A Far Away Home (5 page)

“Ali, I think you can be a pilot, too. I think it would be scary, flying in the air,
but I would like to fly in that plane. Do you think I ever could?”

“I think so, but I don't want to bother him. He just flies for the hospital.”

Chapter Four

Ali's Knee is Straightened

When Doctor Hagel saw Ali coming from school, he greeted him, “Salomalaykoom.”

“Peace be with you. How are you? Are you well? How is your family?” replied Ali.

“Thank you. How are you, and how is your family?” answered Doctor Hagel.

“We're all well, thank you,” replied Ali.

“Ali, remember when we looked at your knee? I have a plan for how to straighten your
leg. I need to do an operation. I am ready to do the operation on Monday. I can explain
my plan to you and your parents, and if you want to go ahead with the operation,
we will do it.”

Many conflicting thoughts raced through Ali's mind, and there were many questions.
He didn't dare ask them
just yet, but maybe his parents could ask them for him. He
thanked Doctor Hagel and went straight home. “Mother, Doctor Hagel says he can straighten
my leg and wants to talk to us about it. Could I do it? I never really thought it
could happen, but he has a plan, and he thinks it will work. Where's father? Mother,
I know it might be expensive, and I know we don't have a lot of money. Maybe I could
quit school and get a job to pay for it. What do you think?”

“I will talk to your father about it as soon as he gets home. It's a great opportunity.
We have to think very carefully about it. Will it be dangerous?”

“I don't know about that, but I don't think so. What happens in an operation? We
can ask Doctor Hagel about it.”

That afternoon, even before Hassan came home from work, Ali went to his father's
carpenter shop. He couldn't wait any longer, so he told his father about the operation.
He explained all he knew and said he knew it would be expensive, and that he was
OK with his leg like it was, and that maybe he could wait and earn money to pay for
it. He said this with his head down and his heart hoping.

“I have finished the work I needed to do today. Anything
else can wait until tomorrow.
Let's go home to talk.”

Ali knew he was lucky to have his family. They were always doing something to be
proud of. Neither his father nor mother said right out that he couldn't have the
operation. He thought they would both want him to have it. He remembered going to
Kabul to see about an operation and coming home so disappointed. He thought his family
was disappointed, too. But the money. How much would it cost? How could he pay for
it?

When they got home Ali's mother had some tea ready. They sat on the cushions and
started to talk about the operation. Hassan began. “This is your best chance. I have
always imagined you walking on both legs. You are doing so well in so many ways.
I think we should try to have the operation.”

Mariam agreed. “Ali, you are growing taller and soon you will be a man. If the doctor
can do this, we should try.”

Now, it was Ali's turn. “Dad and Mom, I dreamed for a long time about throwing this
crutch away and walking on both legs. I hope, I hope I can do this. I'm not afraid
to do it, but I don't know about how to pay for the operation. I'm
afraid it might
cost a lot, and I know we don't have a lot of money. How much will it cost?”

“Ali, I can work more every day. The new hospital and the new people coming to town
have made my business grow. This year we have saved some money, more than ever before.
You leave the paying to me. I am your father.”

So, that was it. Ali went directly over to the hospital where he hoped to find Doctor
Hagel. He waited outside the front door. Pretty soon Doctor Hagel and Mrs. Doctor
Hagel emerged from the hospital. They saw him waiting and smiled and greeted him.
Ali replied politely, then said, “We want you to operate on my leg. I do have a question
though. How much will it cost?”

Doctor Hagel looked at Doctor Hagel, smiled, looked again at Ali and explained that
it would cost the usual fee for operations, one hundred afs. Ali's mind raced to
figure it out. One hundred afs was as much as he got from the pilot for a month of
helping him at the airfield. He could do this! He could earn it in a month, but the
doctors told him they wanted to do the operation on Monday. He wouldn't have the
money for about three weeks. “Doctor Hagel, could I wait
to have the operation? I
can pay you after three weeks. Could we wait that long?”

“Ali, we know you are a trustworthy young man. We will trust you to pay us at the
end of the month.” Dr. Hagel looked at his wife. “What do you think, Doctor Hagel?”

She smiled and nodded her head. “I agree. I know you and your family. We won't worry
at all about whether you will pay. I know Dan, the pilot, depends on your help. We'll
see you early Monday morning.”

Ali practically floated back to his house. “Dad, Mom, I arranged all the details,
and I can pay for the operation myself. It's going to be Monday morning. I don't
know just when, but I know I will soon be walking without my crutch. I will be walking,
tall, and strong. I'll be like all the other boys. No one will be talking about how
it's too bad. It's really going to happen.”

When he hopped into the hospital on Monday morning, Ali put down his crutch and hoped
it was for the last time. He was helped into the small operating room. It was so
shiny, so new. The overhead light fascinated him. He watched the nurse aim it down
on him. He breathed in from the cup like
thing they placed over his mouth and nose.
Then he fell asleep.

He awoke to the murmur of voices, which gradually turned to talking. He didn't know
the words he was hearing, but then he heard his dad's voice, asking how the operation
turned out. Someone explained that it had gone well. When he heard that, Ali reached
down to feel his bent leg. He reached for the ankle that should be sort of behind
him and even with his knee. It wasn't there. For a moment he panicked, wondering
if they had to take off his leg, but no, his leg was there. He felt for his knee,
then lower to his lower leg, where it had never been before. Was it the right or
left leg. Maybe it was just his right leg, like it had always been. No, it was his
left leg. There was a lot of wrapping around his knee, in fact around most of his
left leg. He didn't dare move it. It didn't hurt, but he couldn't really feel it.
Was that how it would stay? He couldn't reach any further down. He wanted to see
his foot and ankle. Then his dad and mom walked into the room. He was in one of the
small rooms where hospital patients could stay overnight. They were smiling, which
was good. “How are you? Are you tired? Are you thirsty? You look
well.”

“Thank you, I feel fine. Dad, how is my leg? Did they make it better? What did they
say?”

“The doctors said the operation went very well. They straightened your leg, but they
aren't sure if it will bend like your other leg. That will be something that will
take time to see, but, God willing, you will be able to walk on your leg very well,”
said his dad.

“If I can just stand up straight, I'll be very happy. If it will bend just a little,
I'll be very happy, but even if it doesn't bend, I'll still be very happy. Can I
go home?”

“Not yet, but they said maybe in a week, or sooner. I'll make you some soup and fresh
bread. What would you like to drink?” said his mom.

“Just tea, but maybe green tea. Do we have some?”

“I'll get some. We'll be back soon. You sleep some more. The doctors will be around
to talk to you.”

So it was, his leg was straight for the first time ever. Ali went back to sleep,
dreaming about walking, dreaming about standing, and dreaming about flying.

***

After three days in the hospital, the doctors told Ali he should get up and move
around, using his crutch to help support the weight when he put his left leg down.
Ali hadn't really thought about walking or if it would be hard to do. He sat on the
edge of the bed with both legs hanging down to the floor. He put his weight on his
right leg, put his crutch out to take the weight for his left leg, and carefully,
slowly, with help from two nurses, put his new leg, his left leg, down to touch the
floor. It felt sore but was a wonderful new sensation. It was heavily taped, wrapped
to support the knee. He put ever so little weight on that leg. It wasn't really painful
on the leg, but he could feel pain all around his knee. He expected that and kept
a little weight on the leg, then asked if he could move some around the room.

The nurses helped him, and he kept his crutch on his left side to take most of his
weight. He was of course good at using the crutch because he never walked without
it. He was soon tired and asked to go back to the bed. He sat on the edge, looking
at his straight leg, smiling, thankful for this miracle.

It was also, of course, due to the skill of the new doctors.
He looked at his doorway,
and there they were, anxious to see how he moved. They came in and asked him about
the pain and whether he could put any weight on the leg. They told him they wanted
to have him gradually start to use his leg, but it would take several weeks to heal,
and they expected it might take a month to be able to use it very much.

“Thank you very much, thank you.” Ali tried to think of more to say. “I will be grateful
all of my life. You have given me a great gift and I will do my best to use it well.”

“We are very happy to help. This is why we are here.” The doctors were very gracious.

Every day, first once a day, then twice, and later four or five times a day, Ali
gradually used his new leg. That's what he called it, his new leg. After a week,
some of the heavy bandaging was removed. After two weeks, most of the tape came off.
Before they taped it again, the nurses let Ali see the scars where the doctors opened
his knee. He touched the scars lightly, tracing them with his finger. He tried to
bend his knee a little, and it bent, just a little, but was very stiff and didn't
seem to want to bend at all. That day he went home. He was very happy to leave the
hospital. His mom and
dad were just as happy. The doctors told him to come back to
the hospital every day, once in the morning, once in the afternoon.

After three weeks, the doctors started the nurses working on his knee to stretch
it and bend it every day. It was painful. Ali tried to fight the pain. Every day
it bent a little more, still not at all like his right leg, but it gave him hope.
He was going to be satisfied whatever happened, but every little bit more it bent,
the more he could do. At the end of the month, the nurses and doctors decided he
might try to walk on it without his crutch.

He scooted to the edge of the bed, swung his legs down, and slowly put his weight
on them. At first, all of his weight was on his old leg. He was using his new leg
just for balance. Then, sweating and nervous, he adjusted his balance to gradually
add weight to his left leg. The nurses were behind him, ready to catch him if needed.
He took a step with his right leg, following it by sliding his left leg forward.
This was his first step with his new leg. The nurses cheered. He relaxed a bit and
took another careful step, then another.

His new leg was getting tired, so he talked to it. “Don't be
tired. Go ahead. Walk.
Do your job. You can do it.” It seemed to answer with some throbbing pain. This was
going to be hard, but he would not give up.

Ali returned to the hospital every day, and every day he got better at using his
new leg. The pain was less, the swelling was less, and it got stronger. He could
also bend it a little further every week. He was now walking around town, getting
compliments about how he was moving. He could play with his friends, not yet climbing
on walls, but playing tope danda, a ball game where you hit a ball with a stick and
run between two bases.

Your team changed from hitting and running to catching and throwing if someone on
your team was hit with the ball while running between bases. There could be two or
more on each team. Usually, there were about ten boys playing. Ali was a good hitter
and thrower. He was getting faster at running, as his leg got stronger. He had to
swing it sideways because it didn't bend very far yet.

Once a boy new to Sharidure began teasing him about his leg and his slow running.
The game stopped. Ali's friends told the new boy not to say anything about Ali. He
started
to argue that he could say whatever he wanted. That was not what the boys
wanted to hear. They walked closer to the boy and said again that's not how they
acted in their town. He was bigger than anyone else and seemed to think he could
do whatever he wanted. Maybe he was used to that in his town. The talking ended,
and the Sharidure boys ended up sitting on the bigger boy, suggesting he take himself
back to his town to his friends, if he had any.

Ali thanked his friends, feeling a little uncomfortable about having his friends
having to fight for him, but also feeling great that they would. It's a valuable
thing in life to have a friend and even better to have several.

***

Every summer visitors came to Sharidure, the nomads, the Koochi, or as they preferred,
the Maldar. They came on their trek from the lower climates to the cooler summer
pastures of the Hazarajat. They had come for as long as Ali could remember, camping
with their black tents just above the town, with their herds of sheep and goats and
with the huge dogs that guarded the herds. The Maldar men would come into town to
trade a sheep or goat for wheat, sugar, tea,
or candy. Ali was intrigued by these
people, though careful not to get too close. There were stories about how tough and
ruthless they were. After all, they were not Hazara, not his people, so they were
not to be trusted. They also carried rifles and wore bands of bullets around their
chests. Mostly, they would stay a few days, then pack up their tents onto camels,
and move on to find grass for their herds.