At the entrance of the house, Tierno Diagne noticed three men seated in the middle of a large family courtyard, talking calmly. They even seemed to be having tea. One of them, Assane, appeared to recognize him from afar. He stood up and invited him to join them.
"You're easy to recognize," said Assane Diouf. "Have you recovered from the stab wound? Don't look at me like that—the whole thing happened right before my eyes."
"Yes," added Souleymane Ngom, "he's the one who helped Soukeyna escape. Now I remember his face."
"I asked to see you," said Madiaw Thiam. "I've heard a lot about you, and you should know—you are welcome here."
"How is your injury?" Souleymane asked.
"I own a large piece of land," Madiaw Thiam continued. "I'm a farmer. My house isn't small, and I can teach you vegetable farming. It's not difficult."
Standing among them, Tierno looked like a stunned child, overwhelmed by such sudden generosity. Shyness kept him silent. But Madiaw continued:
"I only use a quarter of my land. In time, you could build a good life for yourself."
"Well, open your mouth!" Souleymane joked. "We're not going to eat you."
His words sparked laughter in the small gathering.
"Ah," Assane said emotionally, "this is honorable of you. May God bless you. When I arrived, I heard children whispering about you. They said you're the most generous man around. It seems they're not wrong."
"Those children," Madiaw said with a faint smile, "they exaggerate. They'd even say a lion doesn't eat meat."
"Well, they don't seem wrong about you," Assane replied.
"Soukeyna is inside and appears to be recovering," Madiaw said. "She'll stay here for now. Nogaye somehow heard your version of events and says you didn't tell everything. Is there anything else I should know? Something… troubling?"
"Yes," Tierno said carefully. "Because you can't tell everything to everyone—not too soon."
"Not too soon for what?" Assane asked.
"For my encounter with the men who stabbed me," Tierno replied. "You don't really know them."
"Then tell us," Souleymane said. "Talk to us about them."
Tierno explained how he joined the Dal, what they were like, and made it clear that he had reclaimed his real name—Diagne.
"May God protect us from such people," Souleymane said, visibly shaken.
"You're saying they're as numerous as our town?" Assane asked, both shocked and afraid.
"It's an entire village," Tierno affirmed. "Are they dangerous? Yes. Are they a threat? More dangerous than you can imagine."
"Did you tell the police?" Assane asked.
"No," Tierno answered.
"Why?" Madiaw asked.
"They are bad men," Tierno said slowly, "but they've given some of their own people a slightly better life. It's true they create disorder—but with time… anything is possible."
"Nogaye isn't crazy," Madiaw said firmly. "Diagne, from now on, this is your home. I will organize a secret meeting with the elders of the neighborhood."
"This news," Souleymane said, pointing a finger at Tierno, "must not leave this courtyard."
"You're right," Madiaw agreed. "Tomorrow I'll see the village chief—and then Nogaye's father."
"I'll come with you," Tierno offered.
"That won't be necessary," Assane replied. "You'd better rest. I doubt you're fully healed."
"You'll watch over the house," Madiaw added. "Perhaps in time, we'll come to know each other better."
"Certainly," Tierno said, visibly relieved, as though a heavy burden had been lifted from his shoulders.
A brighter future for Tierno Diagne—greater than he had ever dreamed—seemed to unfold before him. The opportunity almost made him shout for joy, loud enough to draw concerned glances from those wondering whether he was "mentally stable."
Lying comfortably on his bed, he reflected on his years of misery and the mistakes he deeply regretted.
The next day, the meeting took place as planned—but at Maguette's house. Nogaye was summoned. Biram, finding the situation unusual, soon joined them.
The village chief began:
"It is not every day that we gather like this," said Daouda Gassama, an elderly man with white hair respected by both districts of Deuk Wolof. "I hope this matter is truly important, since we have already discussed it before. I want everything to be clear—and do not take my words the wrong way."