Page 404 - Leadership in the Indian Army

The orphanage playground has a row of apple saplings now along the

east-facing wall. Laila is planning to plant some on the south wall as well

as soon as it is rebuilt. There is a new swing set, new monkey bars, and
a jungle gym.

Laila walks back inside through the screen door.

They have repainted both the exterior and the interior of the

orphanage. Tariq and Zaman have repaired all the roof leaks, patched
the walls, replaced the windows, carpeted the rooms where the children

sleep and play. This past winter, Laila bought a few beds for the

children's sleeping quarters, pillows too, and proper wool blankets. She

had cast-iron stoves installed for the winter.

Anis, one of Kabul's newspapers, had run a story the month before on

the renovation of the orphanage. They'd taken a photo too, of Zaman,

Tariq, Laila, and one of the attendants, standing in a row behind the
children. When Laila saw the article, she'd thought of her childhood

friends Giti and Hasina, and Hasina saying, By the time we're twenty, Giti
and I, we'll have pushed out four, five kids each Bui you, Laila, you'll

make us two dummies proud. You 're going to be somebody. I know one

day I'll pick up a newspaper and find your picture on the frontpage. The

photo hadn't made the front page, but there it was nevertheless, as

Hasina had predicted.

Laila takes a turn and makes her way down the same hallway where,

two years before, she and Mariam had delivered Aziza to Zaman. Laila

still remembers how they had to pry Aziza's fingers from her wrist. She
remembers running down this hallway, holding back a howl, Mariam