The Pearl That Broke Its Shell

Amanullah is the governor of Kabul, is in charge of the treasury and army, and is likely the one who will inherit the kingdom. He had been gone for two months in disputed border territory. He is unmarried and searching for a bride. The women of the harem love him. Despite her new comfortable life, Shekib still cannot help but think of her father’s land—her land. Being a harem guard does not seem her true purpose in the world. Lost in thoughts, she does not notice King Habibullah on the balcony with her. The king tells her to fetch Sakina, one of his women. The women notice Shekib’s deformed face for the first time. They compare her face to haleem, a dish of mushy meat and grains. She leads Sakina to the king’s room in the harem. Shekib now understands how the haram works, that “the king visited who he wanted, when he wanted” (195). Nine of the women, those who bore him sons, are given preferential treatment. Shekib is the strongest of the guards and takes on tasks that the others cannot handle. She still feels insecure about her future.

Shekib sees Prince Amanullah walking with his friend, Agha Baraan. The prince is striking, with broad shoulders, and he “exuded a natural boldness, tempered with kind, rational eyes” (197). Upon seeing him, “Shekib melted into Shekiba” (197). Shekib knows that the undamaged half of her face is beautiful. She realizes that in order to stop being given as a gift, she must belong to a man. Having sons “would seal her fate. A mother of sons would not be passed from hand to hand like livestock” (198). She uses her privilege as a male to look openly at the prince, turning the good side of her face to him. The prince catches her eye. Shekib begins formulating a plan.

Two years have passed since Rahima’s marriage. Raisa has become a full-blown opium addict and a neglectful parent to Rohila and Sitara. Rahima links her family crumbling to her becoming a bacha posh. She wonders what Shekiba was planning. Rahima’s son is named Jahangir, after a figure created by her, Abdullah, and Ashraf, a “strong and mighty man who feared no one” (200). Giving birth was a tremendous strain on her body, nearly ripping her apart. Jameela nursed her back to health. Shanaz, and especially Jameela, helped Rahima become accustomed to motherhood. Jahangir becomes Rahima’s reason for being. She wants Parwin and Khala Shaima to see her son, but they have not visited in months. Rahima decides to try to arrange a visit with her sister.

Rahima begins to sense something is wrong based on Gulalai’s strange behavior. Parwin has been badly injured and is in the hospital. She set herself on fire that morning. Rahima recalls “her unconvincing smile, her feeble reassurance that she was doing all right, that people were treating her well enough” (202). Tuba, Abdul Haidar’s second wife, comes to help explain what happened to Rahima. Parwin “had been seen that morning with a fresh bruise on her face” (203). She had doused herself in cooking oil and set herself aflame. Rahima imagines her parents’ reactions. She fears Khala Shaima will make the situation worse, but knows she needs her. Rahima is disgusted at Tuba, who feigns that Parwin’s situation had not been that bad. Tuba believes that Parwin will recover, but her eyes tell her “it wasn’t in her naseeb” (205).

Parwin dies after 10 painful days. At the wake, Rahima sees her mother again. Her physical condition has deteriorated dramatically. She is not especially interested in Jahangir; Rahima is disappointed. Rahima thinks, “My mother was weaker than I’d ever realized” (207). Women from town come to pay their respects. Rahima hates them for their insincerity: They had often mocked Parwin, “[making] her feel small and wrong. Today they pretended to share our pain” (207). Rohila and Sitara cling to Rahima. Rohila is the same age as Rahima was when she was married off. She asks Rohila about how life at home is. Raisa lies around like Arif, and she cries and agues whenever Khala Shaima visits. Shahla has just delivered her second child and was not allowed to come to the wake.

Back at the compound, Rahima is more miserable than ever. She realizes, “I was the only one of my sisters who’d had a chance to live any kind of childhood at all, and that was only because I’d been a bacha posh” (209). She is thankful her child is a boy. After her designated period of mourning, Rahima is expected to go back to her usual duties. Gulalai treats her worse than ever. Rahim speculates that the old woman believes Parwin’s suicide “had been a purposeful attack on her family” (209). Rahima vows to be a better mother to Jahangir than Raisa is to Rohila and Sitara. Thankfully, Abdul Khaliq is good to his sons. Jahangir will be able “to go to school and enjoy the privileges that came with being a warlord’s son” (209). Abdul Khaliq seems to take a special liking to Jahangir.

Abdul Khaliq spends more time with foreigners and his close advisors. Of the wives, only Badriya knows what is going on, but she will not divulge what it is: It gives her power over the other women. Rahima hears Abdul Khaliq’s conversations through the thin walls. The new government dictates that women have to be represented as well as men. If a woman runs in their region, she will be all but guaranteed to win. Abdul Khaliq does not like this break with tradition. His advisors suggest he has one of his wives run in the election. Because Abdul Khaliq’s forces protect a key oil pipeline, it is important that they retain political control over the area. Abdul Khaliq flies into a rage. Rahima leaves to await Khala Shaima. She wants to hear more about Shekiba.

The first part of Shekib’s plan is to speak with Mahbuba, who has given the king four sons. She wants to know how Mahbuba did it. She finds her in the baths and compliments her son as a segue into conversation. Mahbuba is proud that she has given the king so many sons. She is suspicious that other women have put Shekib up to asking her in order to get ahead by having sons. Shekib manages to placate her; she tells her some secrets of being with a man, and “Some of what she was told, she never would have anticipated. And would never have been able to repeat” (215). She believes the apothecary tips but cannot fathom the sexual ones. She thinks of Amanullah.

Shekib has guard duty that night. Though she was paranoid the first time it was her turn, she grew to like night duty. Tariq joins her. She is gradually losing hope of getting the king’s attention. Tariq wonders how long they will be kept as harem guards. She wants children of her own. Shekib understands but does not want to let on about her plan. Tariq was happy as a woman. Their conversation is interrupted by a door slam. A shadow runs out the side door toward the palace: a man. They investigate but cannot find the intruder. They will be held responsible if the king finds out they let a man meet with one of his concubines. 

The next day, Shekib and Tariq fill in Ghafoor, Karim, and Qasim on the events of the night before. Ghafoor realizes that they have a serious problem on their hands; the intruder has probably snuck in many times. Ghafoor suggests interviewing all of the women to see what they know. They question the women with children first, but it is to no avail. The visitor returns five days later, under Qasim’s watch. Qasim had done nothing, and this angers Ghafoor. The guards begin bickering, “straining the thin friendships that had formed among them” (223). The man returns about once a week. Meanwhile, Shekib continues pushing on with her plan. She talks with the harem women, mentioning the boys born in her family. She believes she does not have much time.