It was one of those hot days in summer ... the heavy traffic in the streets full of cars honking and yelling at each other of not moving forward ...
Deep in his thoughts with his child on his shoulders ... Noise, pollution and the crowded streets have made him extremely tired.

"Hey! You [...] moron, watch out!" ... A man yelled at him angrily from his car's window ... He did not hear anything ... or maybe he pretended so ... He was just so deep in his thoughts that barely could he hear anything from the crowd passing by him in the walkways ...

"When was it?" he was thinking with himself ... just had passed like yesterday ... or no ... wait a minute ... It had been an exhausting experience for them all ... like a nightmare you see and scream in bed while you are asleep ... Trying to get up, but you can not ...

- "Baba Rahman! Is that you?" ...
- "Yes, my dear ... what happened?" ...
- "Come with me! You need to see it yourself"
- "Any news from my son Ali?" ...

It was then three nights that his son had not been back home ... He usually took the net and the boat for fishing to win bread for the family ... sometimes he went for one night out in the nearby island to get more fish but it was rare that he be away for this long ...

It was hard for him to see what was going on near the beach ...

- "Dad! It is so hot ... when we gonna be back home?" Child on his shoulder whispered ...
- "It is OK my dear ... wait a little ... Here, people are more caring to us ... do not worry!"

That night, when he had seen his beloved son Ali... lying with his eyes open and broken pieces of his boat here and there on the beach ...

- "God! ... This is not my Ali ... My Ali was not like this ... Where have you been son? ... If you do not think of me and your little brother, think about your mom! ..."
He was crying ... crying like a child ...

- "Dad! I feel sick ... can we get some water?"
- "Wait son! let me see what can I do for you"

His wife had lost her sight crying for Ali all day and night after then ...

- "Baba Rahman! take very good care of her ... she is getting more and more depressed ..."
- "I heard you, Doctor! What can I do for her? ... "

It was one of those hot summer days ...

- OK Son! let me ring the bell of one of these houses to get some water for you and maybe they also may need somebody to do gardening and cleaning for them...

- "Yes???!!! ..."
- "This is me! Baba Rahman! ..."
- "So!!!??? ..."
- "I need some water for my son, please for God's sake!"
- "What do you want? ... nobody is home!!!"
- "Do you need gardener or someone who can do house cleaning?"
- "Listen! ... If you do not get lost now, I gonna call the police"
- "I need some water for my son ... pleeaaase ..."
- "Get lost! You bastard ... You lazy [...] homeless people ..."

...

It was one of those hot days in summer ... the heavy traffic in the streets full of cars honking and yelling at each other of not moving forward ... Deep in his thoughts with his child on his shoulders ... Noise, pollution and the crowded streets have made him extremely tired...



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[Short story "Another wrinkle on the forehead" by H. Ataei
Photo: Beautiful painting by Mr. Iman Maleki, Iranian contemporary painter]