“What you got in there?” I ask as we stride down the main road. “Nectar of the gods,” says Zach mysteriously. “Beer?” “No, man.” He looks offended for a nanosecond before a thought occurs to him and he smiles sheepishly. “Well, yeah, that, too. But I brought something even more important.” He pau...
Shami was asleep in my arms. As usual he had a fever. It wasn’t too high, though his breathing was raspy and labored. I’d stolen some of Binti-Ma’am’s alcohol that morning. An alcohol-soaked rag was wrapped tightly around his chest. Aamaal picked through a rubbish heap across the street from us. ...
I think maybe it will give me an edge if I have a chance to catch my breath and cool off from the heat before he arrives, but I realize my mistake almost immediately. With each passing minute, I get more nervous. My heart has expanded into my throat, cutting off my air supply. I take short, shall...