按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
e Ali； she was a Shi a Muslim and an ethnic Hazara。 She was also his first cousin and therefore a natural choice for
a spouse。 But beyond those similarities； Ali and Sanaubar had little in mon； least of all their respective appearances。 While Sanaubar s brilliant green eyes and impish face had； rumor has it； tempted countless men into sin； Ali had a congenital paralysis of his lower facial muscles； a condition that rendered him unable to smile and left him perpetually grimfaced。 It was an odd thing to see the stone…faced Ali happy； or sad； because only his slanted brown eyes glinted with a smile or welled with sorrow。 People say that eyes are windows to the soul。 Never was that more true than with Ali； who could only reveal himself through his eyes。
I have heard that Sanaubar s suggestive stride and oscillating hips sent men to reveries of infidelity。 But polio had left Ali with a twisted； atrophied right leg that was sallow skin over bone with little in between except a paper…thin layer of muscle。 I remember one day； when I was eight； Ali was taking me to the bazaar to buy some _naan_。 I was walking behind him； humming； trying to imitate his walk。 I watched him swing his scraggy leg in a sweeping arc； watched his whole body tilt impossibly to the right every time he planted that foot。 It seemed a minor miracle he didn t tip over with each step。 When I tried it； I almost fell into the gutter。 That got me giggling。 Ali turned around； caught me aping him。 He didn t say anything。 Not then； not ever。 He just kept walking。
Ali s face and his walk frightened some of the younger children in the neighborhood。 But the real trouble was with the older kids。 They chased him on the street； and mocked him when he hobbled by。 Some had taken to calling him _Babalu_； or Boogeyman。
Hey； Babalu； who did you eat today？ they barked to a chorus of laughter。 Who did you eat； you flat…nosed Babalu？
They called him flat…nosed because of Ali and Hassan s characteristic Hazara Mongoloid features。 For years； that was all I knew about the Hazaras； that they were Mogul descendants； and that they looked a little like Chinese people。 School text books barely mentioned them and referred to their ancestry only in passing。 Then one day； I was in Baba s study； looking through his stuff； when I found one of my mother s old history books。 It was written by an Iranian named Khorami。 I blew the dust off it； sneaked it into bed with me that night； and was stunned to find an entire chapter on Hazara history。 An entire chapter dedicated to Hassan s people！ In it； I read that my people； the Pashtuns； had persecuted and oppressed the Hazaras。 It said the Hazaras had tried to rise against the Pashtuns in the nineteenth century； but the Pashtuns had quelled them with unspeakable violence。 The book said that my people had killed the Hazaras； driven them from their lands； burned their homes； and sold their women。 The book said part of the reason Pashtuns had oppressed the Hazaras was that Pashtuns were Sunni Muslims； while Hazaras were Shi a。 The book said a lot of things I didn t know； things my teac