After dinner in Lambay, Madiaw Thiam's family sat together watching television.
Madiaw noticed the tender way his daughter Soukeyna looked at Tierno Diagne — and to his eyes, the feeling seemed mutual. Curious, and secretly hopeful, he decided to play along.
"How's your wound, Diagne?" Madiaw asked casually.
"It's healing," Tierno replied.
"That's good," Madiaw said with a teasing smile. "Soukeyna — is she worth taking a knife for?"
"Only God can reward what you did," Amina joined in warmly. "We are truly indebted to you."
"Thank you," Tierno said humbly.
"No need," Amina replied.
After a short pause, Madiaw decided to push further.
"What do you think of her, Diagne?"
"Who?" Tierno asked.
"Soukeyna. Is she beautiful?"
"Leave him alone," Soukeyna said shyly. "He's watching TV."
But Tierno knew this was not an opportunity to waste.
"Absolutely," he said firmly. "I have never seen a more radiant girl."
"Soukeyna, did you hear that?" Madiaw laughed triumphantly.
"I heard it too," Amina added.
"And what if you told us about your childhood instead?" Soukeyna suggested timidly. "That's more interesting."
"Yes, it is interesting," Tierno replied, smiling slightly. "But not more interesting than what we're talking about."
"What?" Soukeyna asked softly.
"Let's not pretend," Tierno said gently. "We love each other."
"Soukeyna," Amina asked, looking at her daughter with reassuring eyes, "do you love him?"
"Yes," Soukeyna answered, lowering her head.
"That's wonderful!" Madiaw exclaimed victoriously. "Go on, Diagne. Tell us about yourself."
All eyes turned toward him. For a brief moment, only the television could be heard. Tierno drifted into his thoughts before beginning.
"I remember that during my last moments with my family, they told me they had found me when I was a baby. I don't know my real parents. I grew up with them… they were respectable people. Everything was fine until the day I fought with another boy. I don't even remember why. You know how boys are — fights, insults… nothing unusual."
He paused, suddenly thoughtful, sadness clouding his face.
"Is that all?" Amina asked impatiently.
"No," Tierno sighed deeply. "That fight became the source of all my problems."
"Did you kill him?" Soukeyna asked, eyes wide.
A loud "NO" filled the room.
"Please," Madiaw urged gently. "Let him speak."
"I must have hit him in a sensitive spot," Tierno continued. "After that, he began having seizures. His family insulted mine constantly. Eventually… my parents broke. They threw me out like a dog and revealed I was never their blood."
He swallowed hard.
"I managed not to scream. But I cried for days, wandering aimlessly. I begged just to survive. Later, I tried to learn a trade. The man who hired me acted like a saint — always pretending to be righteous. I never would have believed it. I once saw him dancing to the music of an artist who made no sense at all, yet acted like he embodied greatness."
A bitter smile crossed his face.
"He insulted me constantly. At the slightest mistake, I received vulgar words and blows from a stick."
"There are truly savages who don't deserve to breathe," Amina murmured with pity.
"You're right," Madiaw said calmly. "People are hard to understand. Go on."
"After that, I met the Dramé group — including Manga Salmone. We did many wrong things: stealing, smoking… Until one day, undercover police arrested Salmone. We scattered, wandering from place to place until we arrived at Watch Dal."
His voice darkened.
"That's when we became Dal. But Salmone changed completely. He grew more aggressive. He even changed his name — he started calling himself 'Mong Dal.'"
"That man is sick!" Madiaw burst out.
"He wanted to prove he was one of them," Tierno replied quietly.
"Ah… life," Amina sighed, yawning as sleep began to claim her.
"It's hard to find a village like Deuk Wolof," Madiaw said thoughtfully. "Forget the misfortunes of the past. They can poison your life."
"Soukeyna, wake your sister and send her to bed," Amina said. "I'm tired. See you tomorrow."
"See you tomorrow," Tierno replied.
After several exchanges of "Good night," silence settled.
The courtyard emptied, illuminated by a single lamp.
Sometimes cats disturbed the quiet, as if whispering to each other, breaking the stillness with sudden fights and leaps across rooftops. At times it was the animals; at others, the wind.
What escaped everyone was the deeper peace of the night — that total calm where the smallest sound echoes.
It was the true hour of two pleasures:
either to lie down and sleep peacefully…
or to remain awake and savor the spectacle.