Thrity Three, Why

It was not till late August, when Anna had completely lost hope to hear from the smuggler that he called. By then, she had lost all the traits of trusting other humans. Then he called. He told her that he would see her in five days in Ankara, Turkey, and there and then mission would be completed. She had thought the transition would be in Istanbul. But after all the man was honest. She wrote down all she needed to know about this precious meeting. At once, after the conversation was over, she called the different airlines for her ticket. It didn't matter how high price she would pay for it because it was not bought in advance and because it was high tourism season. No, nothing mattered but seeing her mother safe and to be in her arm. And then she went to work and requested a two weeks leave of absence without pay. She had used up all her vacation time for reasons beside vacation. She thought how to bring her mother with her to America with her, but then, "One step at the time."
*
The reunion with her mother was a blissful one, even though Fatie looked very thin, worn out, and so very old. The young man, smuggler, turned out to be an honorable man, and he was nothing as Anna had imagined. He was not dirty looking with a long beard and army shirt. He was cleanly shaved, wearing a short sleeve polo shirt and a khaki pants. He was carrying a very expensive briefcase. He was medium built, not very tall, and above all he was very perspective. Anna was grateful for his moral conduct for accomplishing his mission without casting any danger for her weary and worn out mother. She paid him the rest of the money, all cash, and after that she was on her own.
Fearful, yet optimistic, she prepared all it needed to go to embassy to get a visa for her mother. "Oh, if she had gotten her green card when it was ready." She said that in her speaking mind. It was not a favorable time for an Iranian to get a visa for America; however, since she was a US Citizen and since she had petitioned to get green card for her parents, even though they had not kept their appointment, the American Consulate gave Fatie a visa. Ten days later mother and daughter were in Pan Am flying to America. For Anna, it felt as though she was flying to freedom for the second time.
*
In coming days, months, and years she was not alone anymore. She had her mother with her, a woman that she had ignored when her father was alive. However, they were like two strangers. Fatie could not understand anything her daughter did and Anna could not fathom her mother's sarcastic moaning all the time. She had become an old bitter, woman. Now there were only shadows remained of her father, Aria, or Steve; while Anna tried to feel the deliverance of those shadows.
Anytime the two women talked, it turned to be a rivalry. One thing none of them paid attention to was that both of them emanated from this verbal duel, sufferer and haunted, as well as losers. Their arguments were mostly about Shahzdeh, Anna's father, and Fatie's husband. Fatie continuously condemned him for being unkind to her while he was alive; and Anna repeatedly defended her dead father. Fatie accused Anna of loving her dead father more than her. The warfare turned to a dangerous game. There was no victory for either of them in that challenging game. A triumph for any of them proved to be uncouth; and a defeat for each was humiliation. Neither pompous ego for the winner nor sympathy for the defeated mother- daughter- enemy had any place in love. It was not the best of times for either of them.
When Finally one day Fatie told Anna that she as her daughter had never loved her, Anna exploded. She just could not believe the degree of her mother's spitefulness.
"How can you say that? Didn't I save you, bring you here, take care of you, didn't I? If I don't love you, why did I do all these?'
Fatie thought for a minute and then said: "Because it is a holly thing to take care of old parents. That is why you did it, so you don't go to hell."
"I don't believe this. I don't even believe in any religion especially your backward one. How can you say this? You think there is no morality without religion. That is absurd."
They ended up not to speak with each other for a few days. Anna did not know how to solve this problem. She just could not deal with this bitter woman, her mother, anymore. All she wanted to talk about was to complain about her past life, dead husband; and all Anna wanted was to put everything behind her and perhaps to find some peace and serenity.
She finally talked to Mary, her only friend, the one she called "my American mother" one day about all these and asked her advice. "I am going crazy. I can't handle my mother anymore."
Mary gave her many advices, but it was one of her recommendations that resolved this seven years problem for both women and for ever.
"Show her that you love her. Keep telling her that you love her."
Anna knew that she loved her mother; but had she ever told her that?"
That evening at dinner time when both were eating their dinner without talking, Anna suddenly put her fork down, got up from her chair, walked to her mother, and hugged her. When Fatie saw Anna getting up, she had thought she was going to kitchen to get something.
"Mom, I love you." Anna said while raining her mother with kisses.
Fatie was caught. She had no excuses to be bitter anymore, She heard that magic word she had never heard from Anna, which sounded very true, very genuine. She turned her face to Anna's and kissed her cheek.
"I love you, too sweetheart."
They never fought again. Love, again had come to rescue a difficult relationship and then began nurturing it.

To Be Continued