The Breadwinner
Deborah Ellis
Chapter 9
Setting-
The Marketplace
Casting-
Parvana
Shauzia
Narrator
Mother
Mrs. Weera
Nooria
N- Parvana sat watching the tea boys run through the market. A tea boy tripped and spilled tea cups over her blanket. As she handed him the tray, she let out a gasp.
P- Shauzia!?
N- She whispered.
S- Yes, my name is Shafiq now. What do I call you?
P- Kaseem, What are you doing here?
S- Same thing as you! Will you be here later?
N- Parvana nodded
S- Good! I'll come back.
N- With that Shauzia picked up her things and made her way to the shop. Parvana watched here friend disappear, then realizing that she was staring, she went back to work.
S- Where do you live?
N- Shauzia asked
P- Parvana pointed
S- Let's walk
N- Shauzia gave Parvana a gift.
S- Here I got you these.
P- Thanks!
N- She ate one and put the rest of the apricots in her pockets.
S- How long have you been doing this?
P- Almost a month, how about you?
S- Six months, my brother went to Iran to find work a year ago, and we haven't heard from him since, my father died of a bad heart, so, I have to work.
P- My father was arrested.
S- Any news?
P- No, we went to the prison, but they wouldn't tell us anything.
S- You probably won't. Most are never heard from again.
N- Parvana grabbed Shauzia forcing her to stop.
P- My father is coming back. He has to.
S- I suppose he is different then, how's business?
P- Some days are better than the others, do you make much money as a tea boy?
S- There are a lot of us, so, the pay isn't that well. Maybe if we work together, we'll make more money.
P- Maybe there is something we can do for part of the day; I'd like to still read letters
N- Thinking of the gifts from the window lady.
S- I would like it if I could sell things off a tray. Then I could move with the crowd, but first I need money to buy it and things to sell off it. We never have extra money.
P- Neither do we. Could we really make that much money?
S- I could make more than I do now, but, what's the use of talking about it?
N- They continued to talk and walk until they turned down Parvana's street.
P- You must come to see everyone.
S- I'll say hi, but then I have to go, back me up if your mother asks me to stay for tea.
N- Pavana nodded.
N- They were all surprised when Parvana brought Shauzia in. They embraced her like an old friend, even though they never met.
M- I'll let you leave without eating this time, you must bring your whole family.
S- There only my mother and two little sisters left, but mother doesn't come out, she's always sick, we live with father's parents and one of his sisters. We always fight, I'm lucky to be able to get away.
M- Well, your welcome anytime here.
MW- Are you keeping up with your studies?
S- My father's parents don't believe in girls being educated. We live in their house, so we have to follow their rules.
MW- Do they mind you dressing as a boy and working?
N- Shauzia shrugged.
S- They eat the food I buy, I don't think they mind.
MW- I've been think of starting a little school. A Secret school for some girls.
N- She told Parvana.
MW- You must come.
N- She insisted Shauzia.
S- What about the Taliban?
MW- They won't be invited!
S- What will you teach?
P- Field Hockey. Mrs. Weera was a physical education teacher.
N- The idea of field hockey in an apartment made everyone laugh.
M- We must pay Shauzia's mother a visit. I'd like to get her story for the magazine.
P- How are you going to publish it?
MW- We will smuggle it to Pakistan. There it will be printed, then we will smuggle them back in a few at a time.
P- Who will do the smuggling?
N- Parvana had a feeling that was here who was going to do the smuggling.
M- Other women in our organizations. We have had many visitors while you were at work. Some of our members have husbands who support our work and will help us.
N- Nooria had some ideas for the school.
No- I could teach Arithmetic and History. Mrs. Weera could teach Health and Science and mother could teach Reading and Writing.
N- Parnava thought that Nooria would be even more bossy as a teacher than she was as a sister.
N- Parvana got another gift from the window lady at her blanket.
S- What do you have there?
P- Nothing, how was your day?
N- Shauzia gave Parvana a funny look, but continued talking.
S- I found a way to money, lots of money, but you're not going to like it.
P- What is it?
S- Bones!
N- Shauzia was right, she didn't like it, she didn't like even a bit.
Written By:
Hõlly J., §hivangi V., Victoriå B., Kirs†in B.
