Americanah

Ifemelu finally calls Obinze and tells him that she is back in Nigeria. They agree to meet at a local bookstore café, and hug when they see each other. “[H]e pulled her ever so slightly close to him, and for a moment too long, as though to say he was not being chummy-chummy” (528). They sit in the café and talk, she telling him about Aunty Uju and Dike, he telling her about his family and his discomfort with his newfound wealth. They discuss Ifemelu’s race blog, too, and the ways she’s changed. Obinze tells her, “‘You’re more self-aware. Maybe more guarded” (534). She learns that he no longer adores America, and feels a “pang” when she realizes “he had visited America and she had not known” (536). He tells her about Emenike, who never visited when Obinze was deported, but has begun calling now that Obinze is rich. Then, Obinze leaves, needing to get back to work.

They have lunch that weekend and discuss her new returnee blog in more detail. He offers to invest money in the blog, but she turns him down.