Once he made enough money, he would send for his father or drag him over to his place. He would give the man his own private room in the bungalow and make sure he was provided with regular meals; he would allow him to spend his life meditating. He could even give his father an allowance for clothes and other odd expenses. But he could do nothing about the fact that there was no longer any relationship between his mother and father. They had nothing to say to each other. She wouldn’t even look at him. And why should she? Let the father watch how the son cherished his mother and attended to her needs. It wasn’t enough to marry a beautiful woman; a man should also cherish and take care of her. But how could his father’s dreary mind comprehend this? Well, Khader decided that it had to be done whether or not his father could comprehend it. Even if his father didn’t, surely everyone in town would understand. They would compare him to his father, and they would praise him. He wanted to hear those praises. That was what he wanted. He also wanted to be able to enjoy his wealth to the utmost but without ruining his health. He resolved that he would enjoy the women of his choice. All the pleasures that this world had to offer, or the pleasures that people said the world had to offer—he desired to experience them all and reach his own judgments about them.

It would be hard to describe the things that Khader had accomplished in the ten or fifteen years since he’d run away from home. In fact, even Khader would struggle to narrate those events in proper sequence. The way he saw it, every object, every situation, every event, every crisis—behind everything lay a way to make money. He was able to discern that possibility in anything in his very first glance, and then everything else receded from his view. This perspective then gave way to ideas, efforts, resilience in the face of failure, an agreeable manner, flexibility, and courage. He was able to approach anybody without any fear or diffidence. He was also able to forget them completely once they had served his purpose. He did not fool himself into thinking that principles were set in stone.