The next day was Saturday. Every Saturday the family cleaned the apartment together. They pushed the furniture out of the way. The tables and chairs were stacked high, and there was some furniture on the couch. Everyone wore casual clothes. Saturday morning was always very busy.

This morning, Beneatha tied a handkerchief around her face. She was spraying insecticide into the cracks of the walls and floor. The insecticide was for killing the cockroaches that lived in the floor and walls.

The radio was playing blues music. Travis was listening to the music and looking out the window. He was the only one who wasn’t working.

“Grandmama,” he said, “that stuff Bennie is using smells awful. Can I go downstairs please?”

Lena looked at him sweetly, “Did you get all of your chores done already? I didn’t see you working much.”

“Yes’m,” he said, “I finished early. Where did Mama go this morning?” Ruth wasn’t at home. It was unusual for her to be gone during Saturday morning chores.

Lena looked at Beneatha, “She had to go on an errand.” At that moment, the phone rang. Beneatha and Walter both ran to answer it, but Beneatha got to it first.

“Hello?” said Beneatha into the phone. She listened for a moment and her smile went away. “Yes, he is.” She took the phone away from her ear. “It’s Willie Harris again,” she said as she gave Walter the phone.

Walter wondered who Beneatha expected on the phone. He took the phone and tried to speak very quietly so that his mother wouldn’t hear him. “Hello, Willie. Did you get the papers from the lawyer? …No, not yet. I told you the mailman doesn’t get here until ten-thirty… No, I’ll come there…. Yeah! Right away.” He hung up the phone and went to take his coat.

Beneatha asked him suddenly, “Walter, where did Ruth go?”

Walter opened the door and said as he was leaving, “How should I know!” He closed the door and hurried downstairs without saying anything else.

Travis saw his chance. “Come on, Grandma. Can I go outside?”

Lena sighed. “Oh, I guess so. Stay right in front of the building though, and look for the mailman for us.”

Travis nodded his head and then went into his mother’s bedroom. He came back out with a ball and a baseball bat. When he came out of the bedroom he saw his aunt cleaning under the sofa. He got a mischievous look on his face and walked up behind her. Then he hit her with the bat playfully. Beneatha screamed and Travis said, “Leave those poor little cockroaches alone! They aren’t bothering anyone!” He laughed and ran away as Beneatha chased him with the bottle.

“Be careful!” yelled Lena as Beneatha chased Travis. “Don’t spill any of that stuff on him!”

Travis hid behind his grandmother. He made a face at Beneatha, and then he ran out the door. “That’s right!” he called behind him.

Beneatha went back to her work, “It won’t hurt him. It certainly has never hurt the roaches. In fact, I think the only thing that will kill these roaches is to burn the building down.” She paused for a moment, and then she said, “Mama, where did Ruth go?”

Lena looked at Beneatha seriously, “To the doctor I think.”

Beneatha looked at her mother. If Ruth was at the doctor, there must be something serious. She suddenly had an idea about what it could be. “You don’t think—” she started.

“I’m not going to say what I think,” said Lena, “But I’ve never been wrong about a woman.”

At that moment the phone rang again. Beneatha ran to it quickly and answered it, “Hello? Well, when did you get back? … And how was it? … Of course I’ve missed you… This morning? No, it’s cleaning day and Mama hates it if I let people come over when the apartment is like this… You do? Well, that’s different… What is it? Oh, what the hell, come on over… Right, see you then!”

Beneatha hung up the phone with a big smile on her face. Her mother did not look happy. Lena really did not like people to see her home during cleaning day.

Beneatha reassured her mother, “Asagai doesn’t care how the apartment looks, Mama. He’s an intellectual.”

Lena didn’t recognize the name. “Who?” she asked.

“Asagai, Joseph Asagai. He’s an African boy that I met on campus. He has been studying in Canada all summer.”

Lena said doubtfully, “What is his name?”

“Asagai, Joseph. Ah-sah-guy. He’s from Nigeria,” explained her daughter.

Lena started cleaning again, “I don’t think I have ever met an African before.”

Beneatha was excited and nervous for Asagai to visit the house. She said, “Well, do me a favor. Don’t ask him ignorant questions about Africans. I mean, do they wear clothes and all that—”

Lena was annoyed now, “Well, I guess if you think we are so ignorant, maybe you shouldn’t bring your friends here.”

Lena and Beneatha never understood each other. Beneatha wanted her friend to feel comfortable when he visited, but she was worried that Lena would embarrass her. She tried to explain, “Mama, sometimes people ask very rude questions. People don’t know anything about Africa. All they know is from TV or movies.”

Lena was annoyed. “Why should I know anything about Africa?”

Beneatha rolled her eyes. She said, “Why do you give money at church for the missionary work in Africa?”

“Well, that’s to help save people’s souls,” said Lena innocently.

Beneatha laughed a little, “I’m afraid that they need more salvation from the British and French.”

At that moment Ruth came into the door. She looked sad and tired. She pulled off her coat slowly. Lena and Beneatha became very quiet and looked at her with worried expressions.

Ruth said sadly, “Well, I guess from all the happy faces, everybody knows.”

Beneatha said abruptly, “Are you pregnant?”

Lena began to smile at the thought. “Lord have mercy, I hope it’s a little girl. Travis ought to have a sister.”

Beneatha was not excited though. “How far along are you?”

Ruth said quietly, “Two months.”

“Did you mean to?” asked Beneatha. “I mean, did you plan it or was it an accident?”

Lena was shocked. “What do you know about planning or not planning?”

Beneatha laughed, and Ruth said, “She’s twenty years old, Lena.”

Beneatha asked Ruth again if she had planned it. When Ruth told her it was none of her business, she continued, “It is my business, where is he going to live? On the roof?”

The room got very quiet. Ruth looked miserable. Beneatha regretted the question. She said, “I didn’t mean that, Ruth, honestly. I don’t feel like that at all… I… I think it’s wonderful.”

But of course Ruth didn’t believe her. She was thinking the same thing. They didn’t have money or room for another child. She fought with her husband all the time. Her son slept on a little couch. There wasn’t enough space for another person.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a noise down on the street. Beneatha looked out the window to see what it was. “TRAVIS! TRAVIS! What are you doing down there?” Then she saw what he was doing. “Oh Lord, they’re chasing a rat!”

Ruth put her hand over her mouth. A rat! She was shocked and upset.

Lena told Beneatha to call Travis back upstairs, and she leaned out the window and called to him.

Ruth cried in sadness and disgust, “Chasing a rat…”

Lena noticed Ruth’s expression and said with worry, “Did the doctor say everything was going to be alright?”

Ruth dried her tears and looked away. “Yes, she says everything is going to be fine…”

“She?” said Lena, “What doctor did you go to?”

Suddenly the door opened and Travis came back inside. He was very excited to tell his mother about the rat.  “It was as big as a cat!” he said to Ruth, “Wow! That rat was huge, and Bubber caught him with his heel and the janitor, Mr. Barnett, got him with a stick, and then they got him in a corner and—BAM BAM BAM!—and he was still jumping around and bleeding, and there’s rat blood all over the street—”

Ruth couldn’t listen anymore. She reached out suddenly and grabbed her son to hold him. She hugged him close and held him. A rat! Her little boy was playing with a rat! Ruth hated this apartment. The cockroaches, the rats, all of it. She fell to the floor with her son in her arms and cried.

Lena came over to take Travis out of Ruth’s arms. “Hush now,” she said to her grandson. “Don’t talk about all that terrible stuff.”

Travis looked at his mother. He was worried about her. But Beneatha told him to go back outside to play. As he went out the door, he kept looking at his mother. He wondered what was wrong with her. Why was she so sad?

Before Lena and Beneatha could talk to Ruth about the pregnancy, there was a knock at the door. Ruth kept crying. She was sitting on the floor like a little child, just crying.

“Oh my God, that must be Asagai,” said Beneatha.

Lena quickly helped Ruth get to her feet. “Now just relax honey, don’t think about anything at all, nothing at all. Come on,” she said. Lena brought Ruth back to her bedroom, “You need to lie down and rest.”

Beneatha waited for Lena and Ruth to go into the little bedroom. Then she quickly went to the door and opened it. There was a tall young man in the doorway holding a large package.

“Hello, Alaiyo,” said the man.

Beneatha held the door open and smiled at him. “Hello,” she said. She paused and looked at him for a moment. He was so handsome. “Well, come in. And please excuse everything. My mother was very upset that I let someone come to see this mess.”

The man came in and looked around. Then he looked at Beneatha. “You look worried, too. Is something wrong?”

“Yes,” she said without thinking. “We’re all just sick of this place.” She smiled and came toward him. She took a cigarette from her pocket and sat down on a chair. “So, sit down! No, wait!” She took the insecticide sprayer off the couch and put the cushions back onto it. “There,” she said as she sat down on one of the couch’s arms. “So, how was Canada?”

“Canadian,” he said with a smile.

“Asagai,” Beneatha said softly, “I’m very glad that you are back.”

“Are you really?” he asked.

“Yes, very.”

“Why?” He asked, “You were very glad when I went away. What happened?”

Beneatha laughed, “Well, you went away!” She was surprised that she missed him so much. He was a very serious young man, and she wasn’t ready to be serious with anyone. She wanted to finish her education. She didn’t want to be married without thinking about it for a long time. “Before you left, you wanted to be so serious before there was time to get to know each other.”

Asagai said seriously, “How much time do you need to know how you feel?”

Beneatha wanted to change the subject. She looked at the package on his lap. “So! What did you bring me?”

He gave her the package and told her to open it and see.

Beneatha opened the package quickly. There were some records with music from Nigeria, and there was something else.

“Oh, Asagai! You got them for me! How beautiful!” Beneatha held up some beautiful robes. They had a lovely, colorful pattern. She ran to the mirror and held the robes in front of herself to admire them. “They’re gorgeous.”

Asagai stood up and followed her to the mirror. He showed her how to wear the robes and stood back to look at her. “You wear it very well, very well. Despite your hair.”

Beneatha suddenly frowned. She turned around and looked at him. “My hair? What’s wrong with my hair?”

Asagai shrugged and asked her if she was born with hair like that. Of course, he knew that she straightened her hair. It was a common style in the United States at the time. Many African Americans were treated badly if they had natural hair, so women often straightened it.

Beneatha turned back to look at herself in the mirror. She thought about her hair. She didn’t think natural hair was ugly, she just thought it was more difficult to take care of. She never thought about wearing it differently.

Asagai noticed Beneatha’s frown and laughed. “Oh please, I am only teasing you because you are so serious about these things.” He stood back from her a little and folded his arms across his chest. He watched her playing with her hair. He said, “I remember the first time that we met. You came up to me at school. You were so serious. You said, ‘Mr. Asagai, I really want to talk with you. About Africa. You see, Mr. Asagai, I am looking for my identity.’” Asagai laughed.

Beneatha turned to face him. She was not laughing. Just like Asagai said, she was very serious.

Asagai reached out and held her face in his hands. “Well, you don’t look like a Hollywood queen. You look like a queen of the Nile. But it doesn’t matter. Assimilation is so popular in your country.”

Beneatha was very angry now. “I am not an assimilationist!” An assimilationist was someone who tried to become ‘American’ by abandoning their original culture. When Asagai called Beneatha an assimilationist, he meant that she was not African at all. He meant that she was trying to look and act like White Americans.

Asagai’s smile fell a little. “You are such a serious one,” he said. He took a deep breath and tried to change the subject, “So, do you like the robes? You must take excellent care of them. They are from my sister.”

Beneatha was shocked. “They’re all the way from your home? For me?”

Asagai smiled again and said charmingly, “For you, I would do much more.” He paused and looked in her eyes. He honestly enjoyed her company and was pleased that she liked the gifts. “Well, that is what I came for. I must go.”

Beneatha held his hand for a moment. She said, “Will you call me on Monday?”

Asagai walked to the door. “Yes, we have a lot of things to talk about. Identity, time, and all that.”

Beneatha asked him what he meant. “Yes,” he said, “We need to talk about how much time you need to know how you feel.”

Beneatha was embarrassed and frustrated. Sometimes Asagai didn’t understand her. She wanted to be his friend. She wasn’t sure that she wanted to be romantically involved with him. She said, “There is more than one kind of feeling which can exist between a man and a woman. Or at least there should be.”

Asagai shook his head gently. “No,” he said. “Between a man and a woman there only needs to be one kind of feeling. I have that feeling for you, even now, right this moment.”

Beneatha didn’t know what to say. “I know, but I don’t know if I feel like that yet. Go ahead and laugh,” she said. “But I’m not interested in being someone’s ‘little episode’ in America!”

Asagai laughed. “Every American girl I have met says the same thing!”

As Asagai was laughing, Lena left Ruth in her bedroom and came back into the living room. She smiled at her guest and came to introduce herself.

“Oh, Mama,” said Beneatha. “This is Mr. Asagai.”

Lena smiled at Asagai and said, “How do you do?”

Asagai became very polite and respectful. “How do you do, Mrs. Younger. Please forgive me for coming so early on a Saturday.”

Lena was pleased by his politeness. “Well, you are quite welcome. I hope that you understand that our home doesn’t always look like this. You must visit again later. I would love to hear all about…” but Lena couldn’t remember where Asagai was from, “…your country. I think it’s so sad the way we don’t know anything about Africa except from the movies. And all that money they pour into these churches when they ought to be helping you people get rid of the French and the Englishmen who have taken away your land.” Lena looked at Beneatha to see if she was behaving alright. Beneatha was embarrassed and tried not to look at Asagai.

Lena continued, “How many miles is it from here to… to where you come from?”

Asagai told her it was many thousands of miles.

Lena looked at him and thought about her own children. “You’re so far from your mama. You had better come here sometimes to get yourself a decent home-cooked meal.”

Asagai was impressed by this attention and he thanked Mrs. Younger for her kind words. “Thank you, I will. Well,” he turned to Beneatha for a moment, “I must go. I will call you on Monday, Alaiyo.”

Lena turned to Beneatha, “What did he call you?”

“Oh,” said Asagai, “I called her ‘Alaiyo.’ I hope you don’t mind. It is a nickname. It’s a Yoruba word. I am a Yoruba.”

Lena looked at Beneatha. “I thought you said he was from…” but she still couldn’t remember the country.

“Nigeria is my country,” Asagai said. “Yoruba is my tribal origin.”

Beneatha was curious about the nickname, too. “You didn’t tell us what Alaiyo means. For all I know, you might be calling me ‘Little Idiot’ or something.”

Asagai thought for a moment. “Well, let me see. I do not know how to explain it. It’s difficult to translate everything well. I think it means ‘One who needs more than food.’ Is that alright?”

Beneatha nodded. She understood the nickname. Indeed, she needed more than food. She needed to understand the world and herself. She needed to understand her culture and her heritage. She needed an identity. “Thank you,” she said softly.

Lena looked at the two of them. They were both so serious. “Well,” she said at last. “That’s nice. You must come to see us again, Mr. —”

“Ah-sah-guy,” he said with a smile.

They said goodbye and Asagai looked at Beneatha one more time. When he shut the door, Lena looked at Beneatha and said, “Lord, that’s a handsome young man! Yes, now I understand why you are suddenly so interested in Africa!”

“Oh, Mama!” said Beneatha with embarrassment. She picked up the Nigerian dress again and held it up to herself in front of the mirror. There was a little head scarf as well. She began to wrap the scarf around her head. As she was putting it on her head, she saw her hair and held it for a moment. She frowned at her reflection. She squinted her eyes for a moment and imagined what she would look like with natural hair. Then, suddenly she put everything down and grabbed her raincoat.

While Beneatha was thinking about her identity and her hair, Travis came back inside. He asked his grandmother if his mama was okay.

“She’s resting now.” Lena replied. “Travis, baby, run next door and ask Miss Johnson to please let me have a little kitchen cleaner.”

Travis whined a little, but then agreed to the chore. Lena saw that Beneatha was leaving, too. “Where are you going?” she asked her daughter.

Beneatha paused at the door for a moment before hurrying out. “To become Queen of the Nile!” she said dramatically, and closed the door.