For Cookie

I was involved with major problems of my life, such as putting the right shoe on the right foot or the potty training.

It was rumored that the big three western leaders had met in Tehran and had gone back home.

The brave Iranian army had imitated the brave armies of France and Italy by dressing in women's clothing and disappearing among the civilians.

The allies had occupied Iran and did not have anybody to fight with , so the peace had returned.

My uncle had just recently returned from Germany and had gotten drafted and sent to the front to defend his country, his officers and superiors being man of integrity and street smart had worn women's clothes and disappeared in the middle of night. My uncle who had received a German education, was captured and was the only Iranian prisoner of war, but it turned to his advantage, he was like a sponge and had learned Russian in the prison.

Prosperity was retuning to the country. The goodwill Industry and the other welfare organizations in America were sending second hand American clothes from the last two decades to Iran to dress the Iranian poor.

The well connected officials were selling them on the black market.

The Iranian women had started looking like the movie stars of the 30's and 40's.

One could find many Joan Crawfords with the padded shoulders on the streets of Tehran, showing off their pretty dresses.

The modern Iranian wives could not cop with the cooking, cleaning, and the child rearing like their ancestors had done.

They wanted nannies to help them, they had seen them in the movies.

Where could you find them in Iran, the young village girls were the best source.

Living in a brick house was much better than the mud huts.

They wanted to come to the big city and avoid herding sheep, cows, donkeys and camels.

That is where we got our first nanny. She was just a few years older than me and we became friends at the first sight.

We got to know all that was happening in the neighborhood.

We heard that there was going to be a hanging in the city center, all the nannies and the children in their cares wanted to go and watch.

We didn't know what hanging was, and why people got hung, but we wanted to see it.

We sneaked out of the house and went to the big plaza in the middle of the city and watched four men get hanged like apples from the ropes.

We promised not to tell our parents about the event, otherwise there would not be no more exciting events or juicy news.

We kept our promises and created a secret society.