Onedaymy5-year-olddaughter,Mini,rantothewindowcrying:“ACabuliwallah!ACabuliwallah（从喀布尔来的水果商贩）!”InthestreetbelowwasaCbuliwallah,1slowlyalong.Minicalledhimloudlybutwhenhelookedather，sheranaway, 2.Shortlyafterthis,thetwobecamefriends.Theystartedto3 together,laughingandtalking.Mini’snewfriendwouldgivehersweetsandnuts,4thelittlemoneyhehadonher.TheCabuliwallah,calledRahmum,wouldjoke:“Well,littleone,whenareyougoingtothefather-in-law’shouse?”Minididnotunderstandthisandwas5 .
Onemorning,Iheardnoiseinthestreet,andsawRahmumbeingled6bythepolice.Therewerebloodstainsonhisclothes.Igatheredthataneighborhad7Rahmummoneyforashawl(披肩)buthadfalsely8havingboughtit,andthatinthecourseofthequarrelRahmumhadstruckhim.Onachargeofmurderousattack,Rahmumwas9tojail.
Timepassed,andhewasnotremembered.Minigrewupandweweremaking 10 forherwedding.Iwassittinginmystudywhensomeoneentered.ItwasRahmum,11fromprison.12 recognizablenow,heaskedtoseeMiniandsaidthatallthoseyearsagoshehad13himofhisowndaughterinKabul.ItwashisbeliefthatMiniwasstillthesame.Hehad14herrunningtohimcalling“Cabuliwallah!”.Hehadimaginedthattheywouldlaughandtalktogether.Infact,hehadbroughther,15inpaper,afewnutsandgrapes.Thetwowere16butMinihadgrownup.Shenowunderstoodthemeaningoftheword“father-in-law,”andwhenhemadethisjokeoncemoreshewas17 inthefaceatthequestion.Hecouldnotrevive(还原)theiroldfriendship.
WhenRahmumleft,Igavehimabanknote,saying:“Gobacktoyourowndaughter,and18thehappinessofyourmeetingbringgoodfortunetomychild!”
Havingmadethispresent,Ihadto19theelectriclightsandthemilitarybandIhad20 fortheweddingandtheladiesinthehouseweredisappointed.Buttometheweddingfeastwasallthebrighterforthethoughtthatinadistantlandalong-lostfathermetagainwithhischild.