The party is a success. In Hana's small apartment, all the guests feel at home very quickly. They all praise her for her excellent cooking when they taste the unfamiliar Persian food which become common to them right way. The Persian style of rice, fluffy, long grain, and non sticky with lots of saffron on it, and the stew filled with fresh, green vegetable, beef, and beans (gormeh sabzi), and Hana's famous chicken salad, and soup with crushed barley and wheat, first look alien to the guests, but when they taste them, they all go for second and third helping which makes Hana very happy.
After dinner when every one is full and Hana moves around to serve her guests her homemade dessert, Persian Baklava, filled with almond and pistachio, each guest secretly admires the great hospitality of this little Persian woman, who has become American Citizen and has adopted this country as her own. Mick, Valery's husband, now understands why his wife has chosen Hana as her best friend, for he can see the great quality of this woman. Mario, drowned in his thought, wishes that he could hug Hana in front of everybody and tells her that he loves her and wants to marry her. Sylvie is very happy that she has found a boyfriend in America that his family's values are equal to hers, and Valery is proud that the statement she has made to her husband in their honeymoon is proven without any quarrel.
When Sylvie serves coffee, Mario smiles as though he has done something unusual.
"What about some brandy in our coffees?"
Hana blushes. She knows that is their secret drink, as she had it first time with her dead uncle, Behroz, twenty five years ago under a very different circumstances.
"I am sorry, I don't have any brandy." She shyly says.
"I've brought some with me. It's in the car." Mario says with a sweet smile on his face.
"I've never had brandy with my coffee!" Mick says.
"Wait until you taste it." Mario says while leaving the apartment to get the brandy from his car.
Everyone is waiting to taste this new drink, while Hana feels that Mario, in his own way, without speaking his thoughts is telling her how much he misses her.
In Hana's opinion she has accomplished her goal by having a good party. She is pleased by her performance. As everyone is outside for the last minute conversation before saying goodbye, Mick carries John, Valery's son, who has fallen asleep on Farhad's bed, playing video game, to the car. They are the first to leave. Because Farhad wants to be with Sylvie as much as he can, this morning he went and picked her up and now he is taking her home, and they are the second to leave which gives Hana and Mario a chance to be alone until Farhad returns. As much as she wants to be with him, she does not dare to invite him back in the house. She is afraid of her strong desire to be with this man, an intoxicating longing that takes over everything she knows. She does not want Farhad to see Mario is still there when he returns home from taking Sylvie home, even though she is not sure when will he comes back.
Mario offers to come inside and help her to do the dishes. She has never heard that from any man!
"Oh, thanks. Tomorrow is Sunday. I clean up then."
Standing outside in front of the apartment, Mario can read her mind and understands her concern; however, no one has said that they can not stand there and talk. Mario pulls her close to himself and begins kissing her passionately. She is melting by the smell of his cigar and does not resist his kisses. Like two teenagers having love affairs clandestinely from their parents, they kiss and stay in each other's arms under the cold sky filled with shinning stars and big and round full moon which its mountains looks from earth like a different shape and animals. In his arms, she remembers the days of her teenage years when she lived in the closet- like room of their house, when father and Van were still alive. When at night she walked down the stairs so she could see the moon with all her imaginary animals and trees in it from the turn of the stairs where the neighbor's yard was seen from the window.
As Mario moves his hand gently down her back and waist and kisses her even more intensely, she reciprocates by moving her hand on his body. It is a simple wanting and need that they both yearn for. They draw back quickly when the light of a car brightens the parking lot. Even though it is not Farhad, as the chains of their longing are broken, they just stand in the cold and hold each other's hand. Then they walk up and down the parking lot. Mario removes his coat and drapes it around her shoulder.
"You must go now, Mario. Farhad will be back any minute." She despondently says.
"Oh, Hana, I want to be with you. I love you."
She trembles by hearing those words and automatically says:
"I love you, too, Mario."
"Have you been to opera?" His desperate need and love makes him to change the subject.
"No, why?"
"I'm going to opera tomorrow, La Traviata, by Verdi. I bought two tickets just in case. Do you like to go with me?"
"Oh, God, I love to. I've seen opera on television but I've never had a chance to go. I've always wanted to. This is so wonderful." She is truly happy.
"Well, this is your chance. I'm sure, the way I know you, you'll love it. It's two o'clock matinee. I pick you up at twelve."
"Oh, thank you. How do I dress?'
"People wear nice clothes to opera. Use your own judgement."
They hug and kiss again and Mario finally leaves.
To Be Continued
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