SABAH (41)

Memoirs of Sabah Vatankhah

Interviewed and Compiled by Fatemeh Doustkami
Translated by Natalie Haghverdian

2020-12-22

SABAH (41)

Memoirs of Sabah Vatankhah

Interviewed and Compiled by Fatemeh Doustkami

Translated by Natalie Haghverdian

Published by Soore Mehr Publishing Co.

Persian Version 2019

Although I was involved in aid and rescue, I was always careful about the privacy of the injured and even when bandaging or getting a vein, I avoided touching their bodies. While bandaging, the cotton, sterile gauze was between my hand and the body of the injured but while I was injecting, I did my best to have zero contact with the body of the injured. Most of the injured and soldiers were like us and did not like a female aid worker or nurse to attend them. For us, who were observing the religious boundaries so carefully, it was very difficult to be preached by a person like Jonshan all the time!

One day, after moving to the office, Elaheh’s cousin and his wife, Ms. Fatemeh, came to Khorramshahr from Sarbandar to collect some necessary documents and equipment. They had gone to Jameh mosque looking for Elaheh. Somebody from the mosque came to take Elaheh. We went together. Elaheh asked Ms. Fatemeh about the wellbeing of her mom and family. They were all fine. Ms. Fatemeh told Eleheh: “You are their only concern. Please come with us for a few days and let them see you and then return to Khorramshahr.” Elaheh who liked Ms. Fatemeh’s suggestion, turned to me and asked: “Sabah, will you go with me?!”

It was a couple of days that I was looking for a place to take a shower. I could not take it anymore. I felt so filthy. Therefore, I told her: “I will go. We go together and return quickly.” Zahra Hosseini was there too. When she saw that Elaheh and I are going to Sarbandar, she expressed her desire to go and visit her family. Three of us decided to go in three with Ms. Fatemeh and her husband. I grabbed my bag and we set out towards Sarbandar; the same black bag that I had taken when I had left the house the first day.

Mr. Hossein’s car was a brown Chevrolet. The seats had red cover. As soon as we got into the car, Mr. Hossein turned on the AC and we felt the cool breeze. Zahra Hosseini said: “Interesting! This is the first time I see a car with AC!”

We crossed over the bridge and after passing the seventh station of Abadan, entered Mahshahr-Abadan road. We could see families on the road who were leaving the city. The thick pipes of oil on the side of the road which were standing in columns over half meter above the ground in the Sabakh[1] around the city got my attention. I remembered Marjan; I remembered the day when we were protesting in Jameh mosque against the Arab Public. Marjan had taken a few photos of these oil pipes and showed them to me. The situation of the oil pipes was very difference then. Now, there were targeted by bombs and torn apart.

Almost one and a half hour later we arrive at Sarbandar. Sarbandar was a commercial city which composed of a bazaar and a few avenues and streets. Years earlier the Japanese had built this city for the employees of petrochemical company of “Sarbandar”[2] port. I asked Mr. Hossein about the address of Amoo Hejab and he said that they have rented the family house of someone called Abbas Communist. Whomever you ask, will give you the address.

Zohreh, Elaheh and I set out to find Abbas Communist’s house where Zahra’s family were living. We reached the small and local bazar of Sarbandar. The Bazar included one row of shops around the small square of Sarbandar where people could buy their daily needs. Sarbandar was a small and gloomy city. The smell of mud in the stream in front of the shops, with the raving smell of war-stricken people and children who had very old clothes on, made us feel bad.

As we were passing the bazar, I noticed “Genova”. Genova was a 27-year old crazy woman originally from Khorramshahr and I saw her the first time in Jameh mosque. Genova was not fit emotionally and her family and their whereabouts were unknown. Every once in a while she suffered a severe nervous breakdown similar to epilepsy. The skin on her face was filled with pimples that made everyone horrified and nauseous. It was a very difficult and nerve wrecking to take care of Genova in the chaotic situation of the mosque since she would not listen to anyone.

Among our team, Afsaneh Ghazizadeh took the most care of Genova. Poor girl said that Genova might go out and something might happen to her. Nobody knew where her family and relatives were and where they lived. We didn’t know where she was before the war; whether or not she has had a home. She couldn’t talk properly. Her talking was mostly yelling and screaming. I turned to Zahra and said: “Zahra look! How has Genova gotten here?!” Zahra said: “Ya! Look at her! Her face is full of Shaghoulous! What is she doing here?!”

By Shaghoulous she meant pimples. Poor woman was sitting under the shade of a shop in Bazar and stretched her legs and was eating something. Her hair was filthy and chaotic. Her hygiene was so poor that that hundreds of flies were sitting on her. I felt pitty for her.

We asked the address of Abbas Communist from one of the shop keepers. Our paths parted with Zahra. We said goodbye and went towards the house. On our way, we joked and laughed a lot. I told Elaheh that we have been saying death to Communist for our whole life, but now we have to deal with one of them! Finally we found the house and knocked. Amoo Hejab and auntie Maryam were very happy to see us. It was as if they could not believe that we were safe and sound and have come to see them. Elaheh jumped and hugged auntie Maryam and kissed the head and face of her mother.

The house that Amoo Hejab had rented was big with a hearty garden. Auntie had done a lot of laundry and hung them in the yard. Nahid and Pouneh heard us and came to the yard. We were so happy to see each other. We kissed and hugged each other as if we were seeing one another after many years.

Auntie prepared fish for lunch for her guests. After lunch, we chatted a lot. We had a lot to talk about. It was almost evening that Elaheh and I looked at each other meaning that it was time to go. I was ready but as Elaheh got up to get ready, but Amoo Hejab jumped and stopped her, saying: “Where do you think you are going?!  Do you think I will let you go into that smog and fire again!”

Elaheh was shocked. She didn’t think that she might be treated that way. As Elaheh kept insisting, Amoo Hejab became angrier and said: “You do not have the right to set foot out of this house.”

Elaheh was looking at me begging to say something in her defense. Her eyes were filled with tears. Auntie Maryam did not say a word. Maybe she was afraid that if she mediates, Elaheh might go and something might happen to her and then she was the one to be blamed. As soon as I opened my mouth to say something, Amoo Hejab said: Sabah! You should not go either. Stay with us. The end of this was is obvious. You will either die or be taken hostage in Khorramshahr!” I said: “I definitely have to go because the rest of my family is there including Ali, Saleheh, Shahnaz and Fouziyeh and I am not alone there.”

Amoo Hejab did not insist anymore. While we were saying goodbye, auntie Maryam gave me some money. When I hugged Elaheh, she burst into tears. We never thought that we would go to Sarbandar together but I will return alone. She told me to take care of myself. I also promised to visit them every chance I get.

I had to get back on a mini bus. At 6 in the evening, the minibus dismounted all its passengers in Mahshahr. This was the end of the line. I had to go to Abadan and then to Khorramshahr.

Abadan’s sky was black from afar. As we got closer, the black sky widened. Smog, was coming from the burning of oil, fuel and Gasoline resources. Since the day that the Tank farm of Khosrow Abad had been targeted, the sky was not blue anymore. I felt heartbroken seeing the heavy thick grey fog covering Abadan city. Nobody knew what was going to happen to this city. When I got to Abadan, a group of birds, sitting on a branch, got my attention. I had not seen birds like them before. They were like sparrows, but were black like starlings. I was thinking to myself what kind of birds they might be. Suddenly they started chirping and I noticed that they are sparrows who have been covered in the smog of the city and turned black.

I got on a pick-up towards Khorramshahr. Those days, the pick-ups were the most common transportation in the city. Abadan was calm but as we got close to Kout Sheikh and Khorramshahr, the sounds of explosion and shrapnel and shots could be heard. I felt a strange fear for one minute; a feeling that I had never experienced even when I was inside the city and among the fire and shots. I felt as if something was boiling in my heart. Suddenly I felt lonely and I felt that I would feel better if she was with me now.

The pick-up stopped at Jameh mosque. I went to the kitchen which was located in the half-built building of the bank. I wanted to check on Shahnaz and Fouziyeh. I went to them and told them that I had gone to Sarbandar with Elaheh and have visited auntie and Amoo Hejab. Then I told them that Amoo Hejab did not let Elaheh to return to Khorramshahr despite her will.

It was when they told me that around noon a cannon ball had hit the dome of the mosque and ruined it partly. As they told me, Iraq had attacked the mosque and its surroundings endlessly. Two three mortar bombs had hit the rear of the mosque and people in the mosque had extinguished the fire quickly. I had rushed towards the kitchen and had not noticed any of these damages.

It was sunset that I reached the office. The team was happy to see me. The situation was so bad that if we did not see somebody for a few hours, we lost hope of seeing that person. I asked about the situation of the frontline. They told me that the clashes had been really harsh in Santap. The number of martyrs had increased and only a few fighters had stayed in the front line. The team told me that one of the injured individuals had his hand cut off. He had come to the mosque holding his hand and was referred to the office. In office nobody had been able to do anything and they had quickly sent him to Taleghani hospital. Nobody knew how and where that wounded individual has ended. As the team said, the Iraqis had entered from the other side of the river into the customs of Khorramshahr. Tomorrow was going to be a hard day.

The office was shaking throughout the night. In the morning, I went to mosque with one two others in the morning. The mosque was vacant and the population had been evacuated. When a number of individuals wanted to go to frontline, we asked them to take us with them for aid but they did not accept and said that there is no need for us at the moment and if necessary, they will come for us. My thoughts were in the frontlines. It was better if we could be with the fighters. If anybody was injured, it would require some people to bring them back and considering the little number of fighters, even one person counted.

To be continued …