Destiny, however, had chosen a different path for Anna. As she was growing up, her playmates were the children of the gardener, maids, and cook clandestinely. She learned so many interesting things from them. They lived in the same state but with a very different life style that she could not possibly discern them in her own society. In that isolated golden cage, community for her was the children of rich and aristocrat, The culture was high class schools with foreign teachers, and politics was what her father said. Going every afternoon, when school was over, to the gardener's hut to talk and play with his daughter and son, opened her eyes eventually to the different side of the country and city she was living. She felt the extreme need for doing more than being an aristocrat's daughter or wife. She wanted to learn about her country, where she did not know anything about. When one day she asked her father to take her to his office in the down town Tehran with him, Ali, perplexed, looked at her and said: "City is not a place for girls." She curiously said: "Why not? I like to learn about people. I want to see down town Tehran." "You live in Tehran! What do you want to see that you haven't seen. Besides we have all these history and sociology books in my library. You can read them and learn about people."
Not arguing with the father, the master of the house, was one of the traits of a high class teenager. Therefore, Anna could not imaginably say another word to her father. Nonetheless the thought of seeing the way of ordinary people's lives captured her since that conversation with her father. She satisfied her curiosity, somewhat, by asking questions from Mehdi, the gardener and his wife Suri. What she learned from them, who faithfully worked for her father, was much more comprehensive and profound than the books she read from her father's library.
On holidays, especially the New Year (Norouz), where their rooms were filled with gifts, pastries, and food special for the New Year, Anna was tormented to see the people who worked for them could do only very small things for their children and themselves. Nevertheless, in the morning of the New Year, they were allowed to come to the reception room with their families and stand in the line until her father would bless and give them the money he had put between the pages of KORAN the night before. Ali was always generous in that once a year event. In that ceremony, Fatie, Anna's mother, Aria, her brother were always present.
When she was twelve, her father sent Aria to America with student visa. Aria was supposed to continue his education there. That was a customary thing among such class to send their sons either to Europe or America for education. Not seeing her brother anymore was painful; but not as bitter as when Mehdi's daughter, at age fourteen, got married and moved away. That loathing event was like an alarm that her turn would come soon, too; as she heard through grapevine that her father's distant cousin was a candidate to marry her in a few years. The thought tortured her continuously. Talking to her mother seemed hopeless; since Fatie did not see anything wrong for her daughter to marry at such young age.
At age fourteen, she read her brother's letter from America vehemently. The letters she wrote to her brother were always read by her father before going to the Post Office. She did not know how to ask her brother, without her father's knowledge, for going to America and join him. One day she wrote a letter filled with supplication to Aria asking him to do something so she could join him. She wrote that is he could not help her their father would force her to a marriage that she did not want; and that would leave her no choice but to take her life. She took the letter to Mehdi's hut and asked him to mail it for her covertly from her father. As reluctant as Mehdi was to do something against Shahzdeh's (that is how everyone called her father) order, he agreed to do that since Anna was the only one in that family who really cared for his family.
A few months later, Aria's letter for Anna arrived. Shahzdeh Ali, of course, opened the letter and read it. When he confronted Anna with that letter, she was terrified. No matter how much her father threatened her, she did not tell that Mehdi, the gardener, had mailed her letter. She knew her father would fire him on spot. She never got to read her brother's letter written to her; but whatever the content of that letter was caused Shahzdeh to speed up the engagement party for his daughter. Anna, fifteen, thought about killing herself or running away; but she was a prisoner in her golden cage with so many inquisitive eyes watching over her. she kept remembering her father's words after he had read Aria's letter to her: "You've disgraced your family. You inflict shame on us." That day had been a gruesome day for her. Life had unmasked its quintessence to her slowly. Her goal was not to bind unconfined conclusions but to unite all tangled knots.
The engagement party took place in the Court Room, where most families and friends were fed; and men in Shahzdeh's privet room discussed the term of the marriage. The distant cousin, her future husband, fifteen years older than her, looked ordinary to her. She did not know how to escape this arranged marriage. Her mother ignored her crying, and her private maid fixed her hair and helped her to dress. She was seeking for a courage to make a scene, or to make groom's family so frustrated that they would run away; but how could she? When the evening was over and all the guests were gone, she still did not know what the terms of her marriage to this total stranger would be. In her room, crying hysterically, she heard her mother's footstep. She entered the room. "Why are you crying? You must be happy. You're marrying a shahzdeh, a rich man. You're going to live like a Princess forever." Anna looked through her rainy eyes to her submissive mother and screamed: "How could you do this to me? I don't want to marry. I want to go to America to be with Aria." Fatie, perplexed said: "Don't be stupid. Girls marry whoever their father have chosen for them. Your father dosen't do anything to harm you."
"I'm just a kid. How come you sent Aria to America and not me?"
"He is a boy. He'll take over this place one day. Boys and girls are different. Look at all these jewelry they gave you! Don't you like them?"
"No, I don't. I want to die. If you make me to marry him, I'll kill myself."
Even though Fatie was concerned for her daughter's behavior, she did not think that Anna's outrage would last. She had discerned that kind of attitude amongst the girls in wealthy families; therefore, she forgot about her conversation with Anna. She did not even mention that to Shahzdeh, her husband.
As both families were preparing the great festive wedding for their children in less than six months, Anna, confused, did not know how to escape this abyss of desertion. Her classmates, even her best friend at school, laughed at her anguish. Most of them were already engaged and looked forward to their upcoming weddings. However, one of her friend agreed to mail Anna's second letter to Aria with the help of her maid.
When Aria's outrageous letter arrived in a month, Shahzdeh was atrocious. He did not know what to do with this unruly daughter. Aria had said in his letter that he was coming back to Iran to put an end to this wedding. He, who had seen the civilized way of living in America, could not imagine that his fifteen years old talented sister would be married soon. Anna was never mentioned about this letter; however, she overheard her father's phone conversation to Aria in Washington. That is how she learned that her brother was coming home.
*
In that room filled with pungent odor of medicine, Anna kindly washed her husband's body with warn water since he was incapable of doing it himself. She cleaned him as she did everyday by using a soft cloth and two big bowls of warm water and a mild soap. When she finished, she kissed his forehead and sat on bed next to him holding his hand. He was dozing; he might even have a sweet dream; but Anna's vehement caresses and kisses brought a gloomy light to his soul and he opened his eyes. "I am sorry for all of these." He was sweet today.
Anna was terrified by him mentioning again his request. How could she respond to his last wish? As the spring sun was forced through the crevice of the drapes inside and on the bed, Anna conjured up a party, a dance, and the church.
*
In the excitement of lights, music, and dancing people, after Anna danced with two different men, she took a glimpse to the table Joseph was sitting. As their eyes met, she saw him getting up from his chair and walking towards her. She ran all the way outside to her car, reached for her car key in her pants' pocket and hastily opened the door and threw herself in the car. She drove her car like a lightening. It was not until home, that she realized she had left her purse at the church. As she was leaving home to go back to church to find her purse, the ring of telephone stopped her. "Anna, this is Joesph." Before Anna was able to say anything, he continued: " You forgot your purse. I had to look inside to find your phone number."
"Oh, thank you, I was just coming to search for it. I am on my way."
"No, please let me bring it to you. You don't want to drive without your driver license."
"Oh, I know, I'll be careful."
"No, please. I got your address from your driver license. I'll be there shortly."
*
Three months later, they were married. For Anna, who had lived a solitary life for twenty two years, that was a big adjustment; nonetheless; Joseph's unconditional love made it possible for her to get used to something that she had it only for one month in her life.
End of Chapter one. To be continued
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