And he had - though the way had been cruel and many times he had cried out in despair.
“What are you thinking about, Tommy?” she asked now, sitting at his feet on the lovely carpet that had been a wedding gift from General Valik. “You,” he said, loving her, his cares banished by her tenderness. The living room was warm like all of the huge apartment, and delicately lit, the curtains drawn and many rugs and lounging cushions scattered around, the wood fire burning merrily. “But then I think about you all the time!” She clapped her hands. “That’s wonderful.” “I’m not going to Zagros tomorrow but the next day.” “Oh, that’s even more wonderful!” She hugged his knees and rested her head against them. “Wonderful!”
He caressed her hair. “You said you had an interesting day?” “Yes, yesterday and today. I’ve been to your embassy and got the passport, just as you told me to do, th - ” “Great. Now you’re Canadian.”
“No, Beloved, Iranian - you’re Canadian. Listen, the best part is that I went to Doshan Tappeh,” she said proudly.
“Christ,” he said, not meaning to, for she did not like to hear him blaspheme. “Sorry, but that’s - that was crazy, there’s fighting going on there, you’re crazy to put yourself in such danger.”
“Oh, I wasn’t in the fighting,” she told him gaily, and got up and rushed out saying, “I’ll show you.” In a moment she was back in the doorway. She had put on a gray chador that covered her from head to toe and most of her face, and he hated it. “Ah, Master,” she said in Farsi, pirouetting in front of him. “You have no need to fear over me. God watches over me, and the Prophet whose Name be praised.” She stopped, seeing his expression. “What’s the matter?” she asked in English.
“I - I’ve never seen you in chador. It’s - it doesn’t suit you.” “Oh, I know it’s ugly and I’d never wear it at home, but in the street I feel better wearing one, Tommy. All those awful stares from men. It’s time we all went back to wearing them - and the veil.”
He was shocked. “What about all the freedoms you’ve won, freedom to vote, to take off the veil, freedom to go where you please, marry whom you please, no longer the chattel that you used to be? If you agree to the chador, you’ll lose everything else.”
“Perhaps, perhaps not, Tommy.” She was glad that they were talking in English so she could argue a little, unthinkable with an Iranian husband. And so glad that she had chosen to marry this man who, unbelievably, allowed her an opinion, and even more astonishing, allowed her to express it openly to him. This wine of freedom is very heady, she thought, very difficult, very dangerous for a woman to drink - like nectar in the Garden of Paradise. “When Reza Shah took the veil from our faces,” she said, “he should also have taken the obsession from the minds of men. You don’t go to market, Tommy, or ride in a car, not as a woman. You’ve no idea what it’s like. Men on the streets, in the bazaar, in the bank, everywhere. They’re all the same. You can see the same thoughts, the same obsession, in all of them - thoughts about me which only you should have.” She took off the chador, put it neatly on a chair, and sat down at his feet again. “From today on I will wear it on the street, like my mother and hers before me, not because of Khomeini, God protect him, but for you, my beloved husband.” She kissed him lightly and sat at his knee and he knew it was decided. Unless he ordered her not to. But then there would be trouble in the home, for it was truly her right to decide this matter here. She was Iranian, his home Iranian, and always would be in Iran - that was part of his bargain with her father - so the trouble would be Iranian and the solution Iranian: days of vast sighs and soul-filled glances, a little tear, abject, slavelike service, judicious sobs in the night, more tortured sighs, never a word or look in anger and all murderous to a husband’s or father’s or brother’s peace.
Lochart found her so hard to understand sometimes. “Do as you want, but no more Doshan Tappeh,” he said, caressing her hair. It was fine and silky and shone as only youth can shine. “What happened there?”
Her face lit up. “Oh, it was so exciting. The Immortals - even them, the Shah’s crack troops - couldn’t dislodge the Faithful. Guns were going off everywhere. I was quite safe, my sister Laleh was with me, my cousin Ali and his wife. Cousin Karim was there - he’s declared for Islam and the revolution with several other officers and he told us where to meet him and how. There were about two hundred other ladies, all of us in chador, and we kept up our chanting, God is Great, God is Great, then some of the soldiers came over to us. Immortals!” Her eyes widened. “Imagine, even the Immortals are beginning to see the Truth!”
Lochart was appalled at the danger of her going there without asking or telling him, even though she was accompanied. Thus far the insurrection and Khomeini had seemingly passed her by, except initially when the real troubles began and she was petrified over the safety of her father and relations who were important merchants and bankers in the bazaar, and well known for their connections at Court. Thankfully her father had dispelled all their concerns when he had whispered to Lochart that he and his brothers were secretly supporting Khomeini and the revolt against the Shah and had been doing so for years. But now, he thought, now if the Immortals are cracking and top-echelon young officers like Karim are openly supporting the revolt the bloodshed will be enormous. “How many came over?” he asked, trying to decide what to do.
“Only three joined us, but Karim said it’s a good beginning and any day Bakhtiar and his scoundrels will flee like the Shah fled.” “Listen, Sharazad, today the British and Canadian governments ‘ve ordered all dependents out of Iran for a while. Mac’s sending everyone to Al Shargaz till things cool down.”
“That’s very wise, yes, that’s wise.”
“Tomorrow the 125‘11 be in. She’ll take Genny, Manuela, you, and Azadeh tomorrow so pack a b - ”
“Oh, I won’t leave, my darling, no need for me to leave. And Azadeh, why should she go either? There’s no danger for us - Father would certainly know if there was any danger. No need for you to worry…” She saw his wineglass was nearly empty so she jumped up and refilled it and came back again. “I’m quite safe.” “But I think you’d be safer out of Iran for a wh - ” “It’s wonderful of you to think of me, my darling, but there’s no reason for me to go and I’ll certainly ask Father tomorrow, or you can…” A small ember of wood fell without danger into the grate. He started to get up but she was already there. “I’ll do it. Rest, my darling, you must be tired. Perhaps you’d have time tomorrow to see Father with me.” Deftly she tidied the fire. Her chador was on a nearby chair. She saw him glance at it. The shadow of a smile washed over her. “What?”
For answer she just smiled again, picked it up, and ran gaily across the room and down the corridor to the kitchen.