A Handful of Dates

A Handful of Dates is a story about a young boy who looks up to his grandfather a lot. To the boy, his grandfather seems almost God-like. The boy also feels that he is his grandfather's favourite grandchild because he knows when his grandfather wants him to laugh or be silent, and he is also good at reciting from the Koran. One day, the boy's neighbour, Masood, asks if he would like to help him harvest his dates. The boy and his grandfather agree, but don't end up doing anything. The boy watches everyone else, and his grandfather falls asleep. Soon, some other people come along and begin to weigh and divide the dates into bags. A merchant takes then bags, two other men each take five, a neighbour takes five, and the boy's grandfather takes five. This leaves nothing for poor Masood even if the harvested dates were his to begin with. The boy's grandfather says that Masood is in debt to him, which is why he feels grateful to take whatever he wants. He then proceeds to turn around and head home knowing that his grandchild will follow. Instead the boy runs to the river, ignoring his grandfather's calls, and throws up the dates he had just eaten.