Читать книгу BOGUS - Jill Ganger - Страница 5

Amad’s father had decided that his son would go to the United States to study. That decision was made when Amad was still a toddler. The family lived in an affluent neighborhood on the outskirts of Tripoli. Amad’s mother was a beautiful woman and fortunately for him he had inherited his mother’s delicate beauty rather than his father’s rough uneven features. His mother had bronzed silken skin and a warm smile. Her smile was a mask for the deep feelings of hatred for her husband, but she loved her son dearly.

Amad’s father had a basic plan for his son’s education that he augmented and revised each year. He hired a Spanish tutor and an English tutor to work with Amad from the age of 4. A very intelligent boy, he had a knack for languages and his fluency in both languages increased rapidly. He had tutors in science and mathematics as well. For his son to attend the best school in Tripoli, was not good enough for Amad’s father.

Amad learned from his mother as well. He learned to hide his feelings and he learned to smile. He also learned to hate his father. His father always wanted more of him and was never satisfied. It hadn’t taken long for Amad to learn to hide any feelings from his father. The many beatings that he had received at his father’s hand had taught him that. Amad did have a love of learning, but because of his father’s control over him there was little else in his life.

His father called him into the study one evening. “Son,” his father said. “It is time for you to begin training for your destiny. You are twelve years old now – almost a man. I have raised you to be a faithful Muslim and a proud Libyan – isn’t that so?” “Yes, Papa,” Amad responded wondering what his father had in store for him this time. “I’ve arranged for you to be taken on a long journey, my son. You will leave in about a week. Hassan will pick you up before daylight on the day that your journey begins. You will bring a bag that will have been packed for you. It will already be in Hassan’s truck. You will be gone for a year, but you will come home a man. I promise you that! I will pack your lessons as well, although I suspect you will not have much time to study. Make the most of your time, son, and learn and pray – Allah should protect you as you will be in training to protect him.”

Amad did not want to leave his home, his school, and particularly his beloved mother, but he knew better than to argue with his father. He didn’t quite understand where he was going, but he was afraid to ask for fear his father would consider that insubordination and that a beating would be warranted.

“Yes, Papa,” he said again as he was dismissed by his father. As soon as he left the room, the tears began to flow as he searched the house for his mother. “Mama, father is sending me away,” he told her as he fell to his knees sobbing. “I know – I know,” she whispered as she stroked his head. “I told Papa you were not ready, but he insisted. Surely Allah will protect you!”

“Where am I going?” Amad cried. “It sounds frightening. Is it a bad place, Mama – is it?”

“You will return a man,” she said. “You will exercise. You will learn about our enemies and the enemies of Allah. You will learn to fight, and you will learn to be an expert marksman. You will learn from the best, but you must work hard to excel. Your father is depending on you!”

Amad felt slightly better after talking with his mother. She wouldn’t let anything bad happen to him. He knew that she would protect him from his father if she could! He had always excelled in whatever he did.

At dawn on the day of his journey, Hassan came into his room to awaken him. “Time to go” was said only with a nod. Amad got out of bed preparing to leave his house for perhaps the last time. Hassan pushed him outside, and he reluctantly climbed into the truck. No one was there to say good-bye. Amad sat in the passenger seat feeling sad at leaving his home and his mama. He buried those feelings as he dozed in the truck as it pulled away into the desert. As the desert became more desolate the pebbles in the sand would jolt Amad awake and away from the dreams of mama, his days in school, his tutors, and his home. He’d awaken to terrible thoughts of his Papa. Hassan stopped the truck by the side of the road for them to rest for the night. They ate some food that had been prepared for the trip, went behind some rocks to relieve themselves, and then fell asleep in the back of the truck. The rising of the sun awakened them both. They had a small meal and the trip began again. The bouncing of the old truck made Amad sleepy and he must have dozed off again during the drive.

“Wake up, Amad, wake up! We’ve driven along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea close to the Egyptian border. I leave you here. Ja’hil should be meeting us at the border and I will return to your father’s house.”

Amad’s eyes grew large. He would be with a total stranger. At least he knew Hassan since he was a little boy – but now --. He was worried and afraid. It was dark and lonely out there! He thought about his friend, Aziz. Nobody knew about Aziz, not even his mother. Aziz had been in Amad’s room with him when he needed him. Aziz was always there. Aziz was there when Papa was angry, and he was there when Mama couldn’t be. He hoped that Aziz had come with him on this journey. He needed to have someone he knew.

Suddenly lights appeared in the distance. They got larger as the vehicle approached. In the flat marshy terrain, it was difficult to know how close it was. Hassan got out of the truck to get Amad’s bag so they would be ready when Ja’hil arrived. “Where am I going”, Amad whispered. “You are going to a place to learn to be a man,” Hassan repeated the words that Amad’s father had used.

They waited by the truck until Ja’hil stopped in front of it. The two men hugged, and Hassan handed Amad’s bag to Ja’hil. Then he introduced the boy to the man. Amad grunted hello and bravely got into Ja’hil’s truck.

“We are in Egypt now,” Ja’hil told Amad. “You are about to start your real journey. If you have studied your lessons well, you will understand the itinerary for your travels. You have a long trip ahead of you son. We are not going the fastest route since we do not want our destination to be obvious. The journey’s end is a training camp that is in a secret location. We will continue our drive along the Mediterranean Sea until we are just south of Alexandria. Then we will take a small road across the Egyptian desert and arrive in Cairo. Once in Cairo we will meet up with another of your father’s associates who will have a few other boys in his truck. You will travel from Cairo back up north to Port Said and board a merchant ship which will take you through the Suez Canal and will continue on to the Gulf of Aqaba, into Jordan.”

Amad interrupted –“the Suez Canal – Wow —I’ve read about the Suez Canal and I’m really going to go through it!” For the first time since leaving home, he became animated and almost excited about this adventure. “And what will I do in Jordan?” He asked Ja’hil.

“You will be taken to a large airport where another of your father’s friends will fly with you to Tehran.”

“I’ve never been in an airplane!” Amad was very excited now. “Where am I going? Why am I flying to Tehran?” Amad asked. It was as if Amad had not spoken. Ja’hil continued, “You will be picked up in Tehran by a small convoy of trucks. Other boys will be in this convoy. The trucks will then travel over the border of Iran into Afghanistan. You will travel to a cave in a hidden location in Afghanistan, and it is there that you will become a man.”

Suddenly Amad lost his enthusiasm. A cave in Afghanistan didn’t sound like a good place to be, especially for a twelve year old boy. He quietly sat in the truck as they drove on, and he willed Aziz into existence for comfort. Amad realized that he would have to make the best of the situation. He knew that he couldn’t escape. Where would he go and besides he didn’t have any money. He felt so helpless, and even at the age of twelve he hated that feeling. He decided that he would keep a journal of the trip and a separate journal of his conversations with Aziz. These journals would help him to stay focused on the trip with grown men that he didn’t know. Ja’hil at least told him where he was going, but he said little else.

In the distance he could still see the green land bordering the Mediterranean Sea. The desert in Egypt didn’t look any different from the desert in Libya. It was hot and dry, but Ja’hil had brought lots of water in the truck for them to drink. Time passed slowly and Amad began to write to Aziz, who assured Amad that his father wouldn’t let harm come to him. It was a very long drive. They stopped by the side of the road for a meal, to relieve themselves, and for a short night’s sleep. Amad was awakened after only a few hours, because Ja’hil wanted an early start to their journey because of the desert heat.

Other than watching the sun rise, Amad observed nothing but an empty road. Finally they saw other vehicles on the road which became more frequent as they approached the city of Alexandria. They bypassed the city and turned south after crossing the Nile River. Soon they were actually in a long line of traffic ready to enter the city of Cairo. “You will meet up with Mohamar soon,” Ja’hil said suddenly as they took a turn off the major road. Ja’hil stopped on the side of the road about thirty minutes later, leaving Amad to wonder why as they sat in silence. A few minutes later a vehicle approached them from the rear and parked behind them. Ja’hil told Amad to get out of the truck as he unloaded Amad’s bag. The driver got out of the other vehicle, nodded to Ja’hil and shook hands with him. “I am sure that you will have a safe journey,” Ja’hil said to Amad as he handed Amad’s bag to Mohamar. Ja’hil got back in the truck and pulled away leaving Amad standing in the road looking up at Mohamar. Mohamar put his hand on Amad’s shoulder and guided him toward his truck as he threw the bag in the back and opened the door for Amad, who climbed inside suddenly realizing that there were four other boys in the truck. He nodded at them and sat down closest to the window. Mohamar got back in the truck and began to drive.

They drove in silence for a while and then Amad decided that soon he would introduce himself to the other boys. They were probably going to the same place, and they were probably just as frightened of the unknown as he was. Mohamar told them that soon they were all going to board a merchant ship that would proceed south through the Suez Canal and then northeast through the Gulf of Aqaba into Jordan. This statement caused a flurry of excited conversation among the boys. They drove almost due east to the Suez River and then north to Port Said. When they saw many ships in front of them their excitement rose. They all silently wondered which ship was the one on which they would make their journey. Mohamar continued driving and veered off the main road and into a large parking lot near the water. He told the boys to get out of the truck and retrieve their bags as he threw them out of the back of the truck and onto the ground. “Get in line and stay in line behind me,” he said. “I don’t want to lose any of you.” He walked to a small building at the water’s edge. He opened the door, and spoke to a man at a desk inside the building. Then all of them were ushered outside through a door on the far side of the building. In front of them was a ship smeared with years of weathering but a deep blue paint peered at them from underneath. A ramp stretched downward touching the dock and creating a walkway for them. The man, that had been at the desk inside the building, waved them aboard the ship.

All of the boys were very excited about being on the ship. They ran up the ramp ahead of Mohamar and went to the nearest railing looking out into the water from the side of the ship. Amad spoke to the boy who stood next to him at the railing. “Hi — I’m Amad,” he introduced himself. The boy nodded and spoke —“I’m Abdullah, but call me Abby”. They stayed in that spot talking nonstop, until the ship blew it’s horn indicating that it was leaving port. The sudden loud sound caused the boys to jump, stop chattering, and start laughing. They felt the ship lurch as it began to move. It hadn’t gone far when it slowly came to a stop. They saw that the ship was now in a line of ships that were waiting for the convoy to proceed through the canal. Finally the ship began to move again, and they watched the building fade away behind them as other buildings appeared at the water’s edge and beyond. These got larger and larger as they got closer, and then smaller and smaller as they disappeared behind them. The sun was getting lower in the sky as evening approached.

Finally Mohamar suggested that they go down to their bunk room to get settled before the evening meal. To get to their quarters, they had to climb down many narrow steps. They dropped their bags on their chosen bunks, and went to the bathroom on that level to relieve themselves and to clean up for the meal. Soon they were ready and Mohamar took them to the galley to eat. They stood in line with the ship’s crew picking up a platter of food and then bringing it to one of the large tables in the room. Each of the boys ate enthusiastically after hours of driving and hours on the ship waiting for the convoy to guide them through the canal. After their meal Mohamar wanted them back in the bunk room. “You will have a long day on the ship tomorrow,” he told them. “Get a good night’s sleep!”

“During the night we will exit the canal and pass the town of Suez, then we will be in the Red Sea. By morning we will begin to travel north in the Gulf of Aqaba. We will pass Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt on our way to the town of Haql in Saudi Arabia where we will disembark the ship.”

Abby and Amad whispered to each other before they fell asleep, ignoring the other boys. Each of them felt comfort in the fact that they had become close friends in that instant when they introduced themselves at the ship railing. They both needed that!

Mohamar woke them early in the morning as he had suggested that he would. The boys took turns using the bathroom and then they all went to the galley together to have a small amount of food before they started their day. Mohamar explained, after they went upstairs to the deck, that the ship was still in the Gulf of Suez, but that they would be entering the Red Sea for a short time, and then the Gulf of Aqaba. Looking over the railing they noticed a housing settlement on the water’s edge with guard towers and jeeps patrolling the outskirts of the settlement. They saw a few small ferry boats crossing the water from one settlement to another on the other side of the Gulf of Suez. Suddenly the shoreline opened up in front of them as the Gulf of Suez flowed into the Red Sea. Mohamar explained that this was the Red Sea in front of them. Other ships were visible to them, and they could see the activity on the shore. Soon they felt the ship make a sharp turn. Mohamar had told them to expect this as they turned north into the Gulf of Aqaba where they would be passing the port of Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt and several hours later they would be arriving at their destination of Haql in Saudi Arabia. There they would be met by Qasim who would take them on a five hour road trip to the Queen Alia International Airport in Amman, Jordan. The boys were very excited to find out that they would be flying in an airplane, even though they did not know their destination at this time. They chattered among themselves as they watched the settlements along the shore as the ship sailed onward. Mohamar stayed with the boys, but occasionally he spoke with some of the crew members that he seemed to know deliberately whispering so the boys could not hear. There was so much enthusiasm for the trip that awaited them, that the boys did not notice or were not concerned.

On the left of the ship they saw what seemed like a large port that was growing in size as they approached it. Mohamar explained that this was the Port of Sharm El-Sheikh in Egypt. This meant that Haql would be only a few hours away and that they would be off the ship before the sun set. There were large cranes on the docks that were used to remove cargo from merchant ships like the one they were on. As they passed by they saw that several ships were being unloaded. Amad thought that maybe their ship would turn around and unload at Sharm El-Sheikh after the boys had disembarked in Haql. As the port disappeared behind them, Mohamar suggested that they go down to the galley to have a meal which would probably be their last meal on the ship.

They had a meal together at one of the large tables in the galley. The boys nibbled at their food as they excitedly discussed the upcoming trip and the airplane. When they were finished and had a bathroom break, they went back up on deck to watch the final leg of their journey on the water. After another two hours, Mohamar told them to go down to the bunk room, quickly gather their belongings, and meet back on the deck so they would be prepared to leave the ship when the boat docked. Within fifteen minutes, the boys had arrived back on deck. This time they saw a city on the right side of the ship that was quite a bit smaller than the port city that they had just left. The ship slowly approached the dock. The ramp was lowered as soon as the ship arrived so that the crew could get back on the water as quickly as possible. The boys hurried down the ramp to the dock when Mohamar announced that he would be reboarding the merchant ship. He was handing over responsibility for them to Qadim who was waiting for them dockside. The boys tentatively said goodbye to Mohamar and observed Qadim. He was the gruff looking burly man standing next to the ramp looking impatient. Mohamar waved to the boys and waved to Qadim as he walked back up the ramp and onto the deck of the ship. As soon as Mohamar disappeared from view, Qadim waved the boys forward to his waiting truck. He told them that they had about a five hour drive to the airport in Amman so they needed to quickly get on the road.

The boys threw their bags in the back of the truck and climbed in. Qadim turned on the engine and began to drive. Out of a feeling of necessity the boys had become friends during their short time on the merchant ship. Perhaps they felt that they needed one another for support in their still long journey. Finally Qadim asked if they could keep the noise down because he needed to concentrate on his driving. “It is a straight relatively untraveled road from Haql until shortly before we arrive in Amman,” he explained. “I need to have my focus on the road.”

The boys laughed among themselves, but did keep their voices to a loud whisper. “We don’t need to arrive in Amman until tomorrow,” Qadim said. “I think we will stop in a short while for the evening - what do you boys think of that plan?”

They pulled off the road and drove behind some large rocks that were a short distance away. The boys got out of the truck and began to look around. Qadim told them to stay close to the truck so they wouldn’t get injured or lost. Qadim pulled sleeping bags and food from the rear of the truck, while the boys relieved themselves near another large rock not too far away from the truck. They ate their meal while sitting on the sleeping bags that had been arranged in a circle on the ground. The truck served as protection for them against intruders and the elements. When the sun went down, Qadim suggested that they make it an early evening, so they could arise in the morning and get an early start on the day to avoid the heat. The boys readily agreed, since they had awakened early that day as well.

Qadim woke them at sunrise to start their last day on the road before getting to the airport. They took a small meal and excitedly got back in the truck. Qadim began the drive, and as they were approaching the border of Jordan, he told them not to speak unless spoken to until after they left the border station. He would do all the talking. There was something in his voice that frightened them. They were stopped at the border and the border guard spoke to Qadim. He responded and then they were waved onward by the guard. Qadim kept on driving without another word.

As they approached Amman, the traffic on the road got heavier. Qadim explained that Amman is a big city and that Queen Alia International Airport is on the southeastern side of the city. They turned off the road when Qadim saw the sign for the airport. His friend Mohammad was supposed to meet them at a specific location within the airport, because Mohammad was planning on taking Qadim’s truck back. Qadim drove to the drop off area for Qatar Airways. The boys each got their own bag from the back of the truck while Qadim found Mohammad. By the time boys had unloaded their belongings, Qadim was back with Mohammad, and he unloaded his bag as well. Mohamad drove off in the truck, and Qadim, with the boys at his side, walked into the terminal. Qadim told them to carry their bags with them on the airplane so they would able to go straight to the gate. He had their tickets in his hand.

Amad and the other boys were all from well-to-do families yet none of them had ever been to an airport. In fact they had never seen such a modern building or so many people. They didn’t know what to look at first, but they knew that they had to follow Qadim closely because they didn’t want to lose him in the crowds of people. They looked up and saw the high arched ceilings then they looked out the large windows and saw what looked like giant birds sitting on the ground. They must be the airplanes that they had only seen flying high in the sky looking very small indeed. Many people were standing in long lines, but Qadim took them up a moving staircase to the second floor. As they were moving they looked behind them back down to the first floor. It felt like they were already flying away as the people seemed to shrink in size. The ceiling still seemed to be high above them, but the second floor was approaching quickly. Amad almost fell as he stepped off the moving stairs. Qadim told them that they were leaving from a gate at the far end on the right. They were to keep walking, passing restaurants and shops, until they arrived at the gate. They saw large seating areas facing more large windows where people were looking down at the giant birds on the ground below. Finally Qadim turned right into one of these seating areas. He sat the boys in some seats close to a check-in area against the wall. They were told to stay in their seats until he returned from getting their boarding passes. The boys watched as Qadim stood in a short line. They observed the giant bird below them that said “Qatar Airways” on its back.

“Do you think that is our airplane?” One of the boys asked Amad. Without saying a word, Amad just shrugged his shoulders.

“Look at the giant bird slowly moving farther from the window,” said another boy. Amad watched a different giant bird moving on the ground in the distance and very slowly the front lifted off the ground and the rear slowly lifted behind it until the entire giant bird was in the air. It definitely looked like a larger version of the high flying airplanes that he had seen in the sky at home. Amad was in deep thought when Qadim returned. “I will hold your boarding passes for you. We can board the airplane in about fifteen minutes,” he said. Qadim let them go to the giant window to see the airplane. The boys observed a large tunnel move toward the airplane and fasten to its side. They saw some small windows at the front of the airplane and even smaller windows dotting each side. There were men in uniforms behind the windows in the front of the airplane.

Soon Qadim called them away from the window. “It is time. Take your bags and follow me,” Qadim said as they moved into a line that was forming in front of an open door behind the check-in area. Shortly afterward the line began to move. Qadim told the boys to stay close behind him. Amad realized that they were walking into the tunnel that he had observed through the window. When they got to the end of the tunnel they took a step upward and onto the airplane. They walked down a narrow aisle between seats until Qadim stopped. He ushered three boys into the seats to the left. He told them to put their bags under the seats in front of them. One boy he steered into the window seat behind the other boys, and Amad and Qadim sat in the seats next to him completing the row.

All the boys were very excited about flying for the first time. They leaned over one another to look out the small window on the side of the airplane. They looked at the tarmac below the airplane and were amazed at how high they were off the ground when they were still at the gate. They watched as the ramp was pulled away from the airplane and moved back toward the gate. They listened to a crew member talk about safety through the speaker system in the aircraft. Qadim made sure that each of them fastened their seatbelts. The aircraft lurched as it backed away from gate and turned toward the runway. They taxied for a short distance and stopped. “Why have we stopped?” Amad asked Qadim.

Qadim explained that “some airplanes must take off and some airplanes must land, and that they didn’t want to crash into each other. Therefore the pilots of all airplanes must talk to special people on the ground who tell them when it is their turn to take off or land.” Amad nodded. He understood that their airplane was in line waiting for its turn to take off. He heard a shuddering sound and felt a vibration in the aircraft. He looked out the window and observed small pieces of metal moving up and down on the wing. Suddenly the airplane began to move very quickly and the vibrations and the sounds increased. As he watched he felt the front of the airplane rise off the ground and the rest of the airplane followed. The ground seemed to fall away beneath them and all he could see was the blue sky and the puffy clouds. Finally they must be flying!

After about two hours, a crew member said through the speaker system that everyone should prepare to land. Amad began to watch again through the window. The front of the airplane seemed to tilt downward and as they traveled through the clouds, he could suddenly see land below them. He felt the airplane turn slightly, and he watched the ground seemingly move beneath them. He felt a slight vibration as the aircraft slowly lowered itself in the sky. Soon he could see large buildings with airplanes close to them as he saw in Amman. The airplane moved even slower as it approached the runway. The runway got closer and closer, and the airplane felt like it was bouncing on the ground. He wanted to squeal in his delight, but he kept silent and smiled instead. They were still moving on the runway and then the airplane turned and continued moving toward the gate. Finally the motion stopped, and people stood up to retrieve their bags before leaving the airplane. Qadim told the boys to wait, and that he would help them with their bags as soon as the other passengers had departed. Eventually he got up and helped each of the boys guiding them down the aisle and out of the airplane.

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.