North Korea's So Hyok
Chol (R) lies on the ground after shrapnel from a fire
cracker hit him in the face during an Asian nations' cup
match against Iran in Tehran November 12, 2003. North Korea
departed the field after the incident, with Iran leading
1-0, and refused to return to the game. REUTERS/Ahmad Moeni
Jam
My grandfather, who by all accounts was
a kind and decent man, loved to play backgammon. He
would play the game for hours often becoming irritated
if he was interrupted.
One day, while he was playing an important match against
a strong opponent, he was interrupted by a mullah who
was invited to the house to wed one of the servants. This
woman had been in the family for years and now had decided
to get married.
Before performing the ceremony
however, the mullah wanted to make sure that the bride
was a virgin. So he sent someone to get my grandfather
to come and testify to that effect. My grandfather,
who was upset to have left his game, did not know why
he had been bothered and wanted to get back to play
as fast as possible.
Upon entering the room, the mullah
asked my grandfather: "Sir,
could you please testify that the bride is a virgin so
that we can proceed with the ceremony?"
To this my grandfather immediately responded:
"I very much
wanted to find out sir, but my wife never gave me permission!"
and he rushed back to his game.
-- Bijan Moshiri
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