"Lower the window." "Let some air in." "I'll buy you an ice cream if you want." "We're late, get going." "No, Nima said that the match starts at 9:45." "It's only 9:20." "Nima isn't coming?" "." "Nima?" "." "I don't know if he's coming." "He has a slight cold." "But your stepfather Mortaza said he might bring him to the pool after breakfast." " Are you okay?" "." " Yes." "Today, we have time." "I can even buy you an ice cream." "Hurray..." "Sorry, but it takes half an hour to get to the pool from here." "I have to be there by 9:45." "You'll be there at 9:45 and wait 1 5 minutes out in the sun." "What's new?" "." "I'm okay." "Omid!" "I saw him at the park." ""Such strange times, my dear."" "A friend called me last night..." "Who?" "." "You don't know her." "She called me..." "What do I care whether she calls or not?" "." "I'm talking to you." "Let me finish." "When I talk, you raise your voice." "So what?" "." "It's impolite." "Let me finish and you'll understand." "I don't want to hear what she told you." "Too bad." "You listen to everyone but you refuse to listen to your own mother." "Because you're going to lecture me again." "You always have to talk." "I lecture you?" "." " Yes." ""When you're big you'll be like this..." ""you'll do like this you'll do like that."" "Think what you like." "You'll tell me you have a friend that her mother divorced." "I know all that." "No, on the contrary." "She was telling me why her parents never divorced and have always lived in the shit with loads of problems!" "I knew you'd say that." "You mean it's good that you divorced dad that he was the one in the wrong." "Say what you like I don't believe it." "I don't believe it." "Don't believe it then." "You only talk to fight." "Like those children full of hate." "I didn't get married again just to give you another father." "He's a good companion for me a friend." "But you won't look at him or compare." "What could I do with your father?" "." "She's starting again!" "How dare you?" "." " Not so loud." "Not so loud yourself." "You started it:" ""l have a friend..."" "You didn't let me speak." "You start again." "You start again." "You see, mum." "You see, Amin, if we lived to 1 00 we'd still argue." "Unless you listen to me and start thinking." "You must have your own experiences... to understand life." "You're like your father." "He shut me away, destroyed me." "He wanted me only for himself." "Not so loud." "Not so loud or I won't listen to you." "I'll say what I have to say." "I don't want to listen." "Plug your ears, then!" "She's starting again." "Good for you!" "You're obstinate." "You're full of rage." "You want revenge." "You're angry like that because you refuse reality." "You want me to feel guilty." "You want me to pity you." "I want what?" "." "You want me to pity you." " I can't hear." "You can't hear?" "." "Yes, you can." "You want me to feel guilty." "It won't work." "As soon as I get in the car she starts again." "Give it a rest!" "I want some peace and quiet now." "You refuse to listen." "I don't want to listen I don't have to." "And I have to?" "." "We said it all yesterday." "I didn't say it all." "Stop talking." "So listen to me." "I'm not shouting it's my tone of voice." " "My tone of voice..."" " Listen." "Say it all at home." "You talk as soon as we're in the car." "There's Mortaza at home." "There's no privacy." "You stupid cow..." "Bravo." "As soon as I get in the car you start again." "This is no time to talk about it." "Two sentences and I'll shut up." "Two sentences and I'll never speak again." "I feel fulfilled now like a flowing river." "I was a stagnant pond." "My brain was devastated." "That makes three sentences and they're all rubbish." "I'll never listen to your lies again." "Why lies?" "." " I won't listen." "I won't listen to you anymore." "You're just telling me again that you were right to divorce that dad was wrong." "You may think it's wrong." "But it's good for me and I'm happy." "You only thought of yourself." "If you love yourself you can love someone else." "But if not..." "Enough." "You talk too much!" "I won't say anything." "Good." "Keep your voice down." "You first, me after." "In the past, I craved my parents' love." "I'd beg them for a little love..." "Enough!" "You're saying too much." "You're not staying with me tonight." "I don't want to." "You know why?" "." "You want me for yourself." "I don't want you to be mine." "More excuses." "You want me to be yours." "You're just like your father..." "You want to prove that you were right to divorce." "And I don't accept it." "You've always looked for trouble." "I'm not stupid." "Think what you like." "You've screwed up." "Think what you like." "You can think that way too." "A man who doesn't love himself loves no one." "If someone stinks of rot he'll stink everywhere..." "Enough, you've said your two sentences." "Out of the way!" "You get on my nerves every day." "Calm down." "I can't." "You drive me mad!" " She doesn't understand." "Out of the way..." "I can't live with you." "Why?" "." "I can't." "Because you're a selfish woman." "What have I done?" "." "You see, mum I talk to you calmly..." "Me too." "You get carried away..." "I mean that Mortaza isn't my real father." "My father couldn't take care of me." "It all confuses me ruins my life." "I can't live with you." "But once my father marries I'll go to live with him." "Okay, go ahead." "But don't call me selfish." "Say rather "l want mum for myself."" "But she belongs to no one only to herself." "Mum, you're not letting me finish." "You'll never know how to talk." "And you'll never be anything." "Bravo, bravo." "Thank you." "Here's the result..." "The result of what?" "." "The result of your selfishness." "Give me an example." "An example of your selfishness?" "." "You've only ever loved yourself." "You've only thought of yourself." "You've thought of no one else." "I'll tell you something:" "no one belongs to anyone not even you." "You're my child but you're not mine." "You belong to this world." " Sure." "We try to live here." "That's true but you don't let me speak." "I'm only a child." "I can't belong to myself." "I have to grow up to attain an age that will allow me to belong to myself." "What's your problem today?" "." "You have to be mine?" "." "And your rights..." "No, I can't you've only thought of yourself." " You left..." " Where?" "." "You crossed to the other side." "You left this life." "You left me at my father's." "And now you want your child." "It's not possible." "Your father too is obsessive wary and superficial." "He isn't wary." "When I married Mortaza" "I didn't insist on making him your father." "How can I tell?" "." "Say something true." "I never said to replace your father with my husband." "You never said so." "What?" "." "You made it clear enough." "You can say things without words." " I never did that." "Yes, you did." "I told Mortaza to be kind to you" "look after you and love you." "He looks after me?" "." "He gets on my nerves!" "What does he do to you?" "." " I hate him." "Don't talk to him if you hate him or if he annoys you." "But in any case he's my friend and a good companion." "I swear I'll throw my bag out." "I've had enough." "You drive me mad." "You drive me mad with your words." "Besides you've missed the pool now." "We're not there yet." " We are." "But forget it." "Listen, Mortaza is a stranger to me" "like any other man." "Like that one or another." "He isn't my father." "Take Peyman..." "He's like Peyman for me." "That's it, he's nothing more." "I don't want to eat his food." "I force myself." "Who taught you to talk like that?" "." "No one." "I taught myself." "Whose food?" "." "I don't want someone paying for my food as if I was poor or an orphan." "Who taught you that crap?" "." "Friends share things together each in turn." "I'm not his friend." "He's a stranger to me." "He's your friend, not mine." "It's pathetic feeling that way." ""l don't want to see him at his stepfather's table."" "That's what your father says." "That's not you." "You're an innocent child who loves everybody." "You're more obsessive than my father." "Either it's him or you're worse than him." "And I'm going crazy." "If I go to his place, he says" ""Your mother makes you say I'm quick-tempered" ""and that I'm sick."" "I swear it isn't true." "You tell me that my father gives me these ideas." "It pisses me off in the end." "It shouldn't piss you off." "Try to see reality." "What's the truth?" "." "That you lied at the trial." "You accused my father of being a drug-addict." "Who said that?" "." "You did!" "It was a good way of getting a divorce." "The rotten laws in this society of ours give no rights to women!" "To get a divorce a woman has to say that she is beaten or that her husband's on drugs!" " A woman..." " Don't shout in the street!" "A woman has no right to live!" "A woman has to die so as to be able to live?" "." "I'll shout if I want." "I'll say what I have to say!" "Say it calmly." "Speak quietly!" " And he accuses me." " Never." "I ran away..." " Don't shout!" "I will." "I was like a zombie." " A zombie!" " Don't shout." "I'll show you what I'll do." "What are you doing?" "." "You stupid idiot." "I've never seen anyone so stupid." "Bravo." "Sir, are you leaving?" "." "You can get by now." "There's enough room." "Come on, back up." "Keep going." "There's room." "You're through." "That's it." " Put it in the back." " In the back?" "." "6 000 tomans wasted." "It's fruit for the guests and it's a good price." "That's true." "I noticed that..." "Careful behind." "He's dropping his passenger." "You were at school?" "." "I give classes there every day." "I have a job." "Every day?" "." "And lliade?" "." "He goes to playschool or comes with me..." "He won't accuse you of abandoning him at playschool." "Of course not." "Today, children accuse parents of all kinds of things." "They're wrong to." "I mean parents can't kill themselves." "Go straight on." "You can go downhill later." "I wanted to get his cake." " What cake?" "." " A simple cake and I'll put "Happy birthday Mortaza" on it." "You're buying it at a baker's?" "." "I remember we accused mum of being a bad mother because she worked day and night..." "I said to wait until your son grew to understand." "You'd say "l leave my son free" ""l accept my mistakes"." "You see, you can never..." "Go that way." " Is it a dead-end?" "." "No, go on." "You go to a lot of trouble and then regret it." "Now, he tells me" ""You're not a good mother you prefer your work to me."" "I tell him, "Sweetheart..."" "A day-nursery isn't always a good thing." "At one or two, it's no good." "But at three, especially for an only child, it's ideal." "Straight on." "After the bus stop turn onto the main street." "You know what's wrong, sis?" "." "Amin convinces himself that he's unhappy:" ""My mother has remarried but my father doesn't have a wife."" "Leave him be let him go to his father's to get to know him better." "Don't fool yourself." "I don't know." "You must let him get to know his father." "I know you're all right." "But such a close bond hurts you." "I know." "You said one day that we shouldn't have any bonds at all." "I told you that a bond comes naturally." "You grow fond of what you love." "That's true." "You can't deny it." "I'm waiting for him to realize that." "When?" "." "I don't know." "Look at that guy." "What an idiot." "Leave them, they're truck drivers." "Go on, out of the way!" " What an idiot." "They're holding up traffic." "People are crazy these days." "Go on, follow him, quick." "Follow him through." "Go on." "Don't stop." "Pull over here." "The baker's is just there." "Park in the shade." "Park on a slant." "Wait here a minute." "I won't move." "What did he say?" "." "He says you can't park outside his shop." "Just a second I'll be right back." "Sir..." "Just a second." "I'll be back in a minute." "Outside the baker's a guy's selling tapes and new CDs." "What's he doing?" "." "You want money?" "." "Here..." "They have it easy." "I swear." " Your husband's 39?" "." " Yes." "Next year, he'll be 40?" "." "I thought he was a year older." "He still has time." "Bahram is a year younger than Mortaza..." "One year older..." "He's a year younger." " How old is he?" "." " He was born in 1 964." "And Mortaza in 1 963." "You're right, he's 39." "He's passing 38..." "He's turning 39..." " He needs a 38 candle." "Let him age." "Why this way?" ".!" "I've broken my nail." "Which way do I go?" "." "If it was for me I'd have picked a 25 candle." "I'm sure you would." "But who cares about their own?" " Will his sisters be there later?" "." " Yes." "They'll ask, "It's 2001." ""why has your wife got a 39 candle?" ". "" "Does lliade go to school near your house?" "." "No." "It's not good to change schools." "Go down here." "I wanted a word about Amin." "Actually, he's not doing well at the moment." "You're his mother." "I didn't want to pry." "I saw him over the holidays." "He's become mean." "Mum would speak to him nicely but he kept shouting." "Mum said, "The more I help him the less grateful he is."" "I told him :" ""She's your grandmother" ""you can't treat her like that." "What's this attitude?" "." ""You're part of the family." Not this way, there's a hole." "You found it." "He would play with lliade and say" ""Auntie, if he comes near me I'll hit him..."" "I'd tell him, "He's a child he wants to play." ""He doesn't know." "Be gentle with him." ""Talk to him to control him."" "He didn't do that?" "." "No, not at all." "Nor with Bahram." "He doesn't realize he's an adult, a man." "He used terrible language." ""What an asshole."" "I'd tell him, "Stop it." "It was funny when you were little." ""But no one laughs at you anymore." ""You've grown up." "Be reasonable."" "He has to go to his father's." "He'll set him straight." "He won't call him an "asshole"." "If he says it..." "I hope." "It will do him good." "And don't worry." "Don't look so upset." "He won't be just anywhere he'll be at his father's." "You haven't put him in an orphanage." "Go down here." "You'll end up alone with Mortaza." "Without Mortaza's son or Amin." "It's not easy." "It's not easy but you have to try." "Mind that old woman." "She's on her last legs but all the same." "She won't be around much longer." "Don't stop." "Can I give you a lift?" "." "You want to walk?" "." "Thank you." "Goodbye." "I'll be like her one day." "He's gone to his father's." "Why are you worried?" "." "He's not just anywhere." "His father should have looked after him sooner." "He didn't do it." "Now it serves him right." "And don't worry about what people say." "Tell them "He's always lived with me" ""now he's going to his father's." ""At his age, a boy needs his father to go to matches." ""To play football he needs his father." ""Even at the baths." "He's a man he can't come with me now."" "So there's no problem." "Stop there, just next door." "Pull over." "I'll run and put the cake in the fridge." "Don't go any further there are stones." " Get out and take the cake." " Stop here." "Let me take all this." "Hello." "Is this a dead-end?" "." "No." "Where do you want to go?" "." "Want me to drop you off?" "." "I'm going to Ali Akbar's mausoleum" "Get in then, on the other side." "May God bless you." "May God protect you." "May He save us from all our worries." "What's your worry?" "." "If you want to go this way..." "I'm lost I don't know this way." "Well, don't go down here it leads nowhere." " Should I turn back?" "." " No." "Where's the mausoleum?" "." "Over there." "I'll turn back and take the other road." "Why are you going there?" "." "I go in the morning at midday and at sunset." "I pray for the boys and the girls." "I pray for the old women and old men." "You only go there to pray?" "." "I pray there or elsewhere." "Are your wishes granted?" "." "God alone grants wishes my prayers don't need that." "My husband is dead my twelve-year-old son too." "That's why I pray." "I also sold my house to go on a pilgrimage to Syria." "This is Saint Roqyé's rosary." "Let me see." "Here, this is Saint Roqyé's and this is the lmam Hossein's." " It's beautiful." " Here." "It's so pretty." " Here." "I swear on the severed arms of St Abolfazl that these are the only riches I own." "Just this rosary?" "." "I've known great misfortune." "But I gave everything I owned to someone who had 1 2 daughters." "I had 20 pillows, I swear." "I've been to lspahan." "I have a daughter with 7 children." "She has a stomach tumour." "She's afraid of the operation." "She stayed three days." "She left this morning with two of her daughters." "She's just married off one of her girls." "She's three months pregnant." "I gave all my things." "1 0 pillows for each of them." "I swear, on the lmam Reza." "May God be praised." "I gave my eight mattresses." "I gave away the quilts too." "Small and large." "I also went on a pilgrimage to Meched two weeks ago." "This way leads to Ismail's mausoleum." "That way leads to Ali Akbar's mausoleum." "May God grant your wishes." "There's the mausoleum sign." "Yes." "Good." "I hope your wishes will come true." "Of all the riches in the world apart from God, I own only this." "Very good." "The fewer ties you have the better you live." "I hope so." "When I'm dead..." "They say you leave from where you came." "Do you always come on foot?" "." "Sometimes on foot sometimes people give me rides." "You see all these people?" "." "It's Friday, of course." " This is it." " Yes, this is it." "If you like, I'll watch the car while you pray." "No, thank you." "I have a lot to do." "May God bless you." "Pray for us too." "In the name of St Ali Akbar and the lmam Hossein" "I'll stay in the car." "Go and pray." "May God grant your wishes." "I'll stay here." "Go on." "No, I'm in a hurry." "I have to go." "Listen, I'm going." "I already came this morning at midday and now." "May God preserve you." "Goodbye." "May God help everyone." "May God grant you all you desire." "Goodbye." "Stop here, I'm getting out." " You made a mistake?" "." "It doesn't matter." "I'm interested in talking to you." "Stop here, I'm getting out." "This is fine." "You thought I was a man?" "." "What did you think?" "." "I'm getting out here." "Okay." "A bit further on..." "They've gone." "I'll drop you." "Here, I said." "I saw you get out of the Mercedes." "This is pissing me off." "Stop here." "No further." "No one passes by here." "Let me out here." "I'll drop you where you want." "I'm going nowhere." "Leave me here." "Really?" "." "Why do you do this?" "." "Why not?" "." "Give me a break." "You want to lecture me?" "." "An honest trade, a decent job..." "Let me out here!" "It's interesting a girl of your age..." "Not too far." "Where are you taking me?" "." "I have to walk back after." "Leave me be or I'll go back to where I was." "I'll take you back." "How old are you?" "." "No, really, how old are you?" "." "What is it?" "." "How old are you?" "." "Let me out." "There's no need to take me back." "I'm getting out here." "Pretend I'm a man..." "Imagine." "You're crazy." "How can I imagine that?" ".!" "Just imagine that I'm a man." "I'm not working in that field yet." "I'm still working the first..." "You've only had experience with men." "Talk to a woman for once." "I'd like to know..." "But I can't do anything for you." "Maybe you're not wrong?" "." "No, really." "What's the reason why you do this?" "." "The reason?" "." "Sex, love, sex..." "That's all life is?" "." "It's a trade, it's my job." "And I like it." "What is this, "interesting"?" "." "Who do you think you are sitting at your wheel lecturing me, guiding me?" "." "I'm not going to start sobbing" ""It's life or it's destiny."" "What is this place?" "." "Go somewhere with people around where cars pass by." "This is the back of beyond." "The place is dead." "Really, it's interesting..." "Here we go again." "I braked, you thought I was a man and you got in." " Surprise!" "I'm a woman." "You thought I was a guy?" ".!" "I saw you get out of the Mercedes." " You're worse than me." "I'm telling you the truth." "I didn't think you'd get in." "They were there for me." "I got in I shook them off for you." "Serves them right." "We shook them off." "Anyhow, I don't want to guide you or lecture to you." "I've never had your experience what you feel, your sensations..." "Why?" "." "What are you trying to prove?" "." "I didn't mean that..." "The sensations?" "." "What sensations?" "." "Which one do you want to know?" "." "Is everything sexual interesting for you?" "." "Not at all." "What's sexual?" "." "You're the ones who focus on the sex." "We don't see the sex in it." "I'll take off my shoes." "My feet hurt..." "Were you out on the streets too long?" "." "It's my job, I like it." "Don't go thinking..." "It's really interesting." "Don't you ever think about sin or guilt?" "." "That was a stupid thing to say wasn't it?" "." "Guilt?" "." "Really, why do you do it?" "." "When I see you on the streets..." "Why don't you ask yourself the same question?" "." "Why don't you do it?" "." "Why don't you do it?" "." "Are you married?" "." " Yes, I'm married." " You're married..." "Does he love you?" "." "It's okay, we get by." "He says, "l love you " doesn't he?" "." "I suppose so." "You know, I don't tell anyone." "But I see them." "When they're in bed with me..." "The wives call:" ""Sweetheart."" "They call their husbands?" "." "Yes." "It's easy with a cell phone." ""Sweetheart, sweetheart..." ""l was just leaving the office." ""Take care." "I love you too."" "He says, "l love you." Then he hangs up." "Most of them manage to say "l love you."" "You mean they lie?" "." "In bed, when they're with me..." "That's normal for a lot of our men." "What?" "." "And the poor wife is like you." "You think your husband is faithful and loves only you?" "." "If they're like that why do you do it?" "." "I like it." "You see." "You're a woman, I am too." "You mustn't..." "No, no, don't say it like that." "You're an idiot and I'm smart." "Why do you think that?" "." "It's interesting..." "You think that we're all idiots." "I always wondered "Why do those women do that?" ". "" "I remember that someone told me :" ""You could end up like them you mustn't..."" "You mustn't make fun it can happen to you too." "You can make fun of me I don't care..." "Not at all." "I know what I'm doing." "I know the life I lead." "You can lecture me I don't care." " No, not at all." "I like my job." "Don't you ever grow fond of the men you sleep with?" "." "Do you fall in love?" "." "Don't you like to have feelings before making love?" "." "What are you talking about?" "." "Don't you need that?" "." "I used to need them." "But I needed them so much that..." "That's your problem." "You're all clinging to your men." "You cling to your husband." "You know that?" "." "You cling to your husband." "To satisfy yourself." "Why?" "." "To satisfy your needs." "You just need to know he's been with another woman." "I don't know how much he loves you." " You mean..." "Let me speak." "Listen to me." "You just have to know he has another woman." "Was that the reason why you started what you're doing?" "." "Was it?" "." "No." "You know, I'm not sighing because I'm unhappy." "I'm sighing because I was unhappy." "My foot hurts." "It's not that." "I was unhappy." "He'd tell me, "Until the day I die you'll be the only one."" "I'd wake up thinking of him..." " A husband or a boyfriend?" "." "We were engaged." "I'd wake up thinking of him." "I loved him so much." "I was such a fool." "I'd tell him "I'm yours alone."" "And he'd say, "You're mine and I'm yours."" "You understand?" "." " You understand?" "." "Now you belong to no one?" "." "I don't know." "I don't care." "You think life is easier now?" "." "Now?" "." "My life's easy..." "I don't need anyone or anything." "You're all unhappy." "If ever your guy says the wrong thing or doesn't sleep with you..." "I know." "No nookie tonight." "That doesn't bother us." "And the money?" "." "No screwing, no money." "But it makes you others desperate..." "You mean you do this for the money?" "." "You don't feel the need for more sentiment?" "." "No." "Sometimes I get off." "You get off?" "." "Sometimes..." "You don't think and you grow fond of no one?" "." "Do I look like an idiot?" "." "Like you?" "." "It's a contract with yourself." "You have sex, take the money and so on?" "." "Yes." "You see, it's like..." "It's give and take." "You think it's not the same for you?" "." " It's not the same?" "." " What?" "." " Give and take?" "." " Who with?" "." "With your husband." "There's no give and take?" "." "Who bought you that necklace?" "." "It's fake I'm not too keen on jewellery." "Who bought it for you?" "." "My husband." "You see." "And that night, he gave you..." "You're saying that life is all trade?" "." "Is that it?" "." "I don't care but you have the give and take too." "You're the wholesalers." "We're the retailers." "I was wrong to say you're the wholesalers?" "." "Do you have children?" "." "No." "Perhaps if you got pregnant..." "No, I've been pregnant." "I get pregnant." "We get pregnant..." " You abort?" "." " Yes." "This is good." "It's nice and busy." "Goodbye." "Hello." " You come to the mausoleum too?" "." " Yes." "They let you in without a chador?" "." "The chador's in my bag." "I came yesterday and got in without any trouble." "But today they wouldn't let me in without a chador." "Maybe because it's Friday." "In some mausoleums they loan chadors to women who don't have one." "Or, as they say if they're not correctly veiled." "I don't know why it happened like that today." "Do you come here every day?" "." "Not every day once or twice a week." "I'm used to coming here." "It hasn't become a habit for me yet." "But I came yesterday and I wanted to come today as well." "It's interesting..." "I never imagined that I'd come to a mausoleum one day" "to pray." "I never imagined that either." "Why?" "." " You're not a believer?" "." " Actually, I wasn't." " You believe now?" "." " To a certain extent..." "Actually when I come to the mausoleum it soothes me." "Anyhow..." "I haven't found peace of mind yet." "One day maybe." "Who knows..." "One day, a woman said to me" ""lf you pray here your wishes will be granted."" "I don't know." "Maybe her wishes were granted." "That's what she claimed." "I haven't had anything yet." "Not yet?" "." "I've been coming here for ages and I still haven't had anything." "I don't know." "Perhaps it's a big wish..." "Too big?" "." "It's not a very big wish." "I was supposed to get married." "But I don't know if it's feasible." "I come here to pray to make it come true." "You mean, he's hesitating..." "Or do you have family problems?" "." "No." "I think he's full of contradictions." "Excuse me." "How can I get by if you just stand there?" "." "And you think it's funny?" "." "What an idiot!" "You don't care how you park." "Go that way." "This is a one-way street." " I don't believe it." "Go, sister, go!" "Sorry, I interrupted you." "I didn't understand." "He doesn't want to or..." "No, it's not that he doesn't want to." "I think he's full of contradictions." "He's not sure he wants to marry?" "." "How about you?" "." "Do you want to marry?" "." "They say it's fate, of course." "When I hear that" "I don't really feel like coming to the mausoleum." "When they say it's all in the hands of fate?" "." "I also tell my son that fate is behind things:" ""Come what may."" "He says he doesn't understand fate." "He just can't accept it." " What's his problem?" "." "He has no particular problem." "Or maybe he has." "I'm not sure." "I divorced his father." "And I remarried." "One day, he no longer wanted to live with me." "And he left." "He tells me that I'm a bad mother because I split up with his father" "and married someone else." "That kind of thing." "Mainly, he couldn't stand the atmosphere at home anymore." "I don't know." "I feel guilty at times." "I don't know." "The first time that I came to the mausoleum that feeling all but faded away." "For now, all I do is pray." "Before, praying seemed ridiculous." "I used to say, "You pray to force God to give you things."" "That's interesting." "Sorry!" " Don't mention it." "When do I bring him back?" "." "Amin." "When do I bring him back?" "." " You have to." "Can he stay the night?" "." "No, bring him back." "All right." "Hello." "Are you well?" "." "Take me to grandma's." "All right." "If you want you can keep him tonight." "But ask him where his school is to drop him off tomorrow." "Thanks." "All right." "Are you pleased to be staying with me tonight?" "." "No." "I don't get a kiss?" "." " I don't want to." " You don't want to?" "." "When you come to pick me up from grandma's don't forget to bring the tape of Hercules." "Where is it?" "." "At home." "Ask Nima, he knows." "Don't forget." "I'll call you." " Want an ice cream?" "." " No." "Is your throat sore?" "." "Even with a sore throat I'd have had one..." "I wouldn't have." "I have a bad cold." "I have to take my medicine at five o'clock." "Do you have it with you?" "." "Why do you have a cold?" "." "Were you at the pool?" "." "Do you have a fever too?" "." " No." " Your head's cool." "But you're burning up." "I'm taking computing classes." "Weren't you already?" "." "Not like these." "Have you learned more?" "." "I'm doing programming now." "I could have gone that way." "You have to go there!" "There's another way." "Mum!" "It's that way." "I'm not stupid." "This is a short cut." "This leads there too." "I'm not going home." "Don't count on it." "How will we do it?" "." "Tell me, how." "You know a short cut, do you?" "." "I'll take a short cut." "We're going to grandma's." "Is that what you want?" "." "I remember coming this way in a cab." "You see, I'm not lying." "A pity there's no gear that lets us fly." "A gear that lets us fly?" "." "How much would a car with a gear like that cost?" "." "I don't know." "I don't even know if it's possible." "It is, they have them abroad." "We saw it on satellite TV." "Your father has a dish?" "." "You watch cartoons?" "." "There's a non-stop carton channel." "And other stuff he won't let me watch." "What?" "." "He locks the channels and watches them at night." "He unlocks them to watch them on his own?" "." "Why not with you?" "." "It's not right." "What's not right?" "." "Not right at all." "There are some very, very sexy scenes." "Sex!" "Sex!" "He watches alone at night?" "." " Yes." "I'm stopping here to buy a cake." "Who for?" "." "For us." "Wait here, I won't be long." "Hello." "How are you?" "." "Okay?" "." "I'm getting by." "What's the matter now?" "." "Give it a rest so we can eat in peace." "That's enough." "Forget it." "You're weak, very weak you understand?" "." "You cling to someone who leaves you like this." "I didn't know I was so fond of him." "It's useless." "I don't understand." "Forget him." "We women are unhappy." "We don't love ourselves." "We don't know how to live for ourselves." "What does that mean?" "." "That's enough." "You can't sum it all up in just one person." "You're pretty far gone." "Life is so vast why depend on just one person?" "." "Why not?" "." "Why not be different?" "." "It's not love." "It's an illusion." "If it's an illusion what is love, then?" "." "First, you must love yourself." "You despise yourself so much you hurt yourself." "Has he gone?" "." "Too bad." "There's more than one man in the world." "And you're still crying?" "." "Go on." "Leave him too." "I can't!" "You're wrong to cling to him." "It's an illusion." "That's all!" "You were hurting each other like psychopaths:" ""Why are you late?" "." "Who's on the phone?" "." "Where were you?" "." ""Why this, why that?" ". "" "I can't believe it." "I went to a health club." "Some bitch, the manageress told me" ""Women need a big ass or big tits." ""That's what men like."" "We should please them." "That's a weakness!" "All the same I was fond of him." "You were wrong." "We're unhappy dependent, clinging." "When we were little, we clung to our mother and father." "Then to another boy then to our child." "When our child is taken we cling to our work." "Like idiots." "When he's there, it's love." "When you lose him you say it was an illusion and that it wasn't love." "He's no longer there." "Honey..." "You can cry all you want." "He's not there anymore." "It's all over now." "What can I do about it?" "." "Cry, weep?" "." "I don't understand." "What's the difference now?" "." "You mustn't destroy yourself." "I'm not telling you to be carefree." "I've lost him, he's gone." "I'm a wreck." "What can I do?" "." "Why focus everything on just one person?" "." "Should your life and your ruin depend on just one person?" "." "What's preventing you from being yourself?" "." "What's preventing you from being yourself?" "." "I can't believe it." "It makes me sick." "So do you." "Go on cry!" "Too bad for you." "He's having a great time." "Bastard!" "Don't say he's having a good time!" "Don't say that!" "She's mad." "It's crazy!" "I don't understand a thing." "What does it mean?" "." "You never had a good time?" "." " You haven't known pleasure?" "." "Pleasure isn't everything." "Even if I've known pleasure why allow someone else to take it from me?" "." "After seven years." "Why not after seven years?" "." "Tell me, what's the problem?" "." "What's the problem?" "." "I've lost him!" "Honestly, honey." "You can't live without losing." "We come into the world for that." "To win and to lose." "Win!" "Lose!" "Why don't you want to lose?" "." "See what it's like." "Experience, more experience." "You need it, that's all." "Nothing but experience!" "Move it!" "I think we've passed the restaurant." "See, you're making me nervous." "I can't drive anymore." "Dry your tears and let's have dinner." "I'll park here." "We can walk a little." "What can we do?" "." "It doesn't matter." "Parking's banned here." "We'll get a fine." "A fine at the worst." "Look if I'm in the way." "Back up a little." " Am I still on it?" "." "No, it's okay." "Right." "Let's go!" "Are you okay?" "." " Are you okay?" "." " Yes." "What did she say?" "." "Nothing." "She said, "Amin's well." ""We're very happy with him." "He seems happier like this." ""He's a man." "He has to grow up with a man" ""He has to grow up with his father." "You must let him."" "I said "I'll accept your opinion." ""Do as you like." ""Do what Amin and his father decide is best." ""lf Amin is happier then I agree."" "She said" ""Allow Amin to live with his father" ""because he's calmer and more easy-going there."" "I said, "Agreed."" " That's all?" "." "In 1 5 minutes?" "." " She said that." "She also said" ""Amin has spent 7 years with you you've done enough." ""Now he's a man." ""He has to grow up alongside a man."" "I told her, "You're right." ""You're right, all of you Amin's father too." ""Do as you see fit." ""I'll accept Amin's decision and yours."" "That kind of thing." "Can we use the fifth gear?" "." "No, don't do that." "Can I slip into second?" "." "No, we can't." "You drive in first gear?" "." " Third." "Which is the fastest?" "." "Which is the fastest?" "." "Fifth." "Which is the slowest?" "." "First." "You use it to start." "How are you?" "." "I've missed you." " And second?" "." "First gear is when you start the car." "Second is faster." "Third even faster." "In fourth, you go very fast and in fifth, very, very fast." " A kiss for mum?" "." "What gear is this?" "." "Another kiss for mum?" "." "Which gear is this?" "." " That's neutral." "She said you're enrolled at school is that right?" "." "Do you feel hot, like me?" "." "Yes." "Are you a bit chesty?" "." "Are we going to grandma's?" "." "Yes, we are." "Aren't you coming to our place?" "." "It's up to you." "Your aunt also told me that you want your father to get married?" "." "That you'd like him to marry again." "That it could be better." "Is that true?" "." "You think your father needs it?" "." "Tell him to take a wife for you too." "Tell him to find a mother and a daughter." "The mother for him and the daughter for you." "He'll take the uglier one and you the prettier one." "His will look after you and yours will look after him." "As long as he doesn't lay hands on your wife." "It's so hot!" "In any case, his wife won't be prettier than me." "Marjan was prettier than you." "Impossible." "In any case, she won't be better." "Rubbish!" "If she isn't prettier she's bound to be better." "Better than me?" "What'll make her better?" "." " Tell me." " You know better than I do." "No, say it." " You know better than I do." "Give me two reasons." "You know better than I do." "There are a thousand reasons." "Will she say her prayers?" "." "No, why do you ask?" "." "I thought that maybe..." "No make-up allowed." "No mini skirts allowed." "She'll wear baggy dresses she'll stay in all day..." "She'll do the dishes cook good meals..." "The house will be perfect." "In any case she'll be better than you." "A good wife for your father!" "Better than you." "I get the message." "She'll always smell of cooking." "She'll say to her husband "All right, dear." ""l agree and I'll obey you."" "True or not?" "." "I'll add one thing:" "At least, we won't have the same food every night!" "Even if she has all those faults we won't eat the same thing tonight and tomorrow night." "She won't be out all the time." "I see." "You've talked so much and then one word convinced you." "All right, I surrender." "It's good that life can be summed up in the stomach." "What?" "." "Nothing." "It's good that everything comes down to food." "It's not that." "It has nothing to do with it." "That's not the problem." "If last night's meal was excellent you can eat the same thing again." "That's not the problem." "The problem is taking on responsibility at home." "Not being afraid of washing two plates in the evening." "Managing without a maid." "Spending a day or an evening without a maid." "If you have money you can hire home help." "I have to take photos paint or travel." "I have more important things to do than wash dishes or vacuum the carpets." "A maid can do the housework." "She can't take photos." "But the other will never have as much work as you." "You're not the only example." "Okay." "You think everyone's like you." "You're right." "The new wife won't have as much work as me." "You'll be able to spend more time with her." " You don't understand." "I say you're right." "You think everyone's like you." "It's not our problem." "You don't know what a mother is." "All right." "No, it's this way." "I don't want to..." "I already told you..." "I don't want to go this way." "It's a short cut, dear." "I want to go to grandma's." "I'll cook for you at grandma's." "Why are you shouting?" "." "I'll stay at grandma's with you." "I don't want you to." "Go away." "You were supposed to come at 1 1 :30 but you were working." "You didn't go for petrol." "It takes a minute to fill a tank." "When you panicked I knew I was right." "You're not letting me explain." "You didn't go for petrol." "You didn't want to leave work to pick up your child." "It's not that." "You're wrong." "I called." "The maid told me you weren't there." "You weren't at home." "I called a thousand times." "I'll explain." "I'll tell you where I was." "I've figured that out." " Where was I?" "." " I don't know." "So what do you mean?" "." "I just meant I understood..." "Look, don't judge others." "I understand!" "You didn't go to fill your tank!" "Stop shouting." "I get it!" " Don't shout." "I like shouting!" "I'll explain." "You didn't go for petrol." "Just say you had work or something else to do." "Don't shout, Amin." "I needed water for the battery." "Yes, yes, sure!" "You're right." "Get out of here!" "I had to change the water in the battery." "It wasn't that." "Yes." "I had something else to do." "What do you say?" "." "There, you were busy." " So?" "." "You didn't want to..." "You're lying." "One last thing and we'll stop." "Get lost!" "You're lying!" "I'm a selfish liar and the conversation's over." "If I remember rightly, last time you said he was full of contradictions." "Yes, but I was wrong." "They aren't contradictions." "He won't marry me." "Why?" "." "He says it wouldn't work." "I don't know what wouldn't work." "But..." "When I asked him, "Are you sure you don't want to marry me?" ". "" "he said, "Yes"." "I told him "You'll regret it one day."" "I don't know." "The thing that upsets me..." "No, it's not that." "What hurts me... is that he's thinking of someone else." "I feel really bad." "I'm getting jealous." "After all this time he's after someone else?" "." "In fact, it hasn't been that long." "He thinks that easily of someone else?" "." "I don't know if it's easy for him..." "But he's thinking of someone else." "That's hard, isn't it?" "." "Yes, it's hard." "No, not that hard..." "The hardest part for me is admitting that it's hard." "I'm ashamed of saying that it's hard." "Because I thought everything I liked would happen." "I never imagined it would be impossible." "I understand." "Sometimes, I tell myself that it's very selfish to think that everything I like has to come true." "How do you feel?" "." "Not bad." "I think I'll soon be over it." "Are you modest?" "." "Why is your veil so tight?" "." "It doesn't suit you." "Have you cut your hair?" "." "You have?" "." "Am I hideous?" "." "lt suits you." "Thank you." "Why?" "." "Why did you do it?" "." "Why did you do it?" "." "In any case, it suits you." "Let me see." "Why are you crying?" "." "I know it's hard to lose." "Very hard." "You lose at times, unfortunately." "I don't know." "Don't cry." "I'm laughing and crying." "What did you feel when you did that?" "." "I felt great." "I stopped crying." "This is the first time I've cried since then." "It really suits you." "You're very pretty." "Really." "My scarf has slipped..." "It doesn't matter now." "Let your head breathe." "Do you feel better now?" "." "Yes, much better." "He's gone." "Have you changed?" "." "But I'd like him to be here." "I understand." "When shall I bring him back?" "." " What time?" "." " What?" "." "When do I bring him back?" "." " You have to." "Can't he stay tonight?" "." "What time will you be here?" "." "1 0:30, is that okay?" "." "I'll bring him at 1 0:30." "All right." "Hello." "Take me to grandma's." "All right."