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第77部分

the kite runner-第77部分

小说: the kite runner 字数: 每页4000字

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d。
Then; a thing made of skin and bones pretending to be Rahim Khan opened the door。
A CREATIVE WRITING TEACHER at San Jose State used to say about clich閟:  Avoid them like the plague。  Then he d laugh at his own joke。 The class laughed along with him; but I always thought clich閟 got a bum rap。 Because; often; they re dead…on。 But the aptness of the clich閐 saying is overshadowed by the nature of the saying as a clich椤!or example; the  elephant in the room  saying。 Nothing could more correctly describe the initial moments of my reunion with Rahim Khan。
We sat on a wispy mattress set along the wall; across the window overlooking the noisy street below。 Sunlight slanted in and cast a triangular wedge of light onto the Afghan rug on the floor。 Two folding chairs rested against one wall and a small copper samovar sat in the opposite corner。 I poured us tea from it。
 How did you find me?  I asked。
 It s not difficult to find people in America。 I bought a map of the U。S。; and called up information for cities in Northern California;  he said。  It s wonderfully strange to see you as a grown man。 
I smiled and dropped three sugar cubes in my tea。 He liked his black and bitter; I remembered。  Baba didn t get the chance to tell you but I got married fifteen years ago。  The truth was; by then; the cancer in Baba s brain had made him forgetful; negligent。
 You are married? To whom? 
 Her name is Soraya Taheri。  I thought of her back home; worrying about me。 I was glad she wasn t alone。
 Taheri。。。 whose daughter is she? 
I told him。 His eyes brightened。  Oh; yes; I remember now。 Isn t General Taheri married to Sharif jan s sister? What was her name。。。 
 Jamila jan。 
 Balay!  he said; smiling。  I knew Sharif jan in Kabul; long time ago; before he moved to America。 
 He s been working for the INS for years; handles a lot of Afghan cases。 
 Haiiii;  he sighed。  Do you and Soraya jan have children? 
 Nay。 
 Oh。  He slurped his tea and didn t ask more; Rahim Khan had always been one of the most instinctive people I d ever met。
I told him a lot about Baba; his job; the flea market; and how; at the end; he d died happy。 I told him about my schooling; my books……four published novels to my credit now。 He smiled at this; said he had never had any doubt。 I told him I had written short stories in the leather…bound notebook he d given me; but he didn t remember the notebook。
The conversation inevitably turned to the Taliban。
 Is it as bad as I hear?  I said。
 Nay; it s worse。 Much worse;  he said。  They don t let you be human。  He pointed to a scar above his right eye cutting a crooked path through his bushy eyebrow。  I was at a soccer game in Ghazi Stadium in 1998。 Kabul against Mazar…i…Sharif; I think; and by the way the players weren t allowed to wear shorts。 Indecent exposure; I guess。  He gave a tired laugh。  Anyway; Kabul scored a goal and the man next to me cheered loudly。 Suddenly this young bearded fellow who was patrolling the aisles; eighteen years old at most by the look of him; he walked up to me and struck me on the forehead with the butt of his Kalashnikov。  Do that again and I ll cut out your tongue; you old donkey!  he said。  Rahim Khan rubbed the scar with a gnarled finger。  I was old enough to be his grandfather and I was sitting there; blood gushing down my face; apologizing to that son of a dog。 
I poured him more tea。 Rahim Khan talked some more。 Much of it I knew already; some not。 He told me that; as arranged between Baba and him; he had lived in Baba s house since 1981……this I knew about。 Baba had  sold  the house to Rahim Khan shortly before he and I fled Kabul。 The way Baba had seen it those days; Afghanistan s troubles were only a temporary interruption of our way of life……the days of parties at the Wazir Akbar Khan house and picnics in Paghman would surely return。 So he d given the house to Rahim Khan to keep watch over until that day。
Rahim Khan told me how; when the Northern Alliance took over Kabul between 1992 and 1996; different factions claimed different parts of Kabul。  If you went from the Shar…e…Nau section to Kerteh…Parwan to buy a 

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