The narrator, a 71‑year‑old retired mathematics professor, goes to the university bursary to inquire about his overdue pension. He meets clerks Ugwuoke and another unnamed clerk, and a group of men gathered under a flame tree discussing corrupt university officials. He chats with his former driver Vincent, who reminisces about past times and asks about the narrator’s daughter Nkiru. While leaving, the narrator spots Ikenna Okoro, a man believed dead since the 1967 Biafran war. They shake hands and hug, and Ikenna confirms he is alive. Ikenna recounts his wartime deeds: defying a tie dress code, speaking at the Staff Club, organizing rallies, and fleeing Nsukka during the war. He explains he escaped on a Red Cross plane to Sweden, organized fundraising for Biafra across Europe, and recently retired after returning. He reveals his wife, referred to as Nnenna, died three years ago. The narrator shares his own war memories, including evacuating Nsukka, the devastation of the campus, and a wounded soldier’s blood staining his car. He updates Ikenna on his daughter Nkiru, now a doctor in Connecticut, and reflects on his own post‑war life: nursing his pension woes, tending to his garden with househelp Harrison, reminiscing about old friends like driver Vincent, former vice‑chancellor Josephat Udeana, and the once‑vibrant Staff Club now in decline. He mentions current national issues such as fake drugs, and his internal contemplation of missed opportunities and the lingering impact of the war. The chapter ends with the narrator watching Ikenna leave, realizing they will not meet again, and returning to his modest, nostalgic home life.