street that separated the
two sides of the rusty houses, he reached a shop but his
destination was not the shop but some women sitting in
front of it. He approached one of them and greeted her. The
woman was unhappy to see him and greeted him back. He
knew why she was unhappy. He did not pay her for the last
two months. Before she used to prepare dinner for him and
have it ready because he used to pay her regularly. Now he
had to come and find a good story by which he could
convince her. He told her several inconsistent stories. She
was no longer ready to buy them. She knew he was lying but
she always had a good heart because this issue had to do
with food and she also knew that he had a family and kids.
That was why she always found herself believing his stories
and giving him food. She reached for a big plate she had and
took a small plastic bag and filled it with some type of
cooked cereal. Now she did it before he told her any new
story. He grabbed the food and promised her to pay back.
She seemed indifferent and continued talking to her friend
sitting next to her in front of the shop. He got the food but
his family could not eat it like that. He needed some milk
and that was not a good idea because he had to go back to
the shopkeeper. The shopkeeper barely gave him bread this
morning.
He had to choose between bringing food without milk
and going back to the shopkeeper. His mind got tired of
these thoughts. He decided to go and try with the
shopkeeper. He might give him some milk. He walked back
home but before he reached his house he passed by the
shop. The shopkeeper was sitting with some friends in front
of the shop. He approached them and greeted them. He
asked the shopkeeper to go inside the shop. The shopkeeper
took his time while entering. The man told him that he
needed some milk for dinner and he guaranteed him that he
would pay soon. The shopkeeper went to the fridge and
brought some milk and he took it and went home. When he
came he found that his wife was still talking to the girls and
trying hard to keep them awake. It was a pain to wake them
up for dinner. The girls asked what he brought for dinner.
He said that they should just eat and keep quiet. At night
they did not asked the kids to help them because it was
dark. The man went to the kitchen and brought some plastic
cups. She put in each cup some cereals and then she took
the milk and poured it evenly into each cup and told them to
have a nice dinner. Each one of them took his cup and
started eating and drinking their food. The girls did not like
the food but they could not say it and the parents did not
like it too and they said nothing.
When the father finished eating he said that he would
go to sleep because he had to get up early in order to go to
work. She told him that she would go tomorrow and spend
the whole day with her cousin and that she would let the
girls with the neighbors in case he came and did not fine
her. He said that it was ok and that he would take care of
the girls when he came back from his job. He did not like
sleeping outside because of humidity. He preferred to sleep
inside the room even though it was extremely hot. When he
entered he went directly to the window and lied by it and
used his turban as a cover and tried to sleep but his
thoughts raced again and prevented him from sleeping. He
could not talk to his wife about them because she was
pregnant and did not want to concern her. He could still
hear her talking to the girls outside. He tried to read
something that he thought would help him sleep and drive
those bad thoughts away. His wife liked to spend some time
outside before she would sleep inside. She always tried to
convince him to spend sometime with her but he did not
tolerate humidity. After sometime she came in with the girls
and lied in the other side of the room next to the second
window. He could hear them talk in a low voice. He finally
managed to sleep. They soon slept after him and the wind
blew abundantly from the windows, and they peacefully
concluded their day.
 The whole night of Nouakchott was peaceful over the
rusty houses and their hopeful dwellers. Toward the west
side of Nouakchott a bright light shone and illuminated the
sky. It was the light of hope for some and the light of misery
for others. But it was a light.
 II

The father was the first to wake up when the light of the sun
draw a thin white line in the sky toward the east. But he
remained in his place and did not stand up. He felt like
sleeping again. But he had to go to work so that he would be
able to provide for his family. They were still sleeping. He
stood up and went to his clothes and took off his gown and
put on his work clothes and most importantly his turban
because it protected him from the aggressive sun of
Nouakchott. He went out of the room quietly. He took his
shoes and headed outside. When he closed the door of the
fence, the same thoughts came back to him but he thought
that thinking of them would not solve them. Actions had to
be taken. He walked to the nearest road, stopped and waited
for a taxi. He waved for the first car that passed by and
talked to the driver. They agreed on the destination and the
man entered and locked the door. The driver seemed to read
something and hit the gas.
The family was still lost in their dreams. One of the
girls woke up and noticed that her father had gone and she
went back to sleep. The mother woke up for she had a long
day ahead. She woke up the girls and told them to go to the
neighbors. The girls replied that the neighbors were still
asleep but she told them that she talked to their mother
yesterday and that she knew about their coming. The girls
stood up and shook their hands and went outside the room.
They wore their shoes and went to the neighbors. She had to
get ready for she had a long way to go. She went outside the
room and went to the kitchen. She took some water in a
plastic container and washed her face and came back to the
room. She went to her corner of the room and took the
cleanest of her clothes and wore it. She raised the edge of the
plastic carpet. She took something from under it and put it
in a small wallet that she had. Before she headed out she
looked into the mirror and made sure that she looked
alright. She read something in a low voice and spit on her
clothes. She went outside the house and closed the door of
the fence. She went to the nearest road as he did. She had to
reach her destination before sunrise because she did not
want to be caught in the extreme heat of Nouakchott.
She stopped by the road and waited for a taxi.
Suddenly a car stopped by her and the driver asked her
where she was going. She told him where she was going.
There were already two people in the front seat and three
women in the back seat. She preferred to squeeze them in
the back seat than to wait and be caught in the heat. She
closed the door while the driver read something in a low
voice and hit the road. One of the women in the back seat
seemed to know the woman but she was not sure. She
moved her body forward and looked at the woman. She knew
it was her. She asked her if that was her the woman
answered in acceptance. They greeted each other. The
woman asked her where she was going. The woman said that
she was going to her cousin in the west side of Nouakchott.
She also asked if she still worked for her cousin. The woman
said that she still worked for her but now she stopped
temporarily because she was in her advanced stages of her
pregnancy. The woman seemed to have several questions.
She asked her again what she was going to do today. The
woman said that she wanted her cousin to help her solve an
issue that she was going through but she did not exactly
specify what type of issue. The other woman knew that the
woman would not tell her what exactly the issue was but she
would have her own way to know what the woman was
hiding.
The woman asked her again if she had the chance to
go to a doctor to check on her pregnancy. The woman said
that she did not go to the doctor three weeks now. The
woman wanted to know why. The woman just said that she
did not have time but the other woman knew that she was
lying. But she told her to go to the doctor as soon as
possible. The woman knew that the other woman would
continue to ask serious embarrassing questions, so she
decided to give her very brief answers. The woman
understood that the woman was no longer interested in
answering her questions and decided to keep quiet. At the
same time the driver seemed to find happiness in something
he constantly read in a low tone and he reached a stop and
told the passengers that he reached his terminal everybody
gave his or her taxi fare to the driver and got out quickly.
The driver made an about-turn and went to the opposite
direction. The woman could see at a distance rusty multi-
colored buses and beside them some men saying loudly
where they were going. The woman approached them and
asked one of them if he was going to the place where she was
going to. He was exactly going to that place. But he needed
to gather more passengers. He told her to get in the bus and
wait a little. She did.
 He continued shouting and screaming the name of the
place the bus was going to. Inside the bus the women sat on
a side and men sat on the opposite side. They were all facing
each other. A young man came and sat facing her. She was
lost in her thoughts and did not look at him. He was
surprised because he knew the woman but she did not seem
to know him. He avoided talking to her because he thought
she did not want to talk to him. He looked to a different
direction. When she recovered herself from her thoughts she
recognized the young man. She asked him if that was him.
He told her that he was surprised from her action. She told
him that she was absent-minded and that she did not know
that he was there. The young man found it hard to believe
her because they sat face-to-face. But he continued the
conversation. He asked her about her husband and if he had
a stable job now or not. She said that he had a job and he
was happy with it and that he earned good money and the
whole family was happy. He asked her again if they still live
in the same place. She replied that they still live there and
they liked the place. They also had water and electricity.
The bus got filled with the passengers. The boy who
was calling for the passengers gave the order to the driver to
go by constantly hitting the right side of the bus by a coin.
The bus driver moved slowly because he could not see the
back part of the bus. The passengers who were standing
blocked the view. The driver got on the road slowly and then
speeded up a little bit. The young man asked the woman
again where she was going. She told him that she was going
to her cousin. She wanted to spend the day with her. This
time she found a good answer for the young man because
she did not want to tell him that she was going to her cousin
for help for that would definitely complicate the conversation
and would raise several questions for which she would not
find an answer. He told her that that was good. Being a man
he could not ask her about her pregnancy. But he asked her
about her health in general. She said the she was doing
great and she avoided talking about the pregnancy with him
because he was a man. He wondered if her husband would
be there on the weekend for he wanted to meet him, he did
not see him for a while. He thought it would be a good idea
to meet him this weekend. She said that he worked even on
the weekends. The young man thought that that was strange
and felt that he was not welcome. He told her that he would
see if he had time in the future then he would definitely pay
him a visit. She said that that would be ok for she knew that
he would not do it. He took a coin from his pocket and
knocked the side of the bus and the driver understood that
someone reached his or her destination.
The young man said Salam and hoped to see her again
sometimes soon. He got out and paid the boy at the door of
the bus and went away. She hoped that he would pay for her
but he did not. She knew that these were tough times and
that was why he did not. The bus went back to the road
again and after sometime it reached its terminal. The woman
stood up, got out and paid the boy. The terminal was in the
middle of a big market. She can see people everywhere
selling strange things in the streets she continued walking to
the next ride. At a distance she could see small cars packed
in a big dirty parking lot. A driver was calling for passengers.
He approached the woman and asked her where she was
going. When she informed him about her destination he
immediately told her to get in the car. There were two men in
the front seat. The driver told them to come and sit in the
back seat. The woman sat in the front seat and they waited
for three more passengers. A woman came and she was told
to sit in the front seat with the woman. After a while, two
men came and sat in the back seat with the other two men.
The driver was happy and thought it was enough for him
this time. He made sure that the doors of the rusty car were
closed and went to his seat. He read something in a low voice
before he started the engine and moved slowly to the road
and then he speeded up. The woman asked her if she was
alright. The woman responded that she was used to it and
that she should not worry about her.
Again and again the driver seemed happy while
reading what he read. The men in the back seat were excited
in telling stories to each other. They were talking about how
each one of them had divorced his wife and how their wives
were a great burden. In addition they gave their children to
their wives too. Now they believe that they were freemen.
They can live a life free from headaches. They made the
woman in the front seat angry. She told them that they were
nothing and stupid. How they could brag about doing such a
thing and talk about it in public. The men kept quiet and felt
that it was a waste of time if they talk to her but then they
continued talking to each other as if she was not there. The
woman told them again that they were nothing and kept
quiet again. The driver seemed to be lost in what he was
reading. The woman was as usual lost in her thoughts and
heard nothing of what was said and ignored the woman who
was sitting next to her in the front seat. She did not want to
start a third conversation. She would have a long day ahead.
The city started to change and there come to the view nicely
built houses and in front of them sophisticated cars were
parked. It was the west side of Nouakchott. Only the luckiest
could live there peacefully and eat the most delicious of food
and travel to the nicest places of the world
The woman seemed to gain consciousness now from
her thoughts and dreamed of living here. She thought why
her husband could not be successful as these men who built
these houses and bought these cars and took their families
on vacations far away. Her mind felt that this was too much
for it and stopped thinking. She kept on checking house
after house and car after car. They seemed endless. Paradise
on earth for her, she thought that she was lucky because
she had at least a cousin with whom she could work and
earn some money. The car reached a stop and the driver
announced that he reached his terminal. Everybody paid
and the men who were in the back seat seemed to laugh at
something and the other woman did not like that but she felt
that it was worthless to talk to them again.
The woman walked by the side of the road which went
through nicely built and ornamented houses. She could hear
the water splash which was used to water trees while in the
other side of Nouakchott they drunk dirty water. She
continued walking down the road. She could not see
anybody in the streets or besides those homes but she
deeply knew that there were people inside and they did not
go outside in this time of the day. She passed by a man who
was washing 4*4 car, he looked at her for a second and
continued washing. Now she took a left turn into a small
lane between the houses and continued walking. The house
at her left had dogs in it she thought that that was a good
sign that there was a foreigner living there. She could hear
them barking. The lane got narrower as she walked through
it and it led her to a yard that had several houses opening in
it and in the corner of the yard she could see a small shop in
it and at the other end there was a lane. She followed it and
as she was walking, she heard some people talking about
their salaries and how they failed to get them for months.
She was relieved because this did not happen to her only.
When she reached the end of it, she went into another lane
but at the end of it she could see a house on which she
could see a GSM tower. That was her destination. She still
had to walk a little bit before reaching it. She passed by a
shopkeeper who recognized her respectfully and she greet
him as did he.
 Before she could reach the house, she met her friend
who worked with her in her cousins house. She asked her
what she was doing there because she was pregnant and
could not work. The woman told her that she want to see her
cousin. She told her that her cousin was there but she was
not sure if she wanted to meet her. The woman asked her if
she was going to the shop and the other woman said yes.
Both of them agreed to meet later in the room. She
approached the door of the house. Before she touched it, she
read something in a low voice. She could hear people talking
inside the house. Then she opened the door and saw a
beautiful garden that she used to water everyday before she
got pregnant. Not far from the door there was the room in
which she hang out with other servants. She approached the
room and entered. There was a young man who was
preparing tea. He was extremely excited to see her and she
was too. She took off her shoes and sat next to the door. The
young man asked her what she was doing there before she
delivered her baby. He knew that her cousin told her not to
come back before she delivered and got healthy in order to
be able to work again.
The woman told him that she wanted to talk to her
and ask her a favor. He told her that she had to wait because
her cousin was still asleep and told her that she was lucky
for her cousin was traveling tonight to a foreign country of
which he forgot the name in order to deliver her baby too. He
reminded her that her cousins family did not go to the
National hospital for they believe that it was for poor people
who were about to die. They had never gone there. They had
the money to go abroad. She asked about her cousins
husband. He told her that he was doing well and that he just
got promoted in the military. Now he occupied a high
military rank. She was happy to hear that because he
promised to give her some money if that happened to him
and it did. She asked the young man in her turn how he was
doing with work. He told her that it was fine especially when
the family did not have guests. He stressed that it was hell
when the family invited guests. She told him that she knew
the work and that he did not have to remind her. He said
that they had guests last week. He had to cook and make tea
at the same time with the help of the other servant. It was
crazy because the guests had lots of requests and it was only
him and the other woman who worked but they survived.
Now it would be ok because her cousin was traveling so
guests would not come to a house whose mother was not
there.
 She asked him again if her cousins husband and
daughter were going with her. He told her that they were not
going with her. It was her sister who was going with her. Her
daughter would be staying in the house and her daughter
would go to live with her grand parents the time her mother
would spend abroad while delivering. She wanted to know
when she was traveling exactly. He told her that he heard
them saying 12 in the morning. She was happy that she
came on the right day. Now she prayed that her cousin
would help her because she was sure she would. Everybody
was going through difficult times and now she was traveling
too. She asked him for whom he was making tea. He said
that he was making it for her cousins husband. She wanted
to know if he was in the living room. He told her that he was
upstairs and she understood that when they were upstairs,
they were not ready to meet anybody so she had to wait. He
filled a cup of tea, stood up, wore his shoes and went to the
house. He went through the living room and took the stairs
up and then he went to the room next to the stairs. He
knocked on the door and a man told him to enter. He took
off his shoes and sat next to the man and gave a cup of tea.
After a while he told the man that the woman was there. He
was surprised because they gave her a leave to deliver. The
man asked him if she was doing well. The young man
responded that she was alright. The man asked him if she
told him why she was there. The young man said that she
came to ask her cousin a favor.
The man seemed to think a little and gave him the cup
back. The young man took the cup and went back to the
room. When he came back he found that the other woman
came from the shop. She brought what she was asked to
bring, some mint. They just ran out of mint. This was their
second cup. The woman asked the young man when her
cousins husband would come down to the living room. He
told her that he did not know, it always depended but there
was no exact time. She wanted the young man to tell the
man something but she changed her mind and waited. The
young man went to prepare the last cup of tea for the man.
The woman started to talk because that was the only time
they had before her cousin woke up. The woman asked the
other woman about the news of the neighborhood and
especially who got married. The woman told her that men
these days have nothing to offer to women that was why they
were no more interested in marrying a woman and they just
laughed at her and lied a billion times. The other woman
asserted that she only had news of divorce which harvested
two of her closest friends. The young man focused on
foaming tea cups but he was listening carefully to the women
talking about their issues. He just got addicted to their talk.
He said to himself that this way he would learn about how to
be careful not to be tricked by a woman.
The woman told the other woman that she should be
careful because her husband might be planning to leave her
alone with two girls and a baby who was still in her womb.
The woman said that her husband was responsible and he
would not do that. The woman told her that she should not
be too confident about that. They laughed abundantly and
added that she was lucky because she survived this mess
which was devastating to the life of many women. The young
man wanted to ask a question but he said to himself he
should not let them know that he was following their
conversation. He Heard interesting things about the life of
women which until recently remained a mystery for him.
One of the woman noticed that he spent a lot of time foaming
the cups and asked him why it was taking him all this time.
He learnt that when they said that to him it meant that they
want him to go so that they would be able to say things they
did not want him to hear, usually intimate things about
relationships between men and women. The young man
stopped foaming the cups and finished the tea by taking the
last cup to the man up stairs.
When he came back the women finished their talk.
Now they talked about some issues he no longer wanted to
hear. He wanted to hear things that would rock his world.
The women were careful because they knew he was young
and should only talk about light stuff that he could digest.
The young man sat next to the tea utensils and started to
clean them because he had to start soon his day of work.
The woman said to the other woman that her cousin had
invited today a woman who could tell the future using beads
and small sea shells. The woman told her that that would be
a great time and it would be nice to know what the future
hid for them. But the other woman warned her that this was
a session for her cousin only but she told her that they could
sit and listen to them and from time to time the shells would
point to their direction and then the woman would tell them
what they would expect or what would make their
happiness.
The young man finished cleaning the utensils and
went to the kitchen of the house. The women seized the
opportunity to talk about the pregnancy of her cousin. The
woman asked her what her cousin wanted. She wanted a boy
or girl. She told her that she wanted a boy because she had
a boy then a girl and now she wanted a boy. The woman
wanted to know to which country they were going. The other
woman told her that she did not know. She heard them
talking about it but she did not remember the name exactly.
The young man told her that she was going tonight. She
wanted to know if that was true and the woman confirmed it
to her. She thought again that she was lucky to come this
day for a visit. The young man started to clean the kitchen
from the mess that was left last night. Cleaned the utensils
first then he went to clean the tables and the floor in order to
make it easy for the women to cook lunch for the family.
The daughter of her cousin came down from upstairs
and went to her room in the corner of the living room but
before she entered she called the young man who came
quickly. She told him to bring her some milk and some
cookies. He told her that he would he bring what she wanted
immediately. He went to the kitchen and opened the fridge
and grabbed some milk and took some cookies from one of
the drawers of the kitchen and went back to her. When he
arrived to the room he noticed that the door was closed and
he could hear Arabic music on. He knocked on the door and
she did not respond he opened the door because he knew
that she would not hear him. The music was loud. He came
next to her and put down nicely the milk and cookies. She
was checking her phone and she stopped and looked at him
and asked him if he was making tea. He told her that he just
finished making it for her father. He told her that the woman
was there. She was surprised to know that because she liked
her so much. She told him to tell her to come to her room so
that she can greet her. The young man nodded and went
back to the kitchen, then to the garden and then to the room
in the corner of the houses yard.
He found out that the women were still talking. He
informed the woman that her cousins daughter wanted her
to come to her room right now. She asked him if she was
awake. He said yes and she wanted to greet her. The woman
found happiness in what he told her. She stood up, wore her
shoes and followed the same path that he followed while
coming back and forth. She went through the back door of
the kitchen and then through the living room and finally to
her cousins daughters room. She knocked on the door. This
time the woman did not hear music but nobody responded.
She opened the door and entered. She found the daughter of
her cousin talking on the phone. She sat next to the door
and waited. The young woman who was on the phone she
looked at her and smiled and then continued talking on the
phone. The young woman was talking to her friend about a
TV program that they did not watch together yesterday. The
young woman was telling her friend what happened in the
Turkish series. Seemingly, it was an exciting episode that
had lots of drama in it. The woman was sitting looking at her
cousins daughter and smiling because she watched the
episode yesterday and knew what happened.
In the room by the door, the young man asked the
other woman if the woman told her about the real reasons
which brought her there today. She told him that she told
her nothing except what she told him but he could not
believe her because she thought the she was going through a
difficult time. He was there when her cousin told her not to
come until she delivered and become healthy. Now she
suddenly came out of the blue. He believed that her cousin
would not at all like it especially she was coming all this way
and pregnant. He believed for sure that she was going
through a tough time and she was not telling the truth. The
women told him that this was not his problem and that he
should forget about this and never talk to the woman about
it. She also believed that she came here for she was facing
some sort of a problem but they could not help her. They
thought that her cousin might help her as she always did.
But now she was traveling. They would wait and see how the
drama would unfold when her cousin would wake up and
find out that she was there. Each one of them thought that
her cousin would not like it but she was a kind woman and
would forgive her.
The daughter finished talking on the phone and
greeted the woman and both were extremely happy to meet
each other again. The young woman asked the woman if she
was doing well. The woman said that she was surviving and
that her pregnancy was doing well. The young woman said
that she did not think that she would meet her before she
delivered. Her mother told her the she would not come back
until she delivered but she did not ask the woman why she
was coming today for she thought of her as a member of the
family. She treated her just like another mother for the
woman saw her grew up from the little child to the amazingly
beautiful young lady she was now. The woman thought of
her as a daughter. She took care of her and fed her anytime
she got hungry. There seemed to be a spiritual love between
them but there was no blood love between them and this was
something that the young woman did not know. The woman
could not talk to her about it. The woman thought this was
one of the untalked-abouts. The young woman asked her
about her husband and her daughters for she liked them
very much. The woman told her that her husband was doing
well and that she left her daughters with the neighbors. She
informed her that she was just coming for today in order to
talk to her mother about something. The young woman told
her that she could wake her up for her but the woman said
that she would just wait for her to wake up for she was
staying for the whole day with them.
The young woman asked the woman to make a cup of
tea for her. The woman was excited that the young woman
asked her to do something for her. She assured her that she
would do it immediately. The woman stood up, wore her
shoes and went out through the kitchen back door. The
three of them were told not to go through the front door they
should only use the back door of the kitchen and they
should only use the main door when they have to. She went
to the room and entered. The young man and the other
woman stopped talking. She knew deep inside that they were
talking about her. She took off her shoes and went to the tea
utensils and started making a cup of tea. The other woman
asked her to whom she was making tea. She told them that
she was making it for her cousins daughter. The other
woman told her that she could do it for her but the woman
insisted on doing it. The young man came back to the
kitchen to finish what he started and to let the women have
their freedom in talking to each other about their issues.
The woman asked the other woman if there was a
man in her life now. The other woman said that there was a
man but she thought that he was not serious because
anytime she talked to him about marriage he seemed to lose
his mind and lose control on what he was saying and he
always changed the flow of the conversation quickly. The
woman told her that he was sad and she should trust him.
The other woman said that she could not trust him because
he was not serious when she talked to him about marriage
and she added that he had no stable job. He did not also tell
her the type of job he had. She just met him at night and did
not know what he did in the morning. The woman told her
that just she had to give him time. The woman focused on
making tea because she wanted to give her cousins
daughter the best cup of tea she ever drank. When she got
the cup ready she carried it to the room of her cousins
daughter. When she entered the room, the young woman sat
down and smiled. The woman sat next to her and gave her
the cup of tea. The young woman took it and sipped it slowly
and from time to time she asked the woman about her life
away from them and especially how she got used to the
pregnancy. The woman always answered the questions of her
cousins daughter happily.
The young woman told her that she called her mom in
her room and her mom told her that she would come down
from upstairs soon. The womans heart started to pound but
she smiled so that her cousins daughter would not notice
she was nervous. She took the cup quickly and left the room.
The young woman told her that that cup was enough for
now. The woman nodded and left. She went through the
kitchen and found that the young man was still cleaning.
She went quickly out and got to the room. She told the other
woman with her that her cousin was coming down from
upstairs. Everybody seemed to get ready for her especially
the woman. The woman cleaned quickly the tea utensils and
put them away. Both of the women went to the kitchen and
started to help the young man so that they would be able to
finish before her cousin came down from upstairs.
While they were working in the kitchen they heard
footsteps on the stairs. The footsteps belonged to someone
they knew. It was her cousin. All of them were ready for the
first call. The cousin went down to the living room and went
to her daughters room to see if she was there. She just
opened the door without knocking on it. She found out that
her daughter was there. Her daughter stood up and told her
that the woman was there. The cousin was shocked because
she did not expect her to come these days. The cousin asked
her where she was now. The young woman told her that she
was either in the kitchen or in the room by the door of the
house. She screamed while calling for the young man and
when he heard her he came running and stood not far from
her. She asked him if what she was told was true. He
responded that it was true. She ordered him to go and tell
her to come there immediately. The young man went to the
woman and told her that her cousin needed her. The woman
came at once and stood in awe in front of her cousin but she
could not look her in the face. The cousin told the woman to
remind her of what she told her before she came today. The
woman said that she still remembered that she told her not
to come back before she delivered and got healthy. The
cousin asked her why she came then. The woman said that
she and her husband were going through difficult times and
that was why she came today and especially in order to ask
for help.
 The cousin sat down and asked the woman to sit
down. They both sat down one after the other. The cousin
reminded her that she gave her money before she went and
that she found a job for her husband. The woman told her
that the money was not enough and that her husband barely
got paid. They were sinking under the load of debts. The
cousin asked her what she was doing now. The woman said
that she was helping the other woman and the young man
cleaning the kitchen. She looked at her and asked her about
her pregnancy. The woman said that she was ok and asked
her cousin about her pregnancy too. The cousin responded
kindly that she was doing well. She added that she was
travelling tonight to a foreign country. The cousin asked the
woman if she was sure she could work today. The woman
was positive. The cousin ordered her to go and work with
them and she would see at the end of the day how she would
help her. The woman stood up and went happily to the
kitchen. The cousin called her daughter and ordered her to
give her clothes to the woman in order to clean them for her.
The daughter was about to send them to the man who
washed clothes in the neighborhood but now the woman was
there she can take care of it. The daughter was happy
because she could now ask the woman directly. In the house
everything went by the order of the cousin.
The daughter called the young man. When he came
she told him to go upstairs and bring a big plastic bag in her
sleeping room. He went up stairs quickly and brought it. She
told him to give it to the woman and tell her that she should
clean it before she went. The young man went to the kitchen
and gave the plastic bag to the woman and told her that they
told her to clean it before the end of the day. She took it and
went outside the kitchen. She took a small lane that led to
the back yard of the house and dropped the plastic bag. That
was the place where they manually cleaned the clothes of the
family. She went back to the kitchen and took all the
material she needed for cleaning. She went back to the back
yard and took a big plastic container and put it under the
tap and opened it. The plastic container had been used in
cleaning clothes several times. They got used to it. She
cleaned it first then she put all the clothes and filled it with
water. She wanted the clothes to get wet before she could
clean them and then she went back to the kitchen.
The young man and the other woman were finishing
the cleaning. When the cousin sat in the living room
everybody had to be in the kitchen. They had to be close so
that when they were called they could respond quickly. The
other woman asked the woman if she started cleaning the
clothes. She said that she was waiting for them to get wet.
The young man and the other woman finally finished
cleaning the kitchen and then they went to the cousin in the
living room to know what they should do next. The cousin
told them that she had some women coming today and that
they should cook rice and fish for them. She told them that
the woman can help them when she was done with cleaning
the clothes. She knew that they had fish in the freezer but
they needed fresh vegetables. The cousin told the other
woman to go to a small market not far from them and bring
the vegetables and the young man should take the fish out of
the freezer so that ice would melt. She told them that one of
them should be ready in order to make tea for the guests
when they arrive. They both nodded and then she told them
to go.
The other woman set out to bring vegetables and the
young man went directly to the freezer and took the fish out.
In the backyard, the woman started to clean manually pieces
of clothes. She was sitting in the shade of the house which
was growing. The woman always had fun cleaning clothes
even though it was difficult for her as a pregnant woman. As
she cleaned the clothes she remembered that her husband
told her about her cousins husband. He told her that he
used to play with him as a kid in a small town outside
Nouakchott. They were friends and extremely happy but as
they grew up each one of them started to take a different
direction as if it was planned. Each one of them did not have
the chance to choose which way to take. Their families chose
for them. Her husbands family used to work for her cousins
husbands family. His family wanted him to continue to work
for them as did his ancestors. Her cousins husband was
sent to school and ended up in the army. The womans
husband refused to do what his ancestors used to do and
ended up in doing a lot of odd jobs and without education. It
was his choice to go against the tradition and paid the price.
The woman preferred to abide by the tradition and she at
least had a work as a maid. It always bewildered her how
they took different paths as they grew up.
She continued washing the clothes but she thought
abiding by the tradition did not solve any of her problems.
She worked but she could offer comfortable living conditions
for their daughters. They both failed in abiding by or in
denial of the tradition. She continued washing. She could
not speak publically about her thoughts because she had
nothing and would lose everything. She now focused on
washing the clothes so it would not take all her time. She
could help the other woman and the young man in preparing
food for the guests or in making tea for them. She continued
washing but now she looked at her belly and wished a
different life for what was in her womb. She wished for it a
life full of success and prosperity and most importantly
freedom and the pursuit of happiness. She almost cried but
hoped it would be a good remedy to her sorrow.
In the living room sat her cousin and she was talking
on the phone. Apparently one of the guests needed a ride.
She called the young man and he came quickly from the
kitchen. She asked him if he took the fish out of the freezer
because he forgot to do it most of the time. She also asked if
the driver was there. He said that he had not come today.
The cousin wondered why he should be late everyday. She
thought he must be doing something else before he came to
work. She took her phone and called him. When he
responded, she did not wait for him to say anything. She
said told him to wet his head not to shave but there and she
added that she did not need explanations from him and
hung up the phone. She ordered the young man to go and
see if the woman had finished washing. He left the living
room quickly and went through the kitchens door to the
backyard. He came close to the woman and saw how much
clothes were left and asked her if she was doing well. She
was feeling well and working. He returned to the cousin and
told her that she still had some clothes to finish and then he
returned to the kitchen. When he got there, the other woman
had just arrived with lots of plastic bags full of vegetables.
Before she dropped them he quickened to help her unload
the bags. She asked him about the woman. He told her that
she was still washing the clothes. She told him that she was
supposed to finish it so that she could help them in cooking
or in anything else.
The other woman went through the kitchens door to
the living room and stopped by the cousin to tell her that she
brought what they needed for lunch. The cousin told her
that they should immediately start because the guests would
come soon. But the other woman wanted to wait a little so
that the other woman would help them in cooking. The
cousin told her to start and when the woman finished
washing she would join them and she told her to go to work.
The cousin called her daughter from the living room to come.
She wanted to talk to her. The daughter came out of her
room and sat next to her mom. She informed her that the
driver did not come today. In addition he was always late.
Now she would wait for him to come and then she would fire
him. She wanted her daughter to take one of the cars and
drive by a friends house and pick up one of her mothers
friends. The daughter jumped of happiness because she
would go out with no one and she had a car too. That was all
she wanted. She went back to her room and took her iPhone
and came back to her mother. Her mother ordered her to go
upstairs to her bedroom and take the keys of the Mercedes
but the girl wanted the Audi because it was brand-new. The
mother told her to keep quite and take the Mercedes. The girl
went quickly upstairs and entered the room of her father
who was sleeping. She opened quietly the drawer and took
the key. She made sure not to wake him up because that
meant she would not go out. He was one of the strongest
opponents to the fact that her mom wanted her to drive
while young. She closed the door of the room quietly and
rolled down the stairs happily. She passed by her mother in
the living room for instructions for GPS did not work in
Mauritania.
She asked her if she remembered the family that they
went to when their daughter got married with a Mauritanian
who worked in the States. She said that she remembered it
because the wedding was one of a kind. The mother told her
that she wanted her to go there and bring her their mother
as quickly as possible, but she told her to drive safely. The
girl nodded. She went out of the main door of the house.
Opposite the small room of the servants lied a big garage
wide enough to host a Mercedes and an Audi. She called the
young man and when he arrived she told him to open the
door of the garage for her. He went to the side of the
Mercedes and opened the door with difficulty. The young
woman got in the car and started the engine. She turned
some music on and moved the gearshift to reverse and hit
the gas. The car moved slowly backwards and the young
man was standing by the door waiting for her to go out. He
did not close the door of the garage because she would come
back soon. When she left he went back to his work.
When the young woman went farther from the house
she stopped the car by the road and took out her phone and
checked the dialed numbers and launched the last dialed
one. When it rang, she was picked up by a young man. She
told him that she needed to meet him quickly in the place
she told him about. He said the he would be there in a
minute. She arrived before him and waited for few minutes.
She saw a black Range Rover approaching. That was
definitely him. They did not get out of the cars they just
drove by and downed the mirrors of the car. They were
extremely happy to meet each other after a long series of
texting and facebooking, now they had the chance to see
each other. She asked him if he was disappointed to see her.
He answered her with the same question and they laughed.
She told him that she had to do something but they should
stay in touch in order to coordinate another meeting. He
nodded while he was smiling. Both raised the glass of the car
and went away. Her phone suddenly buzzed. It was her
mother. When she picked her up, she asked her if she was
able to find her way. The daughter told her that so far so
good. The mother reminded her to drive slowly and hung up
the phone.
After few minutes she was able to find her way and
locate the house. She parked the car next to the door and
closed it by the remote control. She entered another big
house as big as her familys. She was welcome by a young
man and took her to the living room where she waited for the
woman to come down from upstairs. Her mothers friend did
not take long to come. They greeted each other warmly and
headed outside. The woman told her as they were going out
that their driver did not show up that day. The young woman
told her that their driver did not show up too. She told her
that they disappeared and they would not come back
apparently. The woman said that they usually disappeared
when they found something more interesting than driving
expensive cars. They got in the car and came back home.
Her mobile phone rang again. It was again her mother, she
assured her that she found her and that they were riding
together and they would be there soon. The mother reminded
her to drive slowly and hung up the phone. It was a
successful day for the young woman. She was able to see her
boyfriend even for a second but she knew that her mother
would not like it if she knew. But that was the only way she
can meet him and she prayed that the drivers continue to
disappear because she had the chance to go out alone. Her
mind raced through many thoughts as she drove. She could
not play music this time because the woman was older than
her and she was her mothers friend. It did not take them
long to arrive home. The door of the garage was still open.
They drove slowly through the door and as they entered her
father was looking at them from the window of the second
floor of the house and he did not like it. But he thought that
it was not the right time to talk to his daughter because they
had guests. When a family had guests their issues should be
kept secret until the guest leave.
 The daughter parked the car in its place and escorted
the woman to the living room. The mother stood up and
greeted the woman and they both sat down. The young
woman went upstairs to drop the keys. Her father was
waiting for her. He told her to give him the keys and added
that he told her before not to drive even if her mother got her
a driving license. She told him that she did not want to but
her mother told her to do so. He told her to go and that they
would continue this discussion later that day. As she walked
down the stairs her mother saw her and knew that there was
something a miss but she continued talking to her friends
lively. The young woman entered her room and closed the
door. It was chat time.
In the back yard, the woman managed to finish all
clothes and hang them up in sunshine. Now she was ready
to help the young man and the other woman in preparing
lunch. As they continued working, the commotion of the
coming women was clearly heard from the kitchen. The all
the guests arrived. They were three other sophisticated
women. The living room was seriously smelling good. And
they knew that they would offer milk drinks to the guests
and of course tea. They did not wait for her to give them
orders. They quickly prepared drinks and brought them to
them. Everybody was laughing and telling jokes. The young
man brought the drinks and put them next to the cousin
and then she would distribute them on the other woman.
The father came down but he was going out. As he passed by
he greeted the women and went away. That day was a good
day for him to disappear. The house was filled with women
and that would keep his wife busy. He would come back just
before dusk. He took the Mercedes and disappeared. When
the woman came to the kitchen, the other woman told her to
make tea because the young man was busy and she can do
that but the young man had an idea he wanted the woman
to work and he would go and make it. The woman agreed. He
went to the room by the door and started making tea and
listening to the radio. It was a perfect time to know what was
new in the world. His favorite radio station was Aljazeera.
The TV channel was aired live on FM waves in Nouakchott.
The FM radio station was cut several times but he was lucky
to find it today. When he tuned into it he was happy and
started making tea for the guests.
He was suddenly interrupted by a piece of news in
which they mentioned the name of Mauritania. He could not
figure out what was going on but he knew that something
was wrong. He could understand that this piece of news was
about the university students but he did not know what
their problem was and soon the news anchor switched to
another piece of news and the young man continued making
tea.
In the kitchen, the women were making a progress in
preparing rice with fish. It was one of the delicious dishes of
the country. The cousin would definitely make the day of her
guests if she prepared it for them. The smell of food found its
way out of the kitchen and the women in the living room
smelled it. The cousin told her guests that she would bring
them a woman who was skillful in reading joyfully the future
in small seashells but she told them that she was already
late. She thought of sending her daughter to bring her.
However, she knew that her father would not like it. She just
decided to call her again and see where she was at. She took
out her iPhone and called her. The woman responded after
the greetings and she said that she was on her way to them.
The cousin was happy and she hung up. She told her guests
that the gifted woman was coming and she promised them to
have a good time. They love to gossip about the rich and the
poor. The most important thing for them was to laugh and
be happy. They had all the things they needed: money,
power, houses, luxurious cars and what not. They also have
people who worked for them and they considered them part
of their family.
Not far from the living room, the young woman found
herself in texting. Their family denied her PC because they
learnt that she facebooked 24 hours. Now she moved back to
texting and listening to music on TV. That was her daily
routine. In the room by the door, the young man prepared
his first cup of tea and suddenly heard a knock on the door.
He went out of the room and opened the door. It was a young
woman. She wanted to meet her cousin. He told her to go
straight and get to the house through the main door. She
walked straight and got to the living room. All the women
were excited to see her but none of them stood up to greet
her. She came and sat down next to the cousin. All other
women were sitting on mattresses but she sat down on the
carpet. She took out small seashells from her small wallet
that she had and gathered them in her hand. She then threw
them on the carpet. When the shells landed they faced
different directions. She saw nothing in the shells. The
cousin gave her some milk to drink and said that that would
refresh her memory. The woman drank the milk and looked
at the shells again and said that she was seeing a man on a
big machine trying to drive it towards a big grey house. The
women told her that they had nothing to do with that. They
said that they wanted to know things that had to do with
their personal life.
The women took her shells again and shook them. She
saw the same image again and said to herself that she can
swear on this thing. It meant that it would be true. But she
did not tell them about it. She just took the shells and shook
them again. Now some shells went toward the direction of
the cousin and the woman told her that she would take the
road soon. The cousin was surprised because the woman did
not know that she was traveling tonight. The other women
were surprised too because they knew that she was traveling
that night. However, the guests and the cousin did not tell
the woman that she was right; they just looked at each
other. She took the shells and shook them again. Two shells,
one small and one big, went toward one of the woman. She
told her that she must be careful of those two people
because they were carefully talking about her and one of
them was a young woman. She added that she can see it
clearly in the sea shells. She shook the shells again and
some shells got the form of a cluster while facing another
woman. The young woman told her she will receive
something packed but she did not know what it was. Time
passed. They drunk tea and they were waiting for lunch
while the woman continued to read the shells for them.
The women in the kitchen were putting the final
touches on the rice. They kept aside something for them and
the young man and served it to the guests. They cleaned
their hands before they eat and they had lunch. The women
and the young man went to their room next to the main door
of the house and had lunch. They were happy. But they had
to finish eating quickly because they had to take care of the
mess the women in the living room would leave. They were
asked quickly to the kitchen. One of the women came in and
took the huge plate in which they ate and the other women
brought in water so that they could clean their hands in a
small movable sink. As they did the other woman continued
to remove the remaining stuff between them. In few minutes
the living room was clean as it was. The women said that the
rice was oily and they need to drink something that can help
them relieve. The cousin told the young man to go and
prepare that popular local sour drink. He went quickly to the
kitchen and came back with it. He knew they would need it
that was why he prepared it early.
He gave it to the cousin. She filled nicely ornamented
cups and gave it to her guests who were thirsty to drink it.
The woman asked the future revealer to continue to show
them her talent before they go. The woman took out the
shells again from her pocket and shook them on the ground.
She said that all of them would be happy and their heads
would be opened because of joy and accomplishment. She
shook it again and said that the cousin would take the road
soon. The shells continue to show the same thing which
meant that the shells swore on it. The cousin asked the
women if they wanted to drink tea again. There was a
consensus that they should wait a little. In the kitchen the
women and the young man put the leftover food away
cleaned the dishes. Now they can go and have some rest in
their room by the main door of the house. The young man
turned on his radio and the women sat next to each other. It
was another difficult day for them especially the woman.
When she got pregnant things got difficult for her and
apparently that was the last day for her at work. The young
man seemed to be lost while listening to the news and the
women resumed their gossip.
The woman expressed her concern to the other woman
about her delivering. She did not want to go the National
hospital because she heard that some people went there and
never came back especially women who delivered. The other
woman told her that that was her only option. She did not
have money to go abroad like her cousin. She put her hand
on her belly and felt the babys kicks. The other woman
looked at her and told her not to worry and that even when
she had to go the national hospital she would come back.
The woman looked at her and told her that she hoped that
she was right. The young man also assured her that she
would come back alive from the hospital and that there was
nothing that she should worry about. She told him that
there were people who went and never came back. They told
her that she should not think negatively about the issue and
they assured her again that she was going to make it.
The young man suddenly heard the cousin calling and
he knew that it was tea time. But it was maybe the last time
of the day. He stood up and went quickly to the living room
through the kitchen. He came and stood next to the cousin.
She told him to make tea for the guests and it should be
quick because the women would leave soon. She stressed
that he should not forget mint as he did the last time. He
went quickly back to the room. The daughter of the cousin
went back to her room after having lunch with her mother
and the guests. Her iPhone was her best friend. She always
sent texts to the boy she just met. She knew him through
her friend and then they exchanged numbers. They used to
communicate through Facebook but her father took her PC
away but her mother left for her the iPhone. She could not go
out alone. She could only do that with the permission of her
mother and on a condition that her mother should know the
girls and their families. The young woman could not befriend
people that her mother did not know. That was a breach of
the family protocol. Her friends also had to be from her
social class. There was no room for poor girls as friends. The
poor had to remain in their room by the door.
The young man made a quick tea and the women
seemed to enjoy it. Toward the last cup the women seemed
to look at their phones as if they were expecting someone.
They were in fact expecting their drivers. As they drunk their
last cup of tea, the drivers came in sophisticated cars and
parked in front of the house. As the women got out of the
living room French perfumes were a green energy that
purified the atmosphere of the house and they were laughing
and remembering what they talked about the whole day.
The cousin asked one of the women to give a ride to the
talented woman who told them some of their future. The
cousin did not go out of the house with them. She just said
good bye by the door and came back to settle some family
business. The cars made an about-turn and disappeared.
The cousin went directly to her daughter in her room
and sat next to her and asked her what had happen. The girl
told her that her father did not like the fact that she went
driving and that he took the keys from her. Her mother told
her that she should not worry about that. She would talk to
him before she travelled and she would definitely change his
mind. The mother held tightly her daughter and kissed her
on the cheek. She told her weni bik. The girl smiled and
appreciated her mother attitude. The cousin stood up and
went back to the living room and called the woman. The
woman came and remained standing. She told her to sit
down. She did. The cousin took something from her bag and
gave it to the woman and told her that that would help her
until she delivered and got back to work. The woman took it
and did not look at it. She stood up and told her good bye.
The cousin told her to take a good care of herself and of the
baby. The woman went back to the room by the door and
said good bye to the other woman and the young man. They
also told her to take a good care of herself. She looked at the
house for a second as if she would see it for the last time and
she went away.
 The sun was on the way to end its journey over the
city of Nouakchott with its two sides. She followed the same
way she took while coming and on the way, the fact that she
might not come back alive from the national hospital
haunted her. She thought of her daughters and husband
and how they would be lonely when she had to leave and
never come back. When she came back home it was dusk.
She came to her house and she noticed that her husband
had not come yet. She entered the house and called her
daughters from the fence. They were extremely excited to see
their mom. This time they did not come through the door,
they just jumped from over the fence and came to hold her
tight. They really missed their mom. She took out two small
mangos from a plastic bag she held in her hand and gave
them to them. She asked them how their day was. They were
happy to tell her that they had a wonderful day with the
neighbors and the mother of the neighbors took a good care
of them. The mother smiled. She called her friend from the
fence and thanked her. The mother of the neighbors had a
wide smile that she could see in the dark. She told the
woman that she deserved everything in life and that she
should not worry about that. The woman was thankful to the
other woman. They took the plastic carpet, spread it and sat
on it. The girls sat each one of them on a side of their mom.
As the sun dropped in the ocean, the man came and
entered through the door and sat in the same place he sat in
yesterday. She did not look at him, neither did he. But the
girls went quickly to him. He hugged them even though his
clothes were extremely dirty. He did not look at her but
asked her how her day was. She remained silent for a while
and said that it was ok. They spent sometime without talking
to each other. After a while she asked him about his day. He
was not excited to tell her about it. He said that he lost his
job. Now she looked at him while surprised. He added that
the company told him and others that it was facing some
problems and they had to reduce the workers and he was
among these workers who were not lucky or who was always
miserable. She said nothing and she just look away. She
asked the girls to come back and sit next to her. She asked
him if they paid him. He said that they did not pay him all
his money. They only gave him some and told him to come
back for the rest but he learnt from experience that if he was
told so it meant that they would not pay him even if he
would come everyday. She continued to look away. She
asked him what he was going to do now. He told her that he
did not know. She told him that he could not pay his debts
and she was sure that while coming he took a different way
in order to avoid the shopkeeper.
He told her that he did not have extraordinary powers
to create miracles. She looked away. The mangos that she
gave to the girls when she came would be their dinner. Their
parents would not dine tonight. It seemed a long night. The
conversation stopped and they thought that talking would
take it to another level. It was a warm Nouakchott night and
they got a visit from some hungry mosquitoes. They were
seemingly going to spend the night outside. The girls leaned
on their mother and their father found solace in looking at
the sky and the stars which seemed unreachable just like
the likelihood of finding a solution to his problems. He did
not know what to do tomorrow but he was determined to do
something. He did not know what it was. He hoped to do
something with the little money he had.
Tomorrow was another day, just another day. He did
not take a shower that night he just lied on a side of the
plastic carpet and watched the sky and hope that no one
would come to ask about his or her money. No one came
that night to ask for his debt and he was relieved to know
that. He thought that he had another day in which he had to
make some money and pay his debts and feed his family.
But he did not know what to do and surrendered to sleeping.
The whole family slept outside and did not enter in the room.
He dreamt that he was running among lots of animals
of all kind and he had to run in order to survive. As he was
running he stumbled on the ground and could not stand up
and as animals approached to step on him he woke up. He
seemed to read something and changed his sleeping position
and tried to sleep again but he could not. The thoughts
about his family and debts kept him awake. He thought of
what he would do with the money he just earned from his
job. He had no idea but he kept thinking and thinking. He
finally managed to sleep.
As they enjoyed their sleeping, dark clouds seemed to
approach from the south and from time to time the
lightening draw their contour. They did not know that the
clouds were approaching and that it was going to rain. He
was the first one to feel small rain drops on his hand and
upon feeling them, he opened his eyes and he could see that
it was cloudy when the lightening shone. He quickly awoke
his family and helped his wife stood up and took her to the
room and the girls too because they were still sleepy. He
then had to go to the kitchen and bring all the plastic cups.
They will need them. As they closed the door of the room, it
rained cats and dogs. They had to close the door because the
rain was pouring from its direction. They can feel the rain
and its speed on the iron roof of the room. As it got stronger,
the roof started to leak and he quickly took the cups and
began to put them in places were the leaking was stronger.
The family had to move from place to place to avoid the
leaking. They will not sleep again until they found a free-
leaking place in the room. He managed to put the cups in
their right places. Now they had to try to sleep with the
symphony that the drops of rain made on the iron roof. They
also produced the tone of destiny as they fall into the
miserable cups.
The rain meant peace and prosperity and maybe a
solution to their problems. The girls stuck to their mother in
a corner of the room and the man lied in another corner.
They tried to come back to sleep and a cold wind came
trough the window and chase the heat away and the family
returned soon to sleeping. The woman dreamt that her
husband was walking on an iron line and their daughters
each of them was holding one of his hands and helped him
stabilize on the line. Behind him, the line disappeared in
dark clouds and in front of them at the other end of the line
she saw herself standing and encouraging them to continue
but suddenly a lightening struck them behind as they fall
she woke up. She knew it was a bad dream and what she
heard was just a lightening from the actual rain so she read
that thing in a low voice. She dragged her daughters close to
her and moved her hands on their faces and felt them to see
if they had a fever or not. She looked at her husband in the
other corner of the room. He was snoring now and knew that
it was a sign that he was extremely tired, she looked straight
then she slept peacefully.
As the rain stopped he was awakened but a donkey
which found the wooden frame of the window delicious. He
took his turban and hit the donkey on the face which
seemed indifferent to the hit of the turban and continued
eating. The man reached for a wooden bat that he usually
used to work his donkey when he used to have one and
grabbed it and gave a blow to the donkey on the bone that
was above its nose. The donkey understood that the man
was no more playing with it and went away. He put the bat
away but he took it again and put it next to him because he
knew that if the donkey did not find something delicious it
would definitely come back to eat the wooden frame of the
window. As he was trying to sleep he could hear a voice
faraway that called people who were sleeping to wake and do
their duty, but he was overwhelmed by fatigue and
surrendered to sleeping. This time they did not wake up
until dawn. He woke up before sunrise and went out to feel
the soil which was wet and had some small holes which were
done by ants. They found it easy to move the sand after the
rain.
He went to the kitchen and took a plastic container
and went to the water barrel. He filled it then walked to the
door of the room and stood next to it. He cleaned his face
and checked his money. He knew it was still in his pocket. It
did not fall. He entered quietly his room and saw that his
family was still sleeping. He went outside, wore his shoes
and set out.
 III

He made sure to avoid the people whom he owed money.

While he was finding his way he wrapped tightly his turban
on his head and covered his mouth and nose and left his
eyes in order to find his way. He wanted to take a taxi from a
different road so that he could avoid people but he had to
walk for fifteen minutes. It was known that taxis did not
pass often from that road. When he arrived he had to wait
for another fifteen minutes. What frustrated him was that he
had to take a connecting taxi in order to reach his
destination. It was the big market of Nouakchott. At the far
end of the road he could see an old car approaching as it
drove by he noticed that the driver was an old man and he
stopped for him without waiting for the man to show his
interest in going. The old man asked the man if he was
going. The man knew that it could be a good deal to ride with
that old man in his old car. He informed him of his
destination. The old man offered a fare that the man found
too much expensive.
The man gave him the half of what he offered. The old
man immediately agreed. The man tried to open the door but
he could not because of the rust. The old man got out and
told the man that it had a special way with which it can be
opened. He grabbed the handle of the door lifted it than drag
it and it opened beautifully. The man got in and smiled and
so did the old man who just slammed the door to its original
position. The old man got in the drivers seat and started the
car by using electric wires and then he laughed out loud. He
said that he started it Mauritanian style and then he hit the
gas. They rolled.
The old man seemed to look back and see if he knew
the man but he did not know him. The old man looked at his
old Seiko watch and asked the man how life was. The man
looked at the street from the window that was at his right.
And he said that it was as it was. Nothing changed and the
living conditions were the same. The old man said that that
was true but they were still alive. The man agreed but he
added that that was not what the politician promised. The
old man advised him to get used to that because it was the
rule for the coming decades at least. The man did not like
what the old man had just said and said that it was
impossible. There had to be a way out of this situation. The
old man laughed and said that he advised him that he
should not waste his time. He added that it was better for
him to go and look for something to eat or feed his family
with because the corrupt politicians when they got to power
they forgot their promises. They would only remember them
in the next election campaign. The old man told him that he
should get used to it and it was a normal thing in this
country.
The man looked away and seemed to think deeply
about what the old man told him. He still thought that there
was a way out of this mess, but in reality he could not find a
solution to his personal problems. The old man looked at
him again and told him that what he was going through was
a normal thing too and he would easily get used to it and
learn to find his way in the system. The man seemed
unconvinced and felt that the old man was alluding to
something he could not understand. He asked the old man
what he meant by finding ones way in the system. The old
man laughed heartily and said that he just had to find it. He
assured him that he was not going to tell him but he
encouraged him to find it himself. The old man kept quiet
now and so did the man.
The old man stopped the car for a woman who seemed
to look for a taxi but he was disappointed when she told him
that she did not ride in this type of cars. The old man told
her that she would waste her time waiting and drove away.
The man wanted to resume the conversation but the old man
seemed to sing in low tone. The man had the courage to ask
him again about how he could get into the system. The old
man said it was not that difficult as he would imagine. He
told to just think about it and he would get there. He
assured him that he did not need to go to school in order to
get into the system and make money. The man understood
nothing and stopped asking. He knew that the old man
would not tell him directly how to get into the system and
make money.
The old man stopped again but this time for a young
man who seemed to be in a hurry. He opened the door and
sat in the back seat with the man. No sooner had the old
man driven away than the young man said that this country
was going into an abyss and that people were dying of
hunger and misery. The man agreed but the old man smiled
and said nothing. The young man added that people died
everyday in the hospital due to disease that belonged to
ancient times. The man just remembered that his wife was
pregnant and she had to go the National hospital and that
she might not come back. But he said nothing to the old
man who continued to smile while driving. The young man
said again that the wealth of the county was stolen everyday
by some very corrupt politicians and business men and they
only helped people who belonged to their tribes. They let
other people die of misery and want.
The man thought of his wife and his daughters and
how he failed while his cousin succeeded and got promoted
in the army. For the man that made sense, perfect sense but
the old man continued to smile. The young mans clothes
looked in a terrible condition but he was very much
confident in himself. The old man suddenly said that
everyone would have his share sooner or later. The young
man responded that that was never accepted and that the
youth of the country would put an end to it. But the old man
asked him how youth would go about it. The young man
assured him that they would do that through manifestations
and sit-ins. The old man said that the youth of this country
had always failed because they had never made a drastic
change and added that it was only the military that were
able do it. The youth could do sit-ins everyday but power
was only in the hands of the military. He finished his talk by
saying that they should live their lives and find a cousin who
could make their life better or hook them up to the system.
The young man was disappointed with the words of the old
man but he kept quiet this time. The man did not know what
to do, for him both of them seemed to think that he was
right.
The man felt that there was truth in what they said
but did not know which side he had to take. He remained
silent because he thought that that was a solution. Just to
keep quiet but that did not solve problems for him all those
years with his wife who worked hard day and night. Their life
remained as it was and sometimes it came back to ground
zero. The old rusty car reached a stop and the old man told
them that that was his terminal and he added that he had to
come back and look for new passengers. The man and the
young man took out their fare from their pockets and gave
them to the old man. The old man complained that one of
the bills was old and torn and said that he could not take it
in this condition. It was the man who gave it to him. The
man took it and looked at it and told the old man that the
serial numbers were correct and they match on both sides.
The old man insisted that he wanted a new bill. The man
took a new bill and gave it to the old man. The old man took
it and told him to look for another old man to deceive and
drove away. The man looked at the rusty car as it
disappeared and said that this old man must be crazy.
He stood up and looked in the opposite direction. He
could see another road connecting to the one by which he
stood. he knew that it was it. He walked quickly and stood
by it and waited for another taxi. In a split of a second a man
stopped by him and asked him if he was going to the big
market. The man said that he was. The taxi driver asked him
to get in quickly. But there was nothing on the car that
indicated that it was a taxi just like the other cars.
Nouakchott-style. When the man opened the door he was
surprised to know that there were three people already in the
back seat and they were looking at him without even a smile.
The driver asked them to squeeze and let the man sit with
them. They squeezed but did not like it. The man got in and
closed the door with difficulty. The driver was happy to fill
his car with people and drove away. He smiled all the way as
if he achieved something impossible and the other
passengers remained silent and looking forward.
The driver turned on some music but no one seemed
to be interested in it but he liked it. A passenger asked the
driver to turn on the radio so that they could know what was
going on in the world. The driver refused and said that what
was going on in the world was going on and it would not
improve their living conditions. The passenger felt offended
and said that this driver was lagging behind. He was not
alone. The passenger put his shades on his head and then
he took them again and put them back and looked forward.
The driver kept smiling and enjoying the music. The man
thought about the discussion of the young man and the old
man and how it was difficult to side with one of them. But
the fact that his wife might not come back from the hospital
haunted him the most. His thoughts were interrupted by the
sudden brake of the driver. He almost hit a donkey which
seemed indifferent to the curse coming from the driver and
did not run at all. The driver said that donkeys did not fear
iron.
As they got closer to the market, they could not
breathe normally and everybody put his turban or shirt on
his nose because of a carcass of a dead sheep thrown on the
side of the street in the middle of the day. But the smell
receded as they drove past it. Everybody was relieved. One of
the passengers said that the municipality was not doing its
job and wondered what they did with the entire budget they
had. Another passenger said that they used it to build
castles and go on vacation to Europe other parts of the
world. Another passenger said that they buy expensive cars
in order to drive them in dirty streets and laughed loudly.
But he soon kept quiet as he noticed that no one laughed
with him. The man did not know what to say but he thought
that all of them were telling the truth but none of these can
be a solution to his problems so he saw no importance in
saying something like what they said. He thought again of
his daughters and his coming baby and wondered how he
could better their life. The driver pulled over and said that
that was the big market.
Everybody paid his fare and got out of the car. The
driver quickly made an about-turn and disappeared. The
man had to decide what he was going to do with the money.
He had no idea and said to himself that he had to walk in
the market and see if he could see something that interested
him. He saw a man selling calling cards and he approached
him and asked him where he could get this type of cards.
The seller told him that he could get them from him. The
man said that he would like to sell them just like him. The
card seller said that he did not know. The man knew the he
did not want to tell him where he could get them. The man
suddenly remembered that people always speak about a
place they call the hot point where they sold everything
that had to do with mobile phones but he did not know
where it was. He kept walking and decided to ask another
man about that place. The man told him that everybody
knew about it. He told him to go straight ahead and when he
reached those tall buildings he had to go between them and
take a right turn and he would find it. He thanked the man
and moved on.
He took the way he was told and he suddenly found
himself in the middle of a crowd each one of them was
holding a phone in his hand and saying the name of the
phone he was handling. He knew that he was in the middle
of a serious business. In front of the store he could see
people sitting and selling the cards that he saw with the card
seller. He approached one of them and said he wanted to buy
some cards and the other man asked him about how much
he wanted. When he responded the seller told him that he
did not sell that quantity. The man wanted a few cards and
the seller knew he will not make a profit from him but he
told him that he should go to the next seller sitting not far
from him. He would definitely sell him the quantity he
wanted. He went to the next seller who was happy to sell him
that quantity. Now he said that he could start a business. He
took his cards and showed them in his hands and started to
shout like any other seller. For hours he could not sell even
a card. He said that he should perhaps change his position
and look for a better place where he could find customers.
He realized that the place in which he was turned out to be
very competitive.
As he moved to a new street where there were a few
card sellers, he noticed the presence of the police. He could
see a crowd holding Mauritanian flags and they were
shouting. He said to himself that he should go to the crowd
and know what they were doing and maybe some of them
would buy some cards from him. When he got into the
crowd, he noticed that they were asking for the same thing
about which the young man talked. They were saying that
the government was corrupt and that the president had to
resign and leave the country. He heard them saying that
they were going to the presidential palace in order to tell the
president to leave the country. Some of them said that the
army was governing everything and that the president had
the same mentality. He forgot about his new-found business
and continued to listen but he was surprised that the police
had surrounded the crowd from every direction. However, he
had never thought that the police would attack them. A
young man talked and everybody listened. He said that they
were fed up with the Mauritanian government and tired of
the military interference in politics and that they want
change. As he finished his talk, a police man threw a tear
gas bomb on the crowd and it was chaos.
The man tried to run but he fell down on the ground
and dropped his cards. A policeman took them and slammed
him on the back with a black bat. He tried to stand up and
run but the policeman hit him again on the feet and he
tumbled down. The policeman grabbed him from the neck
and took him into the police bus and as he got in the
policeman kicked him in the butt and slammed the door
behind him. He sat with other young men but the policemen
told them from the window if they talked, he would come and
give them more kicks. He and the other young men could see
the police brutality from the bus as they dispersed the
crowd. The police bus driver was ordered to take them to the
nearest police station. As the bus rolled he thought of his
pregnant wife and kids. The police bus stopped at the
nearest police station and a policeman opened the door. As
the protesters got out a policeman slapped each one of them
on the face. They were led to a dark room and they were
locked up. Now they can talk in a low voice.
 The man asked them what the police would do to
them. A young man told him that he would see. They spent
hours and hours there without anything to drink or eat.
Suddenly a policeman came in in a civil dress and looked at
them one by one and told a policeman with him to bring the
man to his office. He opened the door. As the man got out he
gave another slap on the back of the neck and told him to
look down and move forward. When he entered the office, the
policeman in civilian dress stood up, approached him and
slapped him in the face and told that if he lied to him he
would lock him up forever. He asked him about his name
and his tribe and why he was in the manifestation. The man
said that he was just passing by and got closer to see what
was going on. The police officer slapped him again and
reminded him that he should not lie. The man told him that
he was telling the truth. The police man seemed to believe
him because he could see that this man had never been to
school and people who organized the manifestation were
university students in general. The officer asked the other
policeman to take him back to the room. The man seemed to
hold his tears and asked himself why he was there. When he
was locked up again, he seriously thought about his future
and his family and thought for the first time of divorcing his
wife. He thought that for years he could not sustain a family
why he would continue to have it. He kept quiet and the
room was extremely dark and hot. He just hoped to get out
of there and start a new life, no family, no job just wandering
around. He thought now that he made a mistake. Getting
married without being able to sustain a family was terrible.
He remembered the advice that one of his friends gave
him. He told him not to get married because marriage was
suicide. He seemed to believe it now. But it was difficult for
him. His wife was pregnant and it was difficult to leave a
woman while she was pregnant even though some of his
friends had done it mercilessly. It was only one word that he
had to say and he would be free from everything. Divorce.
The daughters would live without their father and they
would suffer enormously. His thoughts were interrupted by
another policeman who came and took another protester.
After an hour or so the policeman came back and asked him
to come with him. He stood up and went with him. He
brought him back to the same officer who asked him to sit
down this time. He told him that if he met him again in a
manifestation, he would lock him forever and the man
agreed without saying a word. The man stood up and went
away. When he left the police station it was almost dusk and
he was extremely hungry. He went back to the hot point
trying to find a cheap restaurant. He luckily found an old
lady who was selling homemade sandwiches and they were
cheap. He approached her and asked her to prepare a
sandwich for him. He was extremely lucky because the
policeman did search his pockets otherwise he would have
lost everything. The money he still had was only enough to
buy him a sandwich and to take a taxi back home, sweet
home. The old lady enjoyed what she was doing and offered
him a sandwich and he paid her back. He sat not far from
her and ate it peacefully. He regretted now going to the
crowd because he lost all his cards and did not know the
policeman who took them. He just lost them. When he
finished eating he came back to the old lady and asked her if
she had that local red drink. She said that she had it. She
took it from a container she had and gave it him and he paid
her in return. He took the same way back home. Before he
got into the taxi he tightened his turban and went home.
When he arrived home the sun went down but the sky
was still lit from the west. Now he did not know what he
would say to his wife because it would be hard for her to
believe him and his strange story. He spent some time
standing at the door but he had to enter otherwise the
shopkeeper would see him and he had to tell him his funny
story. He opened the door and entered. His wife and his
daughters were sitting on the plastic carpet outside the room
and they were eating mangos. He came and sat in his
favorite place on the plastic carpet. As he was having some
rest after all those police slaps, she asked him why he left
early without leaving them what to eat. He told her that he
went in order to do that and failed. She asked him what he
meant by failing. He told her that he lost all the money he
earned. She was not surprised because she knew he was a
failure. She asked him how he lost it. He told her that he
bought some calling cards and was attacked by the police in
a manifestation. The police beat him and took them. They
locked him for hours and now he was penniless. She did not
want to continue the conversation. She also did not allow the
girls to go and sit next to their father.
He did what he wanted to do. Looking at the sky, he
thought of the reasons behind all his misery. Another night
without lunch, another night without talking friendly with
his wife, another night without feeling the warmth of his
daughters, and another night in misery. He did not want to
have a shower for a second night. He told his wife that he
was not responsible for what happened, he just had a good
intention but he could not make it. She told him that he
should have told her before he did it. He responded that
when he left that morning he did not have an idea in mind.
She told him that was why he failed because he went
aimlessly to do something. He asked her to excuse him for
what happened but she did not answer and remained silent.
So did he. The girls kept quiet for they were taught to remain
silent when their parents had a strained conversation like
the one they just had. Their conversations were always in a
low voice because the neighbors would be able to hear them.
The kitchen also remained silent for days.
He was still lucky because no one had come yet to ask
about their money. But they would definitely come. If they
did not come, that meant that they were busy with other
people who were richer than him. He was maybe left because
he was the poorest. But his turn would come certainly. Now
he thought that he would just tell them the truth and what
happened. He knew that they would not like it but they
would excuse him or stop giving him stuff, then he would
definitely divorce his wife and let her go and live with her
family. He lived alone and ate with different families he
knew. He knew it would be a difficult thing for her but he
had no choice. The girls would live happily with their grand
parents who would take care of them and raise them in a
proper way. He thought that if they continue to live with him
they would live and grow up in misery. He thought that it
would be easy for him to live alone. Her parents would not
like it because he told them that he would take care of her
and give her a better life but he seemingly lied or just could
not. They would not give to her to him again if he divorced
her or they would oppose the re-marriage.
It was a tough decision that he contemplated to take.
But he missed his life when he was a single man. He thought
that he was free, he could do what he wanted and he
frequented several women at the same time. He was happy
but now he got one woman and his life was a misery and
could not sustain it. Now he spent hours and hours thinking
how he would find food for his family. When he was single
women found food for him. He realized that he made a
mistake but he liked his wife very much and he thought that
she was different from any other woman that he frequented
but he was not at all ready to maintain a single family. A
strange thought came to him. He was determined to divorce
her tomorrow and let her go to her family with their
daughters. But he had to be ready because she would tell
him that he was a traitor who did know how to keep his
word. His word was that he would not leave her alone with
the kids. He wanted to go back to his life as single man and
leave behind his wife and kids. The thought was easy for him
now but to take the action and say the word divorce was
still difficult, taking into consideration that his daughters
were so young. He could not tell her tonight because she
would get angry and go to her family alone and he did not
want to do that. He thought that he should wait till
tomorrow and tell her to go home and take the kids.
He was determined more than ever to divorce her.
Deep inside he knew that it was his fault he wanted and
insisted on the marriage and now he could not sustain a
family and he would go for a divorce because he thought that
his life would go back to its normal flow. He took his turban
and used it as a pillow and continued looking at the sky. A
cat came from the fence of the neighbors it was just passing
by for it knew that they did not cook for three days. It soon
disappeared into the fence of the other neighbors. Suddenly
his wife told him that even the cat knew that they did not
cook and it did not even check out the kitchen. The man did
not respond because he would get angry and say the word at
night which was something he did not like to do. But the
morning was near.
The mother of the neighbors called the woman from
the fence. The woman stood and went to her. The mother of
the neighbors gave her a plate full of food. The woman asked
her what that was. The neighbor told her that tonight they
cooked more than enough. That was why they thought of
them. The woman felt embarrassed because she knew that
her neighbors knew that they did not cook for three days,
but she took the food and came back to sit next to her
daughters. She woke them up but did not invite him to eat.
He knew that when she did that, it meant that she was
angry. He thought that the sandwich was enough as long as
he would be free tomorrow. The woman had no idea that he
was cooking a surprise for her. Men cooked very well
sometimes better than women. He kept looking at them
eating and suddenly she told him that even the neighbors
knew that they did not cook. He said nothing but deep inside
he was saying to her that she had to wait for tomorrow and
then they would know something else. The girls seemed to
enjoy the food and their mom too but there would be
something else they would not enjoy. The man waited for the
morning and did not get sleepy at all as he was celebrating
silently his triumph over misery.
 His wife and his daughters would be sad when they
would discover tomorrow. Tomorrow was near. It was near
for him because he would celebrate his triumph and it was a
misery for them or just another ordinary day. There was a
huge difference between the known and the unknown. The
man thought that he knew the unknown thing or the
surprise that his wife did not know about but still he lived in
the unknown because divorcing his wife might not be a
solution to his problems. Suddenly, his thoughts were
interrupted by his friend the donkey which liked to eat the
wooden frame of the window. He stood up quickly and took
his bat. This time the donkey did not wait for him. It ran
away. The donkey knew that the first time he joked with him
but the second time and the third he would hit it and hit it
hard. The man came back and lied down in his place while
the rest of the family finished eating. The woman took the
plate to the kitchen. She did not want to take it to the
neighbors because she wanted to clean it first but she was
lazy.
She came back and lied next to their daughters who
had slept already. The man seemed to find solace in
contemplating the sky while the woman focused on her
daughters whom she liked so much. But the man started to
think of the place he would go to when he would be free
tomorrow. Nothing concerned him more than that now. He
would start with the neighbors even though they would ask
him lots of questions about what would happen but he
would tolerate that as long as he would have a free meal.
Then he thought of the woman whom he would start to
frequent even before he divorced his actual wife but she was
not in the same neighborhood. She was a woman who got
married several times to an extent that she did not want to
get married again because she thought that men were
cheaters even in marriage. Now she was right for the man fit
perfectly this stereotype. Upon having this thought he smiled
and looked at his wife and children. His wife and girls slept
deeply by now. He thought that tomorrow he had nothing to
do, so he thought of going out but he realized that he could
not go out with these clothes and without taking a shower.
Taking a shower would wake up his wife, he just decided to
wait for tomorrow. Tomorrow was near.
He might have a shower with the water of freedom. He
knew that he might say the word before taking a shower. He
could not sleep because of happiness. He found a solution to
his problem. Divorce. But he should not be happy too much
because he never expected to lose his money and neither to
be beaten and slapped by the police. He smiled and kept
looking at the sky. He wanted to remain awake but he
peacefully lost himself to sleeping. They woke up in the
middle of the night and had to get in because of a sudden
increase in humidity. Their clothes were entirely wet. His
wife and the girls went to their place of the room and lied
next to the window but this time they closed it. They soon
came back to sleep. He was the first to wake up before
sunrise. He stood up and went outside the room and was
happy. He had no job and no preoccupation; he could have a
shower now.
He went to the bathroom and took the plastic
container that they used in showering. He went back to the
barrel and filled it with water. He then went to the bathroom
and had a quick shower. When he came to the room, his wife
was still sleeping. He did not wake her up because he
wanted her to enjoy her last sleeping in the house. The girls
woke up and went to sit next to their father. He did not have
the chance to hug them last night because of her. He did not
talk to them either; he just smiled to them and hugged them.
They smiled and looked at each other in joy. They did not
know that he had a surprise for them, but they were not
going to understand it. At least when he divorced her mom
they would be able to see him from time to time. The girls
were bold this time and asked their father about the
breakfast. He told them to wait for their mom to wake up she
would take care of it and of something else. The girls were
happy but did not know what he meant by something else
which might be part of the breakfast too.
The woman woke up and sat. She asked the girls to
come sit next to her. They came quickly and sat next to her.
She stood and went outside. She used the same container
that he used to clean her face, then she came back in. she
sat next to the girls. He told her to listen to him. She said
that he had nothing new to tell her. But he insisted that he
had something new. She was surprised. She asked him what
it was. He told her that she was divorced and that she
should take the kids and go to her family. She was
speechless for some time but she said that she expected
anything else except divorce and especially now she was
pregnant. He did not look at her while she was talking. When
she stopped, he told her that she should excuse him because
he thought that it was far good for both of them. She got
extremely mad but did not say anything. She took her
children and walked home. Her family lived several blocks
from where she was living. She did not need a taxi to reach
them, and she preferred to walk and cry before meeting her
family. The girls asked her if she was walking home because
they knew the way. They asked her why they were going
there today. She told them that it would be there new home.
But their little mind could not understand that they might
not be able to live with their dad again. She grabbed each
one of them tightly and walked. As she walked tears did not
stop rolling down her cheek.
Now the girls knew there was something wrong with
mom and dad. But they knew she would not tell them and it
was strange to them to go to their grand parents at this time
of the day. The girls asked her when they would come back
to dad. She said she did not know and they kept walking.
She started to think of what she was going to say to her
family especially her mother who strongly apposed the
marriage. Her mother agreed because her daughter wanted
the man. Now she had to accept that she was wrong when
she took that decision. Her mother would definitely blame
her again and tell her that she did not listen to her. It would
be hard on her because this happened while she was
pregnant. Her father would not care but all the blame would
come from her mother. She remembered the day his family
came to ask for her hand. She was extremely happy that day
and that her life would change to the better. Today she
realized that she should not have trusted him. He
abandoned her in the most difficult days of her life. She
might not come back from the Nation Hospital. She held
tightly the hands of her daughters and kept walking as she
got closer to where her family lived people where looking at
her and they knew that there was something wrong with her
carrying nothing and holding the kids at this hour of the
day. They knew it might be divorce. It was a perfect sign of
divorce: coming back home early in the morning. Before she
reached home her sister who was at the shop, saw her
coming and rushed to meet her. She was holding bread and
butter in a brown paper. She knew immediately that there
was something wrong. When she reached her she asked her
what was wrong. The woman did not answer, she just kept
walking and her sister followed her to the house.
It was also a fence. And it had two rooms and a
kitchen. All of them were built out of wood and iron sheets.
She just entered the house and went directly to the second
room and fell down crying. Her sister went directly to her
mother who was in the corner of the fence feeding the sheep
which lived with them in the fence and told her that the
woman was back and she was not alright. The mother asked
her if she told her what was wrong with her. Her sister said
that the woman did not talk. Her mother cleaned her hands
from feeding the sheep and went to her daughter in the
room. She sat next to her and asked her what was wrong
with her. She said sadly that he divorced her. The mother
was happy and said that they finally got rid of him and
started ululating and her sister did the same thing too. A
neighbor asked them what happened. The mother told her
that the woman got divorced. She also ululated and all of the
family was happy to hear this piece of news.
Her father was not at all interested in what happened
and this joy did not even distract him from watching TV. But
he told her young sister to make a cup of tea for them. The
woman was not happy though and this meant a failure for
her and her children. The man she loved came to betray her.
But she also knew that he did this not because he did not
love her, rather it is because of the living conditions they
faced. She might not be with him again. There was no sign
that he could have improved their living conditions and that
meant divorce forever. He also had no doubt that he would
find happiness again. She also thought that she would not
have any problem in finding another man as he would find
another woman for another adventure. She remained in the
room which she used to be the room in which she and her
sister lived. Now it was her room again. She had to think of
the priority which was her eminent delivery and on whether
she would come back from the hospital or not. Her little
daughters were very happy to see and meet their grand
parents again. They seemed to have more freedom to play
and move around.
Her sister sat in the other room making tea for her
father. Even though he knew what happened but he did not
ask her. he preferred to ask her mother because he knew
that it had to do with divorce, especially when he heard the
ululation. When their daughter started to make tea, the
mother came from the fence of the sheep and sat opposite
her husband and told him that his daughter got divorced. He
said nothing, he just continued watching TV. He did not
want to say anything in front of her sister but he did not like
it. He knew that his daughter was pregnant and it was a
shame for a man to leave a woman while pregnant even if he
had to leave her. He had never talked to him and did not
even meet him but he heard good things about him and that
he was a good man. That was why he gave him his daughter.
He never thought that he would do what he did. A brave man
would not do it even in difficult times. Now he and his wife
would take care of her delivery and they had to pay all the
expenses. They have to dig out all the money they had saved
and invest it in her delivery. It was a human investment,
investing to take care of a human being and in the coming of
another human being.
The father and the mother looked at each other as if
they had the same thought. Meanwhile, their daughter
continued making tea for them. The father told the young
daughter to go and call her sister and let her come there to
drink tea and eat some bread. Her sister stood up and went
to the other room and told her sister to dry up her tears and
come drink some tea with them. They came together and sat
next to each other. The father asked her if she was doing
well and she was positive. He told her that that was the most
important thing. He added that she should forget everything
and focus on what was in her womb. She was reassured to
hear such words from her father. But she still waited for the
blame from her mother. She knew that her mother would
only talk to her when they would be alone. She felt good
when she came home and knew that she should forget what
she had been through. But easier said than done. She did
not know now if her mother would go to the man to tell him
that he was a coward and that he lied to them.
He came as an honest man who would take their
daughter to paradise and eventually he left her alone in a
difficult time. Her mother was reluctant to accept but his
mother convinced her to do so. They ululated for the
marriage and now they ululate for the divorce. For her father
he was a man who was interested in the money they would
get from the marriage. The happiness of his daughter was
not a concern for him. It was a weakness to care about such
a thing. Her father did not live in the actual world. His world
was TV. He watched everything he found himself interested
in. but left the house for women when they had to watch
Latin American or Turkish series. It is not because he
wanted to share TV with them but because the pressure of
his wife. If he did not do it there would be an embargo on
him at night and he would sleep alone. This incident always
reminded him of Obama. One day he was watching the news
and he learnt that Michelle told Obama that if did not sign
the Child Nutrition Bill he would sleep on the couch. This
did not also mean that he did not watch the series himself
too. He watched them with his wife when the series was
aired a second time after midnight. His wife watched each
episode of the series twice and he could not do the math of
how many times his wife watched the series.
 He also watched tons and tons of American and
Bollywood movies. He wanted to have a life similar to those
he saw in the movies. But no one knew about his wild
thoughts. He made sure not to talk to anyone about them
except his friend the neighbor who had a similar addiction,
birds of feather flock together. They enjoyed talking about
them in private. His wife knew that he heavily watched TV
but she did not know about his wild dreams; neither did the
wife of his neighbor.
When they finished drinking tea the sisters have to
help their mother. The woman now did not have a family, so
she had to come back to her old life which was that of doing
her mothers work at home. The mother of the neighbors
came in and liked to know about everything that happened.
She was known for diffusing all the things she knew about
the whole neighborhood. Now the family knew that they can
not hide the sun and they knew that everybody would know
about their daughters divorce. She approached the mother
and told her that she heard the ululations today but she was
busy that was why she could not check out what happened.
The mother told her that the woman got divorced that
morning. The woman said that this was a normal thing that
happened so often those days. The neighbor got what she
wanted. She knew the headlines and the rest of the story
would be built by her imagination. She was known for
adding so much to the stories she related. People gave her so
much respect not because they respected her because they
feared her. She could easily distort their reputation by
saying things that never happened and people would believe
it. In doing so they gave her much power and she could feel
that. This power allowed her to interfere in the life of the
people and know everything about them. People could not
keep a secret from her; if they did they should be ready to
pay the price especially if they hid an interesting story. The
mother of the neighbor went away.
Now the women went to the kitchen in order to clean it
and help her get ready for lunch. The woman did not tell her
mother about the money she got from her cousin. She did
not even tell her husband about it. She could have saved her
marriage by spending this money but she knew she would
need it for her coming baby and expenses of the hospital.
She knew her mother and father would help her she thought
that she was always safe when she did save some money for
the unknown. She even did not buy food for her daughters
and fed them mangos alone because they were the cheapest
she could find. Her sister came to her and told her that she
should not worry about this thing. They laughed. Her sister
was happy but there was something on the mind of the
woman that did not allow her to laugh heartily.
The day went slowly and smoothly because she was
home. Her daughters found freedom for their grand mother
spoiled them and they would not listen to their mother.
They went out and play with the children of the neighbors
without the permission of their mother. Freedom had a price.
The woman and her sister worked together to finish cleaning
the kitchen and the utensils. Now it was their tine to talk
about the updates of the neighborhood especially who got
married of the girls and who got divorced too. Her sister told
her that their immediate neighbor from the right side their
daughter got married with a Mauritanian who worked in
America and he came to Mauritania especially to do it and
came back. The woman asked her sister about him and what
his job was. Her sister said that he worked in America but
she did not know exactly what he was doing in America. She
said that he told his wife that he just worked there. He told
her that he worked in different American cities especially
New York City. But she added that the most important thing
for his wife was that he brought a lot of money and he
promised to bring more. He did not plan to stay in
Mauritania and he told her that he would bring her later to
live with him in the States.
The girls in the neighborhood got jealous of her and
did not like it because for them it was a blessing to get
married with a Mauritanian who worked in the USA. The
marriage ceremonies of Mauritanians who worked in the US
were huge and they could afford fireworks. To get married
with a Mauritanian who worked in the US was a dream. She
did not know what the job of her husband was and she was
not interested to know. The womans sister did not hide from
her that she dreamt of getting married with a Mauritanian
who worked in the US. The woman said nothing about her
sisters dream and asked about some other news.
Her sister resumed talking by saying that the daughter
of one of their left-side neighbors got married with a
Mauritanian who traded in one of the African countries. She
thought it was Angola but she was not sure. He worked in a
shop and made good money but she said that he could not
be compared to what Mauritanians who worked in the US.
He also did not plan to take her with him abroad. He just
wanted to visit from time to time. The woman asked her
sister why these men did not take their wives with them
when they travel. The sister laughed and said that they
might have wives over there. She added that their wives
might know but they do not care and sometimes they found
an excuse for it. The woman said that she did not like getting
married with a man who was not living with her because she
did not know what he was doing and the type of job he was
doing. She said that she heard that they do things that they
could not do in Mauritania and that made them earn fast
money. Her sister disagreed and said that there were people
who did not do that in anyway and made good money. Her
sister insisted that the most important thing was that they
bring money. It did not matter how they made it. They were
trustworthy. The woman said that she would say so but not
everybody could afford going to the US for they say that it
was very difficult to get the visa. Her sister said that
Mauritanians always found ways to get it.
Her sister said that in America they have freedom and
positivity to build a life from nothing. The woman doubted
what her sister said by saying that there were Mauritanians
who went to the US and they still do not have money. She
agreed that the human needs freedom but for a Mauritanian
money remained a priority. Her sister asked how you could
have a nice life with money and without freedom. They went
together. Having one and missing the other complicated life.
The woman said that they lived in Mauritania and they were
not used to freedom. They were only used to obeying orders.
She believed that freedoms were an American thing. Her
sister said that they were not an American thing; they were a
universal thing because everybody longed for them and
America was a nation among nations who adhered to them
and offered them to people coming from different parts of the
world who were in the pursuit of happiness.
The woman agreed but said that in Mauritania the
most important thing was money not freedoms. One had
money, one had everything. One did not have money one had
nothing. The woman insisted that she did not need freedom
she only needed what to eat and feed her children. For her
freedom was something that she did not understand and
remained wild to her. A person living on a coral island had a
different conception of paradise. The woman added that even
with freedoms one cannot live a good life in Mauritania. One
needed what to eat. One can sacrifice his or her life for what
to eat but never for freedom. Her sister disagreed by saying
that there were nations who sacrificed their sons and
daughters for freedom. The woman said that her sister was
misled by what she watched on TV. She believed in wild stuff
like freedom. The woman asked her sister to change the
subject and continue the news of the neighborhood. But her
sister did not want to continue the conversation because the
time of the Turkish series was approaching and at least they
have a TV they do not have to go to the neighbors and their
father had to leave and give the chance to women in order to
watch their favorite series. He could not watch it with them.
The series always had a love story going on and especially
kisses. She could not imagine a Mauritanian watching two
people kiss in the presence of his of her father. That was
unheard of. But mothers were more flexible. Their mother
was in the kitchen trying to finish lunch before the series but
she would not serve it before the end of the series. Such
went the tradition. The father would go to his friend the
shopkeeper who would be in his shop listening to radio and
hearing voices of the city. The day always went fast with that
rhythm.
The night was always a chance to reflect on what
happened in the day and learn from the lessons of life. But
apparently life continued to teach them the same lesson over
and over, probably because they never sought for a real
solution or simply it was their destiny to live that way. That
was an easy answer to all the trials and tribulations they
went through. It was another day just like their days where
they felt that their problems had no solutions and they were
destined to live that way. They were maybe right because
that was what they saw and the human tend to believe what
they saw and not at all what it could be. They were always
afraid of what it could be. It was that vicious circle they talk
about but they never talked about how they would go out of
it.
 IIII

In the early morning of the following day, the mother was

awaked by the crying of the woman. The voice was coming
from the other room. She stood up quickly and went to the
room. It was the woman crying and holding her belly. She
said that she was having an excruciating pain. She could not
explain exactly what she was having but the mother knew it
was time. The time for delivery, time to go to the place she
did not like going to. Her mother woke up the womens sister
and asked her to go and look for a taxi and that she should
not tell the taxi driver that they were going straight to the
National hospital. The sister went quickly out looking for a
taxi and the mother sat next to the woman who was in pain
and so many things were going through her mind. The fact
that she might not come back from the hospital made her
think who was going to take care of her baby if it was
ordained life. In few minutes she brought a taxi. The taxi
driver got nervous when he saw that they were accompanied
by a pregnant woman. Her sister just told him that they were
going to the hospital. She did not tell him that they had a
pregnant woman; he might have changed his mind. Her
sister sat in the front seat and the mother and the woman
sat in the back seat. The driver told her sister that she did
not tell him that they have a pregnant woman. She said that
a pregnant woman is just like someone who was sick and
needed help. The driver did not like it and there were
already in the car. He just had to bear it. But no one knew
why he did not want to pick up a pregnant woman. They
closed the door and hit the road.
The woman could not control her pain. Her mother
was doing everything she could to keep her quiet and relaxed
until they arrived. That was maybe why the driver did not
want to pick up a pregnant woman who was about to deliver.
He continued to drive while keeping quiet. He took empty
road in order to avoid traffic. He could not imagine himself
stuck in the traffic with a pregnant woman. Eventually he
arrived to the hospital but they could not enter. A policeman
by the gate did not allow them to enter. The driver told him
that they have a pregnant woman who was about to deliver.
He looked from the window and saw the woman in pain. He
opened the gate and allowed them in. they went directly to
the emergency room where they found no one. They heard a
snoring coming from under the counter. When they looked
from over it, a young was sleeping over there. They woke him
up. They told him that they have a woman who was about to
deliver. He stood and checked on her and told them to put
her on a moving bed and ordered them to follow him. The
hospital did not smell good at all. All of them covered their
noses as they passed through rooms which hosted patients
who seemed to suffer. The woman could not open her eyes
because of pain.
They finally reached a room that they had to share
with four people and apparently they were women who were
going through the same thing. The young man told them to
put her on the remaining empty bed. He added that they had
to wait for the doctor to come. Her mother told him that the
woman could not wait because of pain. The young man
insisted that they had to wait. He had nothing else he could
do and he left. The mother sat next to her daughter and the
sister sat on the other side of the bed and held her hands
trying to console her. The families of the patients in the
room were looking at each other and thinking about the
moment which united them in this room and the pain that
their daughters were going through. In few minutes a doctor
came and there was no expression on his face. When he
entered the young man told him that the woman in the
corner of the room was the first to come. He went to her and
checked on her and said that she should wait some few
hours. He did the same thing with the two remaining
woman. There came the turn of the woman. He checked on
her and told the young man and an able-bodied man with
him to take her with them to her delivery room. Her time
came. He ordered her family not to follow them and they had
to wait in the waiting room of this section of the hospital. It
was a hard moment because they did not know if they had to
say good bye or not. They might not see her again alive. But
they did not say good bye and went to the waiting room.
They waited and waited. Time seemed to stop unreasonably.
After an hour of waiting, families started to join them
in the waiting room. Now they panicked. No news came from
the operation room. They continued to hope for the best. A
woman approached them and told them that their daughter
entered the operation room more than an hour ago and had
not come out yet. She wanted to know what was wrong. They
told her that they did not know and they were still waiting
for the doctor to come with the good news. Some of the
families received news that their daughters delivered and
their babies were in a good condition but there was no news
of the woman. Now all of the families left and they remained
alone in the room. Finally they saw the doctor coming with
no expression on his face. He informed them that there
daughter was doing great and she had a wonderful baby.
They would not be able to see it now; they had to wait until
they would be transferred to another room. The mother and
the sister laughed of happiness. The woman had two
daughters and now she had a boy. The mother thought of a
way to inform the man about the birth of his sun. No one of
them had a mobile phone. So the best way was to wait until
they came back to their house and send someone to inform
him if he would be interested to know in anyway. The mother
and the sister went to the room where they would find the
woman. When they arrived, the doctor did not allow them in;
his assistant told them to wait because they were still
checking on her. They could see through the door that she
was alright.
Now they did not know if the doctor was going to
release her or keep her for some days. When the doctor
finished checking on her, he came to them and said that he
would allow her to leave in the afternoon and told that now
they could go and see her. The baby was still closing his eyes
and clenching his fists. They say that one should not open
the fist of the baby because that would risk loosing the
providence of his father and his father had nothing already.
They approached her she was between sleeping and waking-
up. Her face showed exhaustion and that she was doing
labor. They did not wake her up. They went to the baby who
was wrapped in a white rag. Her mother touched his cheek
and took his small hands between her thumb and forefinger.
He was very small just like a rat as the saying went. The
woman opened her eyes and the first thing she did was
smiling. They could not take out the baby from the cradle.
They came close to her and held her hands and they were
happy. They were happy just because they were happy; there
was nothing in the hospital or outside it that could be a
source of happiness. They did not allow her to say a word;
they just told her to rest. The woman thought of her ex-
husband and how it was difficult for her to go through that
ordeal alone. He did not care and left her alone. Now she
survived and the next challenge would be how she would
provide a good life for her children. She thought of her job
with her cousin and how it was difficult, it did not generate
enough money. She wanted to send her children to school
and she also wanted them to succeed in life just like any
other Mauritanian family.
 She was excited to go back to work and did not think
that her ex-husband would re-marry her but she would not
refuse if he proposed again. She did not think that that
would be a weakness but a strength that would allow the
children to have a better life. They would experience the
beauty of living with their united parents. The mother could
not resist asking her daughter if she was afraid while
delivering. The woman said that she remembered nothing
except pain but she was relieved when she delivered. She
added that when she delivered she passed out and did not
regain consciousness until they brought her to the room. Her
sister was curious to know how it felt like to deliver. The
woman said that she would not understand it until she went
through it. Her sister added that the woman only talked
about pain. It was only about pain. Her mother told her that
she should wait and see. The woman asked them when they
planned to inform his father. They told her that they would
do it when they came back home. They could send someone
to inform him. But the mother told her that what the
importance was to inform him if he did not follow the news of
his son and even if he knew he would do nothing about it.
The woman thought what would be the feeling of her ex-
husband when he knew about the birth of his son. He
should be happy at least to have another child that he would
not maybe take care of. Her sister said that she would like to
carry the child but her mom refused because they were
ordered not to remove him from his place until they were
allowed to do so. The mother asked the woman if she wanted
to eat or drink something. She said that she would wait until
they went home but she had to drink a lot of water for she
had lost a lot of liquids while delivering. The mother gave
some money to her daughter and asked her to go bring some
water for her sister. But before she went the doctors
assistant came and told them that they could leave the
hospital. Everybody rejoiced for the piece of news. The
mother ordered her daughter to bring a taxi.
In few minutes the sister came and told them that the
taxi driver was waiting for them. The mother took the baby
and the woman stood up with difficulty and walked behind
her mother. They went down through the stairs of the
hospital where the taxi driver was waiting. The sister sat in
the front seat while they sat in the back seat and they
headed home. Now they had to name the baby in the same
day he was born in, the following week. They needed a
meticulous preparation for that. It needed the help of every
woman in the neighborhood and all of their relatives. They
would have to slaughter a goat and other goats that would
be brought by relatives. Naming a child was a big thing in
the society.
When they came home everybody was waiting for them
even the neighbors. They got out of the taxi and went inside
the fence. They went to the second room and designated a
place for her that she would not leave for days. She would lie
down and take care of her child. That was what she would
do before coming back to her work with her cousin. Her little
daughters were excited to see their little brother and
wondered why he did not open his eyes and fists. One of
them tried to open his fist but the mother did not allow her
saying that his father would lose his providence. Her mother
brought a small knife and put it next to him and said that
that was for protection. She took a small rag and tied a small
rock in it and tied it to the wrist of the baby. The baby
smiled from time to time. One could not know why he smiled
for they hope he would continue to smile when he grew up
and went out to the world; it would be a miracle if he
continued to smile. A woman from a neighboring house came
in and greeted the woman and looked at the baby and
noticed his small size and the analogy of the rat come to her
mind. The woman knew that the naming of the child would
be the same day next week.
They have to think of how they would help her. They
might bring clothes for the child and most importantly
bringing a goat for the naming ceremony. But not everybody
would afford it with the actual circumstances in the whole
country. They had to bring anything they would help her
with before the day of the naming. No one should be late
except if they had uncontrollable circumstances. People also
help for different reasons. They helped because they wanted
to be helped when their time came and others helped
because they wanted to help and it was only life that would
teach the difference between these two people.
It was always hard to name a child in the society for
everybody claimed the priority of naming the child after him
or her. The woman had an authority because she was the
mother of the baby. People usually asked her to name the
child after them but no one knew what they gained when the
child was named after them. Sometimes when the
competition got tight they had to draw a lottery and draw the
name of the person whom the child would be named after
and that usually happened in the day of the naming. When
some people failed to give their name to the child they gave
their names as nicknames to him or her. His mother did not
know whom she was going to name him after.
Her mother prepared some cereals for her and asked
her sister to go and inform his father. She stopped what she
was doing and went to the house of his father. Women
continued to come and go. They came and congratulated her
upon the delivery of her child and said that she had to
breastfeed him. The woman did not want women to
breastfeed her child but she could not express that openly.
However, the other woman did not breastfeed him and said
that she would do it later. The woman was relieved that the
other woman did not breastfeed her child. Breastfeeding a
child meant that he would not get married with the girls of
the woman who would breastfeed him because they would
become brothers and sisters. Sometimes women did not keep
a record of the children they breastfed and this usually
generated serious discussions between women in order to
prove that they breastfed a child or not. Memory was what
they had sometimes it worked and sometimes it did not.
However, they always found a savior. The woman did not
want her children to be breastfed by other women. She just
did not want it. The room of the woman was filled with
women who produced a commotion about different issues
that had to do with pregnancy and delivery.
The sister finally reached the house of the father and
entered. She found him sitting in the room in his favorite
place by the window. She entered the room and sat next to
the door. He knew why she was there because when his wife
left she was about to deliver but he said nothing. Her sister
told him that he was now the father of a beautiful boy. He
laughed and was happy and told her that he would pay them
a visit soon to check on his child and ex-wife. Her sister
stood up and walked away. He looked outside the window
and saw a woman carrying a child and making him laugh.
He thought that he lacked the compassion of fatherhood. He
was not there in the hospital waiting for the arrival of his
child. He felt bitterness in his heart and a feeling of failure.
He was suddenly struck by the idea that he could not
spend his whole life single. He tried it before marriage and
just fed up with it one day after divorce. He thought that
things would have got better if they did not have kids, but
having kids seemed to complicate thing for him. He did not
think wisely when he took the decision that day. He took it
because of a difficult time he went through that day. But he
knew that even though he was willing to come back to her.
Things would not be that easy. He would not just come back
and tell her that he wanted to be with her again. No. there
was a tradition and that tradition would require more money
which was already a headache for him from day one. He had
to have a stable job to make sure that he had enough money
to take care of three children. But before remarrying her he
needed money for the naming of the baby. It should be given
to her family before the day of the naming. He had no money
and both of them had to pay late debts. That complicated
things for him and he felt that he was weak and why he was
destined to live this way. Probably, it was his descent that
made him live such a miserable life and that he had to follow
orders and to be dependent all his life.
There had to be a reason. He still believed this was due
to the fact that his ancestors were just less human than
others. That was maybe the problem. A human that had no
control over his life and more importantly cannot dream
would not be able to solve his problems. He would always
inherit them from his ancestors. That was his problem. Now,
the only solution he had was to go to his cousin and ask him
for help because he had to provide money for the naming of
the child. He had to do it as did his ex-wife. That was what
they were taught. They were taught to be dependent on there
cousins who were always successful and had money. They
were dependent on them even if they decided to go and live
alone. They kept coming back to their cousins. There was no
blood relationship between them. They did not even look like
them. But they were miraculously their cousins and they
lived together for years. Now because of the city they lived
apart but they kept coming back to their cousins!
They were just taught to be dependent. The man had
no choice but to come back to his cousin for help or to go
seriously to hell! His cousin was the only solution he had.
However, his cousin did not see him for awhile. He had to
justify for him where he had been all that time. His cousin
was the husband of her cousin. Their lives were intertwined
just like their destinies. They were friends when they were
kids but because they were cousin from different descent
they had to take different paths. One became a high-ranked
officer in the army while the other became nothing. But plus
a wife, plus kids, minus money. That seemed to be an
equation he would not be able to solve. But he had to have
courage in order to go and visit his cousin and ask for help,
that was a difficult thing for him now. He had to have
courage because his son had to be named the following
week. This occasion could not pass like that for him without
bringing at least a goat. Just a goat for the naming. He again
had a terrible feeling of failure.
He thought that he had courage to go and ask his
cousin for help. He had to wait for the next day for he could
not go to his cousin at this time of the day. His cousin lived
very far from where they lived. He had to take the same long
journey that his ex-wife took. He had to think all night about
what he had to tell his cousin so that he made sure that he
would help him. But his cousin could not help him with the
debts. He could not also help him with the whole price of the
goat. So the help of the cousin was already insufficient but
better than nothing. He also might not find him at home. He
could wait for him. He was determined and steady to go but
there seemed to be no guarantee that his cousin would help
him. He also might not recognize him because it had been
awhile they did not meet. But he thought that he might
recognize him and help him in his ordeal. He smiled and
thought that that might be the last week he would live
without his family. Fortunately he had a taxi fare. So he had
to wear clean clothes because he would be in the presence of
his rich cousin. He just had to wait for the next day and
what it hid for him. He hoped for the best but that was
Mauritania. The land of hospitality and Mauritanian were
most hospitable in August. He just had to wait and leave
early to avoid the heat of Nouakchott and other things.
The night might be long because he had so many
expectations on the following day. His problems might be
solved one after the other. Who knows? He was optimistic
about the help of his cousin more than his ex-wife with her
cousin. The night passed and there was another day just
another day.
He woke up early, dressed up and went to the nearest
road. He waited for a taxi. A man who was listening to the
radio of his car stopped suddenly next to him. The man
asked him if the car was a taxi. The man was positive. The
volume of the radio was extremely high. The man got in and
said that he was going to the west side of Nouakchott. The
driver said nothing and hit the road. After few minutes the
man asked the driver why he was listening to the radio with
a high volume. The driver asked him if he knew what
happened today. The man was negative. The driver said that
there were officer from the army who conducted a coup that
morning but they failed and some of them fled the country.
They were trying to change the name of the country and
change the official language. They also said that they were
planning to commit massacres against some members of the
nation. People said that the soldiers who conducted the coup
and were captured would be executed after trial! So they did
not need to put them on trial if they would be executed. The
driver added that he forgot to tell him that he could not get
easily to that part of the city because downtown was
blocked. He also said that all soldiers were summoned and
they would remain in barracks for weeks. That was a shock
for the man. Mauritania might not be important to him but
he would not be able to meet his cousin for weeks because
his cousin was in the military. He told the driver to take him
to the sea, the Atlantic Ocean. The driver agreed and took
him to the ocean. He got out and paid the driver. He took off
his shoes and walked on the sand toward the ocean. When
he reached the water, he stopped and stepped backwards
several feet and sat down. He did not want to say a word and
did not want to think of anything whatever that was.

The ocean continued to sing for the man who was an

indifferent audience.
 Epilogue

It might be wonderful to be given power and a long life

It might also be wonderful to witness the birth of your country or you were
born together
And together you grow and play you both err and right but it would
always be the greatest to you
And it is truthfully wonderful to live freely in a country that you own its
skies and land its seas and shores its breezes and its history its
sweetest and bitterest of happenings the best of salutes

Beiba ould Mhadi

A successful Mauritanian Journalist
Working in Aljazeera TV Channel
 Mohamed Bouya Bamba is an ordinary Mauritanian
who was born in the northern region of Mauritania.
Upon finishing Zoueratt high school he moved to the
capital Nouakchott in order to complete his
undergraduate university studies. He got a BA in
literature and linguistics from the University of
Nouakchott 2005. In 2008 he got a Masters degree
in translation studies from the University of Chouaib
Doukkaly, Al Jadida, Morocco. In 2009 his was
awarded a Fulbright scholarship to do a PhD in
translation studies at Kent State University where he
studies now.

The picture of the woman on the front cover is courtesy of Taqadoumy.com