she is supposed to do—she has not seen Zemui in more than a week and is afraid for him. She plans to tell him he should be loyal to God and the Emperor before anything else. There is no convincing her not to go, and with a wave she is gone.

Ten minutes later a jeep with a mounted machine gun drives by, followed by an armored car. Men in camouflage fatigues and ammunition belts are in evidence, and a voice over the loudspeaker announces that Crown Prince Asfa Wossen has taken over the government and that they are to listen to a radio address at noon. At noon the family listens to the radio. The BBC reports that the bloodless coup happened while the Emperor was on a state visit to Liberia. It is thrilling to Marion to hear his city, Addis Ababa, mentioned on the international radio broadcast. Until then, the British had no knowledge of Missing, but now they will be looking in their direction. Marion wonders how the BBC will be able to see what is happening to them when he cannot see anything when he looks over the fence?

Finally there is a rustling sound and the eldest son of the Emperor begins reading a statement; the adults in the room understand that the rather weak and anemic Crown Prince did not write it. He speaks in Amharic, the native dialect, and he speaks with no conviction. Marion says the man should have refused to speak words he does not believe. Ghosh suggests this is a ploy designed to get the people used to someone besides the Emperor, and he cites Almaz’s reluctance as an example of how loyal people are to the Emperor. Hema says the “irregulars” could swarm the city and take over, since they were not part of the coup. Ghosh says there was disagreement among the usurpers about that, but General Mebratu is convinced the other generals will support his cause. When Ghosh was at the palace, the General was emotional about it all and, as he thanked the doctor at the door, said he was “determined to avoid bloodshed.”

The rest of the day is eerily silent and very few patients come to Missing. Rosina is still away, so Marion gets Genet from her house and brings her to theirs, where she spends the night on the couch. The next day is quiet as well; few shopkeepers open their doors. The army is still deciding where to place its loyalty. At noon Gebrew calls them all to the gate, where they see thousands of university students protesting in favor of the coup. While the merchants and shopkeepers meet them with cheers, many of the older citizens of Addis Ababa give the protesters a cold reception. Eventually the military forces warn the crowd to disperse and threaten violence if they do not obey.

When Hema prepares to go to the Version Clinic, Shiva is unexpectedly adamant that she not leave them to go to the hospital. Hema must go, so she compromises by letting the twins meet her there. This is an unexpected and rare invitation because Hema never brings her work home with her. It is easy for them to forget she is a doctor because she never talks medicine; she wants them to know she is committed to them more than her work. They have heard about the Version Clinic for years but only know that “version” means “to turn” in Latin. Sometimes she has to leave during the night and tosses various obstetrical phrases over her shoulder at them as she leaves. The most terrible phrase they hear is “Delayed Afterbird.” The boys never hear about the Afterbird until it is delayed, and yet it is something that must arrive. Shiva and Marion are always on the lookout for the Delayed Afterbird in the trees of the Missing compound. Shiva draws the creature in various ways, but it is always some kind of a mysterious creature. It would have been easy for them to ask Hema but they always got the sense that the subject was off limits.

The waiting room at the women’s clinic is full of chattering women, laughing and sharing their common complaints. When they see the two boys, the women love them and invite them to sit with them while they wait. Marion is uncomfortable and wants to leave, but Shiva is at home here, so they stay. Marion sees his brother in a different way; Shiva’s smile is powerful and there is a new “lightness to his being” as he sits with these women. One of the women is reading a pamphlet written by the head of the Church in Ethiopia; he says that the coup against the Emperor is a coup against God, and these ladies seem to believe his words. Marion does not understand how his brother can seem so at home in the presence of these pregnant women, but when Hema arrives she is proud that her patients have adopted her sons.

The women recline on the examining tables three at a time and bare their bellies. One of the women invites Shiva to hold her hand, and he does so gleefully. Marion follows him. Hema does not protest, though she wants to. Hema uses a fetoscope to examine each woman who is there because her baby is in a breech position. In each case, Hema reaches carefully into the womb and turns the baby around; in all but one case, the procedure is successful. Ghosh wants her to do a study to see if what she is doing really makes a difference, if these babies all stay in the correct position. Hema is not interested in doing a study, for she enjoys Version Clinic. All women in this condition, no matter their nationality, are happy—until they deliver, at which time they will be “yelling, screaming, cursing their husbands.” No one leaves the clinic until all of them have been seen; they wait for the bread, tea, and vitamins they will receive.

For Marion, the problems outside Missing’s gates have disappeared because he and Shiva are fortunate enough to have Ghosh and Hema for parents. Shiva asks first about where the baby comes out and then what the word “sexual” means. Marion cannot tell whether he is being unconventional and serious or whether he is teasing their mother. Marion is upset that Shiva has broken the unspoken code for dealing with parents; one must be cunning, not direct. Hema sends them home with strict instructions not to leave the house; her tone is annoyed, but as she walks out of the clinic, Marion thinks she has a smile on her face.