The Miraculous True History of Nomi Ali by Uzma Aslam Khan

Author:Uzma Aslam Khan [Khan, Uzma Aslam]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9789388689465
Publisher: Context
Published: 2019-04-24T22:00:00+00:00

Haider Ali was not very drunk when he heard the knock on the door. His drink had almost finished, and he was saving what he could till he found a way to get to the store.

When the knocking did not cease, he finally looked outside.

‘Hello, my friend.’ It was Dr Singh.

He had been here, several times, since Zee’s assassination. Haider Ali tried to shut the door, but Dr Singh held out his arm.

‘I must speak with you,’ said the doctor. ‘Where is Nomi?’

Haider Ali looked inside. The child was with Zee’s books, and did not look up.

‘Good,’ said Dr Singh. ‘Keep her here. You and I must speak somewhere else.’

‘Another time,’ said Haider Ali. Realising that the doctor would need more convincing, he added, ‘My wife is sleeping.’

‘We can speak outside,’ said Dr Singh.

Haider Ali decided it was easier to give in for a short while than to continue with his protests. He followed Dr Singh around to the back, to the small plot of land where the crops were drooping. Dr Singh looked around. There were no soldiers here. He sat in the dirt, which was unlike a man of his grooming. Haider Ali sat beside him.

Dr Singh crossed his legs once, twice, then cleared his throat. ‘I am lightening my load onto you knowing how much you carry already, because, you see, we need each other. I hope that, in time, you will share your hurt with me. I am your friend.’

Haider Ali coughed.

When the cough subsided, Dr Singh started to talk. He told him that two more girls had been taken to Haddo. ‘That makes four. Do you know what they call them?’ He leaned towards Haider Ali, who was studying his wilting tomatoes. ‘Ni-ku-ichi. It means twenty-nine to one. Do you know what I am saying? And what happens when the girls are replaced? What then?’ Dr Singh did not wait long for a response. ‘The Japanese command knows it has to develop trust among people, especially—’ He leaned forward again, leaving Haider Ali to complete the sentence. After what they did to your son.

‘They are afraid of diseases,’ the doctor continued. ‘They want to go about this in an organised way, with medical tests. Because I am a doctor, they want my help.’

Haider Ali realised that his friend was crying. Dr Singh, the most dignified of men. The sobbing was silent, but the shoulders rose and fell. Haider Ali wished it would stop. Look how my back already bends. It was not kind, and he had thought the doctor was kind.

‘There is more,’ said Dr Singh, breathing deeply. ‘I am not alone on the Peace Committee in saying that our women cannot become their slaves. And, as I said, they need our trust. So there is another proposal. They will bring women from other territories, and house them, of all places, in our gurdwara.’

‘Gurdwara?’

‘We cannot suffer this outrage. We cannot let them destroy the sanctuary we built together. What is to be done?’

‘What is to be done?’ repeated Haider Ali.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.