Odyssey... ~{ 20- Abandonment

To serve her husband's niece, was an honor to Ziba; and Hana could not make her understand that they were equal, and she worked for living, against the system that most women did not work, and that she was grateful to stay at her house. She told Ziba that the house was hers and her son's and apologized to her for interrupting her life. Nobody ever talked like that to Ziba. She did not know what to say. However, frequently Ziba wanted to please Hana by cooking fancy food, serving breakfast in bed, and cleaning her room, which all made Hana very uncomfortable. Finally she told Uncle Nabi in of his visits about it.

"Ziba is a jewel, but she makes me very uneasy by taking care of me all the time. Have you told her to do this?"

Uncle Nabi gently smiled and said:

"You know she was a servant before. She is used to serving people. This is just her personality. You know we're married, it's not the temporary type. It is real marriage. This property belongs to her and Mehran. She does not know it; but you know everything else that I have is in the name of my other family. This way, if something happens to me, they don't have to pay high taxes to government for inheritance. Even though we're married for seven years, she still calls me Agha (Sir). I can't make her to call me Nabi."

"So she is your second wife!"

"You may say that."

"But why? Aren't you happy with Sorie? You're married for over twenty five years, why?"

You don't understand. I love Sorie. She is the mother of my four children. I can show her off in society. This is different. It is simple, it's pure, it's without expectation...."

Hana interrupted her uncle:

"Pure! How can you call this pure and say you love your wife, Sorie?"

"As I said you don't understand. You're not a man. I'm a very busy man. Everyone wants something from me; families, friends, neighbors, everybody. I need to have an escape, a hidden place; and this is my hidden place, and this is my escape. I feel very simple here. With Ziba I don't have any problems. Here I can relax and be myself." He paused while Hana was thinking about what her uncle just said.

"I don't intend to embarrass you, uncle Nabi. You're the boss in your life. I love Mehran. He looks very much like you; and besides when you come here on weekends, what is your excuse at home, what do you tell them?"

"I always have good excuses, like traveling with my men friends to go to my villa in Shomal (North, by the Caspian Sea), or going hunting. I love Mehran as much as my other children. I'm going to give him the best education. I think he's going to be just like me, hardworking and self made."

Everything that Uncle Nabi was saying began making sense to Hana; even though, she was very much against the men superiority in Muslim religion and the fact they could have four legal wives and unlimited temporary ones. Somehow this one case started making sense to her. She knew how hard he worked and what kind of life he had made for himself and his family; and how he always came to rescue in crises like her case. She decided to stop talking about this issue and she promised herself that to never say a word about this to anyone.

"Uncle Nabi, did you see my sons and mom yesterday?"

"Yes, I did. They're all fine."

"How are they doing financially?"

"Well, Gol using her survivor benefit. I help them, too, because your mom's money is not enough; and that miserable husband of yours is using everybody as usual."

Hana's cheek blushed and blood ran to her head. It was obvious to her that her uncle did not like Hamid. Who did?

"I know. I wish he dies."

"No, he won't. He is going to kill us all. You haven't made any mistakes in your life, but marrying Hamid is enough mistake for all of us."

"I know uncle Nabi. I can talk hours why I married him; but perhaps you wouldn't understand, as I don't understand your situation with Ziba and Mehran. If I can get out of this misery, may be you help me to get out of that one, too."

"No, honey, you never get rid of him. You're like your mother, my sister. You feel sorry for the world and you victimized yourself to save people. No, you won't."

Hana thought for a moment of what her uncle said. She knew he was right. After awhile, she said:

"You're probably right. Tell me if there is any hope of me going back home."

"I am working on it. You never be able to teach again under this new regime; however, I have my sources in this new regime. Soon, very soon, you'll go home."

Uncle Nabi's promising words brought a joyful light to Hana's dull life and she repeated those words to her mother on their next phone conversation. Three weeks later, on a Tuesday morning, when Hana heard Uncle Nabi's car, both Ziba and she ran all the way outside of the building. He always visited them on weekends, and that unusual call was surprising to both Ziba and Hana. It was a few days before the New Year, the first of Spring. The Shah was gone. The new regime was officially in power. Hana, who had never parted her family before, was very depressed of not being with them for the New Year in a few days. Bewildered she looked at her uncle, who was getting out of his car.

"Is everything okay?"

"Yes, you're going home now. Go pack you stuff."

It was more than three months that she had not seen her family.

To Be Continued