The Kite Runner Chapter 19

     Amir left Peshawar soon after he told his decision to Rahim Khan because he was afraid to change the mind. He wished to forget everything Rahim confessed and wanted to go away from past calling him.

     Farid, a driver Rahim Khan introduced in Peshawar kept giving cold glance and dismissive look to Amir. There was no empathy when Amir suffered from car sickness. However, Farid gave him a lemon, remarking sarcastically that lemon is a natural medicine and not fancy like American ones. Feeling Farid's barely suppressed animosity, Amir ate it because he knew it was better to be miserable than mean as an Afghan.

     The reason for hostility was because he spent a hard time in war for half the twenty-nine years of life. In fourteen, Farid joined the jihad against Russia with his father but the father died. Two children lost their lives and Farid became physically handicapped by a landmine. It is natural for him to feel bitter about people who left their country and got a comfortable existence like Amir. Especially when the aim of coming back to Afganistan is often to sell everything and collect money. 

     Driving Afgan streets, Amir murmured that he feels like a tourist in his own country. To respond, Farid said you've always been Tourist here. Actually, Amir grew up in an affluent family and never really saw people dying of poverty and war. At the bottom of the heart, he knew what Farid said was quite true. Amir and Farid's relationship implied a tingly atmosphere between refugees and people stayed at their homeland.

     That night, Amir stayed a night at Farid brother, Wahid's house. When Warid asked what kind of book Amir was writing about, he suddenly felt embarrassed about the fact that he was writing love story novels while Afghans are suffering. On the other hand, Wahid praised Amir as a true afghan man and Farid apologized when he explained his business about bringing back Sohrab, a Hazara child. Amir saw the ominous nightmare of killing Hassan

     One impressive episode was children's starvation and Amir's nightmare. Children were staring at Amir's digital watch so Amir presented it for them. However, they were actually gazing at the meal because they couldn't afford many foods. Finding that out, Amir hid money once again like he did twenty-six years ago in Hassan's mattress.