(no subject)
He turned to me. A few sweat beads rolled from his bald scalp.
"Would I ever lie to you, amir agha?"
Suddenly I decided to toy with him a little. "I dont know. Would you?"
"Id sooner eat dirt," he said with a look of indignation.
"Really? Youd do that?"
He threw me a puzzled look. "Do what?"
"Eat dirt if I told you to," I said. I knew I was being cruel, like when Id taunt him if he didnt know some big word. But there was something fascinating-albeit in a sick way- about teasing Hassan. Kind of like when we used to play insect torture. Except now, he was the ant and I was holding the magnifying glass.
His eyes searched my face for a long time. We sat there, two boys under a sour cherry tree, suddenly looking, really looking at each other. Thats when it happened again; Hassans face changed. maybe not changed, not really, but suddenly I had the feeling I was looking at two faces, the one I knew, the one that was my first memory, and another, a second face this one lurking just beneath the surface. Id seen it happen before- it always shook me up a little. It just appeared, this other face, for a fraction of a moment, long enough to leave me with the unsettling feeling that maybe Id seen it sompleace before. Then Hassan blinked and it was just him again. Just Hassan.
"If you asked, I would," He finally said, looking right at me. I dropped my eyes. To this day, I find it hard to gaze directly at people like Hassan, people who mean every word they say.
"But I wonder," He added."would you ever ask me to do such a thing, Amara Agha?" And, just like that, he had thrown at me his own little test. If I was going to toy with him and challenge his loyalty, then he'd toy with me, test my integrity.
I wished I hadnt started this conversation. I forced a smile.
"Don't be stupid, Hassan. You know I wouldn't."
hassan returned the smile. Except his didnt look forced. "I know," he said. AND THAT'S THE THING ABOUT PEOPLE WHO MEAN EVERYTHING THEY SAY. THEY THINK EVEYRONE ELSE DOES TOO.
"Would I ever lie to you, amir agha?"
Suddenly I decided to toy with him a little. "I dont know. Would you?"
"Id sooner eat dirt," he said with a look of indignation.
"Really? Youd do that?"
He threw me a puzzled look. "Do what?"
"Eat dirt if I told you to," I said. I knew I was being cruel, like when Id taunt him if he didnt know some big word. But there was something fascinating-albeit in a sick way- about teasing Hassan. Kind of like when we used to play insect torture. Except now, he was the ant and I was holding the magnifying glass.
His eyes searched my face for a long time. We sat there, two boys under a sour cherry tree, suddenly looking, really looking at each other. Thats when it happened again; Hassans face changed. maybe not changed, not really, but suddenly I had the feeling I was looking at two faces, the one I knew, the one that was my first memory, and another, a second face this one lurking just beneath the surface. Id seen it happen before- it always shook me up a little. It just appeared, this other face, for a fraction of a moment, long enough to leave me with the unsettling feeling that maybe Id seen it sompleace before. Then Hassan blinked and it was just him again. Just Hassan.
"If you asked, I would," He finally said, looking right at me. I dropped my eyes. To this day, I find it hard to gaze directly at people like Hassan, people who mean every word they say.
"But I wonder," He added."would you ever ask me to do such a thing, Amara Agha?" And, just like that, he had thrown at me his own little test. If I was going to toy with him and challenge his loyalty, then he'd toy with me, test my integrity.
I wished I hadnt started this conversation. I forced a smile.
"Don't be stupid, Hassan. You know I wouldn't."
hassan returned the smile. Except his didnt look forced. "I know," he said. AND THAT'S THE THING ABOUT PEOPLE WHO MEAN EVERYTHING THEY SAY. THEY THINK EVEYRONE ELSE DOES TOO.