When Hana thinks how bashful she always has been, suddenly a dreadful truth comes to light. "Perhaps that is why everyone takes advantage of me." She has been shy to say what she wants or what she desires to do, or what she does not want to do. She can not recall even one occasion that she has asked on wanting something- except one, marrying Hamid. She regrets dramatically for not listening to her family. The conspicuous pain of many deplorable dilemma takes her back to the time of reuniting with dad, when she actualized a truth that shocked her for the rest of her life. "Some people are born to just be victims."
Tehran-
In the beginning f summer, mom had arranged a trip to Tabriz to see dad. She was taking all her five children with her. They left Tehran two days after ending of schools. Mom's older brother, Nabi, took them to the bus station. As they had traveled to Tabriz many other times before with dad, Hana had a good idea how long the trip would last. In the bus Hana and mom sat next to each other. The thirteen hours trip brought them close and opened the doors of untold. It was then that Hana found out a secret that mom had hidden from all her children.
After a couple of hours being in the bus, Hana noticed her sisters and brothers were dozing. As sleepy as she was, she tried to stay awake to not miss the most wonderful purpose of traveling besides seeing dad, exploration. Mom seemed very nervous, as she was drowned in her own thought which could not be hidden from Hana.
"What is it mom?'
"Nothing, just..." She began a soft cry.
"Is dad coming back home with us?"
"I don't know, I'm not sure." mom said with the glistening tears in her eyes.
"Mom, are you hiding something ?" Hana held her mother's shaking hand. "Talk to me mom."
Gol stayed quiet for a minute and then broke the shocking news:
"Your dad is in jail." And she burst into a roar of hysterical cry.
"What are you talking about? How? Why?"
"Just keep it low. I don't want the kids know about it!"
"What happened, how long?'
"Two weeks after he left, the creditors found out where he was..."
Hana impatiently interrupted her mom: "What are we going to do?"
"I think everything will be okay. Nabi is working on it. We have a lawyer. I think they've found his partner."
"You mean uncle Nabi knew about it and I didn't!"
"Honey, I didn't want to upset you. I know how sensitive you are. You had your school and English class. Besides Nabi is my brother. He knows many people."
Hana frowned slightly and went to a deep thinking for a minute. She was hurt of not being told this very important matter; but very soon she understood that how mom had sacrificed all these months in order for her children to have a normal life. She hugged mom and kissed her cheek.
"Mom, I love you. Don't worry, dad will come back home with us."
Gol looked at her daughter with her loving eyes and hugged her. A sweet silence filled the rest of the trip, for there was a special kind of empathy between mother and daughter that did not require talking.
{}
Coming back home from the ten days trip, Hana let dad sit next to mom in the bus. They had a lot to talk about. Hana was busy with preparing in her mind a letter she planned to write to her friend, Mesa, as soon as they would get home.
To Be Continued With Chapter Four, "GRADUATION"
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