A Professor In Disguise: Volume 2

By Fey Rabindron

In the first volume of this memoir, I narrated my childhood and my studies in England, ending with our return home in June 1978. I was with my wife and our 18-month-old daughter. In that volume, I did not use real names for the characters, but "he" and "she". Now I realize that they have been with me for a long time. Therefore, I use their actua

• Language: English
• Publisher: Westwood Books Publishing
• Release date: Oct 10, 2023
• ISBN: 9798888877203

Fey Rabindron

He grew up in a small city with 40,000 people, where he faced a lot of traditional and prejudice views. He was born in 1945 and excelled in mathematics throughout his high school years. He pursued higher education in the UK, earning his BSc in Electrical Engineering (1969) and his MSc in Engineering Mathematics (1970) from the University of Newcastle. He then became a physics instructor at a Big City University in his home country. He went back to England for his PhD studies from 1974 to 1978. When he came home in June 1978, he witnessed the massive protests against the regime that led to the Islamic Revolution in 1979. He used his expertise to lead the Physics department, before moving back to his hometown in 1984. He taught at his local university and advanced his scientific career, becoming a full professor of mathematics.Nothing is more gratifying for him than becoming a renowned professor in his hometown. He decided to write down his memories some twenty years ago.

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Copyright © 2023 by Fey Rabindron.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.

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Contents

Preface

Chapter 0 A Brief Review of Volume One

Chapter 1 Returning Home

Chapter 2 Life in My Hometown

Chapter 3 Moving to my new built house 

Chapter 4 My first study leave 1991

Chapter 5 Back Home Again

Chapter 6 Living in the Capital 

Chapter 7 My second study leave 1997-8

Chapter 8 Back in My Country

Chapter 9 A new era after death of my father

Chapter 10 Mike’s Wedding

Chapter 11 Feeling young

Chapter 12 Some Unprecedented Events

Chapter 13 Odd Confessions

Chapter 14 Events after Events

Chapter 15 My Old Age Temptations 

Chapter 16 Peak of Pandemic Era

PREFACE

Physics has always been my passion since high school, thanks to a brilliant and elegant teacher who made it fun with simple and humorous examples. He was my role model and I wanted to be a physics teacher like him. I studied applied mathematics, but life made me the Head of Physics Department at various universities in my country for a decade. Later, I switched to the Mathematics Department, my true passion; and I became a professor of mathematics. Nothing satisfied me more than being a renowned mathematician in my hometown.

In the first volume of this memoir, I narrated my childhood and my studies in England, ending with our return home in June 1978. I was with my wife and our 18-month-old daughter. In that volume, I did not use real names for the characters, but he and she. Now I realize that they have been with me for a long time. Therefore, I use their actual names, but modified to protect their privacy. I have also changed the names to English names.

I have changed the names of the locations where I lived, but kept the names of the public figures anonymous. I have also converted the costs of my expenses to US Dollars for the convenience of the readers. Here is a summary of the main events that happened after I returned home.

CHAPTER 0

A Brief Review of Volume One

In this volume, I continue the story of my education in the fifties. I grew up in a remote city where tradition and religion shaped the society. I excelled in elementary school, and in high school, I became the best student in mathematics. Women wore hijabs in those days, so we had little interaction with the opposite sex except for close relatives. The young men in my hometown tended to be homosexual. I was shy and timid, and I began to self-harm at the age of fourteen. It became a habit for me throughout my life. When I graduated from high school, I had the highest overall grades in my hometown. My uncles encouraged me to study abroad. I left for England in October 1963, following the advice of one of my uncles who was studying there. My education in England consisted of one year in a language school, two years in a college preparing for A-levels, three years earning a B.Sc. degree in Engineering and one year pursuing a MSc. in Engineering Mathematics. In November 1968, I met an English girl in the lodging house where I stayed. She was lonely like me and we became very close friends. I wanted to marry her, but my father disapproved. In summer 1969, when I visited home for holidays, I impulsively married a relative who had just graduated from high school. In January 1970, during New Year holidays, I came back home and took my new wife to England with me. I had trouble in consummating our marriage, which I have explained in detail in volume one. After completing my master’s degree in October 1970, I went back to my hometown. I got a job as a math teacher at The Big City University. My wife, Sara, wanted to rent a large house; she always had some complaints. Even though she seemed flawless, our marriage was unhappy. We divorced in August 1971. I switched to the Physics Department after that. I lived alone in a rented apartment in the Big City from 1971 to 1974. I hired a woman to clean my place. There were many prostitutes around. I used their services to satisfy my sexual needs. I earned well and enjoyed my life. This is a summary of my personal and academic journey in the late 1970s. I was a PhD student in England, funded by a grant that I received in August 1974. My goal for the first year was not only to advance in my research, but also to find a life partner. However, I did not meet anyone who matched my expectations. When I went back to my home country for the summer break in 1975, I expressed my desire to get married to my mother. She agreed to help me find a suitable bride. A few months later, she sent me a letter with a picture of a young and beautiful girl named Helen. I was immediately attracted to her and asked my mother to arrange the marriage. The girl’s family accepted the proposal and we fixed the date for March. I flew home and married Helen, who was only 17 years old, on March 19, 1976. We returned to England together and had a happy life. She soon became pregnant and gave birth to a lovely daughter, whom we named Honey. I had made significant progress in my research work and my supervisor was supportive of my efforts. He suggested that I should extend my stay for another six months after my defense in June 1978, so that I could publish some papers based on my research work. However, the political situation in my country was unstable and there were protests happening. We felt that it was safer to go back home. We left on June 18, 1978.

CHAPTER 1

Returning Home

1-1. Life in the Big City. June 18, 1978. We flew with minimal baggage and shipped the rest by air. Our neighbor drove us to the airport in Manchester. I had to pay £300 for extra weight.

He asked me why I had paid so much. You could have saved a lot of money if you had slipped a ten-pound note inside your ticket or passport, he said. She would have given you a big discount.

I was shocked by his suggestion. Why didn’t he tell me this before? He seemed to think we were very wealthy. He often joked with my wife and once said, Your phone bills are higher than the total of all the houses in this street. We used to get phone bills of about ninety pounds every two months. Maybe he was right. But long distance calls were expensive. We returned from our trip to London, where we had to switch terminals at the airport, and boarded our domestic flight. We had gone to meet my parents, who had just come back from their pilgrimage to a holy city, and stayed with my sister Alice for a couple of days. We also visited my grandfather, who was very sick and bedridden. He looked at me with a weak smile.

- How do you feel? I asked him.

- You can tell how I feel. He whispered.

- Grandpa, we are leaving for The Big City tomorrow, so this might be the last time I see you. I want to say goodbye and thank you for everything. I meant it from the bottom of my heart, but it sounded like I was giving up on him.

We travelled to The Big City by bus on Wednesday morning (21st of June). I headed to The Big City University as soon as we arrived. The spring term was over and they were getting ready for the summer term. I met the Head of Department and introduced myself.

- I’m ready to start working, I said. But I need to go to my hometown to visit my family and I’ll be back on Saturday.

- That’s fine, but you have to begin your job as soon as possible, he replied.

We left for my hometown after that. We went directly to my in-laws’ house because my parents were still in the Capital. To our shock, we learned that my grandfather had just passed away! My father had called and asked my mother-in-law (who I’ll call Gina from now on) to send me a special shroud to the Capital right away and join his funeral. Gina just shrugged her shoulders!

- You have just arrived at my house, how dare you take the winding cloth to The Capital? She said angrily. I will phone your servant and ask him to take the shroud to The Capital immediately, she added.

This was my first contact with her. I really wanted to go to The Capital and take part in my grandfather’s funeral. However, I didn’t dare to deny her.

On Saturday morning, I left my hometown and went to The Big City. When I arrived there, I noticed the students showed some kind of unrest. The Deputy Chair told me, You are late, I have to report it. In fact, I had come to the University at the right time but I had not declared my presence on my arrival on Wednesday! The atmosphere was somehow tense. Then I went to see Nick, who was a colleague, and asked him to help me find somewhere to rent. He took me to the Chancellor’s office and told him:

- This colleague wants to live in the staff apartments.

- We should support our staff members.

They soon found a suitable flat for me in one of the buildings reserved for lecturers. I remained in The Big City until the weekend, and then I went back to my hometown to fetch my wife, whom I will call Helen from now on. My mother had come back from The Capital. She joined us on our trip to The Big City. We took some household items with us. We quickly set up the flat and were quite pleased with it. It was on the fourth floor of the building. There were no elevators and we had to walk up the stairs (about 72 steps). I had borrowed my brother’s car. When we went back to my hometown on the weekend, I heard complaints from Helen!

Where is our house and why don’t you buy a car? She demanded. Her parents had influenced her to pressure me. They wanted me to buy a new house. Now there was political turmoil in our country. Many workers and shops were on strike. The students had gone on strike and all universities cancelled the summer term. I asked the Head of Department for summer vacation. He refused it and said:

- As you have just returned and as there is unrest everywhere, you should stay in The Big City.

- It is all right for me.

- I want you to act as my deputy because my deputy and I want to have our summer vacation, he informed me! He did not ask my opinion. He declared me as the deputy chair of the Physics department in his absence and gave me some advice regarding what to do in his absence.

- You must learn how to manage a department; you will be the next Head of the Department! He said. I thought he was pretending and wanted to fool me somehow. Perhaps he was! No one wanted to accept his offer in that bad situation.

My stay in the university staff camp only lasted for two months. On the first days we settled in this new apartment, local radio announced martial law in The Big City. This always-reminded Helen of bad news, which she expected to hear bad news from The Big City. Each weekend we went to my hometown to see our families, there was some contact between Helen and her mother.

- The car I want to buy is a Datsun. I told my father, one day.

- I would pay only two thirds of its price because I have bought cheaper cars for my other sons.

I regret to inform you that I cannot fulfill my promise of purchasing a Mercedes for you in the UK. The current situation of widespread strikes has adversely affected my business and reduced my profits.

I had to furnish my apartment with minimal expenses, as it was the tradition for the bride’s family to provide the household items. I didn’t mind that, since I had other plans for my money. I bought a brand new Datsun car, the latest model of 1978, with a third of my savings from the past four years. It was a gorgeous car, but I had to wait for two months to register it because of the political turmoil and strikes. My father offered to build me a new house on the land I owned in The Big City, if I agreed to stay in the university camp for at least six months. I showed Gina the land once, but she was not impressed. She complained to Helen that it was too far from the university, too isolated and too barren. They didn’t appreciate my father’s generosity or the difficulties of the situation. They just wanted me to live in a big and fancy house right away. On a visit to The Big City, I met with a colleague who had helped me purchase some land five years ago. I asked him if he could help me find a suitable house for my family. My mother had recently earned some money from her investments in a Cement Factory. My in-laws were pressuring me to buy a house for their daughter, who was now living with them in my hometown with our child. They complained that climbing four stories in our current apartment was too hard for her and they refused to let her come to The Big City until we had a house of our own. My colleague suggested a house that was close to the university, where many other lecturers lived. However, the house had a loan on it that I would have to pay off. In fact, before I started my PhD study, the Staff Corporation was established and plans for houses to build were approved with the financial support of banks and the university grant. I had missed the chance to buy a share that time, but now I decided to buy one of these houses. As the political turmoil was rising, the prices were decreasing. If I had waited for another six months, I could have bought the same house much cheaper. Anyway, I agreed to buy the house my colleague showed me and on my return from my hometown, I brought Helen to see it. Instead of showing gratitude for buying this house, she blamed me for not showing her the house before making the contract:

- I would prefer the houses in the opposite row, because they have a different architecture! She said.

We settled in the camp, where there were four rows of houses, each with 30 units. The houses in the first and the last row looked alike, but the ones in the second and the third row had a different design from the first row. It took us less than a week to pack our belongings from the apartment and move into our new home. My parents were supportive and helped us with the furniture as much as they could. We were waiting for your family to finish furnishing the house with kitchenware, guest furniture, carpets, and beds for my children.

You should have furnished the house yourself! Helen exclaimed on one occasion without any explanation. My parents expected you to give us half of your land as part of my dowry. Helen received no sign of displeasure from my father when he learned the news, even though he was very upset inside. He had a fondness for Helen and always reminded me to treat her well as much as possible. A few months later, a van full of furniture came from our hometown. My in-laws helped us fill our house with inexpensive furniture. We had barely settled down when the strikes started to spread. September was supposed to be the month of welcoming new students who would register for our courses. However, on Friday 8th of September, a massive protest against the regime took place in The Capital and was brutally crushed by the army forces. This day became known as Black Friday. I shared my room with a colleague who belonged to the Bhai faith, which was rejected by extremist Shiites. I was uncomfortable with his presence in my room, even though I had no problem with other non-Muslims such as Jews. In fact, our promotion request was postponed because the Chair was biased against him. My roommate was always friendly and kind to everyone, both staff and colleagues.

I remember the day I got my driving license in my country. My roommate, who was a university lecturer, accompanied me to the police station and persuaded the officer to issue me the certificate without a driving test. He said I had a valid British Driving License, which they accepted. I was surprised because when I was in the army, they rejected my British Driving License and asked me to take the driving test. Anyway, after the Black Friday events, my roommate and I had a conversation about the political situation. I expressed my support for the Regime and its survival. I also subscribed to Time Magazine and received an issue with the picture of the opposition leader on its cover. I cut out his photo and put it on the wall behind my desk in my office. I admired him and his cause. My roommate seemed displeased by this, but the Head of Department praised me for it. A week later, we enrolled the new students, but they showed no interest in attending classes. They were more concerned about the protests and demonstrations. In mid-October, the Ministry of Science ordered all universities to close down to prevent further unrest. The staff were told to stay at home until further notice. We packed our bags and left for my hometown.

That day is still vivid in my mind. It must have been a Sunday. I arrived home around ten o’clock in the morning and announced to Helen that we could visit my hometown and spend some time there. She was delighted by the news; we celebrated our decision with passionate love. Nine months later, our son was born! In my hometown, there were some protests but they were less frequent and intense than in the big cities. My father had just recovered from a heart attack, he was very anxious about his business. In a couple of weeks’ time, we returned to The Big City and I took part in meetings held by the lecturers. These meetings were held to inform us about the cruelty of the regime. We used to listen to BBC radio every night to hear the latest news on the nation’s unrest and uproars. In November, we went to my hometown and from there we went to my grandfather’s town of residence to visit my father’s family; his father and sisters. We stayed there for about a week. One day, Helen became ill and my eldest aunt looked after her and gave her special treatment. One night, as we tuned in to BBC radio, we heard the news that the leader of the uprising had called for more strikes. I was curious about what my grandfather thought of him. His answer shocked me. He is not fit to run the country, he will only destroy it! He spoke from his own experience in the previous century, when he witnessed how religious leaders failed to govern.

- Before this regime, there were thieves all over the country and on one occasion, some burglars had attacked a village near this town and had killed two persons who wanted to defend their property. The next day our religious leader had given an order that all young people must gather and follow him towards that village to catch the burglars and get back what they had stolen, but it was without any planning. He said. So, early in the morning about one hundred people from different sections of the community gathered in the city square and from there set off towards the outskirts of the town, after about three hours of walking, we were all tired and had got thirsty. We had not taken any food or even water with us, never mind any kind of weapons. He added in sorrow as if he was feeling the situation straight away! Then we saw a few men on horses with rifles. The leader ordered us to forget about them and we returned to the town all exhausted! However, the next king did many reforms to the country.

My attraction to our religious leader was partly due to the anti-king propaganda that had influenced me as well. I believed, like many others, that he would bring justice to the country and fulfill the religion’s promises of goodwill. The visit to my granddad’s hometown was a pleasant experience that we all cherished.

We visited The Big City again after coming back to my hometown. I had submitted my PhD documents to the Head for a promotion, but he kept delaying it with excuses. He finally approved the promotion for me and three other colleagues in January 1979. On January 15, our king departed the country. I captured his interview with the journalists at the airport. The streets were filled with big demonstrations as soon as he left, but this time people were rejoicing. Helen announced that she was expecting a baby. The university remained closed to the students, but we had weekly meetings with a lot of excitement and tension. In January, we went to my hometown. My father-in-law held ten days of mourning ceremony in his house. On one occasion, I remember in a Mourning ceremony, they sang political verses. On another occasion, we were at Helen’s aunt’s house. It was about ten o’clock in the morning. A large crowd had gathered in the main square of my hometown to bring down the king’s monument. I could hear a large crowd in the street shouting slogans against the regime. Helen ordered me to stay in the room and look after our daughter. She went outside in the house yard, where there were plenty of trees. Suddenly, a large crowd opened the gates by force, and ran into the garden. I was watching them through the windows of the room. There was tear gas and shootings, so people in the street were looking for a shelter and had tried to hide anywhere they could find. I was shaking from fear, but soon everything was quiet. The crowd dispersed and a deep silence governed the house and the streets as if there were nobody anywhere and as if nothing had happened. I wondered how so many demonstrators vanished all of a sudden. This showed that the king’s regime was really breaking down. On 1 February, the religious leader arrived in the capital from Paris. We were in the Big City for a conference. It was a Friday morning and we had a busy schedule ahead. The night before that, we were invited to a colleague’s house for dinner. We were all talking about the outcome of the revolution, and how it would affect our lives. On Wednesday, sixth of February, we decided to go to my hometown for a short visit. On our way, we stopped by the chancellor’s office to finalize some paperwork. My promotion as assistant lecturer had finally been approved and it was good news, but seeing a big crowd who had gathered in the street brought fears and tension to us. We wondered what was going on and what would happen next. Friday 9th of February 1979 was a memorable day for me and my family. We had a lovely celebration for Honey’s birthday at my in-law’s house, where we enjoyed a delicious cake and some music. In the morning, I received a surprising phone call from my youngest brother, who told me he had deserted the army camp in The Capital. He said he had no choice, as all the soldiers were abandoning their posts. I was worried about his safety and his future, but I didn’t say anything to upset him. On Sunday, we packed our bags and headed back to The Big City. I had to resume my work on Monday, and I hoped everything would be normal. As we drove, I turned on the radio and listened to a brief news report. The announcer said that the army had sided with the religious leader, and that the revolution was imminent. I felt a chill down my spine, wondering what would happen next. We stopped by my old housecleaner’s house on our way home, to check on her and her family. Around four o’clock, we heard a loud commotion outside; people were cheering, cars were honking, lights were flashing. The radio and the television confirmed that the revolution had succeeded.

On Monday February 11, I attended the university and observed everyone was cheerful. Laughter on lips; everybody was celebrating with each other. Before leaving for lunch, one of my colleagues entrusted me to watch over a room in which they had stored rifles. He handed me a rifle as well and I agreed. I felt very honored somehow. I thought by doing this I had contributed to the revolution. I went home around two thirty and informed Helen about it. She did not approve of it at all. The day of victory was officially declared as 11th of February. The Prime Minister, who had been elected by the people after the revolution, delivered a televised speech on that day. He urged the citizens to return their weapons to the military bases where they had acquired them. He also announced that the spring semester would resume on Saturday, February 16. This prompted many department heads to resign, anticipating changes throughout the university. Two weeks later, some changes had already occurred, and my colleagues nominated me for the position of department Chair. Only one close friend advised me against accepting it. The current Chair did not show up for the meeting, which was led by his deputy. I was the sole candidate and everyone encouraged me to take the offer. I felt honored by their trust in me.

- I was aware of this meeting and I had you in mind as the next Chair of the physics department. This was my plan since last summer, when I entrusted you with the deputy role while we were on summer break; the former Chair confirmed this to me later.

Regarding my sexual relation with Helen, as she was pregnant, she did not show any enthusiasm about it and I did not insist on having sex relationship, because I thought it was not safe to have sexual relation with a pregnant woman! I conquered my sexual urge by either self-abusing or having premature sex while she was fast asleep.

1-2. Life after revolution. As the Head of Department, I had a lot of office work to do. A month before the new year’s holidays, we got a new secretary for the Physics department. Her name was Eve and she was about thirty years old. She had worked as a secretary for the Geography department before, but there were some rumors about her personal life. The Pro Vice Chancellor had assigned her to our department. He claimed that the new Physics Chair (myself) was married to a young and attractive woman and was so obsessed with his wife that he would never flirt with her. However, in that environment, I never considered flirting with her or anyone else. I behaved so professionally that she also assumed I was one of those fanatics who only cares about his wife and ignores everything else around her. I had a new secretary who started working for me a few days ago. She was young and attractive, but her clothing and appearance did not suit the conservative atmosphere of our university. Some students came to my office and expressed their dissatisfaction with her dress code and appearance. They demanded that she cover her hair with a scarf and wear looser clothes. I called her to my office and observed that she was wearing a fitted suit, a short skirt with a leather belt, and had styled hair and heavy make-up. I told her what the students had said and warned her that we were living in a post-revolutionary Islamic society. I had not noticed her dress and make-up before, nor had I heard any gossip about her. I heard from some of my coworkers that I had a fortunate life. He was married to a lovely woman, his parents had gifted him a new home and a new vehicle, and he had been promoted to Department Head after the uprising. He also had an attractive assistant who he could chat with, or even get involved with romantically. This was what my friend said my coworkers were saying about me.

That year I was quite happy. I remember on our New Year’s Day I had put on a new suit and had bought some expensive clothing from The Big City posh shops, which still were running and had French clothing in their shops. Perhaps they had supplied these smart and expensive before the revolution and now were selling it rather cheaper. In fact, prices of everything decreased, especially properties such as housing, shops and lands. Someone bought the house next door to us about 30 percent cheaper just after the revolution. This was because some rich people wanted to sell their properties at any cost and immigrate to the United States or some European Countries. In addition, due to prolonged strikes and other financial problems all prices decreased sharply. Those who bought properties of any kind in that disturbed situation gained a lot of money later and those who sold their property regretted so much.

We celebrated New Year’s Day at home until late morning, watching the televised speech of our spiritual leader. Then we drove to my hometown, where the road was empty and we arrived quickly. My family welcomed us with joy. I surprised our gardener with a generous tip of 50 (old notes) that had the king’s face blackened out. After the revolution, they did that to the notes and stamps. (Years later, these notes and some stamps became very valuable; some worth more than 100 times their original price). I have a hobby of collecting commemorative stamps, but only in small amounts. I could have made a lot of money if I had bought whole sheets of them. I felt very happy on New Year’s Day. I was satisfied with what I had. Helen also seemed happy and content; she did not grumble about anything and our visit to my hometown was full of joy and good memories. Both our parents and in-laws greeted us warmly and we enjoyed spending time with our families. When we came back to The Big City, I had to work twice as hard in my department; there was a problem with adult education. They wanted to abolish the adult education system and this meant ending the evening classes for this group of students. Some of them had to drop out for good and some others wanted to join the regular university students. In addition, there was an order to accept our fellow-country students who were studying abroad. This caused many our fellow-country students filling forms to come and continue their studies in our country. We had to take these forms to department’s meetings and study them. I intended to accept as many students as we could. I remember, one day, I received a phone call from Vice Chancellor:

He congratulated me on my efforts and asked me to prepare a report on the situation of the returning students. He said he wanted to present it to the Ministry of Science and show them how our university was supporting our national interests. I was honored by his request, agreed to do it as soon as possible. I spent the next few days collecting data and writing the report, hoping to impress him and help our students.

He exclaimed, Have you considered the vacancy of our classes, especially the laboratories? I nodded and replied, I will manage that. In my opinion, accepting our students from abroad gives them joy and happiness, which is very important!

I accepted ninety students as visitors, most of whom were in their first or second year of study. Many of them were female students who had transferred from the United States. The Big City University of Science and Technology was another option, but they only admitted the best students and had a limited capacity. I, on the other hand, was flexible with the students’ requests and particularly interested in accepting female students. I recall one student who came to my office and said she had studied engineering in a US university, but the other university had rejected her application. She was a very beautiful girl, and I was amazed by her appearance. I told her that her request was approved.

- When will you submit it to the department committee? She asked.

- Very soon! Don’t worry about it at all. I assured her.

She left my office with a smile on her face. My secretary was surprised by my quick response but did not say anything. Perhaps she thought, finally somebody had caught my eye!

At the end of the term, we took exams and as usual, I went to monitor the exam process. I remember in one examination, a student came to me and told me there was no need any more to supervise the exam process and asked me to dismiss the colleagues I had assigned to be present in exam rooms to report any misconduct.

A student spoke with conviction. We started the revolution to uphold honesty and we guard ourselves from any wrongdoing. I was astonished by the students’ revolutionary attitude. They used to cheat on exams by any means possible, so we had to be extra vigilant.

I spent the summer term at the university and did not return to my family. My wife Helen was pregnant and due to deliver her baby in July. I was observing Ramadan and fasting during the day. Our neighbor had a wife who had befriended Helen. She came from the North and had a lovely appearance, much more attractive than Helen. One day, I came back from work in the afternoon and saw this woman, Claudia, in our house. Her beauty stunned me.

She had a brief visit to our house, but she did not stay long. She confided in Helen that she was surprised by my decision to fast during Ramadan. She returned to our house occasionally after that. I noticed she was not very careful about covering her hair from me. She was a mother of two children. Claudia was several years older than Helen.

A few days before Helen’s due date, her parents and other relatives arrived in The Big City to support her. Her grandmother, sisters, and brother all stayed at our house. On August 1, they went out for some shopping in the morning, but around six o’clock in the evening, Helen started having contractions. Her mother told me to take her to the hospital right away. David, my brother-in-law, offered to drive us because I had just broken my fast. So we headed to a nearby clinic. I called Helen’s doctor, who knew us well. He advised us to go to The Big City General Hospital, but Helen insisted on going to a private clinic instead. So we took her to a private clinic in the city center. Helen was not happy with the clinic; she complained about its cleanliness and wanted to go somewhere else. The next clinic we found was not much better, but she had no choice but to stay there. Helen was moaning and making all kinds of noises. When her doctor finally got there, she had already delivered her baby. I heard a loud scream from the room and then silence. A nurse came out and told me it was a boy. I felt a surge of joy and pride. David drove me back home, while Helen’s mother stayed with her at the clinic. We promised to come back in the morning to bring them home.

I arrived at the clinic where Helen had given birth to our son around 8 a.m. It was Ramadan, the holy month of fasting for Muslims, and also a day of mourning for the Shiites, so I was fasting. I wanted to take Helen, her mother and our baby home as soon as possible. I needed a letter from Helen’s doctor to authorize their discharge. I greeted Helen and congratulated her on our son. Her mother seemed unhappy, as if she expected me to be there earlier.

- Go and get the doctor as soon as you can. Gina ordered.

My visit to the reception was to request them to inform the doctor that we are expecting his arrival for the checkup. However, the receptionist was negligent and told me that the doctor would see his patients after an hour. I returned to Helen’s nursing room and relayed this message to her mother.

- Go and find a public phone and ask the doctor to come as soon as he can. She told me angrily.

I went out of the hospital, found a public phone and asked the doctor to come and visit us.

- I have to go to another hospital, but I will come and see you as soon as possible, the doctor said.

I faithfully conveyed his message to my mother-in-law. To my surprise, she reacted very negatively and began to curse. I regretted my lack of tact, as I could have reassured her that the doctor was coming soon or at least explained that he was attending another patient in a different hospital and would arrive shortly.

I found my in-law’s verbal abuse unacceptable and unjustified. She accused me of being too timid and unable to stand up for myself. I felt hurt and disrespected by her words.

I apologized to her for my rude words and tried to explain why I was so anxious. A nurse entered the room and asked us to lower our voices. She was curious about the cause of our argument and I told her what happened. She chuckled and said there was no hurry because the doctor wouldn’t see his patients until nine o’clock anyway. I went to the office, got all the documents and prepared them for the doctor’s approval. I took some deep breaths and composed myself. It was the first time I had a conflict with my mother-in-law. Shortly after, the doctor came, examined Helen and the baby. We left the hospital around eleven o’clock. Helen’s father and grandmother wondered what was wrong. This incident had a negative impact on me that spoiled all the happiness of having a baby boy. Helen named him Mike. We called my parents and they were delighted to hear that we had a son. If we had a daughter, our families would be disappointed in some way. My in-laws stayed for a few more days until a maid from my hometown arrived to help Helen with housework, cooking and childcare. Helen’s life became much busier than before.

David began his mandatory military service at that time. A few months later, when we visited my hometown, I accompanied my father-in-law to see him at a nearby base. He stayed there for two months before transferring to another location to complete his service. The government services were in disarray during the first year of the revolution, as many skilled workers had quit or been dismissed. David was dissatisfied with his military service. He escaped from his base twice due to poor food and abusive commanders. He came to The Big City with his father and we obtained a medical letter from my Doctor friend, stating that he was sick and needed a fortnight of rest!

We did not own a phone at our residence, so we had to visit the post office whenever we wanted to call my relatives. We also made an effort to travel to my native town at least once every two weeks. My in-laws were very affectionate towards my children and pampered my daughter, Honey. One time, Gina wished to have her for a week, but Helen was reluctant to let her stay with them even for a day. Helen snatched her daughter from her mother’s arms while she was sobbing and resisting. Helen’s grandmother said, Don’t be cruel to her, let her have the child. She gave Honey to Helen; we departed with a heavy heart. Unfortunately, our trips to my native town often ended with a quarrel with the in-laws. They always had something to criticize there.

The academic year began in September 1980 with a lot of excitement. Many students who had come from different countries, such as the United States, Europe and even some Asian countries like the Philippines, felt very grateful and happy because they had faced financial difficulties and they thought they had achieved a lot. However, the university’s new chancellor faced challenges from radical students, staff and lecturers. The extremists demanded a total purge; removing anyone who they believed was opposed to the new regime or had different political views. There was unrest behind the scenes. In fact, in The Capital, radical students seized the US Embassy on November 4, 1980. The Prime Minister’s government had to step down and large protests took place in The Capital and major cities. I stayed away from politics and regarded these as normal events. I focused on my academic work.

One day, I invited one of my colleagues called Jonathan to our home. He had two children, a daughter and a son; both were about the same age as my children. His wife was only a couple of years older than Helen was and soon we became very friendly. We had regular visits to each other’s house and I thought these visits made Helen not feel so alone in The Big City. My old house-cleaner in The Big City apartment, (the one before my PhD mission) also came to our house regularly with her daughter. Her daughter was now 16 years old and had fallen in love with a young man living next to their home. The owners of the house she was living in had left the country a few months before the revolution; they did not return after the revolution. She was in fact keeping their house and looking after their properties in the house. She and her daughter soon became very friendly with Helen. Her daughter used to tell about her boyfriend and as her mother was fanatic, Helen used to advise her what to do and what not to do.

- Have you heard anything about that steady street girl who used to come and visit us regularly? Once I asked my old house-cleaner.

- I saw her once in the street with a child, after the revolution. She replied. She was married to that man who was living in a house with his first wife; she seemed rather unhappy and looked rather older than her age. She continued. This was the last thing I heard about that girl. Of course, after the revolution there were no prostitutes or street girls, at least for a decade. If there were any, it would be underground. In fact, hardliners had demolished all these places in big cities and no one dared to chase neither women nor any woman dared to put on a lot of makeup and seduce