In the hospital, they admitted Jalal at once. The old doctor, who was seeing all the members of this family for everything, from delivering a child, to curing adult or children, being an expert on tonsillectomy or appendectomy since Neda and Sohrab were children, or being a good friend to this family in good or bad time, and knowing all their secrets or having a hand on covering their secret, could not believe his eyes to see that it was Neda and Sohrab, who brought their father to the hospital. He remembered that he had told Sima, the second wife of "AGHA" (which meant sir), that was how he called Jalal, only a few days before that he needed to be in the hospital. Sima, with her hands on her waist had told him:
"It is no big deal, we can take care of him at home."
He had visited him at home, and again had said that the environment Agha was in with all the dust and no air, was not good for him. Again Sima had said that was her decision to make. So having known the devilish mind of Sima, and Mehri, his first wife being completely pushed aside by Sima, this event of the two adult children of Agha to bring him to the hospital was puzzling to him. He knew of many years that the father and children had not communicated; he knew that Agha had taken Neda to court. He was very surprised but happy that finally somebody had brought Agha to the hospital. It were many years that the father and children had no relationship. He was the one that had arranged to get a birth certificate for Ariana, Neda's daughter, that showed she was born six months earlier, since Mitra, Mansour's wife was pregnant at the time of her birth. How was it possible that Mitra could have a child only six months after the birth of Ariana? He had arranged that Ariana was Mitra's baby in all the legal paper. This Doctor, a friend of family, had adjusted all the documents in a way that Neda's name was not mentioned anywhere. It had been Mitra who had a baby, named Ariana, not Neda. And again It was Mitra, who had another baby only ten months after the birth of Ariana.
But now there was no time for any of this reminisce!
They took Jalal to the Intensive Care Unit and immediately hooked him up with all kind of the machines. The old man's breathing was weak and labored. They x rayed his lungs. They drew blood. The did whatever was available to them at the time. The doctor came to a private room that the family were waiting. All of them, including mother, Sima, and Mina, his little girl, who had come with a taxi, were there. But the doctor walked to Neda and Sohrab and said:
"His lungs are filled with water. There is not much hope. He had never recovered from the pneumonia he had in winter. Much scar tissue... so..." The old doctor was obviously very upset.
Neda walked away from everyone. She went outside through the heavy metal door of the hospital. She leaned on a square post; then she began a cigarette. Tears like a storm of spring began flowing down her face. Her mother came outside after her.
"Sima is very angry with you!" She said.
"Mom, all you're thinking about is her! What about your husband? He's dying."
Mehri wiped her daughter's face with a tissue.
"Maybe he deserves it." She said it as if to herself. "How come you, all of a sudden are so concerned about him? You didn't even want to come for visit!"
Neda gave her mother an angry look. Her eyes were blazing.
"So you two were planning his death! Is that it? No matter what he's done to me, I've never stopped loving him."
Mehri did not answer her daughter's accusation. She went inside.
✍
"Lonelier than a leaf which is blown;
With the load of rare happiness which is unknown;
I've flown to the land of death,
I've inhaled the autumn's breath.
When night turns, dizzy breeze
The nostalgic sky of no ease
Remind me of the nights we were alone;
Our souls shivered, we heard a moan.
We pollute each other's day;
With our breath full of dismay.
Now that you're finally here;
Scattered like scent of a rose so dear;
We see nothingness on our way;
We close our lips, we don't say! "
To Be Continued
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