‘Nothing’s wrong with my phone. I want to tell them in person, Behnaz. Besides, I need to deliver these last supplies to the women.’
As Tawfiq came out with the last box he stood examining the two piles, considering his options before placing it on the ground next to them.
‘Why haven’t you left for the weekend with your family?’ Sofia asked Tawfiq after counting the boxes to make sure they were all there.
He flicked his cigarette on Behnaz’s newly swept cobblestones, causing her to run the broom over the still smoking cigarette and his foot. ‘Rashid and I will take you to Kandahar like we always do.’
As two MSF vehicles drove slowly into the square, Sofia turned back to Tawfiq. ‘MSF have a security car,’ she said. ‘You don’t need to come. I’ll be fine.’
‘It’s our job,’ repeated Tawfiq.
Sofia let out a sigh before turning to Rashid. ‘Do you have to come with us too?’
Rashid examined the second car and the two security guards inside. ‘No.’
Jumping out of the first car, Daniel came around to the gate, ready to offer a greeting until he saw their faces. ‘Is something wrong?’
‘Maybe.’ Sofia was aware that if she rejected Tawfiq’s protection he would be deeply hurt.
‘Who are you?’ Behnaz asked, looking Daniel up and down.
‘Daniel Abiteboul.’
Sofia noticed that Daniel had found Behnaz’s scrutiny amusing. At your own risk. ‘Dr Daniel, let me introduce you to my landlady, Behnaz.’
‘Ah,’ he said in English to Sofia when recognition dawned. ‘The gun-toting –’
‘Who understands English,’ Sofia added.
‘It’s a pleasure to meet you, Behnaz,’ Daniel said in English.
‘He’s with the UN,’ Sofia added in Dari.
Behnaz pointedly looked at the MSF logo on the side of the car and then back at Daniel.
‘I’m with both,’ he offered, also in Dari.
Behnaz seemed unimpressed. ‘Dr Sofia must travel outside Kabul with Tawfiq and Rashid.’
Giving Behnaz his most charming smile, Daniel assured her that MSF would look after Dr Sofia very well. For the first time in twenty-four hours, Sofia felt like she might actually laugh. The man had no idea what an immovable force he had just pushed up against, but he was about to find out.
‘No.’
Clementine had remained in the first car talking on her phone, but Sofia could see she was watching, looking unhappy about the delay. They were already late and it was a long drive to Kandahar.
‘I think we have to go in my car with Tawfiq,’ she said to Daniel. ‘But maybe we can take the MSF security car so Rashid doesn’t need to come.’
‘It’s better,’ Behnaz offered, as if she was a legitimate part of the conversation.
Sofia watched Daniel assessing the situation. MSF would not be pleased their staff weren’t travelling in one of their cars and with one of their drivers. Signalling for Clementine to wind her window down, he walked over to inform her of the new arrangements. Sofia watched her mouth, ‘What the fuck?’ Without interrupting her phone call, Clementine gathered her things, got out of the MSF car, opened the back door of Tawfiq’s car, flung her things in and then climbed in after them.
With everything settled, Omar insisted on helping load the boxes, which made the whole process twice as long as it should have been, but once they were all stowed safely away and Daniel had retrieved his and Clementine’s overnight bags, they headed off. As they pulled out of the square he turned in his seat to ask Sofia if there was any news.
‘Nothing yet.’
‘Are you serious?’ he said, looking unimpressed.
She rolled her eyes. ‘Chief Wasim’s waiting for the right moment.’
* * *
AS TAWFIQ AND Dr Sofia drove off with the man and woman from MSF, Behnaz gave Omar a withering look before disappearing back behind her gate, but for once Omar barely noticed. He was more intrigued by Tawfiq’s insistence that only he should drive Dr Sofia to Kandahar. Omar began considering a new idea. Perhaps Dr Sofia was the friend who needed to stop, and if she was then this changed everything. But what would Dr Sofia be doing that so grievously offended anyone?
‘Is Dr Sofia in danger?’ he asked Rashid, who had remained outside the gate watching the cars drive away. ‘You must know something.’
Rashid shrugged. ‘All I know is that Dr Jabril says I have to walk Dr Sofia across the square every day.’ With that Rashid, the man of few words, wandered out of the square.
Standing alone by Behnaz’s gate, Omar was still wondering what Dr Sofia might have done wrong when he noticed Iqbal setting up shop outside the surgery steps, which got him thinking. Iqbal sat outside Dr Sofia’s surgery every day, talking with Rashid. If Dr Sofia had done something wrong and was in some kind of danger then surely Iqbal would know.
‘Blessings on you this morning, my friend,’ Omar said, after shuffling over to Iqbal who, having finished setting up, was resting with his back against the wall.
‘And upon you.’
Omar watched as Iqbal adjusted his position, trying to ease the pain in his bad leg, which had been mangled when he was run over by a car at nine years old. It looked to Omar as if things were getting worse for Iqbal. ‘I might have a potion that could help your pain,’ he offered.
‘My pain has been my companion for so long now, Omar, that I would miss him if he left me, but thank you anyway.’
Omar understood this. Although he had never thought of his pain as a friend until that moment, he saw now that it was. If his pain no longer existed then neither would he.
Omar would have liked to squat down and have a chat with Iqbal but his body would not. ‘I have a question for you,’ he said, remaining standing. ‘Is Dr Sofia in danger?’
Iqbal looked up, squinting with the morning sun in his eyes. ‘You want to know if Dr Sofia is in danger?’
‘Yes.’
‘All foreigners are in danger nowadays. Bombs explode
