The Days without Mirror (Part 13)

After four days, I was discharged from hospital and retuned home. I spent ten days resting at home. Hosseins parents and his sister came to my fathers house. On the tenth day of my delivery, a big party was held to which all the family and relatives were invited. During the period of improvement, the date of our monthly Rawda khwani ceremony came. It was began from morning until 12:00 at noon and five preachers came and went.

The Days without Mirror (Part 12)

Three or four months had passed from our arrival to the base, when Hossein got two weeks leave. It was the best time to go to Tehran. Hossein got train ticket and we headed. At night, in the train, we and an old doctor who was the physician of the air base, were at the same compartment. All the pilots knew him. When supper was served, Hossein insisted me to eat but I did not. I had no appetite. I kept standing behind the window. I needed to breathe fresh air.

The Days without Mirror (Part 11)

In my father house, at noon, when it was close he arrived home, samovar was boiling and the tea was brewed, if it was winter. At least one kind of washed winter fruit was in a dish on the table. If it was summer, a pitcher full of ice and hedge-mustard sharbat and sekanjabin with cold watermelon and honey-melon were on the table. My father knew these as a sign of his ...

The Days without Mirror (Part 10)

We both went to the bedding my mother had sent. There were a few large sheets among mattresses. We pined them together and hung in front of kitchen window and one of bedrooms window. In the afternoon, when the heat wave diminished a little, Hossein said, ‘Let us go to Dezful to buy curtain.’ He apparently knew a good shop there. I chose different types of curtains for drawing room, bedrooms, and kitchen.

The Days without Mirror (Part 9)

Hossein had chartered a railroad compartment. I could not believe that all these events happened within three months: separation from my family; moving away from my birthplace, Tehran; and going to a distant city where I had no picture of it. But as I looked at Hossein, forgot all these sorrows and was encouraged. Hossein prepared tea, biscuits and dinner. And he kept talking to me or giving something to eat in order I do not think.

The Days Without Mirror (Part 8)

Hossein rang me every day and sent each member of my family his greetings. He asked me about my school, my friends, and everything; and said that he missed me. But I did not have anything to say. I just asked: ‘How are you? What is the weather there?’ I did not know anything about his living and working conditions; so I had no idea what to say. Hossein went to Tabriz on Sunday and came back to Tehran on Thursday.

The Days Without Mirror (Part 7)

On the morning of March 27, symbolic items of sofreh aghd was sent to our house. My mother had allocated a large room in the third floor for spreading sofreh aghd. At that time, as custom has it, the items which were bought for bride and groom were decorated inside large round trays. Then, several men put these decorated trays over their head and brought them to the house of bride’s family with singing.

The Days Without Mirror (Part 6)

On the March 23rd 1979, two months after the victory of the Revolution, a large number of guests from Qazvin came to our house for proposing: Hosseins parents along with his siblings, his sisters-in-law, and his maternal and paternal uncles. A tumult had been thrown in the drawing room. After one or two hours, my mother entered the kitchen and said: "Manijeh, it is over. Bring tea."

The Days Without Mirror (Part 5)

On February 1st 1979, Mr. Khomeini came to Iran. At that time, Hossein did his military service at the Dezful Air Base. I kept listening to the news, because the Air Force was the first branch joining the revolutionaries. I did not say anyone, but I was worried about Hossein. I was afraid that the government made life difficult for pilots. We knew that Hossein was a religious, revolutionary, and opposed to the Pahlavi regime.

The Days Without Mirror (Part 4)

Hossein was performing his military service in Tabriz; but whenever he came to Tehran, stopped by our house on the pretext of visiting my father. Hossein was well-spoken and pleasant person. My parents loved him, but my brother hated him and complained: ‘although daddy likes Hossein, but it is not a reason he comes to our house whenever he comes Tehran from Tabriz.’