The Kite Runner The Chapter 20

     Looking at nostalgic landscape from Farid's car, Amir remembered the day he left Kabul with Baba. How Baba stood up to the Russian army made him so mad, scared, and proud at the same time. Farid became friendly and chattier after he learned Amir's aim of a return to Afghanistan. Farid said that sometimes dead are luckier than people who need to keep on suffering.

     Before entering Kabul city, Farid warned, ''Kabul is not the way you remember it''. Amir thought he would be fine. However, when the war on the TV screen was right in front of the eyes, Amir was stupefied. Hearing and watching on tv wasn't the same as seeing. Even the smell of the street was different from how it used to be. Smell Lamb Kabob turned to diesel. In addition, Baba's orphanage disappeared into ashes.

     Amir saw the Taliban for the first time. They were riding on Toyota's car and controlling the atmosphere of the city through fear. The moment Amir's eyes met with theirs, he suddenly felt so insecure and couldn't breathe. After they left, Farid furiously warned to never stare at the Taliban.

     An old beggar who had a little conversation with Amir turned out that he once taught at the same university as Amir's mother, Sofia Akrami. Amir didn't really know about his mother as Baba never talked much. Maybe Baba was guilty of his sin.

The old beggar had a conversation with Sofia before birth. She said, ''I'm so afraid because I'm so profoundly happy.'' Sofia spent a happy peaceful day with Baba before losing a life. Afghans cherish human relationships. Baba used to say, ''Take two Afghans who've never met, put them in a room for ten minutes, and they'll figure out how they are related.'' And I felt this is so true.

     Amir and Farid found a new orphanage in Karteh-Seh, the most war-ravaged neighborhood in Kabul. The director was a wary man and very careful against the Taliban. He forsook at first but started to hesitate between suspicion and hope when Amir described what kind of child Sohrab is, and explained that he's half nephew. The director's name was Zaman and took care of over 250 orphans all by himself. Most orphans lost fathers by war but conservative Taliban don't let mothers work. In Zaman's orphanage, there was no money, no food, no clothes, no clean water anymore but children in here were still lucky ones.

     Talib officially visits orphanages once every month or two with cash to buy children. Zaman was actually selling children, he had no other choice. Farid was too furious that even strangled him. After a harsh fight, silence came. Zaman murmured that the Taliban with black sunglasses who bought Sohrab would be in Ghazi stadium tomorrow.