“What are we going to do with her?”
Rebecca saw Qasim making his rounds before joining the men’s party. She made her way towards the lighted cave a few minutes after he went in as she wanted to see what was going on and how long she had before Qasim came out. She had eavesdropped on the men before and found a safe spot from where she could see what was going on inside.
Qasim returned again, and she assumed he would be back in another 15 to 20 minutes. After this, she would make her way towards the faint light she detected in the distance. She had seen smoke there during the day and believed it might be an occupied dwelling and she would find someone to help her.
There were three people in the men’s cave sitting around the fire. One was their leader Shaheen, with his back to the entrance, and the other two were Abdullah, Gulnoor’s husband, and wicked Qureshi, who was lying down on his mattress. Rebecca had seen how they treated the women folk and hated each one of them. They seemed to be discussing something, and Rebecca regretfully heard her name or ‘ladki’ as they called her. Gulnoor had told her it meant ‘girl.’ She was curious to find out what they were saying about her and listened keenly.
“Abdullah, if you don’t want her as your wife, we have no use for her,” Qureshi said.
“Yes, she’s too much trouble. But Gulnoor Bibi needs her right now,” Shaheen replied sternly. Rebecca had seen the affection between the brother and sister and knew she was safe while Gulnoor needed her. She had also been able to cure others in the camp; at brief moments, she sensed the begrudged beginnings of respect.
“Yes, Gulnoor Bibi likes to have her around,” gloated Abdullah, and Rebecca realized he had not turned down the option of marrying her.
Could he do that without my consent? she wondered. Oh, man, I’ll give him the hardest time if he tries!
Rebecca’s stomach turned at the thought of marrying one of these beasts and being his captive forever. She must escape and find help, even if it killed her. It was better to die on the run than to live with that monster.
“Gulnoor Bibi will be fine!” muttered Shaheen, though there was hesitation in his statement.
After being silent for a few moments, they started talking about the kids. Rebecca waited for Qasim’s return. On schedule, he was back, and Rebecca slipped out of her hiding place. She was about to slide down the hill when Shaheen came out. Cursing quietly, she tried to make herself invisible in the dark. Was I well-hidden or easily seen? Would he come closer? Imagining scary possibilities, she clenched her muscles as if that would make her smaller.
Abdullah came out too, and they began to whisper to each other; clearly, this was a private conversation. Rebecca heard bits and pieces but could not understand most words, though some caught her interest. CIA. United Nations. Lashkar. Saudi. In connection with that last word, they mentioned the need for someone to be very careful. Did Mullah Shaheen have an informant in one of these places? Or was one of his men spying on the Americans?
Since Ron’s father was with the CIA, Rebecca knew people would be looking for her; but would they be able to find her? This tiny camp was hidden high up between the summit of two mountains, and she also knew how good at hiding this group was. Gulnoor told her they had been doing this for almost five years now, and every few months, they would change their location. They had learned to recognize a drone and would hide when they heard or saw one overhead.
Once, Rebecca had tried to wave at a drone when it flew over, and since then, she was carefully watched and hidden. She realized her only chance of leaving this place was by getting a message to someone, but how on earth could she accomplish that unless she cultivated an ally at the camp?
One time, she had managed to corner Shaheen when he came by to see his sister, and asked, “Why did you bomb the innocent convoy? We were going to help your countrymen.”
She could not understand the group. They did not seem to be crazy fanatics who would hurt innocent people for no reason at all. There had to be a motive to commit such an atrocious crime. Shaheen just ignored her as if he did not think her worthy of a reply. The way these men treated women made Rebecca’s blood boil.
She spotted Abdullah head back into the cave, but what would Shaheen do? Would he walk straight towards her? Rebecca resigned herself to being dragged back and almost stood up, but then saw him walk towards what she called “the rocks.” She let out a breath of relief, waiting for him to get far enough away, but then saw him stop when Qasim returned to his guard patrol. Shaheen turned back, and the two men walked on together, now heading straight for her.
“I received word today,” announced Shaheen. “The CIA is focusing on us. We might need to move soon.”
“Shaheen Bhai, the girl is a danger for us. We have to get rid of her,” Qasim insisted.
The mullah was quiet, while Rebecca tried to make herself as small as she could. If they turned, they would spot her so easily. She prayed that they would go into the cave. Then she heard a rustling sound ahead of her. Was it an animal? They had heard it too. Qasim moved towards the noise, and Shaheen changed direction and went into the cave. If Qasim had found her right now, she wondered if anyone could have stopped him from killing her.
The CIA… she thought. Will they be able to find me? Were they the reason for the bombing? I must get a message to them!
The light of the rising sun made the whole area look pink and fresh. There was a slight breeze, and, as usual, at dawn, it was cool. Gulnoor’s brother was pacing back and forth; it was a sure sign of agitation. He was clenching his fist, and an angry frown lined his brow.
“Oh, no! Not again,” groaned Gulnoor when she saw Rebecca, bound with a rope, being dragged by Musa and Qasim up the mountain. She admired Rebecca’s spirit; this must be the fifth time that she had tried to escape. No amount of punishment had weakened her resolve.
“This morning, we found her hiding in the caves as far away as that mountain there!” Mullah Shaheen shouted furiously, pointing at the area to their right. Gulnoor glanced at the direction he indicated; all the mountains looked the same.
Gulnoor searched for the right words to soften his mood. She was not sure how long she would be able to protect Rebecca from her brother’s growing impatience.
“Thanks to Allah, we’re far away from any civilization; otherwise, she would have easily attracted attention and compromised our camp. It’s too early to move again; I’ll shoot that woman if we have to shift because of her!” raged Shaheen as he continued to pace up and down.
“Bhai Sahib, promise me that you won’t think about killing her,” Gulnoor pleaded with her brother. “She’s a doctor for us; she has done so much for the children and me. Leave Becca to me. I’ll punish her, and I guarantee that she won’t do this again.”
She wanted him to accept what she said, but they both knew how difficult that task would be.
“I need her,” Gulnoor continued, trying a new excuse as she sat down on a flat rock. She had doubts about Rebecca being capable of doing any harm to them. The sweet, delicate girl had gone through so much; the poor thing was not even capable of running away.
Gulnoor felt tired these days. What she could usually do in an hour now took her the whole morning, and she wished she could lie down and rest.
“I’m going to put that girl to work,” she promised her brother. “That’s what she needs to keep out of trouble. There’s much to be done, and I’m exhausted these days. She can manage routine chores and children. Zoya can handle the cooking and cleaning with the other wives.”
“Instead of killing her, I brought her here to help you. But is she helping? Why can’t she cure you?” Shaheen looked at her tired face, and his expression softened. She knew her brother would do anything for her. He always made sure to bring back the medicines Rebecca prescribed.
“Bhai Jaan, it’s beyond her. She says I need to go to a hospital to get treatment. I have cancer, breast cancer. She says I have passed the second stage, and if I don’t get treatment soon, it’ll be too late.”
At this point, her husband, Abdullah, came by holding their two-year-old Amu in his arms. The baby must have just woken up, and he handed him to his wife. She kissed Amu’s rosy cheeks and wrapped her arms around him. Loving the warmth of his soft body, Gulnoor knew she had to survive for her children. She hated the idea of not being there for them while they sought to sustain in this tough nomadic life.
“Shaheen Bhai, let me take her to the hospital in Khar,” said Abdullah. “I hear that the Civil Hospital there is well equipped to treat her.”
“That’s not so easy,” protested Shaheen, finally sitting down much to his sister’s relief. “If the girl is telling the truth, the treatment will take time. You know the camp needs you, and besides, since you’re still on the wanted list, you’ll be caught and imprisoned.”
“We can let Gulnoor Bibi go with my mother,” suggested Abdullah. “Then, nobody will know. They’ll look like any other Afghan refugees!”
Gulnoor saw Shaheen looking at her. She had grown so haggard over the last month and could no longer hide the disease that ravaged her frail body. She trusted Shaheen to do everything in his power to help her but knew it was not easy.
Several years ago, just a few days after Ahmad had come to the camp, Shaheen had rescued Abdullah from the police by killing a few of the guards. She realized he had done this for her, but since then, her brother had a reward on his head, and their lives had irrevocably changed.
Shaheen and Gulnoor were twins, born a minute apart when the Soviets ruled Afghanistan. He came into the world first, which is why she called him Bhai Jaan, meaning “dear elder brother.” Their father had joined the Taliban Mujahidin to fight the Russians. After the Soviets left, the Taliban ousted the other Mujahidin and ruled the country. While Gulnoor stayed home and helped her mother, Shaheen was trained to do things that he initially found abhorrent.
He was 12 when he was ordered to carry out his first flogging of a criminal who was found to have a library containing prohibited books. Shaheen loved books and did not think it was wrong to read them. Maybe that was the reason his father gave him the job; at the time, Shaheen had hated him for this.
Shaheen poured out all his frustrations to Gulnoor, who, as usual, listened quietly. Similar incidents happened many times afterward. As she saw her brother accept the things he hated and do them, there was nothing she could do about that.
About 20 years ago, after a few years’ military training for Shaheen, when the winter was just about to start, something had happened. Everyone she knew was pleased at first as if they had won a war, but then all hell broke loose, and they were blamed, rightly or wrongly, for some big attack on some buildings in America. There were infidels everywhere, and people were dying for no reason. The war started from which Shaheen would never come out. He had seen so much death; he would have felt like a coward if he did not stand behind his people and seek revenge. Gulnoor understood this and had always been there for him; she was the only one who had any influence on Shaheen.
Life was now even harder since Talib-e-Azad had been declared a terrorist organization. As the driving force behind the group, Abdullah and Shaheen became fugitives and had taken to the mountains to survive. It had been difficult, but they managed to evade their enemies, be it the foreigners or the traitorous tribal leaders, who worked with the outsiders against their people.
Gulnoor held an influential position of respect in the camp because of her wise, gentle nature, and her brother’s consideration. She was the go-to person for everyone to unload their grievances or ask a favor. Having four children of her own of varying ages, she usually ended up being a mother to all the children who did not have parents.
When Ahmad had come to the camp, Gulnoor knew nothing about him. There had been others like him before and after; it was easier to accept things without asking questions. She just made sure the kids were taken care of and prayed to Allah to protect her brother and guide him.
When Rebecca first arrived, Gulnoor was sympathetic toward her. She recognized her as the doctor who had seen her a few days ago. Gulnoor had never felt brave enough to question what the menfolk were doing, but there was one thing that Gulnoor believed in; she had to try to make things better. Besides, she liked Rebecca.
“Too bad the American woman survived,” she had heard Zoya, her sister-in-law, say to Qasim’s wife Perveen, as they made roti for their evening meal. “What are we going to do with her?”
“She seems like trouble! Just look at her, always ready to fight,” hissed Perveen, whose hands expertly slapped the dough into a perfect round naan.
“Leave her alone. She’s been through a lot,” Gulnoor intervened, stirring spices into a big pot of kofta stew.
She caught the glances Zoya and Perveen exchanged. Though she tried to hide it, everyone in camp knew about her disease and knew she was the reason her brother had bought the doctor to their base camp. That Rebecca had survived the bombing was a gift from Allah to Gulnoor, and she never forgot to thank Him for His mercy.