he stank again.
Parvana carried him most of the time. He wanted to be crawling, so he kicked and fussed whenever he was carried. He stank, so Parvana stank. Her once beautiful light blue clothes were now a stinking mess.
“We’re worse off than we were before,” Parvana said to the air. To top it off, she was dressed in girl clothes. Whatever she did now, she’d have to do it as a girl — a girl who was getting to be too old to be uncovered in public, according to the Taliban. She didn’t even have a head covering. She had been enjoying her hair too much on the night of the party to cover it up.
“Are you just going to sit there like an idiot?” Asif yelled. He had to yell loudly to make his voice heard over Hassan’s screeching.
She sat with her back to them for a while longer, then got to her feet. She went back to the others, lifted Hassan, helped Asif stand up, and gently nudged Leila.
“Let’s go,” she said.
The children started walking again, because there was nothing else to do.
Toward the middle of the afternoon, Asif let out a shout. “There’s a stream!”
Parvana looked where he was pointing. He was right. It wasn’t much of a stream, but at least it was wet.
“We should boil it first,” Parvana said, but Asif and Leila were already scooping water into their mouths. Parvana realized she was being a fool. There was no way they could boil water. If they got sick, they got sick. It was better than dying of thirst.
She made a cup with her hands and drank deeply. The water was muddy, but that didn’t matter. She scooped up water for Hassan to drink, too.
She started to undress the baby.
“What are you doing?” Asif asked.
“I’m going to wash him and wash his clothes. In case you haven’t noticed, he stinks.”
“I thought that was you.”
Parvana snatched the blanket shawl from Asif’s shoulders. “To keep the baby warm,” she said. For a moment she hoped Hassan would wet the blanket — it would serve Asif right — but quickly changed her mind when she remembered that they all had to sleep under that blanket.
They stayed by the stream for the rest of the day, drinking water whenever their bellies felt empty again.
“Hassan’s clothes aren’t dry,” Leila said as night fell. “We can’t dress him in wet clothes. He’ll catch cold. You should have waited until tomorrow to wash his clothes.”
Asif took off his shirt and wrapped it around the baby. Parvana could feel Asif shivering all night long.
The next morning was chilly. Hassan had messed Asif’s shirt, so Parvana had to wash it out. Asif kept the blanket around his shoulders, while he waited for his shirt to dry, but it took too long in the cold air. He eventually put it back on while it was still wet.
“You don’t know where we are, do you?” Asif accused Parvana, as his thin body cringed at the touch of the cold, wet cloth on his skin.
“No, I don’t,” Parvana said, too tired to try to think up something reassuring.
“Do you know where we’re going?”
“We’re going to find food,” Parvana replied. “Now you know as much as I do, and if you don’t like it, you’re free to go off on your own.”
“Don’t think I won’t do that,” Asif grumbled.
“Is there any food in your bag?” Leila asked.
“No, of course not.”
“Why don’t you check?” Leila suggested. “Maybe there’s something in there you forgot.”
“I wouldn’t forget about food. There’s no food in my bag.”
“Then why don’t you check?” Asif said. “If you don’t check, it’s because you’re hiding something. You probably have all kinds of food in there that you eat when we’re asleep.”
Parvana let out a deep, annoyed breath and dumped the contents of her shoulder bag onto the ground so everyone could see.
“Matches, notebook full of letters to my friend, pens, my mother’s magazine, book.” She touched each item as she identified it. “No food.”
“What is that book?” Leila
Parvana carried him most of the time. He wanted to be crawling, so he kicked and fussed whenever he was carried. He stank, so Parvana stank. Her once beautiful light blue clothes were now a stinking mess.
“We’re worse off than we were before,” Parvana said to the air. To top it off, she was dressed in girl clothes. Whatever she did now, she’d have to do it as a girl — a girl who was getting to be too old to be uncovered in public, according to the Taliban. She didn’t even have a head covering. She had been enjoying her hair too much on the night of the party to cover it up.
“Are you just going to sit there like an idiot?” Asif yelled. He had to yell loudly to make his voice heard over Hassan’s screeching.
She sat with her back to them for a while longer, then got to her feet. She went back to the others, lifted Hassan, helped Asif stand up, and gently nudged Leila.
“Let’s go,” she said.
The children started walking again, because there was nothing else to do.
Toward the middle of the afternoon, Asif let out a shout. “There’s a stream!”
Parvana looked where he was pointing. He was right. It wasn’t much of a stream, but at least it was wet.
“We should boil it first,” Parvana said, but Asif and Leila were already scooping water into their mouths. Parvana realized she was being a fool. There was no way they could boil water. If they got sick, they got sick. It was better than dying of thirst.
She made a cup with her hands and drank deeply. The water was muddy, but that didn’t matter. She scooped up water for Hassan to drink, too.
She started to undress the baby.
“What are you doing?” Asif asked.
“I’m going to wash him and wash his clothes. In case you haven’t noticed, he stinks.”
“I thought that was you.”
Parvana snatched the blanket shawl from Asif’s shoulders. “To keep the baby warm,” she said. For a moment she hoped Hassan would wet the blanket — it would serve Asif right — but quickly changed her mind when she remembered that they all had to sleep under that blanket.
They stayed by the stream for the rest of the day, drinking water whenever their bellies felt empty again.
“Hassan’s clothes aren’t dry,” Leila said as night fell. “We can’t dress him in wet clothes. He’ll catch cold. You should have waited until tomorrow to wash his clothes.”
Asif took off his shirt and wrapped it around the baby. Parvana could feel Asif shivering all night long.
The next morning was chilly. Hassan had messed Asif’s shirt, so Parvana had to wash it out. Asif kept the blanket around his shoulders, while he waited for his shirt to dry, but it took too long in the cold air. He eventually put it back on while it was still wet.
“You don’t know where we are, do you?” Asif accused Parvana, as his thin body cringed at the touch of the cold, wet cloth on his skin.
“No, I don’t,” Parvana said, too tired to try to think up something reassuring.
“Do you know where we’re going?”
“We’re going to find food,” Parvana replied. “Now you know as much as I do, and if you don’t like it, you’re free to go off on your own.”
“Don’t think I won’t do that,” Asif grumbled.
“Is there any food in your bag?” Leila asked.
“No, of course not.”
“Why don’t you check?” Leila suggested. “Maybe there’s something in there you forgot.”
“I wouldn’t forget about food. There’s no food in my bag.”
“Then why don’t you check?” Asif said. “If you don’t check, it’s because you’re hiding something. You probably have all kinds of food in there that you eat when we’re asleep.”
Parvana let out a deep, annoyed breath and dumped the contents of her shoulder bag onto the ground so everyone could see.
“Matches, notebook full of letters to my friend, pens, my mother’s magazine, book.” She touched each item as she identified it. “No food.”
“What is that book?” Leila
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