Xala

Modu sat on his usual stool. The beggar approached and asked about what had just happened. Modu told the beggar about how Sereen Mada had cured El Hadji’s impotence problem. But, El Hadji didn’t have the funds to pay the healer. Modu concluded that Sereen Mada was going to restore the curse.

The beggar said that he had heard about Sereen Mada and knew that he was “a man of his word” (90). The beggar insisted, however, that the xala was a simple problem that he could address. He figured that Modu was skeptical, but it wasn’t that, Modu said. The fact remained that El Hadji was broke. The beggar insisted that he didn’t want money. Instead, El Hadji would have to do what the beggar wanted. The beggar promised that, if El Hadji followed his instructions, he would be cured. The beggar then returned to his chant. 

El Hadji’s xala returned. He went to Adja Awa Astou for comfort. Meanwhile, his creditors came after him. The National Grain Board prepared to sue him. The Automobile Credit people repossessed “the wedding present car, the mini-bus, and the Mercedes” (91).