The Book of Fate Read Online Free PDF

ma’am, I can’t. My family is against it. They say three years of secondary school is enough for a girl.’
    Mrs Bahrami frowned, shook her head and walked into the administration office. A few minutes later she came out with the school principal. The principal took my report card and said, ‘Sadeghi, tell your father to come to school tomorrow. I would like to see him. And tell him I won’t give you your report card unless he comes. Don’t forget!’
    That night when I told Father that the school principal wanted to see him, he was surprised. He asked, ‘What have you done?’
    â€˜I swear, nothing.’
    Then he turned to Mother and said, ‘Missus, go to the school and see what they want.’
    â€˜No, Father, that won’t do,’ I said. ‘They want to see you.’
    â€˜What do you mean? I’m not going to walk into a girls’ school!’
    â€˜Why? All the other fathers come. They said if you don’t come, they won’t give me my report card.’
    He knotted his eyebrows in a deep frown. I poured tea for him and tried to endear myself a little. ‘Father, do you have a headache? Do you want me to bring you your pills?’ I tucked a floor cushion behind him and brought him a glass of water. In the end, he agreed to go to school with me the next day.
    When we walked into the principal’s office, she got up from behind her desk, greeted Father warmly and offered him a seat close to her. ‘I congratulate you, your daughter is very special,’ she said. ‘Not only is she doing well in her classes, but she is very well mannered and pleasant.’ Still standing at the door, I looked down and involuntarily smiled. The principal turned to me and said, ‘My dear Massoumeh, please wait outside. I’d like to speak with Mr Sadeghi.’
    I don’t know what she said to him, but when Father walked out, his face was flushed, his eyes were twinkling and he was looking at me with kindness and pride. He said, ‘Let’s go to the supervisor’s office right now and enrol you for next year. I don’t have time to come back later.’
    I was so happy I thought I would faint. Walking behind him, I kept saying, ‘Thank you, Father. I love you. I promise to be the top student in class. I’ll do whatever you ask. May God let me give my life for you.’
    He laughed and said, ‘Enough! I only wish your indolent brothers had a tiny bit of you in them.’
    Parvaneh was waiting outside. She had been so worried she hadn’t slept a wink the night before. With signs and gestures she asked, what happened? I put on a sad face, shook my head and shrugged. It was as if her tears were waiting behind her eyes, because all of a sudden they started to roll down her face. I ran over to her, took her in my arms and said, ‘No! I lied. It’s all right. I’m registered for next year.’
    Out in the schoolyard, we were jumping up and down, laughing like lunatics and wiping away our tears.
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    Father’s decision raised havoc at home. Still, he stood firm and said, ‘The school principal said she is very talented and will become someone important.’ And I, delirious and giddy, didn’t care what any of them said. Even Ahmad’s hatred-filled leers didn’t frighten me.
    Summer came and although it meant that Parvaneh and I would again be apart, I was happy with the knowledge that the next school year would bring us together again. We spent only one week in Qum, and every week Parvaneh found some excuse to visit Tehran with her father and came to see me. She kept insisting that I go with them to Golab-Darreh for a few days. I really wanted to go, but I knew my brothers would never agree and so I didn’t even bring up the subject. Parvaneh said that if her father spoke to my father, he could convince him to let me go. But I didn’t want to create more headaches for Father. I knew