This chapter provides background information on several characters. Gwen moved to Denver at the request of her wealthy white lover who pays for her living expenses. Feroza accuses Gwen of flirting with her boyfriend. Shashi graduates with degrees in hotel management and business. Feroza decides to spend her holidays in Lahore.

1. Chapter-21
• Jo abandoned her course and moved in with her
boyfriend Bill. Feroza moved into an apartment
with Rhonda and Gwen, one white, the other
black. Gwen was 25. Her tuition and living
expenses were paid by a middle-aged white man.
She came from a large, loosely structured family
in Atlanta and they were poor. Her mother
worked as a housekeeper in Marietta. She met
her white lover when he was visiting his cousin’s
in Marietta.

2. • Gwen moved to Denver as he asked her to do.
She referred to him sometimes as “J.M”. She
spent alternate weekends with J.M in hotels,
had flown to Hawaii for a week once and
spent ten days in the north of Italy. When
Feroza asked her “Do you love him?”, she said,
“He’s good to me. He doesn’t want me to date
anyone while I am with him.”

3. • Rhonda preferred going out in a group. Feroza
was invited to at least four parties every
weekend. Gwen generated instant friendships
and most casual contacts. Feroza could no
more grasp the elusive quality of Gwen’s
magic. When Shashi came and spoke with
Gwen, it didn’t disturb her much. Later, she
found Shashi’s constant talking to Gwen more
upsetting.

4. • Feroza accused Gwen of flirting with her
boyfriend and then Gwen comforted her
saying that he is like kid brother to her. Shashi
graduated in hotel management and eneolled
in master’s programme in business
management. He was also taking classes in
psychology, philosophy and creative writing.
The term came to a close and Feroza decided
to spend her holidays in Lahore.Manek
received his doctorate.

5. Chapter-22
• Feroza was given a warm and conventional
welcome. Zareen was astonished at the
change in Feroza. As days passed, Zareen
wondered if she hadn’t made a mistake in
sending her daughter to America. Feroza was
disconcerted to discover that she was a misfit
in a country in which she had once fitted so
well. When Zareen talked about Feroza’s
marriage, she tells her that she wants to
complete her degree.

6. • Feroza also tells her mother that she wants to
have a career, earn a living so that her husband
will respect her more. Zareen says that nobody
will marry her if she is too educated. Zareen is
surprised when Feroza tells heer that she don’t
know how thrilling it is to earn your own money
and spend it. Zareen allows her to finish her
studies and marry after that. Feroza accepts and
leaves Lahore with a sense of shock that she had
outgrown her family’s expectations for her.

7. Chapter-23
• Feroza was a week late for school. Aban flew
in from Karachi. She was three years older
than Feroza. Feroza was given seven hundred
dollars by her family. Shashi met Feroza and
wanted her to meet his brother, Deepak, and
sister-in-law, Mala, the very evening. Mala was
going to have a baby. Feroza went and met
them in their apartment in the evening. A
week later Mala delivered her baby daughter
prematurely.

8. • Feroza renewed her driver’s license.She
consulted Rhonda and Gwen and made an
appointment to inspect a two-year old
Chevette stick shift. It was owned and driven
by one person, David Press. Feroza felt uneasy
to look into his eyes and speak. She was
remembered of Khutlibai’s narration about
Jamshed Metha. She had told her that nobody
will look into his eyes, as one could not face
the power of his eyes. David was like that.

9. • Feroza and David went to a bar. He ordered for the
house beer and she a glass of wine. He talked about his
car and then about his family. As he spoke, it seemed
to Feroza as if he were spreading a red carpet to invite
her to walk into his life. She told him about her family
in Lahore. Feroza danced with David.
• One evening in February, Shashi called Feroza to come
to his brother’s apartment. Mala was found weeping
and so Feroza asked whether the baby is all right.
Shashi took her out and explained everything.

10. • In the hospital the bill was fifteen thousand
dollars, which seemed a bigger amount to
Deepak. The receptionist consulted with
Dr.Walden who reduced it to thirteen thousand
dollars. But Deepak said he don’t even have five
thousand. He was told that if he didn’t pay the
bill he will be put in jail. So he told them that
“You can keep the baby”. Feroza returned to her
apartment and found David waiting for her. She
explained the situation to Rhonda and Gwen.

11. • Rhonda told Shashi that her uncle was surgeon at
Denver General. And make him talk with Dr.Walden.
The next day Deepak and Mala went to the hospital
and brought their little daughter home. The bill was for
a thousand dollars.
• Feroza learned the mechanism of the car. She visited Jo
and Bill, who were living together but not married yet.
On a Saturday afternoon, Feroza drove with David for
Sabbath meal with Adina and Abe Press in Boulder. Abe
worked at Con Edison. Except for his light eyes and hair,
David bore more resemblance to his mother Adina.

12. • Adina asked a few questions about her
religion. Feroza sensed nervousness and for
the first was seriously confronted with the fact
that David’s religion was different from hers.

13. Chapter-24
• Feroza spent the Christmas vacation of 1981 with
Manek and Aban, newly pregnant with their first
child, in their new three-bedroom house on the
outskirts of Houston, in Clear Lake. It took only a
fifteen minutes drive from Manek’s office at
NASA. Manek told Aban that even if they get a
divorce, she will get half the house by American
law. On hearing this she wept and prayed for
three days. She told him that she would go to
Karachi or Lahore if he speaks like that. Manek
apologized to her. They picked up Feroza from the
International Airport in Houston.

14. • Manek told her about the change of his name
as Mike Junglevala. On the last day of her
departure in the evening she told Manek
about David. Manek asked her think over it
without hurry.
• The girl who had occupied one of the
bedrooms in David’s house moved out. Shirley
and Laura shared the other bedroom. Feroza
moved in to David’s house.

15. Chapter-25
• Cyrus and Zareen received the letter and
photograph from Feroza. On reading the letter
Zareen felt like fainting. Ten days later Zareen
was sent to Denver. Cyrus gave her a bank draft
for ten thousand dollars as “bribe money” to
David to leave her daughter. Parsee girls are not
allowed to enter the fire temple once they marry
out. Perin Powri defied her family to marry a
muslim. She died of hepatitis four years later. Got
the disease through an infected blood
transfusion.

16. Chapter-26
• Feroza came to pick up Zareen in the Denver
airport. Feroza introduced David to Zareen. She
showed all the places before taking her to East
Edison. The next day Feroza talked about David’s
father and mother. When she told that “ a judge
will marry us”, Zareen told her that then she
won’t be allowed into their places of worship,
agyari or Atash Behram. Feroza tried to point out
the positive of David. His job as a research
assistant to a professor of computer science and
the other with a construction firm.

17. Chapter-27
• On Saturday Zareen went out with Feroza and David.
Each day Feroza dropped her mother off at gleaming
shopping malls. Zareen wished David was a Parsee – or
that the Zoroastrians would permit selective
conversions to their faith. During the second week
introduced her to some of their friends from the
Unitarian church. Third week letters came from
Pakistan, recalling Zareen to her mission. Freny had
enclosed copies of two pamphlets titled “WARNING”
and “NOTICE” one from Parsee priest’s association in
Bombay and the other from Bombay Zoroastrian
Jashan Committee. Her sleep became restless.

18. • The next day Feroza and David sensed a
change in Zareen’s mood. Zareen phoned
Aban and later talked with Manek also. But
Manek was worried about the cost of the call
and said David is a good guy. She got angry
and pointed out how he came to Lahore to
marry a Parsee and now advising her daughter
to marry a Jew. She asked David whether he
wants to marry Feroza or just having fun?

19. • He said he wanted to marry her. Then she
asked him how much he demand to sacrifice
her daughter. He said that he did not demand
anything. Zareen said that they are immature
and selfish. She also tells him that when she
looks into Feroza’s future she could only see
Misery. David was shocked- “ the enthusiastic
tourist and giver of gifts with this aggressive
sage frightening him with her doom-booming
voice and a volley of bizarre accusations.”

20. • David left the house. Feroza just entered.
Zareen told Feroza that they are selfish,
thinking none but themselves. Both the
mother and daughter had a quarrel and
Feroza left the house. Three weeks had gone
and she had only five days left in Denver.

21. Chapter-28
• Zareen stayed at home the next day and packed
all her gifts. Feroza came at six in the evening.
Zareen told Feroza that if she wanted to marry
David then get married properly. She asked them
to come to Lahore. Feroza told her that rituals
and ceremony would frighten David. Zareen
accepted to talk with David. When he came, she
was taken aback by his behaviour and his breath
smelled of beer. David asked her about his
coming to Lahore to marry Feroza. Zareen told
him that not only David but also his parents,
grandparents, uncles and aunts can come.

22. • Zareen explained in detail about the wedding
and marriage ceremony. During the
“madasara” ceremony they have to plant a
mango tree, then they have the “adarnee”
and engagement. At the time of engagement
David’s family will fill Feroza’s lap with five sari
sets and jewellery they plan to give. She also
tells him that they will give the clothes for
David’s family, a gold chain for his mother and
a pocket watch for his father. David was angry.

23. Chapter-29
• Zareen was sure that David was deeply
wounded by her speech. The day before
Zareen was to leave Denver, she sprang out of
bed and took Feroza into the kitchen. She
performed the rituals to remove evil-eye
spells from her. David was shocked at this and
asked Zareen “What are you? A witch or
something.” Zareen asked him to get out,he
moved away and closed the door with a
thunderous slam. Zareen left Denver.

24. Chapter-30
• David left Denver. He had completed his master’s
in Computer programming and accepted a job in
California. Feroza applied for and was admitted to
the University of Arizona’s graduate program in
anthroplogy. She apent two weeks with Manek
and Aban, and their little daughter Dilshad. Then
she joined her new course. Feroza was reminded
of the image told by Father Fibs, a bird flying and
falling. She felt that one day she would reach a
place from which there was no falling, if there
was such a place.