Summary

A few days after the troops returned from their trip to Gomal, Aziz was surprised to see both Mr. Jack and Atal’s vehicles parked at the firebase as he walked to the mess hall. Inside the hall, Naseeb was being made to stand watch over the line for six hours a day as punishment for the rice found in Gazan hands. He also had a bruise on his jawbone from Sabir. After eating, Aziz helped his squad members repair and maintain their vehicles. The men talked about Atal while they worked but Yar discouraged their talk saying that as long as their bellies were full, what others did was none of their business.

In the late afternoon, Yar told the men they’d done enough work for the day. Because Aziz was late to start work, he was left cleaning up. As...