Xala

Three days passed. Modu drove the Mercedes toward Sereen Mada’s village. Modu told El Hadji that they would need to hire a cart to reach the actual village, as it was unreachable by car.

When El Hadji reached the village where they were to rent the cart, those present inspected him carefully. El Hadji greeted the strangers. A man arrived with a cart, which was driven by a sickly horse. El Hadji sat next to the driver, while Modu sat in back. Sereen Mada, the marabout, was a well-known wise man, the driver said. The marabout worked only for important men. One such man tried to get the marabout to remain with him in town and work only for him. The driver, in retelling the story, was still astounded by the man’s selfishness.

As they entered the smaller village, the cart driver greeted passersby. Sereen Mada’s house looked like the others in the village, except that it was significantly larger. It was also in the center of the village. The other huts “were arranged in a semi-circle, which you entered by a single main entrance” (64). The marabout’s hut had no furnishings other than very clean mats set upon the ground.

A young woman entered and gave El Hadji and Modu water in a calabash. Small plant roots floated at the top. Modu invited his boss to drink first, but El Hadji refused. Modu insisted that the water was very clean and proceeded to drink. He then leaned back and fell asleep. His snoring annoyed El Hadji, who was also tired. He had no more faith in Sereen Mada than he had in any of the other so-called healers on whom he had wasted money. The seer he had visited, who had warned him about someone close betraying El Hadji, was the only one of their ilk whom he believed.

El Hadji, too, fell asleep and awoke to total darkness. A woman asked if he and Modu were awake. She entered, holding a storm-lamp. She brought them something to eat and invited them to wash themselves with some water in the nearby enclosure. El Hadji insisted that they wouldn’t be spending the night, but Modu implored him to be patient. The marabout knew they were present. El Hadji lied and said he had business to attend to in Dakar. Modu went to use the toilet. He returned and placed the wooden bowl the young woman had brought between them. When he lifted the fan, they saw that she had prepared mutton and couscous. El Hadji, who was both hungry and thirsty, wanted nothing that the young woman had brought them. Modu, on the other hand, ate heartily.

Finally, someone arrived to present them to Sereen Mada. He sat on a mat, waiting for them. Modu, familiar with the etiquette for such occasions, removed his shoes, and took Sereen Mada’s hand in both of his to shake and kiss. El Hadji repeated Modu’s movements.

Modu introduced El Hadji as his employer. He said that El Hadji had been suffering for months with a xala, which was the reason for their visit. Sereen Mada said that he specialized in removing such curses, but only Allah could truly help El Hadji. They agreed upon a fee. El Hadji had no cash, but Sereen Mada was willing to accept a check. He told El Hadji to take off all his clothes, including his underwear. Sereen Mada then had him lie down covered up to his neck with a cloth. El Hadji heard the marabout clicking beads. Suddenly, El Hadji felt “[a] long-forgotten sensation” and shuddered (67). He felt as though he were being emptied. Then, all of the life force within his being flowed to his groin area. His penis rose until it became stiff. El Hadji lifted his head and looked down. He called for Modu. The chauffeur observed the erection and praised Allah. Sereen Mada announced that the curse had been broken.

El Hadji left the hut, but not before Sereen Mada warned him that the check had to be good. If it weren’t, he would restore the xala. El Hadji assured the marabout that his account had sufficient funds. El Hadji then rushed back to Dakar. He wanted to reunite with N’Gone. He had a messenger get the cart driver, who returned with the sickly horse. On the return trip, El Hadji chatted merrily with the driver.

By the time El Hadji and Modu reached Dakar, it was morning. Modu asked where to take his boss. El Hadji thought about each of his wives. He decided that he had to go to N’Gone’s to take her virginity at once.

Yay Bineta was the first to see El Hadji emerge from his Mercedes. She saw that he looked disheveled and was covered in dust. None of that mattered, however. She knew from the looks of him that he “had recovered his virility” (69). But, she told him, N’Gone had started her period the night before. El Hadji refused to believe her, even when N’Gone had confirmed that she had menstrual cramps. When he was still incredulous, the Badyen invited him to look at the cloth that N’Gone kept between her legs to absorb the blood, figuring that no man would want to see such a thing. El Hadji remembered what the seer had told him about the xala having been caused by someone close to him. He left and ordered Modu to take him to Oumi N’Doye’s. As soon as he arrived, his second wife took him to her bedroom. They spent the entire day and night in bed, much to Oumi N’Doye’s pleasure. 

The next morning, El Hadji put on his best suit and shoes and sat down to a large, hearty breakfast. Oumi N’Doye was happy to see him eat well. When he rose to leave, she asked if he would return that evening. He reminded her that it was not her aye and left for his office.

Modu was outside in the Mercedes, which was still filthy with dust from their journey. He apologized about the condition of the car. El Hadji ordered him to drive to the import-export shop, then Modu could get the car washed. While sitting in the car, El Hadji thought again about divorcing N’Gone. He thought now that the Badyen had caused the xala. He decided to blame his third wife’s family for both his affliction and the public dishonor it had caused.

After dropping El Hadji off, Modu went straight to the car wash. Rama was there having her Fiat washed. The car washer told Modu that this particular wash would cost 500 francs. Modu insisted that he would give 200 francs and no more. The car washer complained, saying that he washed the car daily for 100 francs, but today the dust was simply too thick. They compromised at 300 francs.

The beggar engaged Modu in conversation. The beggar observed that Modu had been away for two days. Modu said that he had been away with his boss. The beggar asked if El Hadji was in his office. Modu said that he was. The beggar said that he would not chant too loudly then.

Rama had already entered her father’s office. El Hadji was certain that Adja Awa Astou had sent her, but Rama said that she had come of her own volition. She said that her mother was unhappy and needed El Hadji’s attention. Several days earlier, Rama and Pathé had gone to Gorée to see her grandfather. She usually went every other Sunday to see Papa John. She had told her grandfather that she didn’t approve of her father’s third marriage. She implored Papa John to visit, but he refused, saying that it was the duty of the young to visit the old. The next time he would cross back to the mainland would be in his coffin, he said. Rama reminded him that “Muslim women don’t accompany the dead” (74). In that case, Papa John said, they would meet in heaven.

After Rama went into the house and brought back refreshments, their conversation lightened. Papa John talked about life on Gorée in old times. He told stories about the Feast of Saint Charles. He talked about the crowds of people who gathered and the band that played. The women wore elbow-length gloves and “English-style hats,” while the men wore top-hats and carried “gold-knobbed sticks” for a garden party (75). Papa John saddened when he thought about the families who were selling their homes to Europeans who didn’t attend church.

Papa John walked with Rama and Pathé to the ferry station. Rama tried again in vain to get him to visit Adja. Papa John asked about El Hadji instead. Rama said that she hadn’t seen him since his third marriage. He then assumed that Rama knew nothing about her father’s xala. All she knew, Rama said, was that her mother was unhappy. Hearing this news, Papa John wondered why Renée didn’t simply come to live with him. His house was hers, after all.