The Reluctant Fundamentalist Page #5

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Seven more attacks

in the last week.

Is this the line for chai?

You hear about Sodhi

in Arizona?

They shot him

right on the street.

It's really bad for the Sikhs.

Sikhs are in trouble.

Any beard or turban is a target.

Not a problem for you, eh?

Suited, booted.

Good for you.

No plastic here.

- Give him his tea.

- No, no, please.

Don't embarrass me.

You are like my brother.

Thanks.

I might have been suited

and booted,

but I felt just as vulnerable

as they did.

There was only one place

I felt safe...

With her.

You want to learn

how to say "love"?

Yeah.

There's not just one way

of saying it.

- There's, like, two or three.

- Okay, okay.

Okay, so there's ishq.

Ishq.

Ishq.

Ishq.

Mm.

Well done.

And then there's pyaar.

Pyaar.

That's quite good.

Yeah?

- You're good at this.

- Pyaar.

You said this word before

to someone?

Ishq.

Pyaar.

This isn't your first time, is it?

Mohabbat.

Mohabbat.

I can't believe

they're not there.

It's crazy.

It was a time of uncertainty.

For me, the only things certain

were love and profit.

It wasn't long before the

economic laws of nature

reasserted themselves.

Small companies were again

swallowed up by big ones.

Those that didn't grow would die.

Some stakeholders are obviously

you people right here.

That's why need to revisit...

For the 25 years that

I've worked here,

per union rules,

we only take those requests

in writing.

See, with due respect,

that is exactly the kind

of bureaucratic mind-set

we're trying to challenge here.

I am not a bureaucrat.

We don't have to like each other.

We just have to get the job done.

Now, pull out the union contracts.

We might need to cancel

some of them.

- He's young.

- I've worked here 25 years.

What the hell am I supposed to do?

Hi, stranger.

When are you coming back?

I miss you.

F*** you, Osama.

A tiny slice of violence

had wormed its way into my life,

and I didn't know

how to remove it.

What was soft inside me

fell away.

What was hard became harder.

Talk to me, Bobby.

What's going on?

I need more time.

You're exposed, and the clock

is ticking on Rainier.

Turn your target now,

or we're taking him to Peshawar

to put the screws on him.

Okay.

What did Massoud do

to members of his force

that collaborated

with the Taliban?

He slit their throats.

Yes, he did.

Do you want that

to happen to me, Bobby?

Is there something

you're not telling me?

Juniad, look at that.

Careful.

Watch out.

Brother...

Khan, sir, let's go down.

Hurry.

Each moment is precious,

Bobby.

Come.

It's time to go inside.

Where is the security guard?

Hello?

I'm talking to you, Ma.

Hello?

Keep the candles safely.

Trouble could break out anytime.

The sweets go in the kitchen,

the soft drinks too.

Ma, you're being stubborn.

I'll make one phone call

to the caterers.

They will handle everything, okay?

Baita, with the shortages,

the prices have doubled up.

We just can't afford it.

No, what we can't afford

is for you to collapse,

okay, because you're trying

to organize

your daughter's wedding

singlehandedly.

Just let me do it.

It's done.

My prince.

Out of my sight.

One thing.

Don't tell Abu.

Okay, I won't.

Okay, talk later.

Love you, baita.

Uh-huh.

Okay.

God be with you.

Hello!

Enough already!

- Just... just look at me.

- Hello?

Just look at... okay, fine.

Fine, fine, fine.

You're unbelievable.

Do you know that?

I'm worried about my mom here.

She's going nuts

because of the wedding.

A wedding gets her closer

to grandchildren.

That's what she wants, right?

Yeah, I guess.

I made your mom and dad

something for the wedding.

That's why you wanted the photos?

Your ma is so gorgeous.

Mm.

You're gorgeous.

Thank you.

Mm.

Do you ever think about kids?

Um...

I did before,

but the world's a little scarier now,

so I'm not as sure

as I used to be.

My parents never said it

out loud,

but I know they want

two things in life.

They want security

in their old age,

and they want grandchildren.

And you want to

give that to them.

Yeah.

They're my parents.

You have a sense of filial duty.

Yeah, I guess

I'm old-fashioned like that.

It's nice.

So does that mean

you're persuadable?

I don't know.

Hey.

Erica?

Hey, what is it?

What's wrong?

Erica...

Ah.

I can't believe I'm talking

about having kids

with another man.

Honey, it was just talking.

It was just fooling around.

And I'm not another man.

No, no, no.

No, no.

You are another man.

You are.

Chris... he didn't have any family.

Not like you.

I was his family, okay?

I was his family,

and I'm forgetting him.

Oh, God.

You know, I had been...

I'd been drinking,

and Chris asked me

if I was okay to drive,

and I said yes.

I killed him.

Oh, God.

Sometimes I just wish

I could take a break

from being myself.

Me too.

Following the Parliament

attack in New Delhi,

the troops are gathering

at the border.

The fear of war between

India and Pakistan...

Nuclear powers,

grows every day.

How many weddings have

a bomb shelter contingency plan?

The world couldn't wait

one more week

before exploding itself?

Hello. Let's stick to

happier subjects.

How's the groom?

He's an actor, so...

A working actor

but an actor nonetheless.

Poor Abu keeps his

heart medication close at hand.

You know, if the war

doesn't kill him...

The wedding costs will.

Move on.

They never stop girls.

Pakistan was born into

violence 50 years ago.

We knew how to cope.

As the tensions became worse,

the biryanis became

more delicious,

the bootleggers

more frequent,

and the celebrations

more raucous.

Here comes the groom!

Really?

Girls, be on time to dress her

for the wedding tomorrow, huh?

Did you make this?

Show me your ring.

What are you thinking about?

Just how much you must love

all this attention, no?

Not about your girlfriend?

Your turn next, Nasreen, hmm?

Find me a guy now.

Lovely girl, and from a good family.

But you can't consider her

because you're an ocean away.

Luckily, Abu, they have women

in New York too, you know.

I'm sure they do.

What exactly do you do

at the Underwood?

It's Underwood Samson.

We help companies to figure out

how much they're worth,

and then we make suggestions

so that they can increase their value.

Hmm.

So...

I'm a fruit seller.

You don't buy my guavas.

- You don't sell me guavas.

- No.

I pay you to tell me,

"The price of the guava

is 8 rupees. "

Yes, but I can also help you

to increase the value

of your whole fruit stand.

With redundancies.

So two fruit sellers become one,

and the money is saved.

Terrific.

I don't see the point.

I'll send you back

to your village!

Sorry, sir.

In the tent, the supervisor

will fire him.

That young man

drops one plate,

and his livelihood is gone.

I should talk to the supervisor.

No, no, no, no, no.

Come here.

Your empathy is aroused

because of this one man

whose face you can see.

But with one line

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