Surreptitiously,
the father began going into his son's bedroom. He would sit there for hours,
rousing himself only to seek clues. What bewildered him was that Ali was
getting tidier. Instead of the usual tangle of clothes, books, cricket bats,
video games, the room was becoming neat and ordered; spaces began appearing
where before there had been only mess.
Initially
Parvez had been pleased: his son was outgrowing his teenage attitudes. But one
day, beside the dustbin, Parvez found a torn bag which contained not only old
toys, but computer disks, video tapes, new books and fashionable clothes the boy had
bought just a
few months before. Also without explanation, Ali had parted from the English
girlfriend who used to come often to the house.
His old
friends had stopped ringing. For reasons he didn't himself understand, Parvez
wasn't able to
bring up
the subject of Ali's unusual behaviour. He was aware that he had become
slightly afraid of his son, who, between his silences, was developing a sharp
tongue. One remark Pawez did make, 'You 
don't play your guitar any more,' elicited the
mysterious but conclusive reply, 'There are more important things to be done.'
Yet
Parvez felt his son's eccentricity as an injustice. He had always been
aware of the pitfalls that other men's sons had fallen into in England. And so,
for 
Ali, he had worked long hours and spent
a lot of money paying for his education as an accountant. He had bought him
good suits, all the books he required and a computer.
And now
the boy was throwing his possessions out! - - 
The TV, video and sound stem
followed the guitar. Soon the room was practically bare. Even the unhappy walls
bore marks where Ali's pictures had been removed.
Parvez
couldn't sleep; he went more to the whisky bottle, even when he was at work. He
realised it was imperative to discuss the matter with someone sympathetic.
Parvez
had been a taxi driver for twenty years. Half that time he'd worked for the
same firm. Like him. most of the other drivers were Punjabis. They preferred to
work at night, the roads were clearer and the money better. They slept during
the day, avoiding their wives. Together they led almost a boy's life in the
cabbies' office, playing cards and practical jokes, exchanging lewd stories,
eating together and discussing politics and their problems.
But
Parvez had been unable to bring this subject up with his friends. He was too
ashamed. And he was afraid, too, that they would blame him for the wrong
turning his boy had taken, just as he had blamed other fathers whose sons had
taken to running around with bad girls, truanting from school and joining
gangs.
For years
Parvez had boasted to the other men about how 
Ali excelled at cricket, swimming and
football, and how attentive a scholar he was, getting A's in most subjects. Was
it asking too much for Ali to get a good job, now, many the right girl and
start a family? Once this happened, Parvez would be happy. His dreams of doing
well in England would have come true. Where had he gone wrong?
But one
night, sitting in the taxi office on busted chairs with his two closest friends
watching a Sylvester Stallone film. he broke his silence. 'I can't understand
it!' he burst out. 'Everything is going from his room. And I can't talk to him
anymore. We were not father and son - we were brothers! Where has he gone? Why
is he torturing me?' And Parvez put his head in his hands.
Even as
he poured out his account the men shook their heads and gave one another
knowing glances. From their grave looks Parvez realised they understood the
situation. 'Tell me what is happening!' he demanded. The reply was almost
triumphant. They had guessed something was going wrong. Now it was clear: 
All was taking drugs and sell ing his
possessions to pay for them. That was why his bedroom was emptying.
'What
must I do then?'
Parvez's friends
instructed him to watch Ali scrupulously
and then be severe with him, before the boy went mad. overdosed or murdered
someone.
Parvez
staggered out into the early morning air, terrified they were right. His boy - the drug addict killer!
To his
relief, he found Bettina sitting in his car. Usually the last customers of the
night were local 'brasses' or prostitutes. The taxi drivers knew them well,
often driving them to liaisons. At the end of the girls' shifts, the men would
ferry them home, though sometimes the women would join them for a drinking
session in the office. Occasionally the drivers would go with the girls. 'A
ride in exchange for a ride,' it was called.
Bettina
had known Parvez for three years. She lived outside the town and on the long
drive home, where she sat not in the passenger seat but beside him, Parvez had
talked to her about his life and hopes, just as she talked about hers. They saw
each other most nights.
He could
talk to her about things he'd never be able to discuss with his own wife.
Bettina, in turn, always reported on her night's activities. He liked to know
where she was and with whom. Once he had rescued her from a violent client, and
since then they had come to care for one another.
Though
Bettina had never met the boy, she heard about Ali con tinually. That late
night. when he told Bettina that he suspected Ali was on drugs, she judged neither the boy nor
the father, but became businesslike and told him what to watch for.
'It's all
in the eyes,' she said. They might be bloodshot; the pupils might be dilated;
he might look tired. He could be liable to sweats, or sudden mood changes.
'Okay?'
Parvez
began his vigil gratefully. Now he knew what the problem might be, he felt
better. And surely, he figured, things couldn't have gone too far? With
Bettina's help he would soon sort it out.
He
watched each mouthful the boy took. He sat beside him at every opportunity and
looked into his eyes. When he could he took the boy's hand, checking his
temperature. If the boy wasn't at home Parvez was active, looking under the
carpet, in his drawers, behind the empty wardrobe, sniffing, inspecting,
probsng. He knew what to look for: Bettina had drawn pictures of capsules,
syringes, pills, powders, rocks.
Every
night she waited to hear news of what he'd witnessed. After a few days of
constant observation, Parvez was able to report that although the boy had given
up sports, he seemed healthy with clear eyes. He didn't, as his father
expected, flinch guiltily from his gaze. In fact the boy's mood was alert and
steady in this sense: as well as being sullen, he was very watchful. He
returned his father's long looks with more than a hint of criticism, of
reproach even; so much so that Parvez began to feel that it was he who was in
the wrong, and not the boy!
'And
there's nothing else physically different?' Bettina asked. 'No!' Parvez thought
for a moment. 'But he is growing a beard.' One night, after sitting with
Bettina in an all-night coffee shop,
Parvez
came home particularly late. Reluctantly he and Bettina had abandoned their
only explanation, the drug theory, for Parvez had
found
nothing resembling any drug in Ali's room. Besides, all wasn't selling his
belongings. He threw them out, gave them away or donated them to charity shops.
Standing
in the hall, Parvez heard his boy's alarm clock go off. Parvez hurried into his
bedroom where his wife was still awake, sewing in bed. He ordered her to sit
down and keep quiet, though she had neither stood up nor said a word. From this
post, and with her watching him curiously, he observed his son through the
crack in the door.
The boy
went into the bathroom to wash. When he returned to his room Parvez sprang
across the hall and set his ear at Ali's door. A muttering sound came from
within. Parvez was puzzled but re lieved.
Once this
clue had been established, Parvez watched him at other times. The boy was
praying. Without fail, when he was at home, he prayed five times a day.
Parvez
had grown up in Lahore where all the boys had been taught the Koran. To stop
him falling asleep when he studied, the Maulvi had attached a piece of string
to the ceiling and tied it to Parvez's hair, so that if his head fell forward,
he would instantly awake. After this indignity Parvez had avoided all
religions. Not that the other taxi drivers had more respect. Infact they made
jokes about the local mullahs walking around with their caps and beards,
thinking they could tell people how to live, while their eyes roved over the
boys and girls in their care.
Parvez
described to Bettina what he had discovered. He informed the men in the taxi
office. His friends, who had been so curious before, now became oddly silent.
They could hardly condemn the boy for his devotions.
Parvez
decided to take a night off and go out with the boy. They could talk things
over. He wanted to hear how things were going at college; he wanted to tell him
stories about their family in Pakistan. More than anything he yearned to
understand how Ali had discovered the 'spiritual dimension', as Bettina
described it. To Parvez's surprise, the boy refused to accompany him. He
claimed he had an appointment. Parvez had to insist that no ap pointment could
be more important than that of a son with his fa ther. The next day, Parvez
went immediately to the street where Bet tina stood in the rain wearing high
heels, a short skirt and a long mac on top, which she would open hopefully at
passing cars. 'Get in, get in!' he said.
They
drove out across the moors and parked at the spot where on better days, with a
view unimpeded for many by nothing but wild deer and horses, they'd lie back,
with their eyes half closed, saying 'This is the life.' This time Parvez was
trembling. Bettina put her 105 arms around him.
'What's
happened'?'
'I've
just had the worst experience of my life.' As Bettina rubbed his head Parvez
told her that the previous evening he and Ali had gone to a restaurant. As they
studied the menu, the waiter, whom Parvez knew, brought him his usual whisky
and water. Parvez had been so nervous he had even prepared a question. He was
going to ask Ali if he was worried about his im minent exams. But first,
wanting to relax, he loosened his tie, crunched a poppadom, and took a long
drink. Before Parvez could speak, Ali made a face.
'Don't
you know it's wrong to drink alcohol?' he said.
'He spoke
to me very harshly,' Parvez said to Bettina. 'I was about to castigate the boy
for being insolent, but I managed to con trol myself.' 
He had
explained patiently to Ali that for years he had worked more than ten hours a
day, that he had few enjoyments or hobbies and never went on holiday. Surely it
wasn't a crime to have a drink when he wanted one?
'But it
is forbidden,' the boy said. 
Parvez
shrugged, 'I know.'
And so is
gambling, isn't it?'
'Yes. But
surely we are only human?'
Each time
Parvez took a drink, the boy winced, or made a fastidious face as an
accompaniment. This made Parvez drink more IW quickly. The waiter, wanting to
please his friend, brought another glass of whisky. Parvez knew he was getting
drunk, but he couldn't stop himself. Ali had a horrible look on his face, full
of disgust and censure. It was as if he hated his father. 
Halfway
through the meal Parvez suddenly lost his temper and threw a plate on the
floor. He had felt like ripping the cloth from the table, but the waiters and
other customers were staring at him. Yet he wouldn't stand for his own son
telling him the difference between right and wrong. He knew he wasn't a bad
man. He had a conscience. There were a few things of which he was ashamed, but 200 on the whole he had lived a
decent life.
'When
have 1 had time to be wicked?' he asked Ali. In a low monotonous voice, the boy
explained that Parvez had not, in fact, lived a good life. He had broken
countless rules of the Koran. 
'For instance?' Parvez demanded. 205 Ali hadn't needed time to think.
As if he had been waiting for this moment, he asked his father if he didn't
relish pork pies?
'Well ...' 'Living in this country.' Parvez
couldn't deny that he loved crispy bacon smothered with mushrooms and mustard
and sandwiched between slices of fried bread. Infact he ate this for breakfast
every morning. Ali then reminded Parvez that he had
ordered his own wife to cook pork sausages, saying to her, 'You're not in the
village now, this is England. We have to fit in.'
Parvez
was so annoyed and perplexed by this attack that he called for more drink. 'The
problem is this,' the boy said. He leaned across the table. For the first time
that night his eyes were alive. 'You are too impli cated in Western
civilisation.'
Parvez
burped; he thought he was going to choke. 'Implicated!' he said. 'But we live
here!'
'The
Western materialists hate us,' Ali said. 'Papa, how can you love
something which hates you?'
'What is
the answer, then,' Parvez said miserably. 'According to you.'
Ali
addressed his father fluently, as if Parvez were a rowdy crowd that had to be
quelled or convinced. The Law of Islam would rule the world; the skin of the
infidel would bum off again and again; the Jews and Christers would be routed.
The West was a sink of hypocrites, adulterers, homosexuals, drug takers and
prostitutes. As Ali talked. Parvez looked out the window as if to check that they were still in London.
'My
people have taken enough. If the persecution doesn't stop, there will be jihad. I, and millions of others, will gladly give our lives for
the cause.'
'But why,
why?' Parvez said. 'For us the reward will be in Paradise.'
'Paradise!
'
Finally,
as Parvez's eyes filled with tears, the boy urged him to mend his ways.
'But is
that possible?' Parvez asked.
'Pray,' Ali said. 'Pray beside me.'
Parvez
called for the bill and ushered his boy out of the restaurant as soon as he was
able. He couldn't take any more. Ali sounded as if he'd swallowed someone
else's voice. On the way home the boy sat in the back of the taxi, as if he
were a customer.
'What has
made you like this?' Parvez asked him. afraid that somehow he was to blame for
all this. 'Is there a particular event which has influenced you?'
'But I
love England,' Parvez said, watching his boy in the mirror. 'They let you do
almost anything here.'
'That is
the problem,' he replied.
For the
first time in years Parvez couldn't see straight. He knocked the side of the
car against a lorry, ripping off the wing mirror. They were lucky not to have
been stopped by the police: Parvez would have lost his licence and therefore
his job. Getting out of the car back at the house, as he got out of the car,
Parvez stumbled and fell in the road, scraping his hands and ripping his
trousers. He managed to haul himself up. The boy didn't even offer him his
hand.
Parvez
told Bettina he was now willing to pray, if that was what the boy wanted, if
that would dislodge the pitiless look from his eyes. 'But what I object to,' he
said, 'is being told by my own son that I am going to hell! ' What had finished Parvez off was
that the boy had said he was giving up his accountancy. When Parvez had asked
why, Ali had said sarcastically that it was obvious.
'Western
education cultivates an anti-religious attitude.' And, according to Ali, in the
world of accountants it was usual to meet women, drink alcohol and practise
usury.
'But it's
well-paid work,' Parvez argued. 'For years you've been preparing! ' Ali said he was going to begin to
work in prisons, with poor Muslims who were struggling to maintain their -- 
- purity in the face of corruption.
Finally, at the end of the evening, as Ali was going to bed, he had asked his
father why he didn't have a beard, or at least a moustache. 'I feel as if I've
lost my son,' Parvez told Bettina. 'I can't bear to be looked at as if I'm a
criminal. I've decided what to do.' What is it?' 
'I'm
going to tell him to pick up his prayer mat and get out of my house. It will be
the hardest thing I've ever done, but tonight I'm going to do it.' 'But vou
mustn't give up on him,' said Bettina. 'Many young people fall into cults and
superstitious groups. It doesn't mean they'll always feel the same way.' She
said Parvez had to stick by his boy, giving him support,until he came through. 
Parvez
was persuaded that she was right, even though he didn't feel like giving his
son more love when he had hardly been thanked for all he had already given.
Nevertheless,
Parvez tried to endure his son's looks and re proaches. He attempted to make
conversation about his beliefs. But if Parvez ventured any criticism, Ali
always had a brusque reply. On one evening, Bettina was sitting in Parvez's car
after visiting a one occasion Ali accused Parvez of 'groveling' to the whites;
in contrast, he explained, he was not 'inferior'; there was more to the world
than the West, though the West always thought it was best.
'How is
it you know that?' Parvez said, 'seeing as you've never left England?'
Ali
replied with a look of contempt.
One
night, having ensured there was no alcohol on his breath, Parvez sat down at
the kitchen table with Ali. He hoped Ali would complement him on the beard he
was growing but Ali didn't appear 
to notice.
The
previous day Parvez had been telling Bettina that he thought people in the West
sometimes felt inwardly empty and that people needed a philosophy to live by.
'Yes,'
said Bettina. 'That's the answer. You must tell him what your philosophy of
life is. Then he will understand that there are other beliefs.' After some
fatiguing consideration, Parvez was ready to begin. The boy watched him as if
he expected nothing. Haltingly Parvez said that people had to treat one another
with respect, particularly children their parents. This did seem, for a moment,
to affect the boy. Heartened, Parvez continued. In his view this life was all
there was and when you died you rotted in the earth. 'Grass and flowers will
grow out of me, but something of me will live on 
-'
'How?'
'In other
people. I will continue 
- in you.' At this the boy appeared
a little distressed. 'And your grandchildren,' Parvez added for good measure.
'But while I am here on earth I want to make the best of it. And I want you to,
as well!'
'What
d'you mean by "make the best of it"'?' asked the boy. 'Well,' said
Parvez. 'For a start . . . you
should enjoy yourself. Yes. Enjoy yourself without hurting others.'
Ali said
that enjoyment was a 'bottomless pit'.
'But 1
don't mean enjoyment like that!' said Parvez. 'I mean the beauty of living!'
'All over
the world our people are oppressed,' was the boy's reply.
'I know,'
Parvez replied, not entirely sure who 'our people' were, 'but still - life is for living!'
Ali said,
'Real morality has existed for hundreds of years. Around the world millions and
millions ofpeople share my beliefs. Are you saying you are right and they are
all wrong?' Ali looked at his father with such aggressive confidence that Parvez
would say no more client when they passed a boy on the street.
'That's
my son,' Pawez said suddenly. They were on the other side of town, in a poor
district, where there were two mosques. 
l
Parvez set his face hard.
Bettina
watched him. 'Slow down then, slow down!' She said, 
' 'He's good-looking. Reminds me of
you. But with a more determined face. Please, can't we stop?'
'What
for?'
'I'd like
to talk to him.'
Parvez
turned the cab round and stopped beside the boy. 'Coming home?' Parvez asked.
'It's quite a way.'
The
sullen boy shrugged and got into the back seat. Bettina sat in the front.
Parvez became aware of Bettina's short skin, gaudy 
rings and ice-blue eyeshadow. He became
conscious that the smell
S of her perfume, which he loved,
filled the cab. He opened the win dow.
While
Parvez drove as fast as he could, Bettina said gently to Ali, 'Where have you
been'?'
'The
mosque,' he said.
'And how
are you getting on at college? Are you working hard?' 'Who are you to ask me
these questions?' he said, looking out of the window. Then they hit bad traffic
and the car came to a standstill.
By now
Bettina had inadvertently laid her hand on Parvez's shoulder. She said, 'Your
father, who is a good man, is very worried about you. You know he loves you
more than his own life.'
'You say
he loves me,' the boy said.
'Yes! ' said Bettina.
'Then why
is he letting a woman like you touch him like that?' If Bettina looked at the
boy in anger, he looked back at her with twice as much cold fury.
She said,
'What kind of woman am I that I deserve to be spoken to like that'?'
'You
know,' he said. 'Now let me out.'
'Never,'
Parvez replied.
'Don't
worry. I'm getting out,' Bettina said.
'No,
don't!' said Parvez. But even as the car moved she opened 
: the door and threw herself out
and ran away across the road. Parvez shouted after her several times, but she
had gone.
Parvez took Ali back to the house, saying nothing more to
him. Ali went straight to his room. Parvez was unable to read the paper, watch
television or even sit down. He kept pouring himself drinks. 
At last
he went upstairs and paced up and down outside Ali's room. When, finally, he
opened the door, Ali was praying. The boy didn't even glance his way.
Parvez
kicked him over. Then he dragged the boy up by his shirt and hit him. The boy
fell back. Parvez hit him again. The boy's face was bloody. Parvez was panting.
He knew that the boy was unreachable, but he struck him nonetheless. The boy
neither covered himself nor retaliated; there was no fear in his eyes. He only
said, through his split lip: 'So who's the fanatic now?'
Annotations
title: fanatic (n.): someone who has extreme
political or religious ideas and is often dangerous - 1 surreptitiously (adv.): done secretly or quickly because you do not
want other people to notice - 2 rouse (v.): to
make someone start doing something, especially when they have been too tired or
unwilling to do it - 2 clue (n.): information that helps you
understand the reasons why something happens 
- 3 bewilder (v.): to confuse some
one - 7 outgrow (v.): to no longer do or enjoy something that you used to
67 scrupulously (adv.): doing something
very carefully so that nothing is left out - 68 severe (adj.): someone who is severe behaves in a way that does not
seem friendly or sympathetic, and is very strict or disapproving - 70 stagger (v.) to walk or move unsteadily - 72 relief (n.): when some thing reduces someone's pain or unhappy
feelings - 73 brass (n.): (d.) prostitute - 75 liaison (n.): a secret sexual relationship between a man and a
woman, especially a man and a woman who are married but not to each other - 75 ferry (v.): to carry people or things a short distance from one
place to another in a boat or other vehicle - 91 judge (v.): to form an opinion about someone, especially in an
unfair or criticizing way - 93 bloodshot (adj.):
if your eyes are bloodshot, the parts that are normally white are red or pink - 94 dilated (adj.): if something dilates, it becomes wider - 94 liable (adj.): likely to do or say something or to behave in a
particular way, especially because of a fault or natural tendency - 94 sweat (n.): a state of nervousness or fear, in which you start to
sweat, even though you are not hot - 96 vigil (n.): a period of time, especially during the night, when you
stay awake in order to pray, remain with someone who is ill. or watch for
danger - 99 mouthful (n.): an amount of food or drink that you put into your
mouth at one time - 103 sniff (v.): to 
do,
because you have grown older and changed - 8 attitude (n.): the way that you behave towards someone or in a
particular situation, especially when this shows how you feel - 18 elicit (v.): to succeed in getting infor mation or a reaction from
someone, especially when this is difficult - 18 conclusive (adj.): showing that something is definitely true - 20 eccen tricity (n.): strange or unusual behaviour - 21 pitfall (n.): a problem or difficulty that is likely to happen in a
particular job, course of action, or activity - 23 accountant (n.): someone whose job is to keep and check financial
accounts, calculate taxes, etc. - 30 imperative (adj.): extremely important and needing to be done or
dealt with immediately - 31 sympa thetic (adj.): caring and feeling
sorry about someone's problems - 34 Punjabi (n.):
someone from the Punjab, a large area in eastern Pakistan and northwestern
India. The Punjab was a single province in the period of British rule. but it
is now two states: one in Pakistan, which contains the city of Lahore. and one
in India, which contains the city of Amritsar, a holy place for followers of
the Sikh religion. Many of the people who live in the Indian Punjab are Sikhs,
and some of them would like to become
independent
from India - 36 cabby (n.): (infml.) a taxi driver - 37 prac tical joke: a trick that is intended to give someone a
surprise or shock, or to make them look stupid - 37 lewd (adj.): using rude words or move ments that make you think of
sex - 43 truant (v.): (usually: play truant)
(infml.) stay away from school - 45 attentive (adj.):
listening to or watch ing someone carefully because you are interested - 46 A's: best marks - 46 scholar (n.): an intelligent and well-educated person - 51 busted (adj.): broken - 59 glance (n.): a quick look - 59 grave (adj.): serious - 
try to
find out or discover something - 103 probe (v.):
to look for some thing or examine something. using a long thin object - 104 capsule (n.): a plastic container shaped like a very small tube
with medicine or other substances inside that you swallow whole - 104 syringe (n.): an instru ment for taking blood from someone's body
or putting liquid, drugs, etc. into it, consisting of a hollow plastic tube and
a needle - 105 rock (n.): a small amount of a very
pure form of the illegal drug cocaine that some people use for pleasure - 109 flinch (v.):
to move your
face or body away from someone or something because you are in pain,
frightened, or upset - 110 alert (adj.): giving all your attention to what is happening, being
said, etc. - 11 1 sullen (adj.): angry and silent,
especially because you feel life has been unfair to you - 112 hint (n.): a very small amount or sign of something - 112 reproach (n.): criticism, blame, or disapproval 
- 118 reluctantly (adv.):
slowly and unwillingly - 120 resemble (v.): to look like or be similar to someone or something - 122 donate (v.): to give something, especially money, to a person or an
organization in order to help them - 131 mutter (v.): to speak in a low voice, especially because you are
annoyed about something, or you do not want people to hear you - 131 relieved (adj.): feeling happy because you are no longer worried
about something - 133 establish (v.): to find out facts that
will prove that something is true - 136 LAHORE: a major city of
Pakistan and the capi tal of the province of Punjab. It is estimated to have
approximately 6.5 million inhabitants. This makes it the second largest city in
Pakistan, after Karachi - 137 KORAN: the Qur'an, the holy
book of the Muslims - 138
MAULVI: an honorific Islamic religious title often, but not exclusively,
W
given to
Muslim religious scholars - 138 ceiling (n.):
the inner surface of the top part of a room - 140 indignity (n.): a situation that makes you feel very ashamed and
not respected - 142 mullah (n.): a Muslim teacher of law
and religion - 143 rove (v.): if someone's eyes rove, they
look con
tinuously
from one part of something to another - 147 oddly (adv.): in a strange or unusual way - 147 condemn (v.): to say very strongly that you do not approve of
something or someone, especially because you think it is morally wrong - 148 devotions (n.): prayers and other religious acts -
160 mac (n.): (infml.) mackintosh, a coat
made to keep out the rain 
- 162 moor (n.): a wild open area of high land, covered with rough grass
or low bushes and heather, that is not farmed because the soil is not good
enough - 163 unimpeded (adj.): happening or moving without being stopped or
having difficulty - 165 tremble (v.): to shake slightly in a
way that you cannot control, especially because you are upset or frightened - 173 im
minent (adj.): an event that is imminent, especially an unpleasant
one, will happen very soon - 175 poppadum (n.):
a large circular piece of very thin flat Indian bread cooked in oil - 179 castigate (v.): to criticize or punish someone severely - 179 insolent (adj.): rude and not showing any respect - 187 gambling (n.): when people risk money or possessions on the result
of something which is not certain, such as a card game or a horse race - 189 wince (v.): to suddenly change the expression on your face as a
reaction to something painful or upsetting - 189 fastidious (adj.): very careful about small details in your
appearance, work, etc. -
193 disgust (n.): a strong feeling of
dislike, annoyance, or disapproval - 194 censure (n.): the act of expressing strong disapproval and
criticism - 195 lose one's temper: to suddenly become
very angry so that you cannot control yourself - 200 conscience (n.): the part of your mind that tells you whether what
you are doing is morally right or wrong - 202 wicked (adj.): behaving in a way that is morally wrong - 207 relish (v.): to enjoy - 209 smother (v.): to completely cover the whole surface of something
with something else, often in a way that seems unnecessary or unpleasant - 215 annoyed (adj.): slightly angry - 215 perplexed (adj.): confused and worried by something that you do not
understand - 21 8 implicated (adj.): involved in something bad or harmful - 220 burp (v.): to pass gas loudly from your stomach out through your
mouth - 220 choke (v.): to be unable to breathe properly because something is
in your throat or there is not enough air - 224 miserably (adv.): in an extremely unhappy way, for example because
you feel lonely, cold, or badly treated - 227 quell (v.): to end a situation in which people are behaving violently
or protesting, espe 
cially by
using force - 228 infidel (n.): an offensive word for someone who has a different
religion from you - 229 Christers (n.): (sl.) Chris tians - 229 route (v.): to defeat completely - 230 sink (n.): a large open container that you fill with water and use
for washing yourself, washing dishes, etc. - 230 hypocrite (n.): someone who pretends to have certain 
beliefs
or opinions that they do not really have - 230 adulterer (n.): someone who is married and has sex with someone who
is not their wife or husband - 236 cause (n.): an organization, belief, or aim that a group of people
support or fight for - 241 mend your ways: to improve the way you
behave after behaving badly for a long time - 244 usher (v.): to help someone to get from one place to another,
especially by showing them the way - 246 swallow (v.): to move (food or drink) down the throat - 257 rip off (v.): to remove something quickly and violently - 26 1 scrape (v.): to rub against a rough surface in a way that causes
slight damage or injury - 262 haul (v.): to move somewhere with a lot of effort, especially be
cause you
are injured or tired - 265 dislodge (v.): to force or knock some
thing out of its position - 265 pitiless (adj.):
showing no pity and not caring if people suffer - 269 accounting/accountancy (n.): the profession or work of keeping or
checking financial accounts, calculating taxes, etc. - 273 usury (n.): the practice of lending money to people and making them
pay - 277 purity (n.): the quality or state of
being pure - 284 prayer mat (n.): a small cloth on which
Muslims kneel when praying - 
288 cult (n.): an extreme religious group
that is not part of an established religion - 288 superstitious (adj.): influenced by superstition (= the belief that some objects or
actions are lucky or unlucky, or that they cause events to happen, based on old
ideas of magic) - 289 stick by (phrasal v.): to remain loyal
to a friend when they have done something wrong or have problems - 294 endure (v.): to be in a difficult or painful situation for a long
time without complaining - 294 reproach (n.): criticism, blame, or
disapproval - 296 venture (v.): to do or try something
that involves risks - 296 brusque (adj.): using very few words in a way that seems rude - 297 grovel (v.): to praise someone a lot or behave with a lot of
respect towards them because you think that they are important and will be able
to help you in some way - 298 inferior (adj.): lower in rank, not
good, or not as good as someone or something else - 303 contempt (n.): a feeling that someone or something is not important
and deserves no respect - 3 14 fatiguing (adj.): extremely tiring - 315 haltingly (adv.): if you speak or move haltingly, you stop for a
moment between words or movements,
especially
because you are not confident - 3 18 heartened (adj.):
if you are heartened, someone or something makes you feel happier and more
hopeful - 323 distressed (adj.): very upset - 329 pit (n.): a hole in the ground, especially one made by digging - 332 oppress (v.): to treat a group of people unfairly or cruelly, and
prevent them from having the same rights that other people in society have - 339 confidence (n.): the belief that you have the ability to do things
well or deal with situations successfully - 343 mosque (n.): a building in which Muslims worship - 346 determined (adj.): showing determination (= the quality of trying to do
something even when it is difficult) - 353 gaudy (adj.): clothes, col
ours,
etc. that are gaudy are too bright and look cheap - 354 conscious
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