The Cat I Never Named: Chapter 26–Epilogue

by Amra Sabic-El-Rayess, Laura L. Sullivan
This memoir recounts how teenage Amra, with the help of a stray cat, survived the Serbian invasion of Bosnia that killed about a hundred thousand people, especially Muslims, from 1992–1995.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–5, Chapters 6–14, Chapters 15–20, Chapters 21–25, Chapter 26–Epilogue
40 words 60 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. incongruous
    lacking in harmony or compatibility or appropriateness
    I catch a whiff of lavender. It is so incongruous in this vile, dangerous setting that I almost laugh.
  2. extort
    obtain by coercion or intimidation
    “We can’t afford that. No one can. We don’t need luxury. We need food!” I’m angry as well as scared. I want to tell him what he’s doing to us. Killing us, starving us, and then extorting us.
  3. headlong
    with the upper or anterior part of the body foremost
    Mama pulls one arm, he pulls the other, and for a moment it is a tug of war with me as the rope. My hands are sweating so much with fear that his grip slips off again and, unbalanced, he falls headlong into the dead leaves.
  4. presage
    indicate by signs
    Clouds on the horizon presage a day of spring rains.
  5. artillery
    large but transportable armament
    The road runs right below the hills for a few kilometers where the Serbs have encampments and heavy artillery mounted. Any time they wanted they could shoot this insane girl pedaling for all she’s worth in plain sight.
  6. torrential
    relating to or resulting from the action of a downpour
    But the moment I hit that road, the heavens open up in a torrential downpour.
  7. benevolent
    intending or showing kindness
    How many times has this benevolent spirit, this loving soul, helped my family now?
  8. caper
    jump about playfully
    Maci catches my mood and capers around me like a new kitten, full of manic energy.
  9. underhanded
    marked by deception
    “The kind of money one might get from selling one girl’s documents and scholarship money to some other family, to a rich family desperate to evacuate their daughter to another country!”
    “No, I can’t believe anyone would do something so underhanded,” Tata says.
  10. loath
    unwilling to do something contrary to your custom
    “No, I can’t believe anyone would do something so underhanded,” Tata says. He’s always loath to believe the worst of anyone.
  11. arduous
    taxing to the utmost; testing powers of endurance
    I smile grimly, sigh, and continue the arduous task of survival.
  12. rudimentary
    being or involving basic facts or principles
    I translate as best I can, but I know my rudimentary English is only catching half of the disappointment and fear and desperation the younger students feel.
  13. exuberant
    joyously unrestrained
    They praise my work as a translator and my cleverness and initiative. The jet-lagged doctor agrees to hire me on the spot, I think more from tiredness than anything else. In the face of these exuberant Americans it is easiest to say yes.
  14. amiable
    diffusing warmth and friendliness
    The doctor coordinating medical relief for children is amiable and earnest, with a real desire to help.
  15. disabuse
    free somebody from an erroneous belief
    He’s a young doctor, too, and I think he had an idea that it would be a glamorous, exciting adventure to work in a war zone. He’s quickly disabused of that notion.
  16. commandeer
    take arbitrarily or by force
    He points his handgun in my face, just as if I were an enemy Serb soldier. “You don’t need to give us anything. You have no choice, we’re commandeering them.”
  17. harry
    annoy continually or chronically
    The Serbs have a stronghold above the city. It’s fortified with many guns and soldiers. So many of our own boys have lost their lives there. It’s too well defended for us to have a hope of capturing. All we can do is harry and harass them.
  18. sanguine
    confidently optimistic and cheerful
    But with the tides of war turning and a bit of money coming in, my whole family is more sanguine.
  19. peruse
    examine or consider with attention and in detail
    People without money to spend stop in to peruse our merchandise but mostly, I think, for a chance to see Maci.
  20. sashay
    walk with a lofty proud gait, often to impress others
    Within an hour of getting home, I’m sashaying down the street so all the neighbors can see my wild scarlet hair.
  21. mangy
    affected with a skin disease causing itching and hair loss
    But before I can answer he says, “And the last thing, the worst thing—this dirty cat right here in the same room where you have all your foodstuffs. Do you realize how many diseases this mangy animal might be carrying? You could start an epidemic!”
  22. waive
    do without or cease to hold or adhere to
    The fine has been waived, but they won’t let him reopen the shop, and they won’t assign a different inspector.
  23. crony
    a close friend or associate
    Zumra sometimes walks by our shop with one of her cronies named Šefika.
  24. quell
    suppress or crush completely
    Now that NATO air strikes and strong Fifth Corps resistance has quelled the Serbs in most regions, the roads are opening up.
  25. solace
    comfort offered to one who is disappointed or miserable
    Is it selfish of me to want Maci back when she might be able to provide some solace for Rahima, who has lost so much?
  26. emaciated
    very thin, especially from disease or hunger or cold
    I cover her exhausted, emaciated body with kisses.
  27. sustain
    supply with necessities and support
    My big strong Tata! Now he’s stooped and fragile, with failing eyesight. Yet somehow he still makes me feel safe. His body might be growing frail, but his love is more powerful than ever. It sustains me.
  28. balaclava
    a tight knit cap that covers the entire head and neck
    The men wear mismatched military clothes and balaclavas or fur hats, no two alike.
  29. excise
    remove by cutting
    Four years of my childhood were excised from my life, leaving me with a strange mix of innocence and experience.
  30. disdainfully
    without respect
    But the man only spits out another incredulous “America!” and throws my passport disdainfully on the floor before they stomp out, talking about lunch again.
  31. arbitrary
    based on or subject to individual discretion or preference
    Then we are above the clouds, so high that the borders between countries, between almost-identical groups of humans seem arbitrary.
  32. garbled
    lacking orderly continuity
    This staticky, garbled voice is nothing like the clipped, studied English phrases I learned in the classroom.
  33. trepidation
    a feeling of alarm or dread
    After the next short leg of the flight I exit with trepidation, certain that something will go wrong.
  34. coddle
    treat with excessive indulgence
    I liked him, but he didn’t really understand my past. How could he, living his safe, coddled American life?
  35. peon
    a laborer who is obliged to do menial work
    There were customers inside, and this little ignorant man came in and spoke to Tata like he was a peon. He fined Tata two thousand marks and said if Maci even crossed the doorstep one more time he would have Tata thrown in prison.
  36. earnestly
    in a sincere and serious manner
    Around me, students are playing Frisbee, or walking in groups of two or three, laughing, or else talking earnestly with their heads bent.
  37. frivolity
    the trait of being not serious or sensible
    I love the way frivolity and serious academics exist so easily side by side here.
  38. incandescent
    characterized by ardent emotion, intensity, or brilliance
    “My darling girl!” he answers, and his voice is incandescent.
  39. pomade
    apply oil or ointment to the hair
    I think of my father as he was before the war, movie-star handsome, Cary Grant or Henry Fonda, with his impeccable suits and pomaded silver hair.
  40. tangible
    perceptible by the senses, especially the sense of touch
    But at last there comes a calm, settling on my chest with a tangible presence.
Created on Mon Sep 09 17:16:25 EDT 2024 (updated Wed Sep 11 16:32:59 EDT 2024)

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