Summary

Ndibe, growing nervous to leave, is denied a visa by a white American consular. Feeling powerless to appeal a white man’s decision, he nevertheless receives help from a friend in the United States Information Service, Nick Robertson, who successfully orchestrates a visa for him. Before leaving Nigeria, he visits his parents, who assign him the responsibility to pay for his younger male relatives’ education, a responsibility Ndibe accepts proudly. His anxious parents host a farewell dinner for him and invite their extended family. Uncle Linus, the first member of Ndibe’s family to attend university, go to Europe, or own a car, attends. Ndibe remembers how he and his brother once begged Uncle Linus for a pair of bell-bottom pants. Uncle Linus, after stressing that it is wasteful to spend money on fleeting...