The chapter opens with a steep mountain road filled with pine scent as a taxi carries Usama and other passengers. The narrator recalls biblical and contemporary images of the promised land, hears a radio broadcast of “Sad northern nights,” and reflects on how his military training has stripped him of romance. The driver, irritated by the broadcast, curses and insults the passengers. A pot‑bellied man, Abu Muhammad, sits beside Usama, displaying an expensive watch he brought from Kuwait and recounting that his sons live there, while his younger son Khalid, the last of the line, was released on bail after being tortured—his genitals attacked by a dog, leaving him potentially impotent. Abu Muhammad laments Khalid’s unreliability and fears the family’s house could be blown up. As the taxi approaches the Jordan Valley farms, the passengers discuss customs duties on the watch and on lengths of cloth, worrying about searches at the upcoming bridge checkpoint. Abu Muhammad mutters verses from the Qur’an and asks Usama what he does; Usama replies that he has no job and likens himself to Khalid. Usama’s thoughts drift to his mother’s cooking, the jasmine, prayer mats, and the landscape of the Jordan Valley, revealing his lingering romantic longing despite his belief that training has made him unromantic. The chapter ends with vivid images of the valley, waterfalls, almond bags, and walnut trees, underscoring Usama’s internal conflict between duty and yearning.