Sarah didn’t like being told where to go and she didn’t want to see Akbar. She knew that he would be angry because she’d been away for several days, but she was angry with him, too. Because of him, she had to give up a good job and was now unemployable. She was interested in teaching the local women how to read and write, and she was willing to tend to their medical needs, but it was hardly the same as a hospital career. She therefore stayed in her tent and accepted Onnab’s offer of some food. Onnab was technically a servant, who waited on Fatima and her daughters, but Sarah thought of her as more of a friend and she regularly shocked the other women by asking Onnab to sit and eat with her. Sarah and Onnab were just finishing a plate of flat bread, soft cheese, and dates when Sheikh Akbar called out in front of her tent, asking whether he could come in. Immediately, Onnab started clearing away her plate. “Sit down and finish your food,” Sarah said. Akbar called out again. “Please, will you let me come in?
