Visual Response
Creative Response: January 2015
I could remember the past like it was just yesterday. Twenty-three years ago, I used to live in Kabul with my family in a middle-class home. As soon as I arrived back home from school, I would always peer through my balcony window to see if they had started to play ball yet. My mother would get mad at me because I would leave my plate half-full on the table because I heard the cheers and shouts of the kids playing.
Grabbing my shoes and maybe an extra ball was the easy part but trying to open the door without it creaking so my mother couldn’t hear took tedious planning and effort. As I slipped my shoes on and hid a tennis ball in my pocket, I bolted to the door. Holding my breath, I twisted the handle slightly every second and would stop if it started making noise. When the latch had completely detached from the door frame, I pulled the handle closer to me still holding my breath for longer than thirty seconds. Just as I was about to leave, I heard my mother calling my name frantically. I was sure that she had noticed that I had left the table without finishing the food. She came to the door and said something I didn’t expect her to say.
Mother pushed me out the door and we both ran down the stairs as fast as we could trying to not get trampled by the others that lived in the building. As we were approaching the ground, everyone started to run in various directions and mother and I did as well try to get away from the area.
Just then, as we were a less than a block away from the building, we heard the grenade explode in the background as well as sense the immense impact that it left. Hundreds of people lost their lives and their precious belongings. Mother and I were now broke and homeless but had a close relative that lived on the other side of the city. We stayed with him for many months until we could afford a place of our own. One day, while living on the other side, I traveled by myself back to our old house to see what was left. I took a rickshaw using some change I had found in my pockets a while back. As the vehicle was pulling up to the road, I noticed concrete and garbage scattered on the ground. The street was almost empty except very few people including a police standing on the side of the road monitoring the surroundings. As I was reminiscing the times I had in the place I grew up, I noticed a ball partly deflated but still intact in the pile of trash. The day of the bomb, I missed out playing the games on the ground with my friends. I picked up the ball and started kicking it around although it was intimidating for me to play in front of the officer. I expected to be yelled at for being on the road but instead, I saw a sincere smile on his face.
We stayed with him for many months until we could afford a place of our own. One day, while living on the other side, I traveled by myself back to our old house to see what was left. I took a rickshaw using some change I had found in my pockets a while back. As the vehicle was pulling up to the road, I noticed concrete and garbage scattered on the ground. The street was almost empty except very few people including a police standing on the side of the road monitoring the surroundings. As I was reminiscing the times I had in the place I grew up, I noticed a ball partly deflated but still intact in the pile of trash. The day of the bomb, I missed out playing the games on the ground with my friends. I picked up the ball and started kicking it around although it was intimidating for me to play in front of the officer. I expected to be yelled at for being on the road but instead, I saw a sincere smile on his face.
As I was reminiscing the times I had in the place I grew up, I noticed a ball partly deflated but still intact in the pile of trash. The day of the bomb, I missed out playing the games on the ground with my friends. I picked up the ball and started kicking it around although it was intimidating for me to play in front of the officer holding the rifle. I expected to be yelled at for being on the road but instead, I saw a sincere smile on his face.