Page 40

AREZOO

" D o you want more tea?" Arezoo asked her mother as she placed a plate of cookies on the coffee table.

Her mother was still in emotional turmoil after the incident at the market, and sweets always helped her calm down.

"No, thank you, sweetheart.” Her mother smiled. "Come sit with me."

When Arezoo did, her mother took her hand. "A Revolutionary Guard, just standing there in the market," she said again, as if repeating it would make it less shocking. "If Max hadn't acted so quickly..."

"But he did," Yasmin said from where she sat at the dining table, cradling her own cup of tea. "The immortals are going to keep the man locked up or erase his memory of seeing us and let him go. There is nothing to worry about."

Yeah, as if.

If there was one, there were more, and the thought of those men walking free in Los Angeles made Arezoo's stomach churn.

The fact that her own father belonged to their organization didn't make things easier.

Growing up, there had been plenty of times she'd been afraid of him, but after her abduction, that fear had been amplified by loathing.

He might not have been involved in that operation or even known who had taken them, but the fact that those were the kind of people he associated with and was loyal to was enough to make Arezoo actually hate him.

"There must be more of them," Parisa echoed Arezoo's thoughts.

"Not necessarily," her mother said firmly, though Arezoo caught the uncertainty in her eyes. "Los Angeles is full of Persians. He was probably visiting family."

"There is no point in guessing," Rana said.

"We are just stressing ourselves needlessly.

When they are done interrogating him, I'm sure they will let us know what he was doing there.

" She pushed to her feet. "Azadeh and I should go home.

" She headed down the hallway to get her daughter from Donya and Laleh's room.

"She's right." Her mother sighed. "Fenella said as much, and given that she's an elder compared to us, I listened to what she had to say."

Her mother rarely listened to anyone's words of wisdom except her own, so that was surprising.

"What did she say?" Arezoo asked.

"It was about embracing our newfound freedoms and not letting fear control us.

" Soraya paused, as if gathering courage.

"She convinced me that I should not stop you from going to the bar.

" She cast Arezoo an accusing look. "I didn't know that you and Fenella had got so close that you complained to her. "

"I didn't. It must have been Drova. She probably talked to Fenella at the bar."

That seemed to mollify her mother. "I'm glad that you didn't badmouth me to a practical stranger."

"I would never do that, Maman." Arezoo lifted their still joined hands and kissed the back of her mother's. "I love you and respect you, and I'm grateful for all the sacrifices you've made for us."

There had been countless times when her mother had come between their father and Arezoo and her sisters, protecting them from his wrath when he'd found fault with something trivial any of them had done, or just when he was angry and needed to take it out on someone.

Arezoo had seen and remembered each instance, and she admired her mother's courage.

Tears shone in Soraya's eyes. "You are the best daughter a mother could hope for, and I was doing you a disservice by trying to keep you from being the young woman that you are.

" She patted the back of Arezoo's hand. "Go to the bar, mingle with immortals and Kra-ell, and find a male who respects you. That's more important even than love."

The words hung in the air like a foreign language that Arezoo couldn't quite translate. She stared at her mother, certain she'd misheard.

"Really? You are okay with me going to the bar?"

"If you want," her mother said, looking like each word pained her.

"I'm not telling you to go, but you're nineteen, you're an adult, and we're not in Iran anymore.

I was already married when I was your age, but I didn't select my husband.

My father did, and I agreed because it was hammered into my head that a dutiful daughter must obey her father, and frankly, I didn't have a choice.

You have all the choices that I was denied, so if you want to go, you should. "

Aliens landing outside the living-room window would have been less shocking, but then her best friend was an alien, so that didn't hold as much of a shock factor as it had before her life had been turned upside down.

Still, her mother was the most stubborn person she knew, and this change of heart was unprecedented and staggering.

"I've been holding on too tight," Soraya continued. "I was trying to protect you from a world that's already hurt you so badly, but keeping you from spreading your wings isn't protection. It's just another cage."

Tears pricked at Arezoo's eyes, and she threw her arms around her mother. "Thank you," she whispered against Soraya's shoulder. "You are the best mother. Thank you."

Soraya held on tightly, and Arezoo felt her mother's tears dampen her hair. "Just be careful," Soraya murmured. "And don't drink too much so you have your wits about you. Better yet, avoid drinking altogether if possible. And come home at a reasonable hour. And?—"

"Maman." Arezoo pulled back with a watery laugh. "I'll be fine. It's just the village bar, not a nightclub in Hollywood." She extracted herself from her mother's embrace. "I have to call Drova and tell her the good news. She'll be so happy."

"I'm glad she's your friend." Her mother wiped tears from her lashes with the sleeve of her shirt. "She's formidable, and no one will bother you with her by your side."

That had probably been a big factor in her mother's decision to ease the rules. She knew that Arezoo would be safe with Drova around.

In her room, Arezoo dropped onto her bed and took a moment to catch her breath and internalize the fact that her mother had finally seen her as an adult.

When she finally called Drova, the girl answered almost immediately. "I've heard what happened. My mother told me that someone recognized your mother and her sisters in a city market. Are they okay? I mean, it must have been scary for them."

It was incredible how fast rumors spread in the village, and Arezoo wondered how long it would take before everyone would know that she was now free to visit the bar, and by everyone, she meant Ruvon.

"They are fine. A little shaken but getting over it. That's not why I'm calling, though."

"Oh yeah?" Drova must have heard in her tone that she had something exciting to share because she suddenly sounded more curious than worried. "What is it?"

"The incident must have unsettled my mother's foundations because she came home and told me that I'm free to go to the bar if I want to."

"Thank the Mother of All Life! We are going tonight."

Arezoo laughed. "It's Tuesday. The bar isn't open on weekdays."

"It is now. There was an announcement on the bulletin board. The Hobbit will be open every night until Fenella leaves for her trip. Everyone wants to catch her readings while they can."

Arezoo's stomach did a double flip. She'd been expecting to have days to prepare mentally for her first bar visit. "I don't know if I can tonight."

"Yes, you can," Drova said firmly. "I'll pick you up at nine so we can get there right as it opens. It'll be packed because everyone wants a reading. Bring an object for Fenella to read."