Summary

Riad goes to the village mayor’s house with his father. The men sit around, drink tea, and smoke cigarettes. Riad’s father shares his European cigarettes with the man next to him. Riad goes to sit with the mayor and Riad’s father is proud. Riad notices that a number of the men seem “really mad” (134) at his father. Walking home from the mayor’s house, Riad’s father tells him about his grandfather’s cousin running into hyenas in an alley they walk past. Riad’s father says that his grandfather’s cousin recited the first sura of the Quran and the Hyenas left him alone. Riad’s father ends the story by saying, “when all seems lost, you must put your faith in God!” (135).

Winter is ending and the whole village is flooding from all of the rain. The school is...