殘忍而美麗的情誼:The Kite Runner 追風箏的人(195)

WE LEFT LATE THAT AFTERNOON, tired from the heat, but tired in a pleasant way. All the way back, I felt Sohrab watching me. I had the driver pull over at a store that sold calling cards. I gave him the money and a tip for running in and buying me one.
That night, we were lying on our beds, watching a talk show on TV. Two clerics with pepper gray long beards and white turbans were taking calls from the faithful all over the world. One caller from Finland, a guy named Ayub, asked if his teenaged son could go to hell for wearing his baggy pants so low the seam of his underwear showed.
“I saw a picture of San Francisco once,” Sohrab said.
“Really?”
“There was a red bridge and a building with a pointy top.”
“You should see the streets,” I said.
“What about them?” He was looking at me now. On the TV screen, the two mullahs were consulting each other.
“They’re so steep, when you drive up all you see is the hood of your car and the sky,” I said.
“It sounds scary,” he said. He rolled to his side, facing me, his back to the TV.
“It is the first few times,” I said. “But you get used to it.”
“Does it snow there?”
“No, but we get a lot of fog. You know that red bridge you saw?”
“Yes.”
“Sometimes the fog is so thick in the morning, all you see is the tip of the two towers poking through.”There was wonder in his smile. “Oh.”
“Sohrab?”
“Yes.”
“Have you given any thought to what I asked you before?”
His smiled faded. He rolled to his back. Laced his hands under his head. The mullahs decided that Ayub’s son would go to hell after all for wearing his pants the way he did. They claimed it was in the Haddith. “I’ve thought about it,” Sohrab said.
“And?”

我們快傍晚的時候才離開，天氣很熱，讓人疲累，不過疲累得開心。回去的路上，我覺得索拉博一直在觀察我。我讓司機在某間出售電話卡的商店門口停車。我給他錢還有小費，讓他幫我去買電話卡。
那天晚上，我們躺在牀上，看着電視上的談話節目。兩個教士鬍子花白，穿着白袍，接聽世界各地信徒打來的電話。有人從芬蘭打來，那傢伙叫艾優博，問他十來歲的兒子會不會下地獄，因爲他穿的褲子寬大耷拉，低得露出內褲的橡皮筋勒帶。
“我見過一幅舊金山的照片。”索拉博說。
“真的？”
“那兒有座紅色的大橋，和一座屋頂尖尖的建築。”
“你應該看看那些街道。”我說。
“它們是什麼樣的？”他現在看着我。電視上，兩個毛拉正在交換意見。
“它們很陡，當你開車上坡的時候，你只能見到前面的車頂和天空。”
“聽起來真嚇人。”他說。他翻過身，臉朝着我，背對着電視。
“剛開始有點嚇人，”我說， “不過你會習慣的。”
“那兒下雪嗎？”
“不，不過有很多霧。你知道那座你看過的紅色大橋吧？”
“是的。”
“有時候，早晨的霧很濃，你只能看到兩座尖聳的塔頂。”他驚奇地微笑着：“哦。”
“索拉博？”
“怎麼？”
“你有考慮過我之前問你的問題嗎？”
他的笑容不見了，翻身仰面躺着，十指交叉，放在腦後。毛拉確定了，艾優博的兒子那樣穿着褲子是會下地獄的。他們說《聖訓》裏面有提及。“我想過了。”索拉博說。
“怎麼樣？”