He said. The Khyber Pass was as famous for its terrain as for the bandits who used that terrain to rob travelers. Before I could answer, he winked and said in a loud voice, “Of course no dozd would waste his time on a car as ugly as my brother’s.”
他说。与开伯尔隘口同样远近闻名的是，强盗利用那里的地形打劫过往旅客。我还没有回答，他就眨眨眼，大声说：“当然，没有任何强盗会打我兄弟那辆破车的主意。”
Farid wrestled the smallest of the three boys to the floor and tickled him on the ribs with his good hand. The kid giggled and kicked. “At least I have a car,” Farid panted. “How is your donkey these days?”
法里德将最小那个孩子抱倒在地，用那只完好的手去挠他的肋骨。那孩子咯咯大笑，双脚乱踢。“最少我还有一辆车，”法里德气喘吁吁地说，“你那头驴子最近怎样？”
“My donkey is a better ride than your car.”
“我的驴子骑起来比坐你的车好。”
“Khar khara mishnassah,” Farid shot back. Takes a donkey to know a donkey. They all laughed and I joined in. I heard female voices from the adjoining room. I could see half of the room from where I sat. Maryam and an older woman wearing a brown hijab 8211;presumably her mother 8211;were speaking in low voices and pouring tea from a kettle into a pot.
“骑驴才知驴难骑。”法里德回敬说。他们全都笑起来，我也笑了。我听见隔壁传来女人的声音。从我坐的地方，可以看到那间屋子的一半。玛丽亚和蒙着棕色面纱的妇女低声交谈，从一个大水壶往茶壶里面倒茶。那女人年纪较大，应该是她妈妈。
“So what do you do in America, Amir agha?” Wahid asked.
“你在美国干什么呢，老爷？”瓦希德问。
“I’m a writer,” I said. I thought I heard Farid chuckle at that.
“我是个作家。”我说，法里德听到之后轻声一笑。
“A writer?” Wahid said, clearly impressed. “Do you write about Afghanistan?”
“作家？”瓦希德说，显然颇有好感。“你写阿富汗吗？”
“Well, I have. But not currently,” I said. My last novel, A Season for Ashes, had been about a university professor who joins a clan of gypsies after he finds his wife in bed with one of his stu dents. It wasn’t a bad book. Some reviewers had called it a “good” book, and one had even used the word “riveting.” But suddenly I was embarrassed by it. I hoped Wahid wouldn’t ask what it was about.
，写的是一个大学教授的故事，他发现妻子跟他的学生上床之后，追随一群吉卜赛人而去。这本书不错。有些评论家说它是本“好”书，有一个甚至还用了“引人人胜”这样的评语。但突然之间，它让我很难为情。我希望瓦希德不会问起它的内容。
“Maybe you should write about Afghanistan again,” Wahid said. “Tell the rest of the world what the Taliban are doing to our country.”
“也许你应该再写写阿富汗。”瓦希德说，“将塔利班在我们国家的所作所为告诉世界其他角落的人们。”
“Well, I’m not 8230; I’m not quite that kind of writer.”
“嗯，我不是……我不算是那种作家。”