"Chocolate? Dollar?"

Our little contingent of neighborhood kids is pretty cute. When the weather is nice, they add cheer to the compound with their little voices calling out while playing their games. I love to hear them over the walls. After my excursion the other day handing out the granola bars and pop-tarts, I broke down and bought them some chocolate. When the children wait near our outer gates, their oft-repeated mantra is "Chocolate? Dollar?" I walked out of the gate again Friday afternoon to add some 'sweetness' to their weekend (Friday is the day of rest here; Afghans typically stop working Thursday at noon and don't return to work until Saturday morning) by giving them some chocolates. I met the normal crowd near the gate to their courtyard and was immediately greeted by one particular little girl that is a regular at the gate. She saw me, ran up, and started talking with great animation. I was without my normal Ghurka companion and was not able to speak directly to her, but smiled and said hello anyway. She repeated what she had said. Nope, still didn't understand, little one. She stopped, put her arms down to her side very deliberately, smiled her biggest smile, and... with lightning speed, grabbed the entire bag of Snickers out of my hand and was off like a shot. I laughed so hard; she was so darn cute... for a little thief! Her mother had witnessed this and looked more than a bit scared at what my reaction might be (As friendly as I try to appear, when I go out like that I am still well armed when I leave the compound). My smile was infectious and soon we were all laughing at the spirit of a young girl. I shared some more treats with the rest of the family and went on my way.

On Saturday afternoon, I saw the same little girl at the gate when I drove in returning from town. She got excited when she saw one of the 'company' vehicles returning home and started asking for "Chocolate? Dollar" until she saw that it was me driving. She looked a little (just a little) bit scared until I smiled and waved at her. Her bravery quickly returned and she asked for a treat. When I said "Nay" ("No" in Dari), she frowned, smiled at me again, and skipped away home. She knows that I will be back.