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Oumar and Akuchi, the friend who had whispered in Oumar’s ear when I first arrived, have become my companions. They have taught me much: the intricacies of domestic life here with the king’s many wives each competing for their husband’s attention, and about the sons and daughters who play in the many rooms. The king is patient with the children, but at times he flees to the mosque where no women are allowed or ventures away from the city in a caravan of soldiers, camels, and horses to oversee his empire.
The other part of me longs for the bustle of my uncle and father’s houses where I know my cousins and brother and sisters as well as the names and habits of the rest of the people in our village. Has my half-brother, little Alou, learned to play our favorite games? I feel jealousy tha
