Coming back!
by: Khabat Rasuli
translator: Pariya Chalabi
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The subway is empty,no more than 20 people in the wagons. It’s the end of night and at this moment, Oslo is becoming ready to sleep. An old red hair woman cuddles a white small fury dog, staring at that .The dog, tired of her looks, says :” You have a gorgeous dog!” The old woman laughs :” You are gorgeous !” , murmuring : “ But he has a bad habit. Kinjkul should know what a bad habit does this small fury dog have .” The dog is listening to her more carefully. “ My dog uses to eat turds, wherever he finds, he eats it. His, other dog’s, cat’s, … It disgusts her, makes her queasy. She thinks that his mouth is filled with turds. Looking better at the old woman, her mouth is filled with turds. Inside the restaurant, there was no place to swing a cat. He takes out her mobile, checking the address carefully one time more. Just the ticket!
There are black tables and chairs in front of the restaurant. She pushes on of the chairs for herself and sits on it. After a while, a whiskery waiter comes and greets her, inviting her to go inside :” We have disco inside “. She glimpses at the restaurant walls. On a corner of the walls, they had painted Iran’s flag. The left side of the flag is covered with a flower. They have hanged a vase up from the wall on the right side of the flag, setting two Norwegian flags inside it. Under the Iran’s flag, is a yard full of black chairs and tables, except the ones under the flag, which are white. She lifts her head up. The whiskey waiter is still there.
The old woman and her dog are still waiting for her to suggest them a way.
-Reza’s here?
-Yes, Are you his friend?
-Friend? Yeah, we’re friends. Could you please tell him that you’re friend is here? I’ll sit under the shadow of the flag, behind the white table . Please bring me a Haniken beer.
– “ My daughter! Don’t you have any idea how to disacustom the dog from doing that? “
Reza took two beers. He has taken himself an Efesi beer. They hug each other. She has seen him in a restaurant at Taqe-Bostan street of Kermanshah after arresting by security Information service. He has aged. She, too. [Reza was a chief there.]
They drank the beers. She looks at the old woman and her dog from far. They still can be seen behind the window of wagons in the subway.
“ I’m Akbari, a researcher for your case, “ she said, “ We determine what is your delict. If you don’t help us, we won’t help you, too. Also you’ll be condemned for a heavy sin. For instance, we will report that you’ve spied for the Kurdistan Government, that you’ve spied for the Democrat Party, that you’ve encouraged university students to wear Kurdish clothes and to read Kurdish books. I will report that your purpose was to poke youngster’s mind”.
Reza goes back to the restaurant and sits in a corner. He told her that he’ll be free in two hours. A half-naked woman sings and dances in Farsi on the scene. While a waiter is widening a cloth on the table, she asks :” what’s this?” -” You’re Reza’s guest .” Reza waves her, preparing an Iranian dish. On one side of the plate, rice. One the other side, saffron rice. Next to that, two Kebabs. Some salad with onion and two roasted tomatoes and a bite butter.
-” I’ve never spied!”, He says, knowing about the fact that they can convict him in anyway. She gets off at the first station without answering the old woman. -“She doesn’t believe in marriage anymore. Now, believes in free sex and feels that her love has been left in Kermanshah “.
-” She doesn’t like to have free sex with anyone?”
Akbari says:” If you be with me, I’ll help you or you won’t see tomorrow!”
A weak and low sound of a guitar comes from outside, he stands up, leaves his meal and comes to the yard. He hates that little Iran which has been built here. A cross the restaurant, is a hotel with a parking lot down of it. There, a girl sits on a chair, playing a guitar. The only audience is her black cat under her feet with his hands on each other, seems asleep, listening to her. The girl is singing a Norwegian song. He likes to learn how to play a guitar, then, he can sit alone by the sea and play that.
