After dinner at Lambay, the entire Thiam family was gathered around the TV. Madiaw Thiam noticed the tender way his daughter Soukeyna was looking at Tierno Diagne—a look that, to his eyes, seemed perfectly mutual. Curious and playful, he decided to test them a little.

  "How's your wound, Diagne?" Madiaw asked.

  "I'm fine, it's healing," Tierno replied.

  "Good to hear," Madiaw said with a teasing smile. "Soukeyna, is she worth getting stabbed for?"

  "Only God can repay your act," Amina joined in. "We are truly grateful to you."

  "Thank you," Tierno said.

  "You're welcome," Amina responded.

  After a moment, Madiaw decided to probe further. He secretly hoped to see them together.

  "So, what do you think of her, Diagne?"

  "Who?" Tierno asked.

  "Soukeyna," Madiaw clarified. "Is she beautiful?"

  "Leave them alone," Soukeyna interjected, shyly, "he’s watching TV."

  But Tierno knew this was a moment he couldn’t waste.

  "Absolutely!" he said. "I’ve never seen a more beautiful girl!"

  "Soukeyna, did you hear that?" Madiaw said, grinning triumphantly.

  "I heard it too," Amina added.

  Soukeyna, blushing, tried to change the subject:

  "Tell us about your childhood instead. That’s a more interesting story."

  "Yes, it’s very interesting," Tierno agreed, "but not more interesting than what we’re talking about right now!"

  "What do you mean?" Soukeyna asked.

  "Let’s not hide from the truth," Tierno said. "We love each other."

  "Soukeyna, you love him?" Amina asked encouragingly.

  "Yes!" Soukeyna nodded.

  "This is wonderful!" Madiaw said, triumphant. "Now, tell us about yourself, Diagne."

  All eyes turned to him. A brief silence fell, broken only by the TV. Tierno Diagne closed his eyes, recalling his past, then began:

  "I remember… with my adoptive family, they told me they had picked me up as an infant. In reality, I don’t know my real parents. So my childhood was spent with them. It was a respectable family, everything was fine… until the day I got into a fight with a friend. I don’t remember why… you know how it is with young people: fighting, insulting each other…" He paused, a shadow crossing his face.

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  "That’s it?" Amina asked impatiently.

  "No," Tierno sighed. "That fight was the start of all my problems."

  "Did you… kill him?" Soukeyna asked, eyes wide.

  A loud "NO" echoed through the room. Madiaw Thiam, wanting to keep the story flowing, urged them:

  "Please, let him speak. Go on!"

  "I must have hit him in a sensitive spot," Tierno continued. "From that day on, he started having fits. My family faced insults they couldn’t accept, and eventually, my parents snapped. They threw me out like a dog and told me I wasn’t their blood. After that, I tried not to cry… but I wept for days, wandering aimlessly. I begged for food just to survive.

  I wanted to learn a trade, but the man who hired me behaved as if he were a saint… or at least he tried to be. He danced to ridiculous songs and punished me constantly, shouting insults and hitting me with a stick at the slightest mistake."

  "There are truly cruel people who don’t deserve to breathe," Amina murmured, pity in her eyes.

  "Tell me about it," Madiaw Thiam said neutrally. "People are hard to understand sometimes. Continue."

  "After that, I met the Dramé group, including Manga Salmone. Most of the time, we got into trouble—stealing, smoking… It wasn’t until undercover police arrested Salmone that we wandered elsewhere, eventually arriving in Watch Dal. That’s when we became Dals. But Salmone had changed—he became aggressive and even changed his name to 'Mong Dal.'"

  "That guy’s crazy!" Madiaw exclaimed.

  "Exactly," Tierno said. "He wanted to prove he was like them."

  "Ah, life…" Amina yawned, the sleepiness showing.

  "You’ll see, living in a village like Deuk Wolof isn’t easy," Madiaw said. "Forget past misfortunes—they could ruin your life."

  "Soukeyna, wake your sister so she can go to bed," Amina said. "I’m sleepy… see you tomorrow!"

  "See you tomorrow," Tierno replied.

  After repeated "see you tomorrows," silence settled over the night. The courtyard emptied, lit by a single lamp. Sometimes cats broke the quiet with fights or jumps across the roofs; sometimes it was just the wind. In this peaceful, almost sacred night, there were two pleasures: either go to bed and sleep easily, or stay awake and enjoy the night’s subtle spectacle.