Tehran-
School for Hana was like Paradise since she could leave home and walk to school and again walk back to home. Her house was considerably far from school. In their district, there were only two schools, and both were far. Her parents had chosen this one since they thought it was a better school. Bust the more important reason was that school was located on Saad Abad Street which one of the Shah's palace was located on. Therefore that street was one of the most beautiful street Hana had seen with all its trees and beautiful side walks, stream lets that separated the street and rows of annual flowers, and its cleanliness. Even though the school was far, she refused her father to take her to school with his car in the morning before going to work. She loved to walk on M. Street where there house was located on. Going to school was uphill; therefore coming back was down hill. There were many things about that street she loved; huge, and old plain and oak trees, many small shops that were open early in the morning mostly because of school children who crowded the street, and let's not forget the shades, plenty of them, and above all the brooks or stream lets on each side of the street. M. Street was a residential street. It was wide enough for two cars traffic, opposite side of each other. But not many cars traveled that street; first not many people had cars, and then people those days loved to walk uphill the street to get to the famous Square, Tajrish, for shopping grocery and other things, and in the evenings to walk again all the way there to the famous ice creme shop, Akbar Mashtie, to have ice creme with their entire family. The shoppers almost always were women; who after sending out their husbands to work and their children to school, in pairs or even in group of five or more walked the street. Women shopped everyday. Most people did not have refrigerators. That was not the case in Hana's home.
For Hana, the reason for wanting to walk, besides everything man-made, was the natural beauty of the street; but the other hidden reason was that she would see the tall figure every morning and afternoon to and from school. Not only they never talked, they even did not know each other's name. Sometimes she walked on one side of the street while he was on the other side. Other times, she was ahead and he was behind. But no matter how and which part of the street they walked, no matter they never talked, somehow she knew that he admired her, too. His house was just two blocks north of hers. On the way back home, he always got to his home before her and went inside without looking at her and starting a conversation. "Oh, well, I see him tomorrow. May be we talk."
Dallas-
In her bed, she thinks about so many sleepless nights. Insomnia has given her this great imagination that she has carried throughout her life. This particular night, she can see herself as a princess whose crown has taken away from her. She knows she must face her rude boss tomorrow morning; but she can not and would not want to sleep. The journey to past continues.
Tehran-
Hana had her final exams; and as usual, she was very confident. She wanted to prove to her parents that being a girl did not mean stupidity. Her grades were always better than her brothers or uncles. That was her only weapon against the cultural prejudice against women. Van and Boby, her brothers were younger than her. Every time they fought, she lost; therefore, she demanded that nobody would bother her when she was studying. Learning had become her only weapon against the four boys at home, two brothers and two uncles. Mom Usually defended her. Mother was a very smart woman. Growing up, Hana had seen her mom to read if she had any spare time. Mother, Hana thought, perhaps might want to see in her daughter what was robbed from her, education. Her mother had her at age sixteen; she never had a chance for school. Her education was interrupted at age fifteen so she can marry her father.
The last day of school was always a sad day. She had no excuse to get out of the house after school was over. That day was the last day. She had finished with confident. Walking downhill on M. Street, she noticed a big truck parked in front of the tall figure's house. She slowed down. "Are they moving?" Fearsome, she saw furniture, bed, drawers, and pots and pans were brought out of the house and were placed on the bed of the truck. When she saw the tall figure with a full basket of junks coming out of the house and climbing the truck, she was petrified. "Oh, God, they are moving." She reached the truck and paused. "May be he talks to me." But he was up there and busy with his chores. "How come? I am sure he saw me!" Her pride did not allow her to stop or ask a simple question like, "are you moving". She had to continue walking and pretending that nothing had happened to her existence, soul, and pride; however, she screamed for help in her speaking mind that only she could hear it. She was losing her mind, her love, the first love; and he did not care. Was he ever in love with her? Up to that moment she had thought that he was. She had never had a chance to know it!
In her house, she ran up the stairs and threw her school bag on the floor of her room and then thrust herself on the bed, crying. "Damn you, why are you leaving me?" Suddenly she remembered the last four lines of her autumn poem:
"Autumn, the fall of nature was in full bloom.
My fantasies were nothing but a gloom.
The birds or flowers They placed on my tome,
Were flying, yellow leaves, seen from dome."
Dallas-
In her restless mind, she perceives that event was neither her first disappointment nor the last.
To Be Continued With The Beginning Of The Second Chapter, "The Tales Of Nights"
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