Daughter of Sheena (13)

Daughter of Sheena-13Memories of Qadamkheyr Mohammadi KanaanWife of Sardar Shaheed Haj Sattar Ebrahimi HajirMemory writer: Behnaz ZarrabizadehTehran, Sooreh Mehr Publications Company, 2011 (Persian Version)Translated by Zahra Hosseinian … The next morning, Samad again started looking for job. He did not find any in Qayesh. He had to go to Razan. He packed his hold-all and went to Tehran, when he also couldn’t find any job in Razan."I’ve found a good job.” A few days later he came back and said, “I should start it these very days. I’ve just come to inform you. Such a pity I cannot stay in at holidays of Nowruz. I can’t win."I got upset very much. "I've planning for this year Nowruz.” I objected, “Don’t go."Samad felt upset more than me. "I have no choice.” He said, “How long...

Daughter of Sheena (12)

Daughter of Sheena-12Memories of Qadamkheyr Mohammadi KanaanWife of Sardar Shaheed Haj Sattar Ebrahimi HajirMemory writer: Behnaz ZarrabizadehTehran, Sooreh Mehr Publications Company, 2011 (Persian Version)Translated by Zahra Hosseinian Chapter Eight The winter was going to end. It was the last days of winter; but it had not still started to thaw. The village alleys were full of mud and snow, which had been blackened by dirt and ashes of braziers of Korsis. The women were involved in the new broom and washing of linens and clothes. The glasses were cleaned at days; at evening sky was overcast, and at midnight there was a thundering and lightning, and raining and all of our efforts were dissipated.Samad’s soldiering was ended up a few weeks before the Nowruz . I thought that I'm the happiest woman in...

Daughter of Sheena (11)

Daughter of Sheena-11Memories of Qadamkheyr Mohammadi KanaanWife of Sardar Shaheed Haj Sattar Ebrahimi HajirMemory writer: Behnaz ZarrabizadehTehran, Sooreh Mehr Publications Company, 2011 (Persian Version)Translated by Zahra Hosseinian Chapter VII Two months had passed from our marriage. Samad's mother was spending final days of her pregnancy, and every moment we were waiting for the labor pains came upon her.It was afternoon. I had just finished house works. I wanted to rest shortly. "Qadamkheyr, come… hurry up…my mom feels ill." Kobra frantically opened my room’s door and said. Frightened, I stood and ran to the room where my mother-in-law was there. She was suffering pain badly. I had lost my cool. I did not know what to do. "Send someone to bring midwife.” I said. I remembered...

Daughter of Sheena (10)

Daughter of Sheena-10Memories of Qadamkheyr Mohammadi KanaanWife of Sardar Shaheed Haj Sattar Ebrahimi HajirMemory writer: Behnaz ZarrabizadehTehran, Sooreh Mehr Publications Company, 2011 (Persian Version)Translated by Zahra Hosseinian Chapter VI The night before wedding day, Samad came back from military base and came to our house several times until midnight, with various excuses. The next day my brother, Iman, followed me. Recently he had bought a Red pickup truck. He picked me up. My sister-in-law, Khadijah, sat beside me. I would look down, but I could see outside under Chador and red net cloth which was thrown over my face. Joyfully and by hollering, village children would run toward pickup and some of them had ridden the rear cargo. The pickup was shaking by the sound of children’s foot and...

Daughter of Sheena (9)

Daughter of Sheena-9Memories of Qadamkheyr Mohammadi KanaanWife of Sardar Shaheed Haj Sattar Ebrahimi HajirMemory writer: Behnaz ZarrabizadehTehran, Sooreh Mehr Publications Company, 2011 (Persian Version)Translated by Zahra Hosseinian Chapter Five By approaching autumn, weddings flourish in the villages. After harvest, villagers roll up their sleeves for holding the youths’ weddings. It was the twelfth of Azar 1356 (the second of December 1977). Early in the morning we got ready to go to Damagh for performing the marriage ceremony. Damagh was then the center of district. Samad and his father came to our house. I wore my Chador and moved with my father. My mother saw me off by the door. She kissed me and prayed for me. I sat behind my father on the motorcycle. Samad also sat behind his father on their...

Daughter of Sheena (8)

Daughter of Sheena-8Memories of Qadamkheyr Mohammadi KanaanWife of Sardar Shaheed Haj Sattar Ebrahimi HajirMemory writer: Behnaz ZarrabizadehTehran, Sooreh Mehr Publications Company, 2011 (Persian Version)Translated by Zahra Hosseinian Throwing parties had been started between two families. A few months later, my father bought a sheep. He wanted to repay his oblation. My mother had invited Samad’s family too. Early morning we got into a minibus, which my father had hired. We laid the sheep into the trunk of minibus, and went to the holy shrine, which was a little farther, up the mountain. The minibus slowly went up the escarpment of mountain.

Daughter of Sheena (7)

Daughter of Sheena-7 Memories of Qadamkheyr Mohammadi KanaanWife of Sardar Shaheed Haj Sattar Ebrahimi HajirMemory writer: Behnaz ZarrabizadehTehran, Sooreh Mehr Publications Company, 2011 (Persian Version)Translated by Zahra Hosseinian Chapter Four Days elapsed One after another. Sometimes Samad would come to see me in tandem, but sometimes he didn’t appear even month to month. Country was in chaos and counter-imperial demonstrations had been reached to villages. Spring ended. Fall arrived and ended too. Cold and frost winter also was passed through. In the absence of Samad I would completely forget him sometimes, but as soon as he arrived, I would remember that as if something is going to happen between me and him. And I was worried by this thought, but my father’s extreme attention to me would...

Daughter of Sheena (6)

Daughter of Sheena-6 Memories of Qadamkheyr Mohammadi KanaanWife of Sardar Shaheed Haj Sattar Ebrahimi HajirMemory writer: Behnaz ZarrabizadehTehran, Sooreh Mehr Publications Company, 2011 (Persian Version)Translated by Zahra Hosseinian   Alone and with a bundle of clothes, Samad’s mother came in the afternoon. My mother thanked and put that bundle in the center of room, pointed out to me to open it. Reluctantly I sat in the center of room and opened the bundle’s knot. There were some blouse, skirt and clothes which I did not like. Without any thanks, just as I had opened the bundle, I folded the clothes, put them in the bundle, and tied the knot.Samad's mother knew, but did not say anything. My mother was biting her lips, moving her eyebrows up and down, and pointing to me to thank, to...

Daughter of Sheena (5)

Daughter of Sheena-5 Memories of Qadamkheyr Mohammadi KanaanWife of Sardar Shaheed Haj Sattar Ebrahimi HajirMemory writer: Behnaz ZarrabizadehTehran, Sooreh Mehr Publications Company, 2011 (Persian Version)Translated by Zahra Hosseinian …Samad had waited a little. When there was no news from me, he had gone directly to the house of my sister-in-law angrily, and lodged a complaint against me: "Qadamkheyr doesn’t love me at all. I've got leave difficultly from military base, just because to come here and see her and talk to her. In the back of their parterre, I’ve kept to watch some hour till found her alone. She unfairly did not even answer my greeting. She fled as she saw me."“Qadamkheyr! Come to my house afternoon and help me,” Khadija came to our house near noon and said, “I have a...

Daughter of Sheena (4)

Daughter of Sheena-4 Memories of Qadamkheyr Mohammadi KanaanWife of Sardar Shaheed Haj Sattar Ebrahimi HajirMemory writer: Behnaz ZarrabizadehTehran, Sooreh Mehr Publications Company, 2011 (Persian Version)Translated by Zahra Hosseinian Chapter 3That evening, when guests left, my father told my mother: “I still don’t agree with marrying Qadamkheyr off, God knows. I do not know how the case ends up in this. It was my cousin's fault. His crying really made me to stand on ceremony. He sighed and with a lump in his throat said that if my son was alive, do you permit Qadamkheyr marry him? Now, think Samad is my son.”The son of my father’s cousin had died several years ago in adolescence. After many years, he would still criy whenever he remembered his son, and his sorrow made others sad. Now, he...