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“Probably not,” Laila said. “But I’ll ask.” She swiped her palms down her pants, then walked to the door to the house
Taking a deep breath, rehearsing what she’d say to Nahid and Amira, Laila knocked on the door. After a long moment, Nahid opened it. She frowned at Laila. “What are you doing here?” she asked.
“I need to talk to you and Amira,” Laila said.
Nahid’s gaze slid around her and focused on Jase squatting on the ground, his back to the stone fence. “Who is that?”
“He’s a friend of mine.”
Nahid eyed Jase with suspicion, then motioned to Laila to come into the house. Before she entered, Laila asked, “Okay if my friend comes in, as well? His Pashto isn’t very good, so he won’t understand what we’re saying.”
Nahid’s glance shifted from Laila to Jase, then back to Laila. “He can’t come in the house if Bahram isn’t here. It’s not allowed.”
From the expression on Nahid’s face, Laila realized she wouldn’t cross that line. Laila sighed. “Fine. He can wait in the yard.”
She glanced at Jase and he shrugged. Didn’t seem surprised. He’d been in Afghanistan for a while, and clearly knew the customs.
He jerked his head toward the trellis of cucumber vines in the corner, and she understood him immediately. He’d hide behind the vines until they were ready to go. Jase knew how to take care of himself. He’d be fine in the back yard.
Once Jase had vanished behind the tangled green vines, Nahid opened the door and waved Laila inside.
Before she could say anything, Amira burst into the kitchen wearing night clothes and rubbing at her sleepy eyes. “Laila? I thought I heard your voice.” The girl wrapped her arms around Laila and hugged tightly. “Are you back to stay?”
“No, Amira, I’m sorry, but I’m not. I have something to discuss with you and your mother.”
Both women studied her. Amira was curious. Nahid was wary.
Taking a deep breath, Laila said, “The Taliban are heading for Al Kamen,” she said, turning to Nahid. “I think you, Amira and Darius should leave. Come with me.”
Nahid frowned. “Where?”
“To Kabul. And then to America.” She touched Nahid’s shoulder lightly when the woman began to shake her head. “It’s not safe for Amira here, and it’s not safe for you, either. One of your neighbors, Feroz, wants to take Amira for his wife.”
“What?” Nahid stared at her, shocked. “Amira is too young to be a wife. And even if she were, Feroz is not who I’d choose for her.”
Amira’s face had gone white, and she clutched at her mother. “Please don’t let Bahram marry me to Feroz! I’ve seen the way he treats his dog and his younger sister. He’s mean. Cruel. He would treat me the same way.”
Laila shuddered at the thought of what would happen to bright, inquisitive Amira if Feroz got hold of her. “If you stay here, you won’t have a choice,” Laila said. “I think Feroz has an agreement with Bahram.”
“Bahram would not give Amira to a man she didn’t want to marry,” Nahid said immediately.
“I hope you’re wrong,” Laila said gently. “But I think Bahram will do that.”
“How do you know that?” Nahid demanded.
“I heard them talking,” Laila answered. “It sounded as if Bahram agreed to give Amira to Feroz.”
“No!” Amira clutched her mother. “Please. Don’t let my brother do that.”
Laila put a hand on Amira’s shoulder. “If it’s not Feroz, it will be another like him. And Nahid?” She turned to the older woman. “Bahram will give you to a Taliban warrior as well.”
Nahid drew herself taller. “That’s not what my husband would have wanted. He’ll haunt Bahram from the grave if he goes against his late father’s wishes.”
Laila doubted that Bahram was worried about being haunted by his father’s ghost. She curled her fingers into her palms to keep from shaking Nahid. Swallowing, she tried to speak calmly. “If you stay here, think of what will happen to you. You’d both be ‘married’ to Taliban warriors, but it wouldn’t be a real marriage. It would be rape. And Darius will grow up to be a Taliban warrior as well.”
Laila touched Nahid’s shoulder. “Think about your dreams for Amira. Think about why you allowed her to come to my school. It wasn’t so she could be brutalized by a cruel man. It was so she could find out more about the world. About the possibilities out there.”
Tears gathered in Nahid’s eyes. “You’re asking me to leave my village. My friends. I’ve lived in Al Kamen my whole life. Moving to America would be terrifying. Confusing. I would have to change everything about my life.”
