Farahnaz, from New York;
LONG LOST LOVE

Since the very early days of my childhood, I always saw some sign of sadness in the lovely eyes of my mother.  I always wondered why, was she depressed and sad?  Because she was a dedicated mother and a loving wife for my father.  She always tried to be obedient to my father.  Her days started early in the morning and continued until she would finally fall into bed after a busy day.

Later on, I learned from my aunt that she had fallen in love when she was only fifteen years old.  She had even decided to run off home and join her love, but was locked up by her mother.  My aunt then disclosed that when she had graduated from high school, a wealthy man sent his family to her parents so as to make marriage arrangements and seal the deal.  Her prospective husband even got her father a good job, so as to obtain her family’s blessing.  Despite her reluctance to concede to the arranged marriage, she had to embrace it. 

After learning all this, I felt terrible and so empathetic for my mother, that now I looked up to my father as though he were a cruel man who had destroyed my mother’s dreams.  But later I found out that it was my grandfather, not my father.  Besides he had had no knowledge about her first love.  When I brought up the issue with my mother, she said that it was her fate and there was no choice.  She further disclosed that she still dreamt of her first love, but would never cheat on my father. 

Now, I made a vow to myself.  That if I ever fell in love with anyone, I would go ahead and marry him.  When it came to my younger sister, Zohreh, my father tried his best to get her to his chosen man, but my sister did not embrace it and married her own love and now they have three adorable children.  After the marriage of my sister, my mother looked so happy, because she was imagining that she had gone back to her youth and had done what she had wanted to do. 

In 1994, we all migrated to Van Couver, Canada, where my father opened his own company.  He had hired several people.  One of his employees was a good looking Japanese American who was attracted to my father.  Later, we learned that they both traveled together to New York and Los Angeles.  Still, my mother tried to be a faithful spouse to her husband.  She said that there was no relationship between them as my father needed a secretary for his business trips.  Then, when the secret came out, my father confronted us all saying that he would like to enjoy his life.  He further added that he had already provided a good life for us all.  Anyway, he divorced my mother.  His mansion went our mother with a monthly alimony. 
About six months after the divorce was over, I decided to try and track down her first love.  I tried everything I could think of to get a lead about him.  I was able to learn that he had been married once and then that had broken up. 

It just three months ago that a friend of mine, in New York, told me that she knew such a person living just next door to her.  Right away, I flew to New York to visit my friend and found myself next to my mother’s love, Amir’s Condominium.  While peeking through his window I saw my mother’s picture hanging on the wall. 
When I went back to Van Couver, I asked my mother to accompany me to New York to attend my friend’s engagement party.  Soon after arriving at my friend’s, Shidokht’s, condominium, she whispered that Amir was at home.  At this point I asked my mother to come along to see another friend.  She put on some light make up, as it made her look twenty years younger. 
Having knocked at Amir’s door, he showed up at the door step and looked so stunned.  He just knelt down and hugged my mother.  At this moment, my friend, Shidokht and I could not hold back our joyful tears, as it was an emotional reunion after many years.  We simply left and went back to her condo, while we could hear the door to Amir’s condo close as they both went in. 
I am so thrilled that my loving mother, Parizad, has finally joined the long lost love of her dreams.