The story of Ingeburg and Afshin
In the time that our youth are killing on the street of Iran, because they want a little bit freedom and nobody care about them and even their spiritual parents ignore them. I am trying to write the real stories of my friends and or students whom I worked and live with. It is clear that the lives of young people who are killed on the street is a much more important fact, but as you see many people and writer much better than me are writing about them. If you see the movie of Charlie Chaplin, The great Dictator you can see that Charlie in the last speech said what ever is necessary to be said. If the dictators just listen to his last speech, I think they will have a good lesson.
I wish that our flowers and youth were protected and have international and national support. The leaders of the country would look to them like their own children and prepare for them school, welfare, work, education and the possibilities to be married and have their own house. Instead going after drug, and other activities which are not healthy. As a teacher and father I wish to be more useful for the Iranian youth and students. I wish I could do more for them, and my heart is with them. I opened here in Orlando a boarding and language school in the hope that it will be useful for the students. I hope the leader see in all young people and youth as their own children and have merci and love for them. I am trying to write the problems that the young people in Iran had and have.
I was a university teacher in Iran, but because I loan a huge amount to one of my best friend, Mr. Morteza Mosavi Tirabadi and his son Mohammad, and he did not give back the loan in time instead he wrote to the university that my mother was Bahai and I am teaching at the university to change the innocent Moslem children, so I lost my job and have to come out of the country. I lost also my family and because I helped him, I came to disaster and because I had sympathy about his problems and helped him, he destroyed my life and as the people were indifferent or cruel ; I had no chance to get my capital totally back. He died and he was in prison, but none of this could help me.
So sorrowfully the system in the world forces the people to be indifferent or cruel. Many people wrote about this in the hope that their experience and writing will help the humanity and society. I hope one day Love and Unity will govern the world instead greed, cruelties and indifferences. All my short stories are real stories, I just changed some names.
As I was student in the high school, I remember that one of the most popular subjects that the teachers love to give as a title for composition was, is the Wealth better than knowledge? Some student write it is clear that knowledge is better than wealth, as the wealth can be taken by thieves or be destroyed, but knowledge is always with you. And the thieves cannot rob the knowledge. Only the book of knowledge.
It is clear now that without wealth, we cannot reach the knowledge. Some very intelligent people, who are very smart, may be having the possibilities to be knowledgeable without wealth, but generally we need money to study. May be in the past it was possible with a little bit knowledge for example high school diploma in Iran, you could get good job and securities and you could enjoy a nice life, as the academic people were very limited. But now that even a simple worker in Iran has a high school diploma, you should have money to be very well educated and have degree from famous university. Or have enough money to pay for private teacher, books or educational material or school aid and so on. Without money you are out. But alone money cannot bring also luck as you can spend it in bad way. Sorrowfully over 4 millions of our people are addicted to drugs and they lost their lives, even they are moving.
To critic is very easy, but to act is more difficult. But the people can have a lot consultant and these people who are trained and are specialist can help the politician to run a better society. Again sorrowfully our people are so proud that they thing they know everything and they do not need to consult. The dictatorship moral in us is a very bad thing, if we do not a matter, instead of saying I need help and I do not know, we trying to do it without help and we destroy it. We should be humble and let the other people also take part in the government. But we are so greedy that we want billions of dollars in our account, regardless if this money is legal or not. When you see in the newspaper that Islamic clergy had billions of dollars in their account in foreign country and they save these money may be for the other world in other country or for the rainy days, you get very upset, this money should be spend for the young people and not sitting in a bank account in a foreign country.
Our German professor one time said that in Israel the university teacher drive taxi, because they can earn more money by driving taxi as teaching at the university. I was amazed that time. That a person with so many academic backgrounds should drive taxi. Now I see that a lot of Iranian professor and generals are driving taxi? Now we should have another title and another subject for the composition. For example is religion better than humanity, or is Love better than believing in a religion? Or is believing better than be humble and human? Or to be simple and nice is better than be rich and Hippocrates? Some people are using religion to make money and some people because of religion lose their wealth. Some people acts as they are religious, but they lie, make adultery, took illegal money, steel if they can, say bad words and act badly and if they get the possibilities they even are in a position to kill innocent people. But they pray seventeen times a day, they do not eat in Ramadan month, at least in the public. And they call themselves religious people? The other people do not lie and do cheat, but they say they do not believe in religions. Sorrowfully some religious people are even very bad people, they ripe people, took their money and have billions of dollars in foreign banks, and you may also read that the pastors have sex with children even Catholic pastors. The people who believe give more than enough money to the churches, and some of them misuse this trust. And they gathered their money and rape their children. That is a shop the Christ live so difficult and has been killed in cross and these people have a comfortable life.
May be they do not believe in God and Christ, but that is their shop and business and they misuse the trust and believe of people. But there are a lot of good and nice people among them also. But some of them are very cruel and greedy like other people only they have the clothes of a clergy man.
My friend Afshin after getting his MA in the Persian literature and language was hired by university as an instructor for Persian and mainly he teaches in Persian language, the department for foreign students who are learning Persian. He was very good in Persian and he knows also good English and French. So soon he was a good beloved teacher in his field. As he know very good English and French , so he could solve the problems of foreign students easily and could explain for them the grammar problems and compare with their European mother languages. For this reason the foreign students like to learn with him and after he has finished his work at the university, he has a lot of private students who came to his house to learn more Persian language. He has a full time position as a university instructor and also had every day few private students who were learning in his home and paid him good money.
Afshin was young and had a good salary and a lot of extra income. He also works as a translator in different embassies. But few girls that he asked for their hands gave him an empty basket that means they did not want to marry him. And he thought if he can have a better income, may be he has more success in getting the love and heart of a Persian girl. He wanted to have a nicer bigger house, and better furniture so may be a good girl will be accepting his proposal. But Afshin has the same problem that many people have. He was born in a family with two religions. So it was very difficult for him to find a normal girl in one of those religions. Again his mother was Bahai and his father was Moslem. So he was for Moslem sort of Bahai and for Bahais he had a Moslem father. One time one of my students Ziba Sh told me I am half Bahai and half Christian. I did not understand that sentence in those days. Now I understand, what that means.
One day we were together for lunch, and he said I have a difficult life. I cannot marry and I am thirty five years old and soon I will be fourty, and nobody will marry me. The Moslem girls as soon as they know my mother is Bahai they run away and the Bahai girls are the same as soon I tell them that my father is Moslem, they get cold and cut the relationship with me. What can I do, more than seventy girls gave me an empty basket or they told me no. The income of Afshin at that time was the same as a state secretary. He had a nice big house in the best place of Tehran; he had a new car and a lot of expensive furniture, carpets, gold and silver house hold. He was actually a rich man. With a huge salary and a lot of extra income. He had worked about ten years as a university teacher and has spent all his salary for house and furniture and he live in that nice house alone.
The girls did not take him seriously even the female students, they go with him to the restaurant and other places or to the movie and even to the picnic and to the mountain, but they wanted to have fun and have an academic friend and he had enough money he could pay and the girls were happy with him and his payment, but they did not want to marry him and he thinks that he is wasting his time with these type of girls. Who want fun but they are not serious. These types of girls were not even good friends to him, they want just misuse him, as he had a huge income. They wanted to have a company to go to restaurant with them and pay their bills, be with them in the time they go to dancing and take care of them.
Afshin told me that day, he is fed up with these types of girls; he wants at least good female friends, not such girls for fun and wasting the time.
Between those girls, a girl named Shahpar was a little bit more serious with him at least like a good female friend. She was Jew and she knows that Afshin is not a radical Moslem and he has a Bahai mother. Shahpar was a beautiful girl with dark skin and big beautiful eyes, which I think was black also. She was the only girl that stays with him much longer than the others, and Afshin thought she is a serious one. They met each other every day and went together to different places, many times Afshin invited her to his house and Shahpar did the same and invited him to her house and introduce him to her parent as a good friend. You know in Iran there is no girl friend boy friend relationship and they are just friend. With other words it is a big risk for a girl to sleep with a boy before marriage, as she will sign as a very cheap girl. And if the boy friend does not marry her, it is very hard for her to find another man, and her position in the society will be reduce even in the Shah’s time, and now is much worse than that time.
The normal friendship at that time especially with the permission of parents was some how accepted. So Sghahpar and Afshin now were very close friends, and they see each other every day, and this time Afshin hoped she will marry him. Afshin told me, that he asked many times for her hands, but she did not say no and just laughed at him friendly. So Afshin thought that she is trying to accept him. She did not say no to Afshin, but not yes either, so the poor Afshin did not know where he stays. At the end Afshin told her one day very seriously and asked her opinion, he told her listen I am not a young boy any more and I am over thirty five and like to marry. Please, if you cannot marry me let me know now. Shahpar sees deep in his eyes and told him listen Afshin, I love you and I wish I could marry you, but my parents are Jew and they are very radical, they do not let me to marry you. But as they saw you and know you are a nice person, they allowed me to be just your friend and that is the bottom line and the end of the story. They do no allow me to marry you and I am not in a condition to rebel against them. May be they have rights; I do not know, but I love them and I am the only child of them how can I go out of their house without their blessing. How can I make them up set or angry? Do you want that? Do you want that I be a bad girl to my parents? And lose them, as they are very radical Jew. I cannot marry you Afshin, they thing we are like friends and something like brother and sister. They cannot even imagine that we love each other.
With these words Shahpar start to cry and her face was wet, Afshin I told many times to them that I may marry a none Jew and they told me do not think about this. You are just twenty two and I have still few years time to find a Jew. So that was the end of their relationship and few months later Shahpar found a Jew. And disconnect her relationship with Afshin totally. Afshin got a letter from Shahpar, she wrote dear Afshin I love you; how can I not love you such a good friend like you. We have a good time over two years with each other and I enjoyed each minute to be with you. You are very nice man and I will love you for ever as friend. I hope you will never hate me for what I had to do. I could not destroy my family and my old father and mother. I was their only child and their only hope. Yours for ever friend Shahpar.
I said to Afshin with our problems of different religions, we should try to find a foreign girl for marriage. Why your are going after Persian girls. They are thinking free and they are not connected with tradition and religions like us. You are actually a young professor, may be they want to marry a young professor with good future.
Afshin told me he has a private student she is from America and she loves to learn good Persian, and she learn very good and seriously, but she is married and has two young girls. You know that here there not really single girl in our age or few years younger, the foreign girls here are school girls even they have serious boy friends. Or other women are married already. Her husband is a director of a big foreign company in Tehran. They are very rich and have rented a place in Tehran. She is may be twenty six or seven but her husband is over fourty five. And she learns so well with me and she shows a lot of interest about me. She thought that Shahpar was my girl friend. After she knows that she left me because of her religion. She cried for me. And said I will be a good friend for you.
Afshin told me her name is Ingeburg; she is tall about 175 and has long light blond hair, dark blue eyes and beautiful face. She shows a lot of love and interest concerning me. She gives me a good salary for the hours she learns with me and each time she buys an expensive gift for me. She chooses the best gift for me. They invite me to their house and they have two cooks and maids, they live like kings. Huge house with two swimming pools for winter and for summer. Tennis court and a huge garden with at least ten gardeners. As she knows that Shahpar left me, tries to be closer to me. She has two daughters that they are going to kindergarten and she brings them with her as she knows me love children, and let them to stay with me. As she knows that Shahpar and Forogh the other girl did not marry me, she tries to fill their place with herself and her druthers.
Little by little the relationship between Inge and Afshin got closer and closer. Now they go after finishing the classes they go to walk with each other or they were going around the city and north and south of Tehran. Or they did picnic outside Tehran or going together to the cinema and park, restaurant and theaters. Now their relationship was more than a relationship between student and teacher. This beautiful woman was with the high heel the same size of Afshin. The light blond long hair and her nice white skin and the expensive clothes that she wears, make her like a queen for Afshin. The other good matter was that she may be love or like him more than the Persian girls, as the Persian girls let Afshin pay the whole costs of their fun and they never gave Afshin a gift. But Inge was different, she gave always expensive gifts and as they were richer than Afshin, she always tries to pay and even she bring her new Mercedes and did not even let Afshin drive his car. To be driven in a huge new Mercedes and be handled like a Pasha is different than going with Persian girls to restaurant.
I do not know, but I think in that time they paid more than 20,000 dollars just for the rent of that place, a place which needs ten gardeners to take care of. Her husband was almost a super malt milliner and he was very seldom in Tehran; he was after business and as he was so rich a lot of young beautiful girls and women wanted him always. And Inge told Afshin that he has a serious beautiful girl friend. May be for this reason he does not care what Inge does. As long as she was a good mother, it was enough for him.
Little by little Inge was saying that her husband is not a good man, is a play boy type and she make a big mistake to marry him. As she was about twenty years younger than him and he was a European rich man. Inge wanted to have a degree from Iranian university and for this reason she was learning very seriously Persian. After a while she was accepted as student for Persian language and literature for foreign students at the university. She could get a master degree in Persian language for foreign designed. That means she could be professor in foreign country for the Persian language. It is clear that in this course only the foreign student could take part and material that they lean, was not the same materials that an Iranian student would learn in a MA degree for Persian language and literature. They learn much less.
The Persian professor told me that even the PhD program for foreign student in Persian language and literature is almost a little bit more than a BA degree for Iranian student who were studying Persian language and literature. But even that course was not easy to pass the entry exam; mostly the Pakistani students or Turkish students could pass this entry exam, so Inge was passed the exam as she learned very well with Afshin. And Afshin helped her to learn so good that she could pass the entry exam.
Now they were very close to each other, they both were in the same faculty and in the same department. Afshin and Inge were almost every day together. And he was going to fell in love with her. His mother told Afshin he should not spend so much time with her a married woman and he should not waste his time with a married woman. But Afshin has a bad experience with the Iranian single girl and women and there were not another single foreign women or girl for him left. With other words Inge told Afshin that she and her husband just live together because of children, and it was clear that a rich man like him has a lot of lovers in Tehran. He was mostly on journeys and Inge stayed alone at home with the two girls. But Inge should manage a house with fifteen workers. Alone the salary of fifteen personals was a big salary plus the insurance and other payments. That house needed actually a battler and Inge must play a battler position also.
Inge has told Afshin that they are just friend, and they are not really husband and wife. Her husband has serious girl friend and may be later he wants to marry her. Inge also told Afshin that her husband like to divorce her, because a beautiful rich woman is waiting for him to marry him. I think the husband knows also that Inge and Afshin are very close to each other, but as he has no interest about Inge and Afshin think also that the Inge is serious about him. For this reason Afshin told her, if she wants to be with him she should divorce her husband and marry him. But Inge each time had another excuse. And she did not give him a date and exact date. Always she refers to soon or very near future. So Afshin stayed in hope and fear for two years with this beautiful queen.
Inge told him, she will go to America as soon as she comes back they can marry. She has some properties in American she had to go there, in time she will sell the properties and bring money with her, so they can marry. Next time, she had to go to Europe for some business; in the time she is back she will arrange the marriage ceremony. As she came back she told him, that she has to go to Switzerland and Germany, in the time the work is done and she will have a good amount of money; she will be ready to marry him. So she gains the time and did not marry him. So it passed two years and again she said we will fail at the court the paperwork soon for the divorce. And after three years, she was still not in a position to marry Afshin.
After three years Afshin told her, please, see my position, I am going to be fourty soon, it is not wise for me to stay longer single. You should give me a time and a date. Please, try to understand my position, you are married and have children, I am not married and I am almost fourty years old. But Inge was very mysterious she does not marry him, does not go away, I do not understand you, you say my husband is a bad man, and has girl friends, he does not love me. But why you are stick with him and do not marry me. If he is not good enough for you, make your decision divorce him and marry me. If you want to stay with him, let me go after other girl, or woman. Afshin asked her very bitterly, that she should not come to him and or visit him. It is not good for him to have contact with a woman who is married and cannot decide. Please do not come to me, let me be free for this Love which is painful for me. But she does not stop coming to his house, and how can you send a friend a lady out of the house. Or do not open the door to a friend a nice educated woman. Meanwhile she was almost finishing with her MA degree.
The poor Afshin could not go forward or backward and he was in a sort of trap. Afshin cried for her and said to her, it is very painful for him to see a woman whom he loves, but he cannot marry her. Please, do not come to me. Inge could not decide between the children and the rich husband and the poor Afshin. May be she was also in the same struggle.
At the end Afshin decided to go out of Tehran and go to another city of Iran. So after some paperwork, he transferred himself to Esfahan. So he went to Esfahan for work and without any good by party and without any advertising. In the hope that Inge will let him go and he can adjust the life again and he will come back to Tehran and may be marry a woman and have a normal life. But as Inge was in the same department found out where he is and fly with airplane to him to Esfahan.
Afshin said as I open the door I saw my confused fair lady and my lost angel again. I was happy and thought may be she has decided to marry me and divorce the play boy type husband. But after few days to be with me again she said she will go back to Tehran and soon she will come back to me. But she did not speak about the marriage. As Afshin guess, she wanted to visit him every other week in Esfahan, but she did not want to marry him. Afshin said this was very painful for me, that you love a woman, but she is not yours. It is half and the other half is not there. I could not love and woman and see she is going away to another man. Even that man was only on the paper her husband. It is very difficult for me to see my love is going to other person. And I thought she is not serious with me. May be she just want to have fun with me and she will never let the rich husband go away? Afshin told me later that Inge visited many times him in Esfahan. She does not marry him and does not him go and be free to marry another woman.
At the end Afshin sees that Esfahan did not solve his problem. He resigned from university and goes out of Iran. He does not even give his address to his mother, because he afraid that Inge can get the address from the mother. He sends letter through his friends to his mother. As Inge goes to Esfahan and sees the Afshin is not there any more, she came back and went right away to Afshin’s house. The mother first through the Inge knows that her son does not work in Esfahan any more, and as Inge sees the mother has not the address she goes away.
The mother told me that Inge came almost every day to their house and tried to find out where Afshin was. She wanted his address. But as Afshin has cut the contact with the mother, she does not really know where her son was. The friend of Afshin gave the letter of Afshin without envelops to her.
About one year Inge was coming to the mother’s house, and the mother who was an academic personality could not send the friend of family away.
I was speaking one day with the mother of Afshin. And she wondered what type of woman is she? And what type of friendship is this? She does not marry him and does not go away, too. If it is only for sex, there are so many younger men who will take her such a beautiful woman with all their hands, and she can have easily another friend. Or even boy friend or lover. A woman like her is a dream for so many single men and young men in Tehran. Why she does not go to another man? And if she loves Afshin why she does not divorce and marry her. I thought a lot and could not solve the puzzle of love.
After about one and half year, Inge goes to his house for saying well by to the mother. Afshin is also in other country and I thing that time he was in Egypt and was a guest teacher at the university in Cairo. He was learning also Arabic there so he can forget the strong love. The mother said to me, Inge gave a very expensive brilliant ring to her and said when ever you see Afshin, please give this ring to him.
Afshin after about one month from departing Inge from Tehran has come back. But this time it was Inge who did not give any address from herself back and behind. Only the expensive brilliant ring. Afshin could not understand why she gave his mother such a big expensive ring. That means she wanted to divorce the husband and marry him, and for this reason gave the ring to the mother? But as she does not give any address and or telephone number, I cannot believe that she is serious about me. May be she thought I should search the whole Europe and America to find her. Afshin said my lost angel has gone. He waited one more year in the hope that she will write and contact him and or communicate with him, but this time it was Inge who was disappeared completely. Afshin waited the whole year and every day he looked for her letter in the post mail box, but nothing come from her. She was like a dream and has gone for ever. He tried to find her address, but how can you find a person in other continents if she may be does not want to be find. Afshin married after one year, in the time that he was about fourty a girl who was twenty five years old. A student at the MA level program,.
