Suddenly, as we are eating, Reska asks me to say out loud some verses from the Qur'an, in Arabic. Arabic is the most powerful of all languages, but they bend and sweeten it with Turkish sounds. Suddenly I, the stranger, insensitive and ignorant, show that I possess the very heart of Islam. Triumphant, Reska tells everybody that her ally knows every language, it is his job. Kadri is forced to admit that he does not know.
Darkness falls in that house without light or water.
In the twilight, I can make out the faces of our adversaries and of the children, frightened and quiet, but curious. The generator they put on is unreliable - the light goes on and off. Kadri and I start speaking in German. He takes me outside, to see his horse, his cow and his car. That night, I have the living room all to myself.