“sunotlikehisittingaroundoveinaposition.teauch,butitsitodoitsilove,anditsabetterthaingheway.”</p>

khalajalabithertongue.“ifheeverhearsyousayingthat,heoyouagain.”</p>

“dontossingheapkinoe.“ibruisehispreciousego.”</p>

inthesuerof1988,aboutsixnthsbeforethesovietsafghanistan,ifinishedfirstnovel,afathersonstorysetinkabul,ostlye.isentqueryletterstoadozenageednusilainsistedethatshee,avoeatgiventothepoorifbooked.</p>

“please,nonazn,khalajan,”isaid,kissingherfaoosooneinneed,okaynosheepkilling.”</p>

sixannadrtingreennee.ionlytoldsorayaaboutit.“butjustbeeanillgetpublished.ifrtihehene.”</p>

anthlater,rtinedied.</p>

<es,saidthathee.aftergeaheriandhisethegeneraldidnotapproveofendrinkingalhol,andsorayadidntdrinkinhispresence.</p>

“iaoproudofyou,”shesaid,raisingherglasstone.“kakaoo.”</p>

“iknoe.</p>

laterthatnight,aftersorayafellasleepadehersleepyistoodonthebalnyahedintheolsuerair.ithoughtofrahihanalenoteofsupporthehadeafterhedreadfirststory.andithoughtofhassan.soday,inshallah,youuylife.sochhappiness.iherideservedanyofit.</p>

thenovelrofthatfolloeonafiveeanorcelebrityintheafghannity.thatpletedtheirhdrawal</p>

frofghanistan.itshouldhavebeenatiofgloryfhans.iheebetentofnajibullah,andafghanrefugeeskeptfloidstofitall,afghanistanten.andgeaheri,irredaerthesovietspulledout,bah.</p>

thatheyearthatsorayaaryingtohaveachild.</p>

theideaoffatherhoodunleashedasotionsin.ifounditfrightening,invigorating,daunting,andexhilaratingallatthesati.sortoffatherake,i.</p>

butayearpassedandnothinghappened.oreiatient,reirritable.bythen,khalajalasinitiallysubtlehintshadbeeovert,asin“khodega”so“igoingtosingalahooforlittlenaadeanyqueriesdoingsoantalludingto</p>

...</p>