Americanah

Uju meets a man named Bartholomew, a divorced accountant. She introduces him to Dike and Ifemelu, who senses that he uses “American affectations, his gonnas and wannas” (142) to mask a rural upbringing. Uju treats Bartholomew like royalty, cooking and cleaning for him. One night, Bartholomew speaks derisively of a girl on TV, claiming a Nigerian girl would never wear a dress so short. Ifemelu corrects him, assuring him that Nigerian girls “‘wear dresses much shorter than that o’” (143). After he leaves, Ifemelu tells Uju he is not right for her, but Uju sees little choice, “tottering under her many anxieties” (145).

Ifemelu visits Manhattan and Brooklyn and thinks of Obinze. Uju’s medical exam results arrive, and she learns she has passed. She makes plan to relax her hair for interviews. Ifemelu gets cabin fever and needs to leave the apartment. She surprises Dike with a trip to Coney Island. Days later, as she departs for college in Philadelphia, Dike cries. Uju has given her the Social Security card and license of a woman who is able to legally work in the US, unlike Ifemelu.