The Other Side of Truth

The children call Auntie Gracie and tell her they will be late. She wants to know where they are going because it is dangerous out alone at night. She says Uncle Roy will come drive them, but Sade knows they must do it alone if it will work. She believes that if they can talk to Mr. Seven O’clock News, he might report their father’s story. They have difficulty finding where they need to go because the map she recreated is vague. They finally get to the station but realize they will have to wait for hours outside in the cold before the man leaves for the day. They go find a place to eat, and then they go to wait for Mr. Seven O’clock News. Finally, they see him leaving, and he takes them upstairs to his office, where they tell him their story. She sees the man looking at her and believes he must be able to see how awful she has become. She begins to cry, and Femi fills in the missing details. The newsman tells them he will get a taxi to take them home, and he will look into the story, but he cannot guarantee that he will cover it.

The children arrive back at the Kings’ house, and after Auntie Gracie feeds them, they explain where they were. Uncle Roy drove around looking for them, and Auntie Gracie was really concerned about their welfare. The children and the Kings watch the news for the next two evenings, but there is no news about Folarin. At school, Donna mocks Mariam and Sade as the two girls are assigned to work on a project together. Finally, on the third night, the news story about Papa runs, but the newsman says that the authorities claim they do have any record of Sade and Femi. Folarin is described as an outspoken journalist who is well-known in Nigeria but not around the world. The newsman also says that the Nigerian government asked for Folarin to be sent back because they claim that he killed his wife. The Kings are quite excited because they know that the news reports will make it much harder for the British government to send Folarin back to Nigeria. There is a demonstration planned to protest Folarin’s possible deportation.

The children and the Kings arrive at the Heathlands Detention Center. There are protestors, and Sade notices the cameras again. She is surprised by the police presence at the demonstration. The protestors are excited to meet Folarin’s children, and they tell them to relay messages of praise to him. When the children attempt to enter the facility, the officers in charge are grim. They allow them in. Sade feels guilty for all of the adulation she receives because she believes that if the protestors knew of the lies she told, they would no longer respect her or want to help her.

The children go into the room, and Uncle Dele is there. They learn that he was in hiding. He had worked with Nigerians for Democracy and tried to get Nigeria expelled from the Commonwealth. After Saro-Wiwa was hanged, Uncle Dele received a threatening message that prompted him to hide out in the countryside for the time being. He was unable to get any news from Nigeria, but he saw the news report the children prompted about Folarin, and it convinced him to help Papa. Folarin considers a hunger strike because he knows the British will have a hard time deporting him if he is in the news, and hunger strikes make news. Papa asks the children to write to him, and he gives them an envelope.

Chapter 35 consists of a letter from Folarin to the children. Folarin writes about stories the children were told throughout their lives. He describes the tortoise in the familiar stories as quick-witted and cunning. He tells them a new story about the tortoise and the tiger. The tiger traps the tortoise, and the tortoise convinces the tiger to give him a few minutes before he eats him. The tortoise spends his time making scratches in the ground. The tiger says that it is time for him to eat the tortoise and asks him why he spent his time making those marks. The tortoise replies that he might die, but everyone who sees the ground will know that he put up a fight. Folarin then reminds his children that words and stories are mightier than swords.

Sade sees Mariam, and she asks her to talk. Sade apologizes to Mariam for stealing from the store, and she explains that Marcia threatened her brother if she did not do it. Mariam is not upset about the stealing. Her family already knew that Sade stole the lighter. Mariam is upset because she believed they were friends, but then Sade stopped speaking to her. Mariam explains that Marcia and Donna made her steal from the store as well. They threatened to “do something bad. Like fire” if Mariam did not steal a pen (216). Mariam told her uncle and her mother, and they gave her the requested item to give to Marcia and Donna. Mariam’s uncle believes it is better to stay away from people like Marcia and Donna. The girls arrive late to class, and Mr. Morris asks to speak with Sade in the hall. Donna claims it is discrimination that Sade gets told off in private rather than in public. In the past, thinking of her Iyawo statue would calm Sade down, but she has a lot to worry about now.

Sade bends her head and wakes up lying down in a white room with Miss Harcourt. She passed out believing the school knew something about Papa. Miss Harcourt tells her that they would have helped her if they knew the truth about her situation, but Sade closes her eyes and blocks the woman out. A doctor says that Sade needs food and rest.