A Thousand Splendid Suns

Three years passed.
In that time, Tariq's father had a series of strokes. They left him with a
clumsy left hand and a slight slur to his speech. When he was agitated,
which happened frequently, the slurring got worse.
Tariq outgrew his leg again and was issued a new leg by the Red Cross,
though he had to wait six months for it.
As Hasina had feared, her family took her to Lahore, where she was
made to marry the cousin who owned the auto shop. The morning that
they took her, Laila and Giti went to Hasina's house to say good-bye.
Hasina told them that the cousin, her husband-to-be, had already started
the process to move them to Germany, where his brothers lived. Within
the year, she thought, they would be in Frankfurt. They cried then in a
three-way embrace. Giti was inconsolable. The last time Laila ever saw
Hasina, she was being helped by her father into the crowded backseat of
a taxi.
The Soviet Union crumbled with astonishing swiftness. Every few
weeks, it seemed to Laila, Babi was coming home with news of the latest
republic to declare independence. Lithuania. Estonia. Ukraine. The Soviet
flag was lowered over the Kremlin. The Republic of Russia was born.
In Kabul, Najibullah changed tactics and tried to portray himself as a
devout Muslim. "Too little and far too late," said Babi. "You can't be the
chief of KHAD one day and the next day pray in a mosque with people
whose relatives you tortured and killed" Feeling the noose tightening
around Kabul, Najibullah tried to reach a settlement with the Mujahideen
but the Mujahideen balked.
From her bed, Mammy said, "Good for them." She kept her vigils for