Free A Far Away Home by Howard Faber Page B

to answer their questions. They asked him why he
had come. He told them about the school in his home and how the principal had come
to search it. They nodded their heads and agreed he had to leave his home. When they
asked him what he was going to do about a job, he mentioned that his father was a
carpenter, and he learned from his father how to be one, too. He didn’t tell them
that he really hoped to be a pilot. One of the men, Sayeed, had a carpentry shop
and offered him a job there. “Thank you very much. I will work very hard. I could
start tomorrow.”
    â€œAkbar knows where my shop is. I am glad to have you join me. Tomorrow is a good
day to start, so I will see you at my shop. Try to come at seven.” Sayeed was smiling
at Ali and glad to help. Someone had given him a similar chance when he first came
to Muhshed.
    ***
    The hardest thing for Ali was not seeing his family. He didn’t know if they were
even safe. He was afraid of sending a letter because someone in Sharidure might tell
where he was, so he waited and hoped for some news.
    Life in Muhshed was not so bad. He gradually learned the differences in the way Farsi
was spoken in Iran. Akbar took him to the holy mosque. He heard about it but never
thought he might see it. It was huge and beautiful. Having electricity twenty-four
hours a day was a new and happy experience, and he liked the music and movies. He
soon could afford to buy a bicycle, so he could get all around Muhshed. Akbar’s family
made him feel welcome. Life in Muhshed was pretty good.
    After two years in Muhshed, Anisa, Akbar’s wife mentioned to Ali that Sayeed had
a pretty daughter. “She is beautiful like the moon and can cook and sew. She is educated
and has a job as a teacher at one of the local schools. Her mother and I wondered
if you would like to meet her.”
    At first, Ali just sat without speaking. He was really happy to have friends help
him meet someone. He wondered how he could ever meet a girl, since his family was
so far away. Usually, the mothers arranged marriages for their children, so he was
not sure how he could ever meet someone. He hoped these families kept the custom
of refusing the first offer, and he hoped she would ask a second time. He had been
taught that you should say “no” to the first request, “yes” to the second request
if you wanted to answer affirmatively, and usually a third request would come only
if they were insistent. To refuse a third request is always rude, but possible. It
might be necessary to say, “No thank you, but I appreciate your asking.”
    To Ali’s relief, Akbar’s wife asked a second time. “She is a very pleasant and kind
young woman. Everyone thinks she is wonderful. Would you like me to talk to her mother
about meeting her?”
    Again, Ali thought before speaking. He wondered if the customs here were the same
as in Sharidure. He thought it might be more modern here, and he didn’t want to look stupid and uninformed. Already he noticed that many Iranians thought Afghans were
“country cousins,” admirable but not very sophisticated or modern. He took a chance
and this time said, “Yes, I would be interested in meeting someone. Thank you for
asking.”
    So it was that Ali met Nafisa. She was just as Anisa said, and Ali was enchanted.
Nafisa also was enchanted with Ali. They met several times, always with relatives
present. The marriage was arranged, the wedding held, with Akbar standing in for
Ali’s family. Ali now had a real family, something he missed dearly. He told her
about Sharidure, about his family, but not yet about why he really left. He planned
to tell her but didn’t want her to worry about anything. He was proud about her being
a teacher, and they often talked about ways to teach. She was surprised that he taught
some. He laughed and told her that the real teacher was his sister. She asked about
Shireen and hoped to meet her. She