The Taliban Cricket Club
Page 30
“Look there.” Parwaaze pointed to a man in a khaki uniform.
He was holding up a placard: PAKISTAN CRICKET BOARD WELCOMES AFGHAN STATE CRICKET TEAM.
We moved away from him quickly to mingle with the crowd. Even if Hukam charged out now, he wouldn’t find us.
“We’re going to Delhi first to get our visas and then on to New York,” Veer said in the sudden quiet among us. “There’s a flight to Delhi in four hours.”
“I’m going to marry Veer,” I said, looking at him and then at them, wanting their consent as well. Their eyes flicked to Jahan, and I caught the imperceptible blink, assuring them that he, my mahram, consented to the marriage.
“We’re not blind.” Royan laughed.
“You haven’t let go of his hand since we left the stadium,” Omaid said shyly.
“You have our blessing,” Parwaaze said.
Then each one shook Veer’s hand, placing their hands on their hearts.
“You all will always be welcome in our home,” Veer said. He took out a roll of dollars, peeled off most of them, and held them out to Parwaaze, who shook his head. “You’ll all need more money. I am family now.”
Parwaaze took the money. “Thank you. And you come and watch us play cricket in Australia.”
We all looked at one another, the light on our faces, wanting to remember every tiny feature of one another’s faces so we would never, ever forget. I knew I would carry those memories all the way to my grave, even if I never saw them again.
One by one, they stepped forward to embrace me. They held me tenderly, as if I were a crystal vase that would shatter at their clumsy touch, and I experienced the warm pleasure of love in their arms.
They whispered words into my ear and I replied into theirs, so that only one at a time heard me. Then they embraced Jahan and finally Veer.
My team stood together, waving as we entered the departures terminal. Then they melted away into the darkness.
“What did you say to each other?” Veer asked.
“Khoda haafez, God protect us.”
Acknowledgments
I MUST THANK SUKUMAR KARTHIK FOR HIS HELP, ADVICE, and support and for introducing me to many of his Afghan friends in Kabul. They were all, in true Afghan tradition, courteous, kind, and very hospitable, answering all my questions on living under the Taliban regime between 1996 and 2001. Among them Obaidullah Noori (who has one hundred cousins in Kabul), Noor Ahmad Darwish, Qudratullah Khan (who was so generous with his time), Dr. Obaidullah Sabawoon, Professor Abdul Karim Waseel, Najiba Ayubi of the Killid Group, Aunohita Majumdar, Kalyani Sethuraman, and Katharina Merkel. I listened to the life stories of many Kabul women, working freely under the present government, who preferred not to be named. I’m indebted to my driver, Zalmay, who protected and kept me out of trouble in Kabul. And much gratitude to Nick Webb, Mary Sandys, Anupama Chandrasekhar, and Bill Shapter who supported and encouraged me in writing this novel. I am lucky to have great agents in Kimberley Witherspoon and William Callahan, and truly fine editors in Lee Boudreaux, Abby Holstein, and Lorissa Sengara, who worked so hard to keep me on track.
In 2000, the Taliban regime, backed by Pakistan, did apply for associate membership to the International Cricket Council. The ICC did not respond until after the regime was defeated in 2001. The rest is fiction. Today, Afghanistan plays in international cricket tournaments and is an affiliate member of the ICC. There is also a nascent women’s cricket team and a touring women’s football (soccer) team.
About the Author
TIMERI N. MURARI is an award-winning writer, filmmaker, and playwright. Time magazine chose his film, The Square Circle, for its top ten of the year. His works include the bestselling novel Taj, which was translated into twenty-one languages. Murari lives with his wife in his ancestral home in Madras, India.
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Credits
Cover design, typography, and illustration by nathanburtondesign.com
Copyright
THE TALIBAN CRICKET CLUB. Copyright © 2012 by Timeri N. Murari. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, nontransferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
FIRST EDITION
ISBN 978-0-06-209125-3
EPub Edition © MAY 2012 ISBN: 9780062091277
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