殘忍而美麗的情誼:The Kite Runner 追風箏的人(67)

THE NEXT MORNing, I waited in my room for Ali to clear the breakfast table in the kitchen. Waited for him to do the dishes, wipe the counters. I looked out my bedroom window and waited until Ali and Hassan went grocery shopping to the bazaar, pushing the empty wheelbarrows in front of them.
Then I took a couple of the envelopes of cash from the pile of gifts and my watch, and tiptoed out. I paused before Baba’s study and listened in. He’d been in there all morning, making phone calls. He was talking to someone now, about a shipment of rugs due to arrive next week. I went downstairs, crossed the yard, and entered Ali and Hassan’s living quarters by the loquat tree. I lifted Hassan’s mattress and planted my new watch and a handful of Afghani bills under it.
I waited another thirty minutes. Then I knocked on Baba’s door and told what I hoped would be the last in a long line of shameful lies.
THROUGH MY BEDROOM WINDOW, I watched Ali and Hassan push the wheelbarrows loaded with meat, _naan_, fruit, and vegetables up the driveway. I saw Baba emerge from the house and walk up to Ali. Their mouths moved over words I couldn’t hear. Baba pointed to the house and Ali nodded. They separated. Baba came back to the house; Ali followed Hassan to their hut.
A few moments later, Baba knocked on my door. “Come to my office,” he said. “We’re all going to sit down and settle this thing.”
I went to Baba’s study, sat in one of the leather sofas. It was thirty minutes or more before Hassan and Ali joined us.

翌日清早，我在房間裏等着阿里清理完廚房用過早餐的桌子。等着他把盤碗洗好，把竈臺抹淨。我倚窗等着，直到望見阿里和哈桑推着那輛空的獨輪車，到市場去購買雜貨。
然後，我從那堆禮物中揀起數個裝着鈔票的信封和那個手錶，躡手躡腳走出去。路過爸爸書房時，我停下來聽聽動靜。整個早上他都在那兒打電話，現在他正跟某人說話，有一批地毯預計下星期到達。我走下樓梯，穿過院子，從枇杷樹後進入阿里和哈桑的房間。我掀起哈桑的毛毯，將新手錶和一把阿富汗尼鈔票塞在下面。
我又等了半個小時，然後敲敲爸爸的房門，說了那個謊——我希望這是一長串可恥的謊話中最後一個。
透過臥房的窗戶，我看見阿里和哈桑推着獨輪車，載滿牛肉、饢餅、水果、蔬菜，推上車道。我看見爸爸從屋子裏出現，朝阿里走過去。他們的嘴巴說着我聽不見的話，爸爸指了指屋子，阿里點點頭。他們分開。爸爸走回屋子，阿里隨着哈桑走進他們的斗室。
隔了幾分鐘，爸爸敲敲我的房門。“到我的辦公室來，”他說，“我們得坐下來，把這件事處理好。”
我走到爸爸的書房，坐在一隻皮沙發上。約莫過了三十分鐘，哈桑和阿里也來了。