Blue Blood Mirage: On the Other Side of Illusion

By Nasrat Esmaty

Life for Faryal and her family is far from uncomplicated. Upon their return to Afghanistan from Jordan, her father, Jalal Sitam, learns that he is no longer welcomed by his own government and that his cousins are trying to steal his propertyand by extension, his future.

Romaan, Jalal's friend's son, asks that Faryal be granted to him in marriage. On what should have been a joyous day, Faryal is kidnapped by Sardar, a powerful and dangerous criminal. Her family quickly agrees to pay the million dollars Sardar demands, but that is of little consolation for Faryal. Fearing more for her chastity than for her life, she makes a frantic choice, but even death cannot save her; her attempt at suicide fails. Desperate, she begs her kidnapper, a middle-aged man with two children, to marry her, to salvage what little honor she may still have.

Devastated by the news, Jalal tries to stop her marriage to the criminal, but his plans are thwarted. He must learn that even men can be pawns in the same game. This is just a glimpse of adventure in Faryal's life. As Faryal's journey continues and the story unravels further, it takes more unimaginable twists and turns right to the end.

When the upper class sets standards, everyone must abide by them. They see everything perfect and build a mirage in their outlooks, mentalities, and approaches, which makes life more difficult than it already is. Afghan women have suffered for a million reasons that have not been their intrinsic faults. This novel, inspired by true events, is an exploration on the cultural injustices done to women.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Aug 16, 2011
• ISBN: 9781462030729

Nasrat Esmaty

Name: Nasrat Esmaty Email: [e-mail] Facebook ID: Nasrat Esmaty Novel's Website: www.facebook.com/bbmirage I was born in Kabul, Afghanistan on March 27. When I was 7 yrs old, we had to flee to Peshawar, Pakistan due to Soviet invasion of our country. I went to Afghan school in Pakistan and studied until I graduated (class 12) in 1999. I taught ESL for four years from 1997 to 2000. In 2000, I started working as an HR/Admin person for International Medical Corps (IMC). In 2001, I found a job at the US Embassy in Kabul as Economic/Commercial Assistant and repatriated to Afghanistan. Luckily, I got admission at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton and completed a degree in liberal arts in 2009. Later, I got a job at Mount Madonna Center (MMC) in California in 2010 as a Field Officer. After working for a short time at MMC, I realized I could be of better service to my own Afghans, so I repatriated to Afghanistan. I started working at Human Rights Research & Advocacy Consortium (HRRAC) as Communication Officer, Research Consultant and later on as its Deputy Director. I always aspired to be a writer. I was lucky enough to hear a real life story and base my novel on it. I quit my job and started promoting my novel. I have only taken a couple of writing assignments as a Writing Consultant for a couple of international firms. My hobbies include cricket, chess, event planning, working out/exercising, traveling and internet surfing. I speak Pashto, Dari, English, and Urdo and I understand Hindi.

Book preview

Blue Blood Mirage

On the Other Side of Illusion

Nasrat Esmaty

iUniverse, Inc.

Bloomington

Blue Blood Mirage

On the Other Side of Illusion

Copyright © 2011 by Nasrat Esmaty.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, names, incidents, organizations, and dialogue in this novel are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

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ISBN: 978-1-4620-3070-5 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4620-3071-2 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4620-3072-9 (ebk)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2011910230

Printed in the United States of America

iUniverse rev. date: 08/10/2011

Contents

The Sitams’ Return

The Misery Continues

The Chase

The Engagement Cancellation

The Chase Continues

Reaching Out to the Village

Sardar’s Gang in the Mountains

The Night at the Malek’s House

Sardar’s Sleepless Night

The Discussion

The Adventure on the Way to the Kabul Bus Station

Malek, Sardar and the Bandits on the Way

The Trip Back to Kabul

Sahil’s Lie

Faryal’s Lie

Romaan Hears the Great News

The Parsamaneshes Visit the Sitams

Sardar’s Gloom

Bilal’s Mischievous Joke

Sahil’s Second Phone Call

The Meeting with the Chief Justice

The Scene at the Courtroom

Sardar Doesn’t Give up

The Sitams’ Win

The Wedding Preparations

Keeping Sakina Busy

Sahil’s Call to the Sitams

The Atonement

The Official Surrender

Sahil’s Firm Decision

Sahil at the Courtroom

The Imprisonment

Dedicated to my mother!

Madar Jan, you have been a wonderful, inspirational, dedicated and thoughtful mother. I wouldn’t have been where I am without your teachings, guidance, kindness and patience. People say there is always a woman behind a successful man, but I say I was given birth to by one while counting every moment I have lived as your son a success.

I love you and wish you a long and prosperous life, and I pray that God Almighty give me the power to serve you all my life and with my life!

Your son, Nasrat

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Jalal and Rohina, who lived in Amman, Jordan, spent a great amount of time with their kids, making sure that they were brought up like the average kids in Afghanistan. As many Afghan fathers do, Jalal loved his daughter, Faryal, more than Bilal. He made sure all of her wishes were fulfilled in a timely manner. Faryal loved both her parents, but she had secretly told her Jordanian friends that she loved her dad more than her mom. On the other hand, as most Afghan mothers do, Rohina loved Bilal more than Faryal and always fought Jalal to fulfill Bilal’s right and even inappropriate wishes. At times, when Jalal would get mad at Bilal and yell at him or prepare to punish him, Rohina intervened to make sure Bilal got away with whatever he had done. She usually said, You only see the world’s problems in my son. You need to change your perspective of fatherhood toward him.

Jalal would always ask Rohina not to intervene when he got mad at Bilal, as it would spoil him more. Rohina did believe that her intervention was wrong at times, but because real mothers are angels on the earth and because she knew Jalal loved Bilal less than he did Faryal, she made sure that her son was given more attention and love. Hence, she ended up doing whatever it took to defend him.

Although Jalal and Rohina didn’t succeed fully on Bilal, Faryal always exceeded their expectations in terms of daughterhood. However, Faryal’s performance was mostly taken for granted by her mother, especially because girls in Afghan families shouldn’t cross even an inch of the boundaries that Afghan society and parents sketch for them. A girl is deemed to be a symbol of dignity and the pride of her parents. A mere rumor about her character can compromise the dignity of a family.

Bilal was a year older than Faryal. He was one of those young hot-tempered brats. Bilal’s parents didn’t appreciate some of his acts, like partying, drinking, coming home late, and fighting with friends, but they weren’t overly bothered, because Bilal was a male. In almost all Afghan families, a male has liberty and space and can act out, but girls have to live within great limits. Bilal wasn’t that fond of schooling, but he had to study business administration because Jalal wanted his children to have at least bachelor degrees, without which they wouldn’t feel comfortable in any society. Bilal didn’t share the same mentality, but he went to school just to respect his dad’s wishes. Jalal wanted his son to get married, but his son, like many other Afghans living abroad, had his own reasons to remain single. However, he would justify his stance and tell his dad, I will only marry the one I love, Dad. I don’t want an arranged marriage and the clash of ideas and mentalities that comes with that, so please let the right girl and time come. Don’t push me.

Jalal wanted a daughter-in-law because he wanted to become a grandfather and play with his grandkids. He knew that Bilal hung out with several girls, and Jalal didn’t appreciate this because he wanted Bilal to focus on one girl. Jalal also believed in the very Afghan mentality: marriage makes people responsible.

On the other hand, Faryal was a very respectful, responsible, understanding, intelligent, and beautiful girl. She was a diligent student at school and always secured good grades. She made sure she didn’t give her parents a reason to complain, and she listened to them. Jalal and Rohina had tutored her enough about how a Muslim, Afghan girl should act to gain and maintain respect in society, so she strictly followed their advice.

She avoided wearing tight or revealing outfits. Faryal believed that clothes were somehow the mirror of one’s personality and that not wearing proper clothes would lower her self-esteem.

Some of her friends had boyfriends and encouraged her to experience a relationship. However, she wouldn’t listen to them and defended her stance, saying, I am a Muslim first and Afghan second. Neither my religion nor my culture allows me to have a boyfriend. I will wait for my Mr. Right, and the person I get engaged to will be my first and last boyfriend and the person with whom I will share my soul and body. I don’t want to do anything to embarrass myself and my parents.

This mentality took her friends and their families and other Afghans by surprise. They would sing praises of her and her parents everywhere. However, Faryal had one problem. The criteria for her soul mate were set too high. She was looking for someone with an excellent family, good looks, a high level of education, wealth, and who was somewhere between twenty-five and twenty-eight as she was twenty-four. Many Afghans from good families and with at least some educational background did want to marry her but couldn’t fit her criteria, so they got rejected. She wasn’t even willing to compromise one of the items in the criteria. Rohina wasn’t happy with it and thought Faryal would remain single all her life if she continued to hold to such high criteria, but her father didn’t mind it at all and would justify her situation, saying that because she was an excellent Muslim and Afghan, she had every right to choose her life partner her own way.

People always asked Jalal why he named his daughter Faryal, as her name was a unique one and not Afghan. Although he always insisted that it was just a name that he liked, there was a story behind the name too. Faryal was named after one of Jalal’s girlfriends, who he had dated before he married Rohina. Jalal had loved Faryal, but his father, who happened to be best friends with Rohina’s father, had pressured Jalal into marrying Rohina instead. Jalal found it very funny how his father justified this. Whenever Jalal told the story, he would say, I asked my dad why I should marry Rohina and why he thought she would make a good wife and daughter-in-law. Upon hearing the question, my dad was ticked off and said these exact words: ‘Shame on you! I can’t believe you are asking me this question and haven’t figured it out yourself. I thought I would make all the good decisions in your life, but now that you have asked, let me tell you that she is the daughter of Mr. Baryalay Khan, who is a great person and my closest friend. Rohina is his daughter, so she would definitely make a good wife and daughter-in-law.’

Because of his dad’s decision, Jalal had to sacrifice his love, Faryal, but not his affection for her or her name. Thus, he named his daughter after her to keep her alive in his life. He was leading a good life, running his own garment business, and he paid Bilal to help him so he wouldn’t wander with his wild friends. On the other hand, Faryal was asked to stay home and help her mother with the house chores, as she was a girl and it was against Jalal’s wishes that either his wife or daughter should work. Although he was against them working, he set high standards for education, and he encouraged and helped his wife, son, and daughter to get good educations. While Rohina studied literature, both Bilal and Faryal got their bachelor degrees in business administration.

* * *

The Sitams’ Return

After the Taliban was supposedly thrown out of Afghanistan and the Bonn Agreement went into effect, millions of Afghans repatriated. Their reformed country held many attractions for them, namely patriotism, reputation, appealing government jobs, money, great property prospects, revived assets, and so on.

Jalal and his family were among those that returned to Kabul, Afghanistan, from Amman, Jordan, in 2003. Though Jalal always claimed that he repatriated because of his love for his country and his desire to work in Afghanistan until he died, one could still smell that there were other motives behind his repatriating, as there were with many other returning Afghans.

One of Jalal’s friends arranged for him to live in his Makrorayan[1] apartment complex, so Jalal and his family went directly there. They didn’t have any problems fitting in the crowded Kabul residential apartment. When Jalal first saw the government structure, he decided he wouldn’t work for the government as he couldn’t see eye-to-eye with some key government figures. He decided that he and his family would go back to Jordan and continue with their lives there, as most of the things in Afghanistan would give him a headache if they stayed. But he had some business to take care of first. His dad’s house in Wazir Akbar Khan, the most expensive and modern section of Kabul, had turned out to be a creamy cake among his first and second cousins and their children. Everyone had made false deeds in order to seize the property, so Jalal decided to sell it and get rid of the problem. The house, which his dad had built for a few thousand afghanis,[2] was worth a million dollars by then.

Jalal worked with the Ministry of Justice and the Supreme Court to quash his cousins’ efforts. He had to pay handsome bribes to some high- and low-ranking officials and wait sometimes up to a full day to get the proper signatures on the relevant documents. This was thanks in no small part to the old system of administrative and management practices in the Afghanistan government offices. Some of the procedures he went through made anything but sense.

Jalal couldn’t forget a funny incident of paying a bribe. He was almost done with the lengthy paperwork for the house deeds and proving that his dad’s house was really his house and that he had inherited it. But he still had to go to the president of an office for a signature. He saw this man’s long name and title written on a white paper in Dari and English.

Now, finding the offices of the Afghan government officials and then finding those officials in their offices was a game of fortune. There were office hours, but the key ranking officials made their own timetables and no one would dare talk about timeliness or the fact that one had waited several hours for something as simple as a signature, namely because 1) one would make his/her already complicated task more complicated, almost impossible even, 2) he/she would have to put up with an argument of patriotism (that the officials were patriotic and had stayed in the country all the time and knew their duties well), and 3) the officials would drive home the fact that they were human beings and not computers that possessed around-the-clock functions. If someone was an Afghan diaspora or a returning Afghan from Pakistan or Iran, he/she would always regret the lecture and admonishment.

Long story short, Jalal read the name tag and approached the office, a sense of achievement rising up within, and it was nothing short of miraculous to find the office of the president and him inside. As soon as Jalal went to knock and open the door, a very old man stopped him. The corners of his mouth were green with snuff. Looking at him, Jalal realized that he was the doorkeeper of the president. In a rather angry voice, the doorkeeper asked Jalal abruptly and repetitively who he wanted to meet. Jalal had a difficult time understanding him because the doorkeeper didn’t have teeth and couldn’t mouth words properly, but Jalal finally understood what he was asking. Jalal kept cleaning his face because the doorkeeper had snuff in his mouth and threw little flecks of green saliva while talking. However, poor Jalal couldn’t say anything. He had learned to keep his calm no matter how harsh the other person was behaving or even if he was spitting snuff in his face. He calmed down, politely addressed the doorkeeper, and said, "Muhtaram,[3] I would like to meet with Raees[4] Sahib."[5]

The doorkeeper, at once, rejected Jalal’s request and in a nonchalant voice said, He is busy. Come some other day.

Jalal knew that apart from drinking tea, planning trips to Qargha, Paghman, or Salang, or making personal calls on the office phone, the president had very little to do and at least had the leisure to sign the paperwork, which had already been reviewed more than a million times by other officials, like a newfound virus under a scientist’s microscope. So he softly said, "Muhtaram, all I want is a signature of him. I won’t take much of his valuable time."

The doorkeeper stared at him with even more anger than before and said, "Don’t you understand Dari?[6] I said that he is busy, so take my word for that. He is in jalasa[7] all day."

As soon as he said these words, Jalal heard a couple of people inside the office laugh so loud that even the deaf would have been able to tell the president wasn’t in any meetings. He thought Raees Sahib probably had gathered comrades from army school and was sharing his stories, which no Afghan who has served in the Afghan army can forget. Now, it was rude to tell the doorkeeper about his assumption because he didn’t want to open another can of worms. Also, the doorkeeper was busy with himself and wasn’t even looking at him, so Jalal went close to him and in a flattering manner said, You look upset. Is everything all right with you?

Yelling at Jalal, the doorkeeper voiced, "How can I be fine with the sixteen hundred afghanis I get per month? I have eight children, and they are all too young to work. I am the sole breadwinner. Besides, I am looking after my widowed sister along with her two children. When people like you who have properties worth a million dollars come and don’t even put a hundred-afghani note in my hand, how can I be happy?"

Hearing all this, Jalal was shocked, amazed, and saddened. He was shocked to hear how the doorkeeper basically summarized what he wanted from Jalal in a few lines. He was amazed to hear how convincingly he presented a purely personal and illegitimate demand to him, and he was saddened to hear the doorkeeper’s life story. Jalal gave him two hundred AFNs; he wanted to give him more money, but he thought there were certainly more victims and he couldn’t give to all of them. He was surprised at what happened next. He got the documents signed in a flash. Moreover, he didn’t have to see the president himself. The funniest and most bizarre of all was Jalal’s finding out that the doorkeeper was dividing whatever money he got from the visitors with the president.

After Jalal got the paperwork, he sold the house to a Mujahid [8]-turned-businessman, or dollar-lord, for a million dollars. Soon, the news of a million dollars going into Jalal’s pockets spread among his relatives, friends, former colleagues, and other people. It raised a lot of eyebrows. His cousins were enraged but couldn’t do anything as it was a closed deal.

Jalal and his family were preparing to go back to Jordan when the Parsamanesh family visited them. Jalal had known Qaseem Parsamanesh, the head of the family, since childhood. They had been classmates and neighbors. Qaseem had a son named Romaan. He was twenty-seven years old. He had done his schooling in Pakistan and had a decent-paying job in Kabul. Romaan fell in love with Faryal instantly. He asked his parents to propose to her for him. The Parsamanesh family received the suggestion well as everything about the Sitams was impressive. Also, Faryal and her family were filthy rich, and almost no one hesitates in tying knots with a rich family.

Faryal didn’t get a good impression of Romaan because apparently he didn’t fit the image of the Prince Charming she had in her mind. She didn’t even like his name. However, Jalal and Rohina thought highly of him because he was educated, had a decent job, and was well mannered. (Actually, these qualities are a must for a boy to get married. An average family[9] in Afghanistan does look into the family, education, and employment of a man before approving of a relationship.) He looked fine, but as they say, Faryal’s heart didn’t stop for him.

Nevertheless, Jalal and Rohina became seemingly pleased and asked for some time[10] to think over it and seek the advice of their relatives. Rohina, in particular, had a good impression of Romaan and liked him a lot.

In any Afghan family, the parents play a major role in the marriage of their kids, no matter if they live in Afghanistan or elsewhere, how independent they think they are, or even if they live by themselves. Mothers are the great driving force in the marriage of their children. Daughters grow older faster than they actually do, at least that’s how mothers view it. Once the daughters are in their twenties, most mothers don’t appreciate seeing them still sitting in their parents’ home, and they mutter "God forbid! God forbid!" while thinking their daughters will remain unmarried for the rest of their lives. They won’t utter anything before anyone but their husbands. They want to see their daughters marry nice and rich guys. Sometimes, to some mothers, every guy that proposes to their daughters is a decent guy, although he may be a playboy, a drunkard, divorced (even a couple of times), etc. That is mainly because of a lack of education or understanding and the mother’s sense that she is fulfilling a critical responsibility, which is why you can’t blame them at times. Mostly, whatever mothers want happens, because they know how to talk the talk before their husbands, sons, and daughters, who have somewhat of a say in their own marriages.

So, Rohina and Jalal sat Faryal down.

What do you think of Romaan? Rohina gently inquired.

What about him? asked Faryal.

"Faryal! You have no sisters, and I am already married happily to your dad, so it means that I am asking whether you think he is the ‘Mr. Right’ for you," exclaimed Rohina.

Jalal intervened and said, Don’t yell at my daughter. That is not the way to ask her. Let me ask her. Sweetheart, what do you think of Romaan? Do you think he has the potential to be a good partner in life? Do you think you can spend the rest of your life with him?

Dad, he is okay, but he is not the type of person I am looking for in life. He might be educated, but he’s certainly not the one I want to marry, Faryal responded.

Rohina got annoyed by this statement and said, Wonderful! Mr. Sitam, your daughter wants to marry the son of a president, or a minister, or a movie or rock star, or a Prince Charming—someone who is merely fictitious and only exists in fairytales or movies. It is real life, and in real life, girls marry good boys like Romaan.

"Mom, it isn’t that. I am not as whimsical or fanciful as you think. Still, I think that someone has to be special for me to marry him, and I don’t think he is special. Frankly speaking, I don’t see anything special in Romaan, including his name. Romaan? I am afraid that is an evil name, isn’t it?" Faryal added.

Now, that’s unfair judgment. You have seen the boy only a couple of times, and as arrogant as you are, you might have spoken to him so few words that could be counted. How can you think that he is not special? He has gotten a good education and was brought up well in the tough conditions of Pakistan. Your dad and I have known the Parsamanesh family for several years now. He comes from a good family and is good-looking. He has a decent job and a promising future ahead of him. What else do you want? said Rohina.

Mom, first of all, we’ve only known Romaan for a really short time. How can you take his side so soon? You may know his parents, but you haven’t known him for a long time. How can you say that he is special? And when did you see his promising and so-called bright future? Did an astrologer help you with that or—

Stop being sarcastic, Faryal. As far as his being special is concerned, it will happen within a reasonable amount of time. People don’t become special overnight. He has the basics. I am sure he will grow on you sooner or later. Mind you, this is considered a perfect match in our country. Also, think about it. You are already twenty-four, sweetheart. You have waited enough. The right person has showed up at our doorstep at the right time. I don’t think we should let that chance go. Lady Luck doesn’t knock on one’s door so often, lamented Rohina as she touched her hand to Faryal’s face.

"Yes, bachem,"[11] said Jalal. I can’t agree more with what your mom said. We all have waited enough for the right person and time. I don’t see any reasons why we should not accept this proposal. I checked Romaan’s character with a couple of my friends and acquaintances that lived in Peshawar and know him well. Their thoughts were positive. Having said that, it is absolutely your decision and call. Think about it carefully and tell us what we should tell the Parsamanesh family. I don’t want them to pop in several times for the said matter, build expectations, and then we shatter them all at once. So it is better to give them a full and final answer upon our next meeting. You have until the day after tomorrow to think and tell us your decision. After all, it is your life. You have to make the decision. We want the best for you, but we won’t impose our decision on you.

Dad, I thought you were on my side, said Faryal.

I am on your side. Rest assured! But I am seeing things you aren’t at this point. I had to tell you what I think as your father and friend. I will use President Bush’s favorite word: decider. You are the ‘decider,’ honey, said Jalal. Then he looked at Rohina and said, Rohi, let’s leave our daughter alone now. She has to make an important decision regarding her life. I am hungry. What have you cooked for dinner?

They eased themselves out of the room. Faryal started thinking about the proposal and said to herself, Romaan certainly isn’t the very guy I dream about all the time, but rejecting this proposal is a bit tough because my parents think highly of it. Why is that so? Will I upset my parents if I say no? I don’t seem to find enough reasons to say no and at the same time convince my parents. However, my dad said that it was my life and my decision, so I can say no. But… why are my parents, especially Dad, so excited about this proposal? How come my parents are so overwhelmed with the proposal of Romaan and the whole Parsamanesh family that they announced their decisions beforehand and didn’t let me be the sole decision maker like other times? This is becoming full of twists and turns. I don’t know what to say this time. Are ideals and dreams supposed to remain fantasies? Can they not be true? Don’t I deserve to meet a Prince Charming? Maybe Mom is right. These ideas are meant to be only fantasies and told as fairytales or in movies. They are never meant to be true.

Faryal couldn’t make up her mind, but she had few reasons to reject the proposal. The next morning the family was having breakfast when Faryal noticed that Rohina was constantly looking at her, expecting an answer. When Faryal saw that Rohina wasn’t going to let her have her breakfast without the intent looks, she looked at her mother and said, Mom, I have decided to accept you and Dad’s decision. Now, may I have my breakfast without those looks and questioning eyes of yours, please?

Jalal and Rohina became happy, and they all continued eating their breakfasts. Undoubtedly, to Afghan parents, one of the most joyous moments in life is when their daughters agree to marry someone they choose for them.

The Parsamanesh family came for the proposal for the last time, and Jalal and Rohina presented them with the tray and the green kerchief[12] on it. The Parsamanesh family appreciated the approval wholeheartedly. Romaan’s mother, Sitara Parsamanesh, couldn’t stop thanking the Sitams, promising that she would take good care of their daughter and treat Faryal as her own daughter. When Romaan heard the news, he was thrilled. He didn’t know how to celebrate. He went out and told his friends, Boys, I got her; she is mine now.

The Parsamanesh family started discussing the formalities of an engagement party to be held within two months. Jalal agreed to pay for the expenses.[13]

He went and requested his cousins to put their ill will aside and help him with the proceedings as he had only one son to help and everyone was looking at how he and his cousins would come to terms. When the cousins learned that he had given his daughter to a stranger’s son and not to one of their own,[14] it enraged them even more, but it was too late and they didn’t want to cry over spilt milk.

The Parsamanesh family was getting compliments from left, right, and center for having tied the knot with the Sitams. It was a perfect match for them. No one could find a single fault in the Sitams. At times, Sitara and Romaan would get so overwhelmed that they just couldn’t stop smiling about it.

The families started arranging and shopping for the big event. Faryal, her mother, and the whole Parsamanesh family were in a constant rotation between clothing stores, the tailor, flower shops, and jewelry stores. One month elapsed, but the shopping was not over. Jalal got mad at Rohina and said, Are you trying to buy stuff for an engagement party or the whole of Kabul? Why isn’t it over yet? I just don’t feel comfortable with you traveling with a lot of money every day and buying things that aren’t even necessary. Rohi, don’t forget that we are in Kabul and so many people today can hardly pay for their living.

Give me a break. Remember, it is our only daughter’s engagement party. Everyone will be looking at what our daughter wears, how much jewelry she has, how the decorations look, and stuff like that. I don’t want to put our name down, said Rohina.

"That is a good justification for overspending. Will you