Zahira was bold, she was not scared to go with this foreign soldier. She took the front seat, before even Sam got in the Humvee like an excited kid pumped up for a road trip. In truth, Zahira was restless and she had the habit of masking her fears with her energy. She was worried, sickly worried for her friend Sahar. Zahira had no one in her life except Sahar. They were always together. They stayed together, cooked together, Sahar did most of the cooking but they surely, they ate together like a family and ran a school together. But now Sahar was gone, not for an hour, not for a day but for entire four days.
Sam got on his seat and turned the ignition on, he noticed that Zahira's neighbours were starring at them. Sam looked at Zahira. Zahira was unbothered, she looked at Sam, "Can you drive now," raising her arms. "As you say… I am Sam"! Said Sam introducing himself. "Okay Sam, tell me what happened to Sahar?" asked Zahira. "Wouldn't you introduce yourself?" inquired Sam. "You already know it, it's Zahira that's how you found my house." Lectured Zahira and once again made Sam look like a little confused child. "Oh yeah you did!" nodded Sam.
"So?" asked Zahira. "So?" Sam was stumped again like a deer in front of headlights. "So where is my friend Sahar?" asked Zahira by expanding her already big eyes. "She is in the hospital," said Sam. He assumed Zahira will not burst with anger or sadness. He had embraced himself for a strong emotional outburst. But Zahira remained calm. She shook her hand and said, "Is she fine, who did she tried to save this time?" Sam was surprised, "Yeah, she is fine. How do you know she tried to save someone?" Zahira rolled down the window on her side, "That's what she does every time, she saves people. She thinks she is some kind of a Superhero, going around saving people. But she had saved me too. So, it's hard to stop her." Then Zahira went silent and Sam too didn't say anything.
Sam and Zahira were driving through the village roads in the Humvee. Zahira did not wear a hijab like Sahar. Her hair flew freely as the desert wind blew in the opposite direction of the Humvee. For once, Sam felt he was back in his American town Driving around with a beautiful girl in his truck. He liked this feeling. He looked at Zahira. He looked once and twice and then a few more times. Zahira noticed, gathering her flying her hair, she turned towards Sam and asked, "So what are you looking at Soldier?" Sam straightened his cap and said, "It's Sam, call me Sam!"
In the hospital Aaron was shocked beyond belief. How can a girl who wanted to warn them, who saved their lives by ramming a Humvee into an explosive laced door, someone who took a bullet for him could be part of the Taliban? But there was a file, Mike had all the details on Sahar. And Sahar did not object, not even once. She accepted; a bit more easily than you would expect. As if, she wanted to tell the world. As if she was going tired of hiding her identity. The girl he had stayed in hospital for the last four days. The girl who had felt like a rose in this desert was a terrorist? The only local he had put his faith was with the enemies?
"How could you do this, how could you act like you want peace, you tell us you are a teacher, you want a better future for the kids and then be a part of the Taliban," Aaron finally asked. And the question broke him more it would hurt Sahar. Because Sahar was born here in this complicated land. Things are never black and white here like Aaron's homeland. This is desert the ever-shifting grains of brown. Nothing is permanent here. The only way to survive is keep accepting your fate and do whatever it takes to survive till the next day. And then repeat. Repeat the whole game and hope that the one day you will be out of this mess. A stupid hope because nobody gets out. Either you live here or die here but nobody gets out.
Sahar looked in Aaron's eyes, and said, "I never lied about my past, all the commanders who come here know about me. The first one helped me learn, taught me what I teach to the kids today. The others helped me build my school." Aaron shook his head he could not believe it American army let a terrorist walk free. How could this be. She is lying. She is surely lying. "Do not lie about our commanders, you may have escaped authorities in the past, but you will never free again," said Aaron looking in the eyes, the eyes where he had seen the moons. The eyes were not beautiful anymore. But they were still like moon – dusty, cold, and hiding a dark part which nobody knew about.
"Why the drama, why did you acted like you wanted to help us. Was this a bigger mission, to get close to…" Aaron did not finish his sentence. Sahar was almost on the verge of crying. But Aaron was hurt too. The first time he trusts someone, the first time he feels something and then he is betrayed. He knew he was being mean but he could not help himself.
"Why did you do this," Aaron asked again. Now, Sahar started to sob, you wouldn't talk to me, if you knew what I have been through, my pain, my story" and then she couldn't help anymore. She let go years of pain and misery. And cried out all her miseries, all her loses, the wounds that she had kept in hiding. It was all out now. Aaron asked, "What's your story?"