The Bitter Side of Sweet

The bosses return with Khadija later that night, and Amadou hides in the toolshed as they bring her in and beat her. Hopeful that they forgot about him and he might be spared a beating, Amadou stays hidden and quiet but hears Khadija’s cries growing frantic. He realizes they aren’t just beating her; they are raping her. After the bosses leave, he finds her in the dark and comforts her, sitting beside her until dawn. In the morning, when he sees her bloodied and swollen face and the “deadness in her eyes” (67), Amadou feels guilty. He helped catch her on the first day when she could have gotten away, and he did nothing to help her last night.

They are both assigned to shelling again today, but Khadija is motionless. Amadou decides to work as hard as possible, in hopes it will be enough to cover for her. When he reaches for the first sack, he finds a present: four mangoes. He realizes that Seydou took time to cut these mangoes for him and take care of him, even in the midst of keeping up with the bigger boys. A few hours into the morning, Amadou gives Khadija, still motionless, some water to drink and wipes her face clean.