Page 65 - 2021-bfw-aufses-alr-1e

What’s so interesting in there? Khan wanted to 5
know. They laughed at him, but they told him.
He began buying the paper every day and asking
whichever kid was working for him to take a Kathryn Schulz
break from peeling onions to read the business
pages aloud. Khan couldn’t read or write
English. He had no formal education to speak
of. But he was frugal, focussed, patient, and, as it
turned out, exceptionally good at picking stocks.
The rumor around town was that he’d already
made a million dollars by 1929. . . .
• • •
By the time Zarif Khan applied to become a
United States citizen for the second time, he had
been living in Wyoming for nearly half a century. Oliver Munday
He was in his late sixties. On the naturalization
petition, his official hair color had turned This image appeared with Schulz’s essay when
from brown to gray. His skin color remained it was first published in the New Yorker. A picture
unchanged but no longer constituted a barrier of Zarif Khan appears in the middle, and the
to citizenship. On May 4, 1954, the federal words, “Greetings from Wyoming” run across
government conferred upon Khan the privileges the top and down the right side of the image.
In the lower left-hand corner, half of a family
and duties it had once forever enjoined him photograph can be seen, although Khan himself
from claiming. is not visible in that portion of the photo.
Meanwhile, Khan’s life had changed in 35 How does this image allude to the contents
another momentous way. The year before, he of Schulz’s essay? What does the color
had travelled to Pakistan and returned home a scheme imply about the trajectory of Zarif
married man. The marriage was an arranged Khan’s life in America?
one; the bride, Bibi Fatima Khan (no relation),
was fifteen years old. People in town talked, of
course, but the tone was less judgmental than finally, Merriam. After each birth, Khan flew the
jokey — along the lines of “I wouldn’t have whole family back to Pakistan to introduce his
thought he had it in him.” relatives there to the new arrival.
He did, apparently; in the course of the next In 1963, not long after Merriam was born,
eleven years, the couple had six children. Khan, the family once again returned to Bara. This
a doting father, could be seen around Sheridan time, though, in addition to showing off his
hoisting his firstborn. Roenna, on his hip, while baby, Khan had business to conduct. Like
pushing his infant son Zarif in a carriage. When many immigrants, he had spent much of his
they got older, they recalled for me, he took working life funnelling money back home:
them to the restaurant, set them at the counter, paying to build wells and mosques in areas
emptied the till, and used the money to teach where travellers would otherwise have no water
them how to count. Meanwhile, more children to drink and nowhere to pray, buying land for
kept coming: Fatima, named for her mother, his relatives to farm and houses for them to
then Zarina, then a second boy, Nazir, and, live in. Now he began giving all of that away,
45
Copyright © 2021 by Bedford, Freeman & Worth High School Publishers. Uncorrected proofs have been used in this sample chapter.
Distributed by by Bedford, Freeman & Worth High School Publishers. Strictly for use with its products. Not for redistribution.

AufsesALR1e_24889_ch05_002_097.indd 45 5/4/2020 3:58:03 PM