Summary
Cousin has begun avoiding Lenny. Initially, the reason seems to be that he is studying for his exams. One day when Lenny and Adi come over, he finally decides to come out of his bedroom to see them but he acts distracted. He is also cold with Lenny and even when she asks questions he looks at Adi to answer instead of her. He doesn’t even react to the news that the adults have stopped looking for Ayah.
The more aloof Cousin is, the more Lenny spends time thinking about him. He even appears in her romantic fantasies. She begins to chase him, hanging around at Electricaunt’s house and bringing him water or pencils as he studies. Meanwhile, Ranna comes to visit. Though Lenny still cares about him, her mind is on Cousin. Besides, she and Ranna are growing apart because the social worlds they live in are so different.
One day Cousin excitedly comes over with the news that he has seen Ayah in a taxi at Charing Cross. She was made up like a film actress. As he tells this news, he puts on an arm on either side of Lenny and gives her a kiss. Lenny is too excited about the news of Ayah to feel anything regarding Cousin’s sudden display of affection. She threatens to "knee [his] balls" unless he backs off. After a short pause, Cousin again touches Lenny, this time fondling her breasts. She feels “sick and all shriveled up.” This time she threatens to break his fingers. He says that he loves her and Lenny says she doesn’t. Again he complains that she finds everyone attractive but him. Complaining to Godmother, she tells him that “A neighbor’s beans are tastier than household chickens.” This means something like “The grass is greener on the other side.”
Eventually, Lenny and Cousin make a compromise. Lenny will keep an open mind about him while Cousin will stop trying to woo Lenny and will wait a few years before touching her breasts again. Still hoping to win Lenny over, Cousin decides to keep helping her try and find Ayah.
Analysis
Passion is again shown as a force that makes people act silly. Cousin’s act of being too busy to pay attention to Lenny causes her to become obsessed with him. Yet as soon as he admits that it was all a hoax to make her fall in love, she no longer feels interested. Passion is shown as a fickle and changeable force that makes people do strange things. The expression used by Godmother about a neighbor’s beans being tastier than chickens at home shows how petty love can be. The second main subject of this chapter is Ayah. Cousin’s spotting of her in a taxi suggests that the search for Ayah might eventually lead somewhere. Lenny is unable to forget her and brings everyone close to her into the hunt.
