at haji ali's house, his wife, sakina, took greg's hand in welcome. he realized that it was the first time a balti woman had touched him. it is against tradition for a woman among the balti to touch a man who isn't related to her, even to shake hands. the momeant that, to sakina, greg was becoming like family.
sakina grinned boldly up at greg,as if daring him to be surprised.in response,he did something that surprised her-he stepped into her kitchen, a small area of the house with a ring of rocks to hold a fire, a few shelves,and a wooden board on the floor for chopping. normally only the women in the house would do any work in the kitchen.