odyssey... ~~14- Obscene Abstraction

Farhad's disappearance, Sam's quiting football and gaining weight, and Hana's devastation do not bother Hamid at at all. He is engaged in a word that is correct and logical for him. He truly believes that his behavior is normal and the purpose of women's existence is to to serve men, and to do what they are asked. He can not possibly respect women since the first woman in his life, his mother, did not have any decency and virtue. She abused family's earnings for her selfish desires, did not care for her children's well being, and persuaded her husband to turn over everything to her when he was alive. When Hamid's father died, she already had everything ; and there was not even a small thing that children could have from their dead father for sentimental reason. Her spiteful attitude, caused Hamid's older sister to prostitute and his other two sisters to boss their husbands and become like their mother. To Hamid, if one's mother gets her way by torturing, immorality, and fierceness, all other women in the world were the same. Hamid's philosophy is to use and abuse women so they can not do the same to him like his mother did.

Hana is very well aware of her husband's obscenity. Not knowing how to save the family, she has tried numerous times to send him to a psychologist. In respond to his angry refusal, she has even suggested that they both need to see one. However, Hamid feels that he is very normal; while all people around him, both in Tehran and Dallas have been abnormal. When Hana finally gives up the idea of saving the family by curing Hamid, she is despondently mortified. How can she continue a life that lacks righteousness, and at the same time endures a sullen, indecent, vulgar, and psychopathic man, who is destroying all of them? Finding courage to break the everlasting fear, brings her a greater dread. When Hamid hears that she wants a divorce, he relentlessly says:

"Sure, I divorce you; but first I kill you and the kids and myself."

So Hana forgets the divorce and strives to save the family by keeping them alive. If she knew about his bluffing both in Dallas and his planning seeds of fear in her maliciously to make her stay with him, she perhaps gotten rid of him a long time ago. But how could she know? His stern attitude has never showed her a sign that he was deluding.

That afternoon when Hana sees Farhad enters the house, enraptured by bliss, she knows that Lila, her other-half, must have something to do with her son's return. When Hana learns about Lila's promise to her son, she falls into a sate of confusion. How can she carry Lila's words while being horrified! Nevertheless, Farhad's insistence and threat for leaving again, leave her no alternative. Sam, who finds a gleam of hope in his world of nonentity by seeing his brother again, also demands his mother to carry on her promise to Farhad. She bluntly tells her sons about fear and their father menace. As young and inexperienced as they are, they laugh at their mother's futile fear. Then they take over the situation as Hana did when her father passed away.

To Be Continued