Hope And Other Dangerous Pursuits

Murad thinks about the events leading up to his crossing, specifically about the relatively short distance that separates Morocco from Spain. He and the 28 other refugees crowd into an inflatable zodiac boat only meant to hold eight people:“Looking around him, he can’t help but wonder how much Captain Rahal and his gang stand to make” (2)—presumably, the voyage will afford the men enough to buy a small house. Murad remembers the 711 C.E. Moorish invasion of the Spanish town of Tarifa, where the refugees are headed. He thinks about using his English degree in Spain to get a real job.

He studies some of his fellow passengers: the youthful hijab-wearing Faten, who seems reluctant to get on the boat; the lanky Aziz, who has already unsuccessfully tried to cross once; an unnamed middle-aged ruffian with a scar across his cheek who claims to be a tennis instructor; Halima with her 10-year-old daughter Mouna and two younger sons; and a nameless Guinean woman who gets seasick and throws up on Faten’s shoes. Faten exclaims, and Rahal snaps at her. The Guinean woman then apologizes. Murad shares water with Aziz and Faten, and the Guinean woman shares an orange with Murad. Rahal tells Halima to stop moving around so much, but Murad stands up for her.