And I have a cart, said Hajj Ali.

A cart?

Yes, Eyob. I made one. I bought the wheels from the aid lorry drivers and built the body part using trees from the wood. It should do the job, God willing. And it will cut the trip to eight hours. But given that I own the transport, that I will be your permit and your guide, then, I am sure you agree this is something very invaluable indeed. No amount of money can compensate for it.

Saba withdrew her hands from the water and sat straight, staring at the herder who could no longer distinguish between meat and her body.

Well, Eyob, said Hajj Ali, sleep on it and let me know tomorrow if you can find something to excite me so I can do this trip on that inhospitable road for your sake. Or for anyone else in your household.

The businessman returned to his hut. Hajj Ali leaned forward towards Saba. I will wait for you, he said. My price is reasonable when it’s your future at stake.

Once back at her hut, Saba lodged a piece of wood inside a crevice in the mud wall and hung the map on it, above her blanket.

THE WEDDING

Ululations erupted around the hut and continued as Saba emerged in her wedding dress. She held Hagos’s hand, and together they set off to Eyob. Her mother, the midwife and the guests clapped and danced as they followed behind Saba. Through the sand she dragged the hem of the white dress that had belonged to a woman who was now dead.

She ambled past children writing on each other’s arms with charcoal, using their skins instead of paper. The English aid coordinator, on his way back to his base with his assistant after a day spent in the camp, applauded when he saw her.

Saba paused her march and said to him in English: When school come?

The Englishman smiled. We are doing our best, he said.

His assistant laughed. Anyway, you don’t need school. Look at you, English speaker.

The aid workers smiled as they got into their Land Rover and drove off.

Saba sat on an armchair next to her husband. Women presented the husband’s gift to her. The luggage contained lingerie, bras, blouses, shirts, earrings, necklaces, a wristwatch – most of these Saba had seen on Nasnet and spotted other girls wearing around the camp. Saba knew it was Hagos who had chosen every item.

The party began.

The singer mounted a table and played her krar. Saba raised her eyes above the dancing circle. She spotted Jamal on his hill. No doubt he was watching the wedding through the screen of his cinema, Saba thought, as if it were held in a faraway land, a romantic wedding, concluding a treacherous life of war and exile.

The singer began the last song of the night, blessing the wedding, wishing the bride and groom a long life of love, happiness and prosperity.