Free The Book of Fate by Parinoush Saniee Page A

child like this? Even Shemr who slayed Imam Hossein in Kerbela didn’t do this to wives and daughters.’
    â€˜Well! Well! So now the lady is all pure and holy and I’m worse than Shemr. Father, your daughter has left you no honour. You may not care, but I do. I still have a reputation among people. Wait until Ali comes back. Ask him what he saw. The lady flirting with the pharmacy lackey for the world to see!’
    â€˜Father! Father, I swear to God he’s lying,’ I pleaded. ‘I swear on your life, I swear on Grandmother’s grave, my ankle hurt, it was as bad as it was on the first day, I was about to collapse in the street, Parvaneh dragged me to the pharmacy. They put my foot up and gave me a painkiller. Besides, Ali was there, too, but when Parvaneh called him to come and help, he ran off. And then the minute I got home they all attacked me.’
    I started to weep. Mother was in the room arranging the dinner plates. Mahmoud was leaning on the shelf above me and observing the commotion with uncharacteristic calm. Ahmad ran inside, stood in the doorway, grabbed hold of the door frame and yelled wildly, ‘Say it, say it! The guy put your leg on the table and touched and fondled you. Say that you were laughing the entire time. Flirting. Say that he waits for you on the street every day and says hello to you, plays up to you…’
    Mahmoud’s temper changed. His face flushed and he mumbled something. All I heard was, ‘May God have mercy.’ Father turned and looked at me questioningly.
    â€˜Father, Father, I swear on this blessing’ – Ali had just walked in with freshly baked bread and its scent had filled the room – ‘he is lying, he is badmouthing me because I found out that he sneaks over to Mrs Parvin’s house.’
    Again Ahmad lunged towards me, but Father shielded me with his arm and warned, ‘Don’t you raise your hand to her! The things you said can’t be true. Her principal told me there is no girl as decent and as innocent as Massoumeh in their school.’
    â€˜Yeah!’ Ahmad sneered. ‘Their school must be a chastity house.’
    â€˜Shut up! Watch your mouth.’
    â€˜Father, he is right,’ Ali said. ‘I saw it myself. The guy put her leg up on the table and massaged it.’
    â€˜No, Father. I swear. He only held my shoe, and my ankle is so heavily bandaged that no one’s hand could possibly touch it. Besides, a doctor isn’t considered a stranger. Isn’t that right, Father? He just asked me, “Where does it hurt?”’
    â€˜Just!’ Ahmad said. ‘And, of course, we believe you. Look how a scrawny, forty-kilo piece of bird dropping is twirling us on her fingertips. You may fool Father, but I’m shrewder than you think.’
    â€˜Shut up, Ahmad, or I will give you a good wallop in the mouth,’ Father said.
    â€˜Come on! What are you waiting for? All you know how to do is beat us. Ali, why have you kept quiet? Tell them what you told me.’
    â€˜I’ve seen the lackey at the pharmacy stand outside and wait for them every day,’ Ali reported. ‘And as soon as they come, he says hello and they answer him. And then they whisper and giggle together.’
    â€˜He’s lying. I haven’t been to school in ten days. Why are you making up these lies? Yes, whenever he sees Parvaneh, he says hello to her. He knows her father and prepares his medications and gives them to her.’
    â€˜May that girl’s grave burn in flames,’ Mother said, beating her chest. ‘This is all her doing.’
    â€˜Then why do you let her in the house?’ Ahmad snapped. ‘Didn’t I tell you not to?’
    â€˜What can I do?’ Mother said. ‘She comes over and they sit and read their books together.’
    Ali pulled Ahmad’s arm and whispered something in his ear.
    â€˜Why are you whispering?’ Father asked.