White Teeth

Two weeks later, Samad prepares for a date with Poppy. On his way there, he tells the owners of a local variety store that he is going out to buy life insurance, counting on them to share this lie to Alsana.

Meanwhile, Magid, Millat, and Irie are arguing about what groceries to bring to “their assigned old man” (135) in celebration of the Harvest Festival. When they finally arrive at their destination and knock on the door, the resident, Mr. J. P. Hamilton, assumes they are there to rob him or sell something. When he realizes his mistake, he invites them in but says he cannot eat most of what they brought on account of his teeth and urges the children to take better care of theirs. He then begins to reminisce about his time in the army and how it was the “clean white teeth” (144) of the Congolese soldiers that allowed him to see and shoot them. The children become increasingly uncomfortable, and when Hamilton denies that Samad could have served in the army, Millat yells at him. Before the children leave, Hamilton warns them about wisdom teeth: “[T]hey’re your father’s teeth, you see, wisdom teeth are passed down by the father, I’m certain of it. So you must be big enough for them” (145).

Samad and Poppy are taking a walk when the latter looks directly at Mad Mary, a “black voodoo woman with a red face whose territory stretches from Kilburn to Oxford street but who performs her spells from a garbage can in West Hampstead” (146). Mad Mary approaches the couple, spitting on Samad, issuing cryptic warnings about Poppy, and asking “WHAT’S DE SOLUTION?” (148). Samad talks his way out of the situation, assuring Mad Mary that he “understand[s] [her] concerns” and that “Personally, [his] hope lies in the last days” (149, 150).

The couple continue their walk, and Poppy praises Samad and admits she likes him. Samad grows frustrated and lists all the reasons why they should not see one another. Then, he says that he would like to spend the night with her. Poppy shows him a toothbrush she bought for him, just as Samad catches a glimpse of Magid and Millat standing nearby, waving at him and eating apples.

Samad arrives at O’Connell’s, an “Irish poolroom run by Arabs with no pool tables” (154). He and Archie have been going there for 10 years, always ordering the same things, and are on good terms with the owner, Mickey. When Samad says he has “much to discuss” with Archie, Mickey warns him not to talk more about his great-grandfather: “You’re creating a repetitive syndrome that puts all these buggers off their culinary experience” (155).

When Archie arrives, Samad explains that he has begun to see visions of his sons whenever he is with Poppy; he is worried he cannot “show them the straight road when [he has] lost [his] own bearings” (158). Archie suggests flipping a coin to decide what to do, but Samad is insistent that he himself is “hell-bound” and only wants to save his sons from the “corruption” of Western culture (158, 159). Archie relays the problem to Mickey, who sees two options: arrange for Magid and Millat to be raised by family in Bangladesh or simply accept their assimilation into English culture.

Samad likes the idea of sending the boys to Bangladesh but does not have enough money to send both. He explains this to Archie, and together they weigh the pros and cons of sending each boy before settling on Magid.

One day, Samad comes home to find Alsana (whom he has not shared his plans with) crying over the assassination of Indira Gandhi, which she says will lead to riots and murders. When she says she is glad her own children are not in Bangladesh, Samad snaps at her, and the situation escalates into a fight. Later that night, Samad ends things with Poppy.

A few days later, Samad is at work waiting to take Magid to the airport. The twins are sleeping over at the Joneses’, and Archie is supposed to bring Magid by the restaurant late that night. To his horror, Poppy—who took the breakup badly—shows up at the restaurant with her sister and an awkward encounter ensues. When Archie finally arrives, it is with all three children because he could not wake one without waking the others. Samad, choking back tears, explains to them all that Magid is “going on a trip with auntie Zinat” (174).