The narrow alleys were covered by snow and the path in the middle, where people walked, was icy and slippery. However, nothing could stop Hana from running. While the chilly flakes of snow, covering her face and bit her skin bitterly, she pulled the kerchief down her head to cool off since she was burning inside and feeling that every piece of clothes she had on was strangling her. When she was finally at T. Square, she stopped to think; but her mind went blank completely. Standing there brought a chill to her body, and disturbed emotions to her soul. Suddenly she realized the abyss she was in ; and an exasperated despair agitated her. After pondering for a while, she knew she could not go home or to her grandparents or any relatives' home. Her family was well known in that area and everybody knew all her relatives. That thought almost paralyzed her; but the survival instinct gave her an innate lucidity and she ran to the pay phone close by. Looking for change in her purse, she did not who to call. Mother could not help her; Hamid would not care; and Behroz was so nice and naive to know how to help her. She suddenly exhaled a loud sigh. "Uncle Nabi,"
She dialed his office number. His office was right across the square from the phone booth were she was making the call. She could even see the office from this side of the square. Uncle Nabi usually was in his office during the day to collect rent or to go to the roof top to feed his pigeons. He had so many of those birds. He knew all of them. That was a popular thing among men those days. He fed them himself. He had names for each of them. They would fly and then come back and eat from his hand or would sit on his shoulder. Those birds were the love of his life alongside his family.
The entire building belonged to him as others next to it. Uncle Nabi's assistant answered the phone, what she was afraid of since he was one of the opportunists even though he had worked for uncle Nabi for many years. No politics ever hurt uncle Nabi, for he was always able to buy people with money. He knew of his assistant's point of view, and even though it was against his real belief, he did not mind it. He could use that man to get inside information about the revolutionaries and the newcomers and he could fool him and everyone else by pretending and even donating money for the "CAUSE". By doing that now and before, not only he had always survived but also he had made more money.
Hana tried to change her voice, as she seen in movies, so Mehdi, uncle Nabi's assistant could not recognize her; since within years, he had become like a family member and had spoken to Hana many times.
To Be Continued
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