Page 171 - The Kite Runner

160 Khaled Hosseini

lowed. We glanced at each other, looked away at the same time.
“How are you, my friend?” General Taheri said, taking Baba’s hand.
Baba motioned to the IV hanging from his arm. Smiled thinly.
The general smiled back.
“You shouldn’t have burdened yourselves. All of you,” Baba
croaked.
“It’s no burden,” Khanum Taheri said.
“No burden at all. More importantly, do you need anything?”
General Taheri said. “Anything at all? Ask me like you’d ask a
brother.”
I remembered something Baba had said about Pashtuns once.
We may be hardheaded and I know we’re far too proud, but, in the
hour of need, believe me that there’s no one you’d rather have at
your side than a Pashtun.
Baba shook his head on the pillow. “Your coming here has
brightened my eyes.” The general smiled and squeezed Baba’s
hand. “How are you, Amir jan? Do you need anything?”
The way he was looking at me, the kindness in his eyes . . .
“Nay thank you, General Sahib. I’m . . .” A lump shot up in my
throat and my eyes teared over. I bolted out of the room.
I wept in the hallway, by the viewing box where, the night
before, I’d seen the killer’s face.
Baba’s door opened and Soraya walked out of his room. She
stood near me. She was wearing a gray sweatshirt and jeans. Her
hair was down. I wanted to find comfort in her arms.
“I’m so sorry, Amir,” she said. “We all knew something was
wrong, but we had no idea it was this.”
I blotted my eyes with my sleeve. “He didn’t want anyone to
know.”
“Do you need anything?”
“No.” I tried to smile. She put her hand on mine. Our first