" ' Would I ever lie to you, Amir agha?'
Suddenly I decided to toy with him a little. 'I don't know. Would you?'
'I'd sooner eat dirt,' he said with a look of indignation.
'Really? You'd do that?'
He threw me a puzzled look. 'Do what?'
'Eat dirt if I told you to,' I said. I knew I was being cruel, like when I'd taunt him if he didn't know some big word. But there was something fascinating - albeit in a sick way - about teasing Hassan. Kind of like when we used to play insect torture. Except now, he was the ant and I was holding the magnifying glass.
His eyes searched my face for a long time. We sat there, two boys under a sour cherry tree, suddenly looking, really looking at each other.[...] Then Hassan blinked and it was just him again. Just Hassan.
'If you asked, I would,' he finally said, looking right at me. I dropped my eyes. To this day, I find it hard to gaze directly at people like Hassan, people who mean every word they say.
'But I wonder,' he added. 'Would you ever ask me to do such a thing, Amir agha?' And just like that, he had thrown at me his own little test. If I was going to toy with him and challenge his loyalty, then he'd toy with me, test my integrity.
I wished I hadn't started this conversation. I forced a smile. 'Don't be stupid, Hassan. You know I wouldn't.'
Hassan returned a smile. Except his didn't look forced. 'I know,' he said. And that's the thing about people who mean everything they say. They think everyone else does too."
(Khaled Hosseini - "The Kite Runner")
That's one thing I try to do, mean what I say. But some words mean many more things than I want them to. Unfortunately I always seem to realize that after they are said.
ReplyDelete:) i don't think it's about trying... u either always mean what you say, or not ... but the proper look always helps give the words the meaning you need, and if u manage to seem true to yourself, you can't fail :)
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