Part 7
Maryam wondered whether she might possibly upgrade her fiancé while fixing her nose and get back at Golnaz in one fell swoop

October 18, 2006
iranian.com

Maryam felt breathless as she cut the Doctors' sentence short and stared deeply into his green tinted contact lenses. He had once been engaged to her friend Golnaz but the engagement had been broken off at the last minute because Golnaz had been upset that he could only afford to buy her a house in Hammersmith and not in Kensington. He had explained that he would be able to afford to move to Kensington in a year or so but that wasn't good enough for Golnaz and her family.

Though Maryam had a feeling that the location of the house was only a side issue, at first Golnaz's family had been very happy that she had found herself a successful doctor, but ever since he qualified as a surgeon they had grown cold towards him. He had gone to Iran to visit her family to discuss details of the engagement and the wedding. At first they had showered him with gifts and hospitality. "Anything for you Agha Doctor" Golnaz's family chimed in unison.

He had asked them not to call him Agha Doctor as he was now a surgeon and so no longer used the title of doctor. Golnaz's elderly relatives could not understand why he would prefer the title of Mr to Doctor. In vain he tried to explain that being a surgeon in England involved a different title and that the use of Mr. was actually more prestigious than that of Doctor. Golnaz's relatives refused to believe him and assumed that he had lost his job or had lied about being a doctor in the first place.

Soon after their trip the engagement was canceled and the rumours had started flying. Some said that the Doctor had called off the engagement because Golnaz was not a virgin, while others said that it was because she was not educated enough. The Doctor had told many of his friends that he was searching for a wonderful, beautiful, intelligent Iranian woman that didn't sleep around or shame her parents. He had even once written an article about it hoping that he would find the woman of his dreams that his mother had promised him as a child.

Still those who knew Golnaz knew that those rumours weren't true and that the Doctor simply could not provide the lifestyle she deserved. Maryam knew first hand just how shameless Golnaz could be and sleeping around was nothing compared to what Golnaz had subjected Maryam to. At least Maryam had enough pride and self respect to have an operation to ensure her virginity. She would never have treated a friend the way Golnaz had treated her or given up a prospective husband like the Doctor.

Maryam wondered whether she might possibly upgrade her fiancé while fixing her nose and get back at Golnaz in one fell swoop. Golnaz had outbid her on EBay for the Hermes bag she desperately wanted last year. She would never forgive her for what she considered theft of that beautiful hand stitched accessory. Maryam's parents had tried to ease the pain of her loss and her tantrums but all the other bags paled in comparison.

At one point it had seemed that her father had found the Hermes bag she so desperately wanted on a business trip to China. She had proudly worn it to the IHF ball as it went perfectly with her dress and heels. Yet much to her distress Golnaz had on the exact same outfit and her Hermes bag! She then had to face the indignation of having to watch as Atefeh and Arazoo compared the two bags and confirmed that her Hermes bag was in fact a fake. The shame was more than she could bare and she had turned bright red with embarrassment .

Due to her embarrassment and tears her makeup had been ruined and she had missed out on the opportunity to meet the corporate lawyer that she had heard so much about. His mother had bumped into Maryam in the bathroom and observed that it took her a full twenty minutes to reapply her makeup. His mother had decided that a woman that took a full twenty minutes to apply a simply four or five layers of makeup was not up to the challenge of being her sons' wife.

After that rejection Maryam was forced to spend the rest of the evening talking to a dentist called Ali that had trained in Sweden, he was bald but had a long ponytail. He wasn't the best catch but at least she could get her teeth whitened for free. She had never forgiven Golnaz for stealing her handbag and her potential husband.

Finally she had chance at revenge, a new nose and a potential husband. She knew that none of those things would replace the deep sense of loss she felt for her bag, but she hoped that they might at least numb the pain.

The doctor smiled at Maryam cutting him off and her use of the word friend...

"We used to be friends but that was a long time ago" he winked at Maryam as she looked hungrily at him.

Her nose was still bleeding down her face leaving a powder pink trail of blood and white foundation.

He pulled out a handkerchief and wiped away the blood and tears and told Maryam how beautiful she was. Maryam felt as if they were the only two people in the emergency room, she could hear the sweet sound of Andy's rendition of the Brian Adams song "Everything I Do" playing in her head, she wanted to confess her undying love for him right then and there.

Suddenly her fathers' voice broke the spell...

"Maryam ve should call home and let Asgar know that you are alright." but what about Asgar?

How could she have forgotten about Asgar so easily? She looked at the Doctor sheepishly and she saw jealousy flash in his green tinted contact lenses.

"Baba I can do that later, first I must let the doctor examine me." She snapped at her father...

"Actually it is Mr. not Doctor, I am a surgeon!"  The Doctor muttered in an irritated tone...

"Sorry Doctor, I mean Mr would you be able to examine me...?" Maryam enquired in her sweetest voice...

"Follow me to my office and I will give you a thorough examination" The Doctor took Maryam's hand as he spoke and led her towards his office. "Call me Abtien" he whispered as they walked hand in hand towards his office... Comment

To be contionued
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