Savor the Moment All Year Long

In between events, the spectators play games for fun. As we wait for the contestants to prepare themselves for the next portion of the competition, we watch as an animal skin is tossed among a group of riders. Two men at a time vie to wrestle the skin out of each other’s hands while staying on horseback. It is comical to watch. The men sit astride their horses, each man with a hand on the pelt. The two ride around among the others, who cluster about until one of the two men is vanquished, then the others simultaneously try to land a hand on the fur in order to have their shot at it.

Because the eaglers are not yet in place, a different game breaks out when the first one ends. In this, men gallop around on horseback trying to throw the headless body of a goat into a basket. The men ride hard against one another. At one point, two horses collide and go down, but no one is hurt. The game lasts only a few minutes. In that time, no one scores.

Later, toward the end of the day, several of the women get a chance to mount and show their skills. In this game, a man rides out after his wife who has a head start, and tries to capture the scarf wrapped around her neck. The two ride around a cone. On their way back to the starting line, they reverse positions. Instead, the woman tries to land a few blows with a small whip as she chases her husband.

When Chala’s parents take their turn, I can see where Chala gets her riding skills from. Karim outrides Makhmud the whole way; he never comes within an arm’s length of her. After racing around the cone, she whips him several times, her blows so hard I can hear each one. Something in her face tells me this feels good, that she savors this moment all year long until the next competition.

I wonder what would happen if I play this game with my twin, who would whip whom, how satisfying it would feel to make physical the struggle between us. I look over and see Mun staring at me. When he nods at me, I realize the thought I am thinking is his.