The day I had dreaded for weeks had finally arrived and we were all gathered at the TBT bus station in downtown Tehran to say our goodbyes. Our neighbors of many years were finally leaving Tehran and were taking my Manije, their daughter, with them. I stood there with a hugest lump in my throat. I felt that the world was about to come to an abrupt end and I along with everyone else in it were about to die of either extreme sadness or by drowning in our own tears. My tears were copiously flowing down my cheeks drenching my T shirt.
Manije was my life. She was the reason I woke up every day, washed my face, and ate. I wanted to be alive so I could see her every day. She was so gentle and so genuinely in love with me too. We never thought that one day we were going to get ripped apart from each other. We were always together. Fred Astaire had Ginger Rogers, Laurel had Hardy, and I had Manije. I remember one winter when Manije was sick with flu. Every day I stayed at her bedside, form the morning till late at hight, never letting go of her hand.
I am alive today because Manije once saved my life. One day when I was jumping over the narrow canal that ran in the middle of our street, trying to show off, I fell in it and the rushing water carried me with a dangerous speed. It was Manije’s olympian sprint to keep up with me and her soprano holler that attracted the nearby shopkeepers and passersby to rush to my rescue.
Manije and I had lots and lots of plans for our future. It did not matter to us that I was only six and that Manije was a year older than me. We already had our house, decorated with lots of our favorite toys in every room. We also had three beautiful daughters and with my insistence, they were all named Manije. It seemed that I could not have enough Manijes in my life.
Through my tears and the crowd I see the bus driver has climbed up to the top of the bus. He is looking at me and repeatedly calling out my name. He keeps on calling my name and I am confused. I look around and see my Dad and Mom looking at me too and my Dad is also calling out my name and saying, “see who is here to see you. Open your eyes.” I open my eyes and see the beautiful face of my Manije and her sweet smile. I look around and realize that I am in my own room and not the TBT bus station.
That moment was the most beautiful moment in my entire life.
