"I know you were very close….friends. ..the two of you. Alwaystogether, since you were kids. It's a terrible thing, what'shappened. Too many young Afghan men are dying this way."He motioned impatiently with his hand, still looking at the girl,and Mariam passed him a napkin.
For years, Mariam had looked on as he ate, the muscles ofhis temples churning, one hand making compact little rice balls,the back of the other wiping grease, swiping stray grains, fromthe corners of his mouth. For years, he had eaten withoutlooking up, without speaking, his silence condemning1, as thoughsome judgment2 were being passed, then broken only by anaccusatory grunt3, a disapproving4 cluck of his tongue, aone-word command for more bread, more water.
Now he ate with a spoon. Used a napkin. Saidlot/an whenasking for water. And talked. Spiritedly and incessantly5.
"If you ask me, the Americans armed the wrong man inHekmatyar. All the guns the CIA handed him in the eighties tofight the Soviets6. The Soviets are gone, but he still has theguns, and now he's turning them on innocent people like yourparents. And he calls this jihad. What a farce7! What does jihadhave to do with killing8 women and children? Better the CIAhad armed Commander Massoud."Mariam's eyebrows9 shot up of their own will.CommanderMassoud? In her head, she could hear Rasheed's rants10 againstMassoud, how he was a traitor11 and a communist- But, then,Massoud was a Tajik, of course. Like Laila.
"Now,there is a reasonable fellow. An honorable Afghan. Aman genuinely interested in a peaceful resolution."Rasheed shrugged12 and sighed.
"Not that they give a damn in America, mind you. What dothey care that Pashtuns and Hazaras and Tajiks and Uzbeksare killing each other? How many Americans can even tell onefrom the other? Don't expect help from them, I say. Now thatthe Soviets have collapsed13, we're no use to them. We servedour purpose. To them, Afghanistan is akenarab, a shit hole.
Excuse my language, but it's true. What do you think, Lailajan?"The girl mumbled14 something unintelligible15 and pushed ameatball around in her bowl.
Rasheed nodded thoughtfully, as though she'd said the mostclever thing he'd ever heard. Mariam had to look away.
"You know, your father, God give him peace, your father andI used to have discussions like this. This was before you wereborn, of course. On and on we'd go about politics. Aboutbooks too. Didn't we, Mariam? You remember."Mariam busied herself taking a sip16 of water.
"Anyway, I hope I am not boring you with all this talk ofpolitics."Later, Mariam was in the kitchen, soaking dishes in soapywater, a tightly wound knot in her belly17-It wasn't so muchwhathe said, the blatant18 lies, the contrived19 empathy, or even thefact that he had not raised a hand to her, Mariam, since hehad dug the girl out from under those bricks.
It was thestaged delivery. Like a performance. An attempt onhis part, both sly and pathetic, to impress. To charm.
And suddenly Mariam knew that her suspicions were right.
She understood with a dread20 that was like a blinding whack21 tothe side of her head that what she was witnessing was nothingless than a courtship.
* * *When shed at last worked up the nerve, Mariam went to hisroom.
Rasheed lit a cigarette, and said, "Why not?"Mariam knew right then that she was defeated. She'd halfexpected, half hoped, that he would deny everything, feignsurprise, maybe even outrage22, at what she was implying. Shemight have had the upper hand then. She might havesucceeded in shaming him. But it stole her grit23, his calmacknowledgment, his matter-of-fact tone.
"Sit down," he said. He was lying on his bed, back to thewall, his thick, long legs splayed on the mattress24. "Sit downbefore you faint and cut your head open."Mariam felt herself drop onto the folding chair beside his bed.
"Hand me that ashtray25, would you?" he said.
Obediently, she did.
Rasheed had to be sixty or more now-though Mariam, and infact Rasheed himself did not know his exact age. His hair hadgone white, but it was as thick and coarse as ever. There wasa sag26 now to his eyelids27 and the skin of his neck, which waswrinkled and leathery. His cheeks hung a bit more than theyused to. In the mornings, he stooped just a tad. But he stillhad the stout28 shoulders, the thick torso, the strong hands, theswollen belly that entered the room before any other part ofhim did.
On the whole, Mariam thought that he had weathered theyears considerably29 better than she.
"We need to legitimize this situation," he said now, balancingthe ashtray on his belly. His lips scrunched30 up in a playfulpucker. "People will talk. It looks dishonorable, an unmarriedyoung woman living here. It's bad for my reputation. And hers.
And yours, I might add.""Eighteen years," Mariam said. "And I never asked you for athing. Not one thing. I'm asking now."He inhaled31 smoke and let it out slowly. "She can't juststayhere, if that's what you're suggesting. I can't go on feeding herand clothing her and giving her a place to sleep. I'm not theRed Cross, Mariam.""But this?""What of it? What? She's too young, you think? She'sfourteen.Hardly a child. You were fifteen, remember? Mymother was fourteen when she had me. Thirteen when shemarried.""I...Idon't wantthis," Mariam said, numb32 with contempt andhelplessness.
"It's not your decision. It's hers andmine.""I'm too old.""She's tooyoung, you'retoo old. This is nonsense.""Iam too old. Too old for you to do this to me," Mariam said,balling up fistfuls of her dress sotightly her hands shook."Foryou, after all these years, to make me anambagh""Don't be sodramatic. It's a common thing and you knowit. Ihave friends whohave two, three, four wives. Your own fatherhad three. Besides,what I'm doing now most men I knowwould have done long ago.You know it's true.""I won't allow it."At this, Rasheed smiled sadly.
"Thereis another option," he said, scratching the sole of onefoot with the calloused33 heel of the other. "She can leave. Iwon't stand in her way. But I suspect she won't get far. Nofood, no water, not a rupiah in her pockets, bullets and rocketsflying everywhere. How many days do you suppose she'll lastbefore she's abducted34, raped35, or tossed into some roadsideditch with her throat slit36? Or all three?"He coughed and adjusted the pillow behind his back.
"The roads out there are unforgiving, Mariam, believe me.
Bloodhounds and bandits at every turn. I wouldn't like herchances, not at all. But let's say that by some miracle she getsto Peshawar. What then? Do you have any idea what thosecamps are like?"He gazed at her from behind a column of smoke.
"People living under scraps37 of cardboard. TB, dysentery,famine, crime. And that's before winter. Then it's frostbiteseason. Pneumonia38. People turning to icicles. Those campsbecome frozen graveyards39.
"Of course," he made a playful, twirling motion with his hand,"she could keep warm in one of those Peshawar brothels.
Business is booming there, I hear. A beauty like her ought tobring in a small fortune, don't you think?"He set the ashtray on the nightstand and swung his legs overthe side of the bed.
"Look," hesaid, sounding more conciliatory now, asa victorcould afford to. "I knew you wouldn't take this well. I don'treally blame you. Butthis is for thebest. You'll see. Think of itthis way, Mariam. I'm givingyou help around the house andhera sanctuary40. A home and a husband. These days, times beingwhat they are, a woman needs a husband. Haven't you noticedall the widows sleeping onthe streets? They would kill forthischance. In fact,this is. … Well, I'd say this is downrightcharitable of me."He smiled.
"The way I see it, I deserve amedal."* * *Later, in the dark, Mariam told the girl.
Fora long time, the girl said nothing.
"He wants an answer by this morning," Mariam said.
"He can have it now," the girl said. "My answeris yes."
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
condemning
|
|
| v.（通常因道义上的原因而）谴责( condemn的现在分词 )；宣判；宣布…不能使用；迫使…陷于不幸的境地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
judgment
|
|
| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
grunt
|
|
| v.嘟哝；作呼噜声；n.呼噜声，嘟哝 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
disapproving
|
|
| adj.不满的，反对的v.不赞成( disapprove的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
incessantly
|
|
| ad.不停地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
soviets
|
|
| 苏维埃（Soviet的复数形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
farce
|
|
| n.闹剧，笑剧，滑稽戏；胡闹 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
killing
|
|
| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
eyebrows
|
|
| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
rants
|
|
| n.夸夸其谈( rant的名词复数 )；大叫大嚷地以…说教；气愤地)大叫大嚷；不停地大声抱怨v.夸夸其谈( rant的第三人称单数 )；大叫大嚷地以…说教；气愤地)大叫大嚷；不停地大声抱怨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
traitor
|
|
| n.叛徒，卖国贼 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
shrugged
|
|
| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
collapsed
|
|
| adj.倒塌的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
mumbled
|
|
| 含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
unintelligible
|
|
| adj.无法了解的，难解的，莫明其妙的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
sip
|
|
| v.小口地喝，抿，呷；n.一小口的量 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
belly
|
|
| n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
blatant
|
|
| adj.厚颜无耻的；显眼的；炫耀的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
contrived
|
|
| adj.不自然的，做作的；虚构的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
dread
|
|
| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
whack
|
|
| v.敲击，重打，瓜分；n.重击，重打，尝试，一份 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
outrage
|
|
| n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
grit
|
|
| n.沙粒，决心，勇气；v.下定决心，咬紧牙关 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
mattress
|
|
| n.床垫，床褥 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
ashtray
|
|
| n.烟灰缸 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
sag
|
|
| v.下垂，下跌，消沉；n.下垂，下跌，凹陷，[航海]随风漂流 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
eyelids
|
|
| n.眼睑( eyelid的名词复数 )；眼睛也不眨一下；不露声色；面不改色 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
considerably
|
|
| adv.极大地；相当大地；在很大程度上 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
scrunched
|
|
| v.发出喀嚓声( scrunch的过去式和过去分词 )；蜷缩；压；挤压 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
inhaled
|
|
| v.吸入( inhale的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
numb
|
|
| adj.麻木的，失去感觉的；v.使麻木 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
calloused
|
|
| adj.粗糙的，粗硬的，起老茧的v.（使）硬结，（使）起茧( callous的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）冷酷无情 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
abducted
|
|
| 劫持，诱拐( abduct的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（肢体等）外展 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
raped
|
|
| v.以暴力夺取，强夺( rape的过去式和过去分词 )；强奸 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
slit
|
|
| n.狭长的切口；裂缝；vt.切开，撕裂 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
scraps
|
|
| 油渣 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
pneumonia
|
|
| n.肺炎 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
graveyards
|
|
| 墓地( graveyard的名词复数 )； 垃圾场； 废物堆积处； 收容所 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
sanctuary
|
|
| n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |