No Longer at Ease

Obi begins to feel more comfortable in his job despite not liking Mr. Green. He gets along with Green’s secretary Miss Tomlinson, an English woman. He introduces Clara to her during one of her visits in the office and Miss Tomlinson raves about her.

An Igbo man named Mark visits Obi at work to talk to him about his sister, who wants to get a scholarship to study in England. Mark tells Obi that it is necessary to “see people” for something like this (45). He was planning on visiting Obi at his house since he is the secretary of the scholarship commission. Obi realizes he is asking him for a favor and quickly dismisses him. Obi feels victorious and satisfied with himself that he rejected a bribe. However, he realizes that a bribe is tempting since he struggles to make ends meet.

Obi clashes with Joseph because he told the Union men about his relationship with Clara. Even though Joseph apologizes, Clara does not want to see him again.

Back at his apartment, Obi has a visit from Mark’s sister, Elsie. She apologizes that her brother came to Obi’s office. Obi assures her that her good grades are promising and that she could receive the scholarship if her interview goes well.