Second Class Citizen

At the library, Adah works for Mrs. Konrad, an older Czech woman. She struggles to become familiar with the other assistants, who are fashionable young women. Though people rarely read fiction in Nigeria, Adah begins to read modern novels in the English fashion. Francis refuses to care for the children while Adah works, and the narrator explains that most Nigerians in England sent their children to live with white foster parents. Francis insists on getting foster parents, but Adah wants to wait and get the children into a nursery. Francis is being pressured by their neighbors to assert himself more in his marriage, even though Adah presents reasonable arguments. The housing situation deteriorates, as the family must keep quiet to avoid upsetting the landlord. Francis is gaining weight while Adah progresses further in her pregnancy. The children are not allowed outside, and everyone is kept cramped in the small apartment.

Adah becomes friends with Janet, a white woman who married a northern Nigerian man named Babalola. Babalola came to England with money, but he was not able to maintain it. He and Janet help Adah find a “daily minder” to watch the children during the day.