The Promise

Anton, the oldest Swart sibling, is stationed with his unit in the military. He is preoccupied with thoughts of a woman he killed the day before when his unit was sent to “bring things under control” (45) in riots near Johannesburg. His unit’s chaplain tells him about Rachel’s death, and he temporarily conflates his mother’s death and the woman’s death in his mind: “My mother is dead, I killed her,” he thinks (45).

Anton calls the farm and asks his father to send the family driver, Lexington, to pick him up. Although Manie warns Lexington to avoid areas of unrest, Anton insists they take the fastest route, which brings them straight through an area of rioting. A woman throws a rock at the car, shattering a window and hitting Anton’s head. When he arrives home, the family calls a doctor to give him stitches.

The next day, Manie and Marina meet with Rachel’s Rabbi, who oversaw her return to Judaism. Rachel’s two sisters, Marcia and Ruth, are also present. The meeting is a disaster, with Manie blaming Ruth for Rachel’s return to Judaism and objecting to Rachel’s burial in a Jewish cemetery rather than in the Swart family plot.