The journey

The journey

It was a sunny day, not like others, today was a special day, Halima was out in the near forest collecting wood.
She was a simple woman; from outside she was covering all her body with an old and torn Afghani burqa. She was happy today, but there wasn’t any expression in her face says that she’s happy. The weather was starting to get warm and she thought she will just need a little wood to get warm tonight.

She was rushing getting all the wood that she could, putting them in a little basket that she made with kindling. Taking the mountain way was difficult but shorter to her place, where ever she looked in her way there was burned tanks or trucks that’s stayed there after the war. She tries to ignore and shut down the memory from that time were she lost half of her family. With heavy steps she passes the mountain to place and open the old wooden door that make a noisy sound. The sound wakes her 1 year’s daughter while her sons were waiting for her, silently one of them went and carries her and the other one help his mom butting the small pieces of wood in the cooking place.

Four of them were there in the same room but without word the mom lay on the wall as her sons while the small baby cry a bit before she grape a small piece of bread her brother gave to her, then for few minutes the silent cover the room, the mom look at the fire without any expression in her face, her older son was writing at the sand with his finger and the younger was trying to play with his younger sister.

The mom butted the food to be cooked in the fire then went to other small room then came back and handed money for her older son, he stay few second before he toke it, looked to his mom then to the money that he know that he should use for his ride to his work place in the other side of the town. Her son was twelve years old and today will be his first day at work at his uncle garage. He is the responsible now for the family after his father died in the war last year.

The food was done , it didn’t take few minutes until the oldest young man Ahmad finish his food stand up and get out from the house while his family still eating. The mom hide her sadness when she hared the door closed by Ahmed , she stop eating and pretended to arrange the house were there are few things to take care of but she didn’t want her other son to notice her sadness. Ahmed was supposed to go to school today, but they couldn’t afford it, he had to work so his brother Abdullah could attended the school.
The journey for Ahmed was kind of ambiguous , he didn’t know witch truck to take many men were waiting in a place were all trucks stop and move when they have enough people to ride with them , he was walking trying to identify any familiar face or sound , then he reach one of the trucks driver who was waiting next to his truck smoking and drinking tea , he pass him a paper were the name of the area was writing , the driver look at it but he was reading it upside down , he smile and pass it to a guy next to him knows how to read , the guy point to the next truck that was almost full and the driver was going to leave , Ahmed run to the driver before he close the door and gave him the money and then jump in the trunk.
The truck moves while the boy try to find him a place to set or hold, one boy looked in the same age wave for him and move little bit to make a place for Ahmed , he went and set next to him after he thanks him by nodding his head.
It was his first time to take such a ride so he was looking every where , to the cold faces of old and young people around him, every body has the same look , its like they all had the same thing in mind except the boy next to him that was glad that there are other boy there, he offer a cigarette for Ahmed how never smoke, so he moved his head to the lift and the right telling him no , the boy but the cigarette in his mouth and start to blow the smoke in the air , play with it , leave it in his mouth for second then hold it . Ahmed was looking at him and thought its not bad way to pass time, the boy toke the cigarette from his mouth after he say Ahmed looking at him and offered again, Ahmed toke it try to hold it right then but it in his mouth and start to smoke, he cough and looked to the boy who was laughing at him then Ahmed start to laugh on him self.
After a while the truck stopped and the people start to jump from the trunk and spread every one to were he want , Ahmed and the boy shakes hand and the boy left , few second passed for Ahmed doesn’t know where to go , his uncle suppose to pick him up in the first day, looking around he still didn’t see his uncle, it was dusty and full with people around , suddenly very laud truck horn told him to move from the way he walked few steps back then he felt big hands hitting his head softly from behind , he looked and it was his uncle who didn’t see from long time, his uncle hit him again in his shoulder then hugged him before they walk to there work place.
Ahmed was glad to see his uncle but he was busy trying to memories the way so tomorrow he will not be lost, every thing in this part of town was the same, the houses, shops, roads, even people were wearing almost the same cloth.

When they arrive to the shop people were already busy fixing mostly trucks and painting them , his uncle point on one guy was under one truck trying to fix some thing and Ahmed understand that he should assets the man and learn from him. Ahmed went there and next to were where the man was working, he wait few second before he got in his knees trying to see what the guy is doing, the man stop working and looked to Ahmed wounding what he want, then he came out and looked at Ahmed again then to his uncle, Ahmed uncle nod then the man remember that he told him early this morning about Ahmed and he should take care of him. He looked at young boy for few second then toke a glass was in a table next to the wall drunk the water in it then give it to Ahmed and looked at the corner were there was a big bottle of water, Ahmed understood that he have to fell it, he did so and came back to find the guy under the truck again, he stand there with the glass for a while, after that he put it in the table and went under the truck with his new mentor. The man didn’t give him any attention instated he complete his work without even looking at him and Ahmed was just looking to what his mentor was doing and witch tools he was using.

The day finished faster than Ahmed expected , after the sun came down all people in the shop bring there chairs and Ahmad was suppose to make the tea , he served it and set in the floor while the rest sat there with there small tea cups and there cigarettes.
Ahmed uncle looked at him then looked to his watch, then he looked at one truck was passing and nod for him, Ahmed understand that he have to catch his ride. He waved to every body saying good bye but he didn’t wait to them to wave back he start running to the same place he arrived at. He found the same truck but was almost empty he give the driver his money then jump to the trunk and start to count the money he got from his work, it was very few but he didn’t care, it was enough to take him back home and give his mother enough money for food and more important it was the first money he ever got from his work.

After he count the money he butted in his pocket and looked around to see the same faces that he saw in the morning, some of them where covers there eyes with there hand and trying to sleep for a while. Suddenly his cigarette friend just jump to the trunk , smile after he saw him and set next to him , he give him the thumb up letting him know that he was glad that he will have a friend in that cold daily journey.

Back home the mom was waiting out side the house with her daughter in her hands and her other son waiting for Ahmed. Ahmed brother was going back and forth in there small ally until they saw Ahmed from a distance , Ahmed younger brother run to him taking Ahmed hand and try to make him run with him to the house were there mom was witting in the front door, Ahmed stand in front of his mom she looked at him but this time with smile , after that Ahmed toke the rest of the money he got and gave it to his mother, she look at the money the touch her son shoulder after that the boys entered the house the mother followed the closed the door and locked it with a hope that days will get better.