Outlook: A Novel

By Mohammad Babantaj

A Novel - Nader Manesh

The story of Mr. Nader Manesh who immigrated to Canada from Iran with his family, are suffering from Iranian people in Canada who are on side of Islamic Government of Iran in Canada.
The Iranian people in Canada who bring their Islamic - Iran cultures from Iran to Canad and trying to force other Iranian in Canada to follow their old and Islamic roles and cultures in Canada. Nader Manesh who actually escaped from that kind of Iran-Islamic cultures and Islamic Government from Iran to Canada, still is suffering from those kinds of Iranian in Canada who the Iran Government is behind them.
Nader Manesh working hard in two to three different companies in several shifts a day/night to support his family in Canada. Nader studying in university beside working and get his doctorate of Sociology and becomes the university professor and make his own business in having several colleges across Canada.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Jan 6, 2021
• ISBN: 9781664150874

Mohammad Babantaj

Mohammad Babantaj is a Canadian citizen who lives in Vancouver, Canada. He emigrated from Iran to Canada with his two sons and his wife in 1988. He used to be an Iranian federal police lieutenant for 10 years. He is a human rights activist. He earned a master’s degree in English. He is also the author of 20 other books: “Companionship with God,” “God Therapy,” “The Light of God,” “Blood,” Hidden Clues,” “Meeting with God,” “Satan or God,” “Other Side of Coin,” “Viewpoint,” “At the End of Time,” “Along the Highway of Life,” “Dawn,” “Where is God,” Defeated Muslim Jihad,” “Loving Eyes,” “Parasstoo,” “Outlook,” “Pigeons Fall in Love,” “Words Speak,” and “With Love.”

Book preview

CHAPTER 1

PART 1

Nader was awakened by the alarm clock at four o’clock in the morning. He hurriedly threw the blanket over his wife and got out of the bed so he could get ready for work. His wife, who was awakened by the alarm clock, angrily told him, What is the matter this early in the morning? You woke me up and wouldn’t let me sleep?

Nader replied, Honey, I have to go to work. You get out of bed at eleven o’clock in the morning and eat your breakfast at noon. You do not ask yourself where your expenses and my earnings are coming from. But I have to get out of the house early so I can make some money for our living expenses.

His wife, Fariba, usually stayed up late every night so she could pick up the phone after midnight and call her relatives in Iran. Because the price of British Columbia’s telephone company, BC Tel for the long distance and specially the Middle East is cheaper than daylights. Fariba, who didn’t work in this big city of Vancouver where she is living with her family, sat at home on the couch day and night and was constantly on the phone. She told her husband, Okay, go on. Don’t be so cautious. Close the bedroom door and don’t make too much noise and don’t wake me up again. Fariba continued, Don’t forget that whatever tips you make are mine. If you take even one dollar for yourself, then you’ll be in trouble with me.

Fariba brought the culture and traditions of Iran with her to Canada and regularly told her husband, Working is a man’s job. Man’s coin and gold is working. She also said, A husband’s eyes and his soft ribs must be smashed to provide earnings for his woman and baby. Why should a woman work? The man must go to death to allow his wife to go to work and provide for the household. A summary of this kind of Iranian thoughts brought as souvenirs from Iran to Canada.

Nader bent down to kiss his wife goodbye, but Fariba screamed like a wounded tiger and said, I don’t want you to kiss me and wake me up again. I told you to close the door and make no noise! Take the stack of tea and breakfast you ate. Grab it and I am not your housekeeper.

Nader went out of the bedroom and closed the door so that his lady would not wake up again.

Nader bathed first, and after he brushed his teeth and used the toilet, he hurriedly put his clothes on and, without having breakfast, got out of the house quietly so that his wife would not wake up and get angry again.

Nader, who was twenty-four years old, immigrated to Canada with his wife, Fariba, and his two daughters, Zohreh and Mahereh, from Iran. Nader obtained his bachelor’s degree in sociology from Tehran University. And in Canada, he was trying to get a master’s degree in sociology from the UBC. Nader was under the illusion that working as a taxi driver for the Yellow Cab Taxi Company would provide for both his home’s expenses and his education.

Nader got into the elevator of their apartment building and pushed the button for the underground parking lot’s second level. He got in his old car, a Chevrolet, and gets out of the underground parking lot to go to pick up a Yellow Cab taxi so he could start his work as a cabdriver.

Nader himself did not own a taxi. He worked for the company, and it gave him a different taxi every day. And he got paid on a commission basis. Whatever he had at the end of a day, 40 percent was his, and the rest went to the company. Of course, the company also paid for the gasoline and the car insurance. As a driver working for the company, all the tips that Nader earned from his passengers were his. But of course, he had to hand them over to his wife after the job was over, and he had to swear by Imam Hussein and Imam Reza until his wife accepted that not a single dollar was lost in the exchange. God was his judge and his witness. Nader was honest to his wife and never lied to her.

The sky was still dark. Nader entered Thirty-Third Street. He prayed that today, he would make good money and get good tips from the travelers.

As Nader rolled down Thirty-Third Street to get to King Edward Street, the emergency lights and siren of a police car behind him turned on, and he had to pull the car to the side. Nader looked at the police car through his rearview mirror and said to himself, What a bad chance to me today. First of all, I have not even started working yet, the police seized me. Wife’s tongue, like the tongue of a snake, that every time I get out of the house every morning, and she pulls her head out like a snake’s head out of the blanket and bites it twice under her blanket and I must get beaten like that. Now it has nothing to do, I have to pay a hundred dollars fine.

The police car parked behind Nader’s Chevrolet, and its driver went out of the car to go to Nader’s door. He asked Nader to lower his window. Nader, who was sitting behind the wheel and holding his belt, pulled down the window.

The policeman said, Good morning, sir. Do you know why I stopped you?

Nader said, No, Mr. Officer.

The policeman said, You were driving in a playground area at a speed of thirty-five kilometers per hour, but this is a thirty-kilometer-per-hour zone. Do you accept these statements?

Nader said, Yes, Officer. I accept.

The policeman asked for his driver’s license, car documents, and insurance card.

Nader gave the policeman all the necessary documents, and after a few moments, the policeman issued a 250-dollar fine to Nader for speeding over the King Edward Street sports area.

Nader, after receiving the fine sheet, continued his trip to the company and said to himself, How unfair he was to write a hefty fine for me. Even if I work nonstop for one night, I can’t even get a hundred bucks. I have to work for three days to pay this fine. And then he said to himself, It must be good. My daily bread comes from God. Whatever is our daily bread, God delivers it.

Nader entered the parking lot and parked his car. He then went to the dispatch section to pick up Taxi Number 24.

Nader worked without a break until five o’clock in the afternoon and then returned the taxi to the company so he could use his car to go to the UBC.

took some of his classes at night and some of them in the day. He worked in the morning when he had night classes and at night when he had morning classes.

Nader stayed at the university until 10:30 p.m. whenever he had night classes. When he arrived home, it was about 11:30 p.m., and that was when the traffic was not heavy. But traffic in Vancouver was usually down by that time of the night except for the downtown area, where traffic continued to be heavy.

Nader got home and went straight to the second-floor parking lot underground, P2, parked in his place, and went up in the elevator. He went into his apartment and said, Hello, sweetheart. I’m home.

Fariba, his wife, was sitting on the sofa with her legs stretched out on the coffee table, holding her cell phone, and talking loudly across the line. She placed her forefinger vertically on her lips while looking at Nader to shush him.

Nader very calmly said to his wife, Who’s calling at this time of the night?

Fariba said, It is a long-distance call from Iran. I’m talking to my cousin.

Nader said, At this time of the night? Don’t they know that it’s not daytime here?

Fariba, who was still talking loudly to her cousin, pointed to her chest with her right hand as she realized that Nader was talking to her.

Nader, who was changing his clothes in the living room, put his university books on the dining table and said to his wife, Fariba Joon, what do we have to eat? Since the morning, I have been fasting. I have not even put a sugar cube in my mouth. I’m so hungry and thirsty.

Fariba placed the palm of her right hand over the phone and told Nader, Are you blind? Can’t you see that I am having a long-distance conversation? I don’t know what we have. Open the refrigerator and see what is in it. I didn’t make any food. If you wanted to eat something, you should have eaten out there.

Nader took off his clothes and went to the washroom to wash his hands and face. He then went to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator but found no food. The fridge was filled with Fariba’s cosmetics and hair dyes and a patch of cold water.

Nader said to his wife, Madam, can’t you just say goodbye to your cousin and see what your husband wants? told her cousin, Betty Joon, please hold for a moment.

And then, like a tiger, she jumped out of the sofa and stood in front of her husband and said aloud, What? What? You can see that I’m talking to my family! You have not liked my family from the very beginning. When have you ever liked my relatives? You don’t hang out with my relatives.

Nader said, Honey, I didn’t say anything! I just asked you if there was any food.

Fariba said angrily, No! We have nothing! I’m not your housekeeper! I won’t stay in the kitchen and cook for you! Go to the storage for a bowl of noodles!

Fariba turned around and went back to the sofa to continue the phone call. Sorry, my dear. My stupid husband came home and was asking for food at this time of the night. So what did Maryam do?

Nader took a bowl’s worth of noodles from a porcelain bowl, boiled water that he then poured into the bowl, and waited until it was ready to eat.

Nader ate his breakfast, lunch, and dinner—a bowl of Chinese noodles—and then went back to the dining room to study. He had to prepare for a presentation exam and a lecture at his university seminar.

The wall clock told him that it was 1:15 a.m. Nader slept at the dining table as his eyes were so tired and dreamed that a cup of tea pouring from his wife’s hand to his leg and pain and burning. He screamed as he woke up.

Nader saw that his wife was still talking to her cousin.

Fariba’s voice, while she’s talking on the phone to Iran and the ears getting down as if she’s screaming, and on the other hand she puts the phone on the speaker, making the sound eAussir to speak and listen.

Fariba said, Betty Joon, what’s up with Maryam? Don’t you know? I miss her so much.

Betty Joon, Fariba’s cousin, who changed her name from Batul to Betty, said, Which one do you mean, Fariba Joon?

Fariba said, When I went back to Iran last year, the two of us went to her house and performed a black-magic spell for me. She said that the problems of my life would be solved by this black-magic spell.

Betty said, Ah, I remember the one you are talking about. You mean the Maryam who divorced her pilot husband and lives with her boyfriend, Naghi Pumpi. Naghi is the one who works at a gas station.

Fariba said, Yeah, I am talking about her. By the way, did she get a boyfriend? What did her kids do? Is he her boyfriend now? What is he doing now?

Betty Joon said, My dear uncle’s daughter, you left Iran, and your mind is relaxed. Here in Iran, people live with thousands of troubles and problems. Maryam Khanum gave her children to her ex-husband and also took him to court and is now dating a gas-station worker and living with him. And he is known as a gas-pump man.

Fariba said, Ah! Wow! What news! I didn’t know that! How much was the dowry? How many thousands of coins of gold were written for her case?

Betty Joon said, I don’t think they have been married yet. As I have heard, they are concubines, and they are to be concluded next year after the month of Muharram and Safar, with one thousand and hundred fifty-six coins of gold.

Fariba Joon said, Bravo, Maryam! I knew from the beginning that, that lady was one of those bellies and seven lines. She can catch a sparrow in flight.

Fariba then said, Truly, my dear uncle’s daughter, tell Maryam Joon that she must invite me to her wedding. I will leave Canada for her wedding.

Betty Joon said, I will make sure to tell Maryam Joon to invite you to her wedding.

Fariba said, When you see Maryam Joon, say hello to her for me and tell her that I thank her for that black magic. It worked really well. The ethics of arithmetic changed because of that black magic.

Nader, sleeping and awake at the dining table, head to the table and lifts herself up again and naps and falls back to the table, tired and lifted, and said to his lady, You’re not done yet, lady? Just think of the phone bill—the hundred or two hundred dollars that I had to work miserably for to pay for your long-distance calls. Stop it now. I’m going to sleep. At least turn off the sound player.

Nader then went to bed.

to sleep, His wife, Fariba Joon, told her cousin, Betty Joon, I have to go. It’s two thirty in the morning here. I’ll talk to you later. Bye for now.

Betty Joon said, Go on. Your husband’s voice, of course, is very sad.

Fariba Joon said, Greet my uncle and his wife on my behalf. I really miss them.

Fariba bid farewell to Betty and hung up the phone. She then jumped like a warrior from the couch and said to her husband, Hey! How much did you earn today? Where are the rewards? Let me see them! Hurry up! Then you can go to sleep.

Nader pulled out all the money that he made from his pocket and said to his wife, That’s all the money I made today.

Fariba grabbed the money immediately and said, Believe it all?

Nader said, No, don’t believe it. I took five dollars and gave them to a homeless man.

Fariba said, You’re giving money to street people again? Didn’t I tell you not to do so?

Nader said, Baby, why are you upset? You know that I have to give one of those needy and hungry people every day their lunch. The five bucks can buy for a poor man a sandwich from McDonald’s and fill his stomach.

Fariba said angrily, Eat pain and disease! Eat snake venom! We are more hungry than them!

id, Baby, whatever God gives us is not just ours. The stomachs of others must be filled. You know that I have to donate part of my income to charity.

was counting the money for the third time, lifted her head over the bills and stared at Nader. Eat my dad’s pain and illness! Give me the five dollars that I need! I need charity too! Bring it to me! This is the last time you play hand and heart and take the rights of your wife and children and give them to other people.

Nader said, My dear, don’t be so cruel. You must hold another’s hand, and God will hold yours.

id in a thunderous voice, "Where is God? You always say God God God! If God were here, we would not be like this! We would not be cut off from our parents and family members! You brought us to this ruined country, and we are like prisoners! No uncles, no aunts, no friends. You brought us here, and when I say even one word, you bring God into the conversation, and you say God God God! God willing, an earthquake will ruin Canada, and then I can cool my heart down."

Nader, who looked at the wall clock and saw that it was almost morning and realized that he had not slept yet, said, Good morning, baby. I am going to bed. You want to come to sleep or not? I can’t stand anymore. Just remember to brush your teeth, please. Don’t come to bed with the smell of green vegetables as it already smells of food.

Nader went to bed and pulled the blanket over his head. Fariba was in the living room, counting dollars on the sofa, and she said to Nader, Tomorrow morning, you have to take the kids to kindergarten. Don’t forget it. Don’t keep your head down and get out of the house without doing it.

Nader said, What? Take the kids to kindergarten? What does that mean? Can’t you do that? Where will you go?

Fariba said, Tomorrow, I will be with my friend, Sedigheh Joon. We will go to the gym and the swimming pool.

Nader said, You don’t know how to swim.

id, Not everyone who goes to the swimming pool knows! We go to the sauna, steam room, and hot tub. They are good for our muscles and bones. I really need to go to the pool too. It has been two or three days since I went there. I was lonely and didn’t have a good mood. Tomorrow, Sedigheh Joon and I will go together.

Nader said, So whatever I make working on cab, we have to pay to kindergarten to keep our kids safe and you and Sedigheh can go to the gym and the pool. So what else to eat and who pays us the rent?

Fariba said, That’s your problem, not mine. You wanted us to come to this corrupt Canada. Now when you eat iced melon in winter, you have to sit under the tremor. I don’t care if you take the kids to kindergarten or leave them alone at home. I won’t be home.

Nader could no longer speak. He fell asleep while sniffling.

PART 2

Nader woke up early, took a shower, dressed, and got ready for work. Nader looked at his watch to see if it was time for him to take Zohreh and Mahereh, their two daughters, to kindergarten. It was still too early, and the weather was not clear. He told himself that he had to get a taxi and work for an hour or two first, and then he could come back to take the kids to the kindergarten. By that time, the kids would be awake and the kindergarten would be open.

Nader entered the parking lot of the Yellow Cab Taxi Company and picked up Taxi Number 77. The dispatcher gave him his first passenger for the day; the man was at the Four Seasons Hotel, which was on Lougheed Street, and was headed for the airport. Nader arrived at the Four Seasons Hotel, and his passenger was waiting outside the hotel. Nader asked the man for his name to make sure he was the right passenger.

Nader was worried about being able to return in time to take his daughters to kindergarten. It’s early in the morning, and the traffic in the city was heavy, but Nader used a few streets that he knew were quieter as he took his passenger to the airport. He had to join the taxi queue in order to get another passenger, but the taxi queue was long, and if he joined it, it would take him another hour and a half to leave the airport. He decided to go back into the city without a passenger so he could take Zohreh and Mahereh to the kindergarten.

Lucky for him, on his way back, two people flagged him down. They were headed for the city center.

After Nader dropped his passengers off, he went straight to his home. He found Fariba still sleeping. Nader dressed the girls and then took them to the kindergarten. He knew he had to pick them up at five in the afternoon. And it’s almost like most of his days working both in the taxi and traveling, providing for his home and living, and going to his university to get to class and take his kids to daycare and back them on dusk.

Nader joined the taxi queue in front of the Vancouver Hotel, which stood next to the Pacific Ocean. Nader fell asleep behind the wheel. The taxi drivers behind him saw that his cab was not moving and took his passengers. Nader lost almost all his passengers because he fell asleep. All the other taxis there got passengers and left. Only Taxi Number 77 was left standing at the queue. The hotel steward whistled for Taxi Number 77 to move forward, but the sleeping Nader did not notice the whistle. The steward moved to Nader’s door and woke him up.

Nader got two American passengers—a male and a female—who were headed for the airport. Traffic inside the city was heavy, and Nader regularly rubbed his eyes with his palms because he still felt sleepy. Nader was very tired, and his eyes were constantly closing, but he forced himself to keep them open.

The taxi approached Granville and King Edward Road, and the light turned from green to yellow and then red. Nader was almost completely out of it, and with the palms of his hands, he rubbed his eyes so they wouldn’t close. Nader slammed on the brakes so that it doesn’t go red. The sound scratched their ears, and the car tires smoked on the asphalt. Fortunately, it didn’t go red, but because they stopped so suddenly, the car behind them almost hit them.

His passengers were very scared and calmly told him to concentrate more and drive carefully. Nader apologized to them. The light turned green, and Nader moved forward while trying to be more careful and keep his eyes open.

The taxi entered Forty-Eighth Street, and as it exited the city center, Nader noticed there was less traffic and the cars were using more speed.

Nader was driving at the maximum speed of fifty kilometers per hour when he fell asleep behind the wheel, inadvertently steering the taxi off the road.

The two passengers, who were a couple, screamed in fear and said, Oh my God! Oh my God!

Nader, noticing that his taxi had gone off the road and crashed, woke up and immediately took control of the taxi.

His passengers were deeply frightened and asked him to pull over. Nader stopped the taxi, and his passengers got out of the taxi and said,Mr. Driver, you almost killed us! Please ask your company to send another taxi for us. You better go home and rest. You have been falling asleep behind the wheel since we started the taxi ride. You might accidentally kill yourself and others at this rate.

Nader asked his company dispatcher to send another taxi for his passengers, and then he returned to the city center to get other passengers.

Nader worked hard until four o’clock in the afternoon. Now he had to go to his college and attend his class.

Nader returned the taxi to the company, got into his own car, and drove to the UBC, which was located at the end of the west side of Vancouver, next to the Pacific Ocean.

In the middle of the road, Nader remembered that he had to pick up Zohreh and Mahereh. He quickly went back to the kindergarten. All the other parents had already come and taken their children, and only Zohreh and Mahereh were left. The kindergarten manager was a bit upset with Nader and told him that they couldn’t give their workers extra pay for his delay. They will get overtime pay if you get your kids late. For every ten minutes extra, we add an hour to your cost.

Nader apologized to the kindergarten manager and drove the girls home.

At the apartment, Nader parked his car on the street, quickly pulled Zohreh and Mahereh out of the car, and rang their apartment to see if his lady had already come home. Luckily, his wife had already arrived. Nader used the intercom to tell his wife that the kids were coming up and he was going to the college. Come out and meet the kids.

Nader pushed the elevator button, and the kids got inside it. He then went back to his car and drove to his campus.

Nader arrived at the university. His first class was already over, and the second one was about to begin. Nader borrowed notes from his classmates so he could copy them. Nader was still sleepy and was struggling. He went to the washroom and splashed his face so that he would not fall asleep.

Nader was heading home. It’s about 10:30 p.m. He stopped at a red light, and a poor, homeless man knocked on his window, asking for money for food. Nader, before the light turned green, immediately pulled out the bills in his pocket. He gave the man ten dollars. The light turned green, and then Nader drove away.

Nader had not received enough today because he did not get enough passengers, but he still decided to use some of what he earned to give to charity.

Nader went home. It’s eleven o’clock. As he left the elevator, he heard his wife’s voice as she was speaking loudly over the phone. Nader said to himself, Fariba must be talking to her relatives in Iran again.

Nader opened the front door of their rented apartment and entered their home before signaling to Fariba to bring down her tone because other people were sleeping at this time of the night.

Fariba, who was lounging on the sofa, was busy with painting her nails when she noticed that her husband had come home.

Nader put his bag and books on the coffee table and changed his clothes in the living room before saying to his wife, Do we have something to eat? From the morning until now, I have not put anything in my mouth. I’m very hungry.

Fariba, who was painting her nails with the colors of the Iranian flag, was talking to someone in Iran with a loud voice. She shook her head, indicating that she didn’t make anything. Then she said across the line, Massi Joon, please wait for a moment. She put her palm on the mouth of the phone and said to her husband, You know that I was out. I went out with Sedigheh Joon. I had no time to cook in the kitchen for you. So why didn’t you buy a sandwich from McDonald’s?

Nader said, That life couldn’t happen.

Fariba said, I am not a bum who will sit in the kitchen all day. You didn’t marry me so I could work and cook at home.

Nader, who knows his wife morality that if he goes on and on, one and two words, his wife getting crazy now at this time of night. And she will ruin the roof of the house and call the neighbors to call police that there is a fight in this house.

Nader, after changing his clothes, went to the fridge and found nothing but a glass of juice and a bottle of water.

had been washing rice and cooking for four days in a row now. He wanted to have dinner when he came home. And with minced meat and a few tomatoes, onions, and spices, he made ground-beef stew. After he finished cooking, he asked his wife if she wanted to eat dinner with him or if she already ate.

Fariba bid farewell to whoever she was talking to, put down the phone, and said, I ate something with Sedigheh Joon. We went out there and ate. But since you have made food, why not? We will eat together.

At the dinner table, Nader asked, Who was on the phone? It must have been someone in Iran.

Fariba, who is eating her spicy dinner, on other hand, says why he did too salty and spicy, and on the other hand, shows her painted nails to her husband and say are they beautiful?

Nader said, Yeah, they are pretty. Who were you talking to?

Fariba said, Massi Joon, my parents’ neighbor’s daughter—a childhood friend of mine.

Nader said, How do you have a school friend when you didn’t go to school?

Fariba said, The same one the first two years we went. After all, it was a school.

Nader said, Does Massi Joon continue like you till elementary in second year?

Fariba said, No. I think she finished elementary.

Nader said, Is it your friend’s actual name?

Fariba said, Her maiden name is Massoumeh, but because her husband calls her Massi, she uses it. All her friends call her Massi.

Fariba continued, Lucky Massi Joon—she has a good, exemplary husband who loves his wife so much. He is dying for his wife.

Nader said, What does her husband do for a living?

Fariba said, He works in a wholesale warehouse, and they are very satisfied.

Nader said, What does he do in the warehouse?

Fariba said, I am a Canadian like you and am living in this ruined country. I know nothing about what they do overseas. But Massi Joon said that he drives pickup trucks loaded with fruits and vegetables or loads cars and pickup trucks for shoppers. He also receives tips from his clients.

then said, They are living and enjoying the world, not experiencing our miserable and displaced life. We have been ruined and cut off from all our family members and friends and are being tortured. What does this Canada have that our Iran does not? Canada is a rural village. God damn it, may an earthquake come and sink your Canada so that we can go back to Iran.

Nader, who had a lot of lessons and assignments and a university project to do, felt sleepy and tired. He put snacks in his mouth and wanted to have a glass of fruit juice, but Fariba said, This juice is mine. The water in the refrigerator is cold.

, and the clock showed that it was now 2:15 a.m. Fariba went back to the sofa and turned on the TV to watch the American series The Young and the Restless. She then said, A friend of mine was talking about Iran, and I missed a lot of parts. I don’t know what happened. Well, I’ll watch it again in the morning.

Nader wanted to do some of his assignments but couldn’t continue anymore, so he decided to go to bed.

Fariba said, How was your business today? What were the rewards? Don’t you want to give them to me?

Nader said, Everything that I got is in my jacket. Go get it. All the money that I made today is in the right pocket, and all the tips are in the left one. Nader then said, Please close the door of the room and reduce the volume of the TV so that I can sleep.

d the bedroom door and went for Nader’s jacket. She first counted his rewards and saw that the amount was not remarkable. She then calculated his function and again found that he had not made much money. She picked up the rewards and also took thirty dollars from the function amount and then put Nader’s jacket away before saying, What a lazy and useless husband I have. Fariba continued talking to herself. We have no chance. My miserable parents were unlucky, and we became unlucky because of them. She checked her husband’s pockets and pants again but found nothing.

Fariba opened the bedroom door to ask Nader if that was all the money, but Nader was already sleeping and snoring. She closed the bedroom door again and returned to the sofa to watch The Young and the Restless.

At four thirty in the morning, Nader woke up. He quickly took a shower, brushed his teeth, and boiled a kettle of water. With a few bites of bread and cheese, he finished his breakfast in the kitchen in half a minute and drank coffee instead of tea so he would not fall asleep. He then filled a thermos with coffee so he wouldn’t have to buy coffee while he was at work. He also packed a biscuit so he could have lunch in the taxi. He put on his clothes and tried to get out of the house so he could work until his classes. Fortunately, he did not need to be present for the first two classes. There was a project that involved the students interviewing people outside the university and inside the city on the subject of People’s Participation in Improving Their Community.

Nader said to himself, Thank God that she no longer plans to go out with her friends today and I don’t have to take Zohreh and Mahereh to kindergarten again.

Nader was about to take his car key from the coffee table, but then he saw the note underneath it. He said to himself, My God, what’s this?

Nader picked up the key and took the note and read it; it was in Farsi, but all the letter forms were wrong. Nader was used to reading his wife’s notes. The note read, Nader, today, I want to go to America with my friends Perry Joon and Nicky Joon and Moni Joon to buy clothes, and we will probably come home late. We want to go to the city near the border, Seattle. Remember to take Zohreh and Mahereh to kindergarten at around seven in the morning and pick them up before four in the evening. By the way, last night’s rewards were very low. I don’t know if you took some for yourself. Make me today’s tweets before you go to bed and put them all on the table. You must not lose a dollar. Goodbye now. I will back tonight.

Nader was not surprised by his wife’s note because it’s not the first time that something like this happened. He was used to this kind of life. He said to himself, Thank goodness that I do not have to be present for my first two classes. I can take the children to the kindergarten sooner. What can be done? Everyone has their own life—their own temperament.

Nader folded the note and put it in his pocket and got out of the house. He was not sure if he had locked the door of his apartment, but it didn’t really matter as he would be back in a couple of hours to take the kids to kindergarten.

Nader took Taxi Number 18 and operated until eight o’clock in the morning, and then the dispatcher asked him to get a passenger that was headed for the airport from Apartment No. 35, Building Number 5656, Robson Street. Nader looked at his watch and saw that he had to pick up the kids so he could take them to kindergarten. He said to himself, I didn’t get a proper passenger until now, and now that I do have one, I have to go back home to take the kids to kindergarten. Nader refused the passenger and went back home.

Nader stopped in front of their apartment building. Since he was in a hurry and had to go back to work, he did not park in the underground parking lot. Instead, he parked in front of the building’s front door and used his guides as emergency lights. He told himself, I will be back soon and will not take more than two minutes. I’ll be back soon. But on that street, there was a No Parking sign.

Nader entered the building and used the elevator to reach his floor. As he entered the corridor of their apartment, he heard his daughters crying. He wondered why they were crying. He opened the door and saw his daughters; both were lying on the floor of the living room and crying.

Nader said, What’s up, girls? Why are you crying? Where’s your mom?

Zohreh and Mahereh were crying and could not answer their father.

Nader shouted, Fariba! Fariba! but he received no response.

Nader went to the bedroom. Fariba! Fariba! Fariba, where are you?

Nader searched the bathroom, but he did not find Fariba.

Nader went back to the kids and told them, Your mom must have gone to America with her friends when you were asleep and she didn’t want to wake you up. So don’t cry. Let’s put on your clothes so you can go to kindergarten.

Zohreh and Mahereh, who were still crying, said, Daddy, Daddy, we . . . we . . . we were very scared. When we woke up, Mom wasn’t home. We . . . we . . . we were so scared.

Nader wiped away his daughters’ tears with a paper towel and helped them put on their clothes.

When they were on their way to the elevator, Zohreh and Mahereh asked Nader, Daddy, what are we going to eat for lunch today?

Nader said, Didn’t your mom prepare anything for your lunch?

The kids said, We didn’t see Mom at all.

t go of the kids’ hands and went back inside their home and checked the fridge if it had anything that could serve as the kids’ lunch. Nader searched the kitchen and the closet and the drawer. He found a light pack of cheese puffs and picked it up and put it in the kids’ bag and told them, Eat this until I return home tonight and cook for you.

Nader locked the door of their apartment and took the kids to his taxi. He found a fine bill that was tucked under a windshield wiper at the front of the car.

read the penalty sheet; he was being fined 125 dollars for parking in a forbidden parking spot. Nader said to himself, Is this a blessing from my wife? I didn’t make anything in the morning and lost 125 dollars. Even if I work nonstop for a whole day, I can’t earn that amount.

Nader took the kids to kindergarten.

Zohreh and Mahereh got out of the taxi, and Nader held their hands as they entered the kindergarten. The kids started crying again and said to their father, Daddy, Daddy, please do not be late. Come take us home soon.

Nader kissed and hugged his daughters before promising that he would not be late.

Nader gave the girls to the kindergarten manager and then went back to work. He’s happy that he did not have to go to the university immediately after his shift and had time to be nice to their daughters.

was also happy that he only had one semester left before he graduated. He decided that he would teach at the university while he pursued his master’s degree in sociology instead and quit the taxi job.

PART 3

Mr. Nader