They stood in a giant terminal very much like the building in Amman only even larger. The boys were looking around in all directions when Qadim called them from behind a partition near the gate. A tall man appeared at his side. Qadim introduced the man as his friend, Tarek. “Tarek will take you to your final destination, so I will be leaving you boys here. I’m sure that you will be as well behaved for Tarek as you have been for me. Have a good and safe journey boys!” Amad had guessed that Qadim would accompany them for the rest of the trip, and he was disappointed. He enjoyed talking to Qadim on the airplane. Qadim shook hands with each of the boys, walked away from the gate, turned to the left and was gone.
Tarek told the boys to follow him closely as they left the airport terminal and found his truck in the parking lot. He opened the rear of the truck and each of the boys threw in their bags. Then Tarek opened the doors of the truck for them to enter. Tarek got in the driver’s seat and turned to them. “We will stop shortly for the evening. Then we will be driving to Mashhad which is a short distance from the border of Afghanistan.”
They drove for about an hour, and then Tarek pulled off the main road onto a small unpaved road that seemed to go nowhere. They drove for only about five minutes from the turn off before Tarek pulled off the road and parked behind a large boulder. He opened the truck door and jumped out. The boys got out and looked around. There was absolutely nothing to see in any direction. Tarek opened the back of the truck and started to pull out sleeping bags and bags of food. “Boys - bring these things to the smaller rock over there between the truck and the large boulder. Put the sleeping bags and the food around the rock. This is where we will spend the evening.”
The boys did as they were told and then waited for Tarek to come over to the rock. They unrolled the sleeping bags holding them down with small rocks that they found nearby. Tarek came over to them and opened up the bags of food.
“There should be enough food to last us until we get to the camp tomorrow. Please eat - you boys have had a long day!” Everyone got excited about the fact that after this long journey they finally would be arriving on the following day. Everyone ate and at the same time talking to one another and Tarek. Although they had been talking to each other throughout the adventure, the boys seemed to have deliberately not gotten close to one another. Maybe it was fear of what lay ahead for each of them that kept them private about themselves. They never even spoke of their names or where they were from. That was fine with Amad; he was much more into observations of the boys, of their behavior, and of Tarek. He had made plenty of observations of Mohamar and Qadim that were unnecessary now that it was Tarek who was their guide. Amad had to start over again with him. He made small talk with the boys, and that evening he talked in more depth with Tarek when he could. When the meal was finished and evening prayers were completed, Tarek told them to call it an evening. They already knew that they would be rising early to finish their journey, so they didn’t argue.
Tarek woke them shortly after the sun came up in the sky. They relieved themselves behind the large boulder before they loaded up the truck with the sleeping bags and the remaining food. It was time to begin their last day on the road. Everyone got into the truck and Tarek drove back as they had come, until they reached the entrance to the main road and then continued on their way. After a few hours the boys noticed that traffic on the road seemed to increase. Amad asked Tarek, “Are we getting close to Mashhad?”
“Yes - we will be there soon,” Tarek responded. “We will drive around the south side of Mashhad and drive south to Taybad where we will cross the border into Afghanistan. It should take us about another two hours to get to Taybad. Just before we get to the border crossing I will remind you that silence is extremely important when we are stopped at the border crossing. I will do any speaking that is required. Do you all understand?” All the boys solemnly nodded their heads. Tarek drove onward and the boys dozed on and off. Suddenly Tarek spoke, “We are arriving at the border crossing - silence please!” Moments later the truck slowed to a stop. The boys heard Tarek speaking, and then the truck began to move forward again.
CHAPTER 4
They drove over the border and across the Afghanistan terrain in the early afternoon. All Amad could see around him were jagged cliffs separated by narrow valleys in between. Soon they were driving through one of these valleys. Rocks were surrounding the truck as they drove. It looked like the rocks were on all sides of them because the valley curved around them. He could see only the crags in front and behind him; there was nothing else.
He stared in amazement and fear as his driver, Tarek, continued on. Amad watched the other boys and saw the same look on their faces as he imagined was on his own. No one wanted to admit that they were afraid, so the five of them sat in silence. Along the road, there appeared to be no signs of life. Occasionally Amad would see a hole in the base of a crag, but he couldn’t see inside the cave because they were driving too quickly.
They drank water from canteens, but the boys rarely spoke and neither did Tarek. After several hours of driving, their driver slowed the truck to a stop. “Time to get out and stretch a bit”, he said. “Perhaps a bite to eat as well. You can go to the other side of that crag to relieve yourself. Do it now; we won’t be stopping again! There is some shade over there if you want to rest and eat. I will give you food and more water if you want it.” Then Tarek disappeared behind the crag, as the boys cautiously climbed out of the truck. They looked around them, but didn’t move far from the vehicle. Two of the boys followed Tarek behind the cliff. They didn’t want the only person of authority to be out of their sight! When everyone had returned, Tarek handed out food to each of them and refilled their canteens from a large jug in the back of the truck. “Don’t wander too far away from this clearing”, he cautioned the boys! “Come join me under the rock in the shade for our prayers and our meal.” He brought out some mats and placed them on the ground in the shade. Kneeling on his mat, he checked the sun in order to face in the proper direction. The boys followed his actions. After prayers they ate and rested for a short time.
Abby and Amad talked to each other nonstop until they grew drowsy from the trip, the food, and their new found friendship. It seemed as if they had just fallen asleep, when Tarek was shaking everyone awake. “Time to continue our journey”, he said. “If we leave soon we should be there in time for evening prayers.” The boys gathered up their meager possessions and jumped back into the truck. Tarek started the engine and the vehicle began to move. Abby and Amad sat next to each other in the rear of the jeep.
“Do you know where we’re going?” Amad asked his friend. Abby shook his head no. “Why are you here?” He asked Amad. “My father told me that I was going someplace where I would become a man – whatever that means,” Amad replied. “My father told me that I would become a Jihadist,” Abby said. “What’s a Jihadist?” Amad queried. “I don’t know either,” Abby said with a small frightened smile on his face. There was silence between the boys for a while as the truck bumped along at a careful speed in the afternoon sun. The jagged crags loomed on either side of them as the jeep careened through the curving valley floor. Shadows caused by the bright sun on the cliffs made the driving dangerous for Tarek and frightening for the boys.
After two and a half hours of exactly the same terrain, the jeep pulled under a mountain overhang and Tarek turned off the engine. “We’re at our final location boys,” Tarek shouted with excitement in his voice. “We’re at your home for the next year. Grab your things from the truck and stay here while I go get the men who will welcome you.” He ran in front of the vehicle and disappeared. The boys scrambled to remove everything from the truck and piled their belongings at their feet as they stood next to the truck.