by Gary Riner
It was still hot in the walled yard attached to the girl’s area. Nava took her place on a swing, and Lina joined her on the other seat. Nava talked almost nonstop, Lina only interjecting a comment occasionally, until one of the servants called them to the evening meal.
Mehran was just sitting down at the head of the table as the children filed in. The boys sat to his right and the girls on his left. Lina counted 8 chairs on that side of the long table and was unsure where to sit. She started into the kitchen when Nava led her back to the adjoining seat. “Lina this one is for you.”
Lina whispered to her little friend, “There aren’t enough seats?”
“Oh yes,” she replied, “I only have 6 sisters living at home. The other 2 girls in school are cousins that study with us. They go home after school.” Lina nodded and took her seat. She was starving and the food was delicious. She was self conscious about eating so much until she realized that most of them were eating more than her. Her stomach would stretch in time. Eating more regularly would help, also.
Mehran conversed with his children as the meal progressed. They were all very respectful with their father. Lina knew from their earlier meeting that he was not a person to trifle with. Lina looked up abruptly as Mehran addressed her. “Lina, did a servant deliver your things to your room?”
Nava blurted out, “No Daddy, let her share a room with me.”
“I’m sorry, Nava, but Lina should have her own room.”
Lina blushed red which didn’t look too apparent with her dark olive complexion as Mehran waited for her reply. Lina replied as strongly as she felt that her voice would allow without trembling. “Well, sir, I don’t really have anything.” He looked at her for a few seconds. Lina could feel beads of sweat break out on her forehead.
“How foolish of me,” he finally replied. “Give a list of anything that you need to one of the servants, and they will purchase them for you.”
Later that evening one of the other sisters blocked Nava and Lina in the hallway, “Nava you are going to have to share Lina with us. Bring her to my room.”
“OK,” said the 5 year old, her lower lip curling outward. “That was Dasha. She is 15 but not as big a pain as Neelan.” The two entered Dasha’s bedroom to find the other girl lounging in her pajamas. Dasha handed Lina a pair of her pajamas, since they were the same size. She threw Lina’s white dress into the clothes hamper in her bathroom after marking it with an “L” near the label, as Lina slipped into her loaner pjs.
“Don’t worry. Your dress will be laundered and returned to your room.” She looked down to see Nava’s lower lip further out than she could have imagined it would go.
“Ok, Nava. Her dress will be returned to your room.” The little one crossed her arms and nodded victoriously. “Lina you can wear any of the clothes in my closet.”
“You won’t let me wear any of your clothes,” Neelan protested sarcastically.
Dasha didn’t bother to look at Neelan when she replied, “That’s because you are such a pain in the a_ and I don’t want my things ripped out in the a_ .” It took a couple of minutes for the other girls to separate Dasha and Neelan.
“Such sisterly love,” Lina thought to herself. “At least Neelan does not dislike me exclusively.”
“They’re like this all the time,” Nava whispered in her ear.”
After hair was urged back in place and rumpled pj’s straightened, Dasha continued, “Ok, Lina, tell us who you are, and why you are here?”
“I know why the bitch is here,” Neelan blurted out. The melee started again.
After they were separated for the second time, Dasha pointed to the door and shouted, “Get out of my room, Neelan.”
Nava whispered in Lina’s ear, “Dasha is more patient with Neelan than I would be.”
“OK, I will be quiet,” Neelan said.
“Lina you were beginning to tell us about yourself,” Dasha said while glaring at Neelan.
All eyes were finally on Lina. The room was silent. “First off, let me say that I don’t have any marriage related interest in Achmed.” Dasha pointed a finger at Neelan daring her to open her mouth. Neelan was about to pop with the desire to make a rude comment. Lina continued, “Other than that, Achmed will be negotiating a marriage contract for me. He warned me that I shouldn’t expect too much. The contract might be with a day laborer.”
There was finally a smile on Neelan’s face. She relaxed and leaned back. “I’ll marry whoever I want.”
“Shut up, Neelan, you will marry whoever father says,” said Dasha.
“Why didn’t your father negotiate a contract for you?” asked Leila.
“He did, but the contract had to be void,” Lina said as she thought, “Here we go again.”
“Why did he void the contract? Is there something wrong with you?” Leila continued the question.
“The contract had to be voided because Nasim, my father, had become a Christian, and he knew that even his best friend would not want his son to marry the daughter of a Christian.”
“So you and Nasim have a problem. How does that involve Achmed?” Lina didn’t see who asked the question.
“Both my father and mother were killed by radicals. I’m not sure why Achmed became involved. He came to the prison where I was being held.”
“Why were they holding you? Had you become a Christian too?” Lina was unsure how to answer the question. She decided it might be best to be relatively evasive. “They suspected that I might be since both my father and mother had left Islam. Achmed was able to get me out after I swore before witnesses to my faith in Allah and Mohammed his prophet.” She had stated the facts, but she still felt like she had denied her real faith again. She felt a chill run down her back. Tomorrow was Friday. They would all be going to Mosque and watching her very carefully. She didn’t know how she would perform under those circumstances.
Nava lay on her back in bed holding Lina’s hand. Lina was sitting in a chair beside the bed leaning her head onto Nava’s pillow. The little one talked almost continuously but was noticeably slowing down as sleep crept upon her. Finally, she quieted, and her breathing became very regular. The grip in her hand slackened. Lina was unable to understand the attachment that the girl had for her. Lina had neglected to find out which room was hers. Rather than search for it, she curled up on the rug beside Nava’s bed with one of Nava’s pillows. It was certainly more comfortable than the cells that she had occupied recently. She lay there thinking of her Redeemer and contemplated His plan for her life and His provision so far. The fear that she had of denying her faith faded away again. Praises began to flow from inside of her. Tears of joy flowed down the side of her face into her hair and dripped from her ear lobes onto the rug.
Mehran walked quietly through the children’s section of the house before he turned in. Silently he opened the door to Nava’s room. Lina was curled up on the rug beside Nava’s bed. He was surprised that she so patiently stayed with his little one. He knew why Nava had an attraction for Lina. Nava’s mother’s hair and eyes had been darker than anyone else in the family. Lina was a darker, younger duplicate of his beloved deceased wife. He suspected that the little one did not understand the connection, and Lina certainly didn’t. “Allah, I pray your richest blessing on Lina for her kindness to the little one.”
Lina woke after a dreamless night of sleep. She began to notice that the surrounding sounds were more benign than she first expected. They certainly were not the sounds of an inmate being dragged to a torture room. She opened her eyes to see the white ceiling and remembered where she was. She lifted her hands and whispered softly, “Blessed are you, Lord God, King of the universe, Creator of all things pure and good.”
Breakfast was more informal. Some still wore pajamas. Others were dressed for school. There was juice, milk, and pastries. She couldn’t help but smile with delight as she took a bite and savored the flavor. Thirteen year old Fahmitah couldn’t help a jab at Neelan. “Neelan,
if you keep stuffing those things in your face you will be ripping the a_ out of your own clothes.”
“Shut up Fahmitah,” glared Neelan as all the other girls giggled.
Chapter 9 Jewish?
Achmed walked into the bank with the judge’s order naming him as guardian of Lina’s financial interests. The family checking and savings accounts were empty for all practical purposes. There was a safety deposit box with some papers and a sizable heavy envelope marked with the words “Savings for Lina”. Opening the envelope revealed a few very small gold coins and a substantial number of silver coins of various nationalities. Achmed knew the recent rises in the precious metals market and guessed the value was in excess of $1000. He was impressed that her family had been able to save that much for her in spite of their financial difficulties. Their choice of purchasing the coins had been a good decision, the value had probably increased 400% over the purchase price. He tucked the papers and envelope into a heavy folder and proceeded to close out the safety deposit box after paying the back rent on it.
He had almost left the bank before it occurred to him to close out his father’s safety deposit box. He had checked it briefly after his father died but had been in no emotional state to deal with miscellaneous papers so soon after the loss. He lifted the papers out of the box and was in the process of putting them into his folder when a document fell out of an old envelope. He picked it up and was about to stow it with the other papers when it caught his curiosity. What he saw shocked him. It was his birth certificate printed in Hebrew and Arabic. The father’s name “Raheem Mohammed Barforoush” was correct, but his mother’s name was listed as “Avera Goldstein”. The mailing address on the envelope was an apartment in Tel Aviv. Achmed shielded the find as if someone might see it. There had to be a mistake.
Achmed’s father had told him that they moved to Iran from Israel, but he had always thought Gaza or the West Bank. He didn’t remember his mother. His father had used Hebrew conversationally in the home enough for Achmed to converse in the language. His father had said that it might someday be of use for Achmed to know the enemy’s language. He could easily accept that he was an Iranian of Palestinian descent. How could he accept finding out that he was legally Jewish and that his mother might still be alive? Hatred of the Jews had been instilled in him by his father, the government, and Muslim preachers. “Jews to the gas chamber, finish the job,” read a sign that he had once carried in a televised demonstration. Weren’t Jews in Allah’s Holy Land an affront to Islam? Hadn’t he been working towards driving them into the sea? The Messiah certainly wouldn’t come with Jews in the Middle East. Would he lose his job if this became known? Probably not, he was a devout Muslim, whatever his heritage.
Chapter 10 Jumu’ah
It was Friday just before noon, and the girls were dressing to attend the Jumu’ah (Friday prayer) at the Mosque. Lina dressed in Dasha’s room. She slipped into the long black dress and tried the fit of the black scarf. She could hear the other sisters fussing about having to wear the same. “Not much reason to complain,” Fahmitah reminded the others. “Father will not tolerate any change.”
Lale recalled, “Do you remember when Neelan tried to buck the custom and was foolish enough to challenge father?”
“I sure do,” Leila answered. “That is why none of us would dare to challenge father.” Neelan also remembered the encounter, it wouldn’t happen again. Nava slipped her hand into Lina’s as they departed. The walk to the Mosque with the family was most pleasant. They had left the house early to be able to be at the Mosque before the muezzin’s called to prayer.
They entered the building as the call for prayer sounded. Lina accompanied the girls to the ladies’ side. Lina did not hesitate to drop to her knees and touch her forehead to the rug as she faced toward Mecca. She whispered the beginning of the prayer, “Praise be to Allah, Lord of Creation, the compassionate, the merciful.” She said it just loud enough that Neelan on one side of her and Nava on the other side of her could hear. It did bother her that she appeared to be praying to Allah but the requests and praises of her heart she lifted to YHWH. The message by the Mullah was not of much interest to Lina, but she maintained an attentive appearance.
Once they had returned to the house and began to dress for the afternoon, Neelan managed to get close enough to Lina to whisper in Lina’s ear, “You may have everyone else fooled, but I know that you are a fraud.” She stepped back and drew her finger slowly across her throat. Lina swallowed hard as Neelan stepped away. This girl was dangerous. She would get Lina returned to that “place” if she found an opportunity.
There was an additional bed in Nava’s room when she and Lina entered that night. “Yes!” Nava yelped, “We are roommates.” She bounded onto one of the beds and began to jump for joy. Lina grasped Nava by her shoulders, stopping her bounding.
“Did you jump on the bed before I came here?” Nava nodded her head no. “Then you better not do it now. We will both get into trouble. Your father will think that I am a bad influence on you.”
As the days passed and Mehran’s daughters got to know Lina better, they began to pick her brain about what her life had been like. What was public school like? What did she study? Did she talk to boys? Did she really talk to boys without a male member of her family present? The sisters were envious of the supposed freedom that Lina had experienced. Lina was envious of the protected sisters who still had a family.
***
Achmed had a search done by the research section of the government intelligence agency that he worked for. The report finally came back. Subject: Avera Goldstein, age 48, previously of Tel Aviv, now believed to live in Jerusalem. It listed a possible address and phone number. Achmed read and reread the information. He could hardly believe it. What did he do now?
Later in the day he made his way to the classified phone system that had direct dial to Israel. He sat looking at the number for a long time before dialing. It was answered on the third ring by a pleasant lady’s voice in Hebrew, “Shalom.”
Achmed began, “My name is Yosef with the Israeli Department of Census. I am trying to reach Avera Goldstein.”
“Yes, this is she,” came the reply.
“Do you know the name ‘Raheem Mohammed Barforoush?’” he asked.
“Yes,” growled the reply, “and don’t call me again.” The line went dead. It was his mother. She was alive, and he was legally Jewish. She didn’t have fond memories of Raheem Mohammed Barforoush.
“Did she know that I am still alive?” Now what did he do?
***
Late one evening, the girls were in the garden area outside their quarters. The younger ones were roughhousing noisily when Neelan came over to sit beside Lina. “Lina, what is it like to be a Christian?” Neelan asked her. Lina was startled by the girl’s question.
“Why would I know?” Lina replied, watching the others and not making eye contact with Neelan. “And if I did and was foolish enough to tell you, you would just use it to get me in trouble.”
“Perhaps,” replied Neelan, ‘but what if I truly ‘need’ to know? I might want to become a Christian myself.”
“You will need to find out from someone that knows,” Lina replied, her heart beating faster from the potential danger.
At the announcement of ice cream, the other girls flooded into the house with Nava in the lead and Lina and Neelan bringing up the rear. Just as Lina reached for the door, Neelan grabbed her, pulling her back as the door closed in front of them. In moments Neelan had her victim wrestled to the ground and was sitting on her chest with Lina’s arms pinned against the ground above her head. “Get off of me,” Lina demanded.
“Not so fast. I won’t hurt you. I just want to get even for all the attention that you have been getting lately.” Neelan began picking up dirt and sand and dropping it on Lina’s face. Lina was unable to free herself and could only shake her head in attempt to keep the dirt from accumulating. Neelan was able to reach a leftover gl
ass of lemonade which she slowly poured in Lina’s face and then topped it off with more dirt. When she was sufficiently amused, Neelan jumped up and entered the house locking the door behind herself before Lina could get up and wipe the mess off of her face. Nava finally came looking for her.
“What happened to you?” asked the little one.
“I fell and spilled the drink, but I’m OK,” Lina lied knowing that it was not to her advantage to cause trouble. Lina went into the bathroom that she shared with Nava and turned on the shower. She glanced into the mirror and was surprised to see tears streaking the dirt on her face. The action of cruel people did not surprise her any longer. It did hurt to be disliked for no significant reason. She prayed that she would never become cruel. Then it came to her, cruelty was because of the influence of the father of lies. The tears stopped when she recognized that this was just a continuation of the battle. The battle would be lifelong, and, in her case, potentially deadly. “It’s a deadly battle for everyone,” she thought, “just in different ways. In some cases it can turn physically deadly relatively quickly.”
Chapter 11 Trip Planning
Achmed was extremely curious and intrigued by the possibility of meeting his mother, or at least seeing her if she refused to actually meet him. Accomplishing a trip to Israel would be difficult. He could probably get a renewed passport at any Israeli embassy outside the Middle East. It would likely take some time to be issued. It certainly would not be issued immediately on request. This might take several trips. He certainly could not have an Israeli passport mailed to him in Iran. When his paperwork was issued, he would have to enter Israel from a country outside the Middle East. He began to look at his work schedule to see if he could take off enough time for a trip to Italy, or perhaps France would be better. A vacation in France would be exceedingly nice. He knew several men that bragged about going to Paris where they would engage in immorality and consume alcoholic beverages. The thought was disgusting to Achmed. True Muslims could not behave in such a manner. But a trip to a nice place might be very pleasant.
