Daughter of Sheena (12)

Behnaz Zarrabizadeh

Daughter of Sheena-12
Memories of Qadamkheyr Mohammadi Kanaan
Wife of Sardar Shaheed Haj Sattar Ebrahimi Hajir
Memory writer: Behnaz Zarrabizadeh
Tehran, Sooreh Mehr Publications Company, 2011 (Persian Version)
Translated by Zahra Hosseinian

Chapter Eight
The winter was going to end. It was the last days of winter; but it had not still started to thaw. The village alleys were full of mud and snow, which had been blackened by dirt and ashes of braziers of Korsis. The women were involved in the new broom and washing of linens and clothes. The glasses were cleaned at days; at evening sky was overcast, and at midnight there was a thundering and lightning, and raining and all of our efforts were dissipated.
Samad’s soldiering was ended up a few weeks before the Nowruz . I thought that I'm the happiest woman in Qayesh. From morning to evening, I would sweep the house and wash everywhere of it with great love and interest. "No matter, this is the best Nowruz that I’ve had ever, instead. My husband and I are together, and both of us will enjoy these all cleanness and provisions of Nowruz," I said to myself.
Samad had come and was looking for job. He appeared less at home, and went to Razan to find a good job.
One morning, after we woke up and ate our breakfast, my mother-in-law knocked on our room door. After greeting, she brought the twins in our room one by one, and said to Samad: "Today, I want to go to the house of your sister, Shahla. She has some works and I want to help her. These babies are bothersome. Look after them."
"Qadamkheyr, living room is very dirty. Sweep it and take its soot." She said to me when she was going.
Samad had dressed to go. He thought a little and said, "Can you both take care of babies and clean the room?"
I shrugged and my lips were hanged involuntary. "You cannot both watch out for babies and clean the house." Samad said, without hearing a reply of me.
He put off his coat and said, "I babysit, and you clean the room. I’ll go, when your works are finished."
I thought myself that it is early morning and babies still are asleep, it is better to clean the room. Samad also stayed in our room to watch out for them.
I opened the windows of living room. I folded the comforter, which is overhanging on all sides of Korsi, and put it up the Korsi. I picked up mattresses and placed them over the folded comforter. The cry of twins rose, as soon as I took broom in my hand to sweep the room. I did not care first. I thought that Samad calmed them. But shortly after I also heard Samad’ call.
“Qadamkheyr, Qadamkheyr, come here and see what these babies want?”
I dropped the broom in the room and ran toward our room, which was across the courtyard. Twins had been awaken and wanted milk. I gave one of them to Samad, and I hugged another one and was busy preparing milk. Samad gave milk to one of twins and I gave milk to another one. The babies drank their milk and fell silent. I took the opportunity and went back to living room to continue my sweeping. I still had not swept half of the room, that twins’ crying rose again. They had wet their beds surely. I had to go to our room again before Samad called me. My guess was right. Twins, who had drunk their milk, now had wet their bed. I got busy with diapering. Samad had stood beside me and would look. "I want to learn this thing, and make myself master for our own children," he said.
I changed babies’ diaper. They also had drunk their milk; I was reassured that they will be quiet and sleep a few hours. I went to my work again. I grabbed the broom and got busy. The air of room was filled with dust. I covered my mouth with my scarf. The sun would shine palely into the room and dust particles would play in the air and through sunlight. I would think of spreading mattresses on the porch to be exposed to the sun well, when I finished sweeping that again the cry of babies and after that Samad’s shout rose.
“Qadamkheyr, Qadamkheyr, come here and see what these babies want.”
I dropped the broom again and went back to our room. The twins had drunk their milk, their diapers had been changed, after all what was this crying for? Inevitably, I hugged one of them and Samad hugged another one. We began to walk in the room. I was worried about remaining workhouses. It was too late. However, he consoled me and said: "when babies slept, I myself help you."
The babies would get to sleep in our hug. But they woke up and cried, as we laid them on the floor gently and silently. We had tired of walking in the room and singing them to sleep; we sat down, stretched our feet, laid babies on our feet, and rocked them to sleep. But they didn’t sleep. Samad told me about the past; about the day he had seen me on the stairs of my granduncle's house. "I fall in love with you, from that day," he said. He talked about the days when I would not answer him, and he would disappointedly send different people as a mediator every day to woo me. "Because I married you hardly,” he said, “you must become the happiest woman in Qayesh."
Samad’s sound was like a lullaby for babies. They began to cry again, when Samad fell silent. We did everything but we could not put babies to sleep. We didn’t know what to do. They cried as we laid them on the ground. Again, I had to prepare milk for them. But as soon as they drank their milk, they wet their bed. They became happy, and sleeplessness came upon them, and had a sudden desire for playing, as I changed their diaper. Now they wanted someone to hug them and walk around the room.
It was noon and I could not even sweep the room, so in whatever way, I asked Samad to look after babies, and I got busy with cooking lunch. But Samad couldn’t pull off babysitting solely. On the other hand, it was cold and we couldn’t bring babies out of the room. I just could cooked lunch. All the family came home at noon, except Samad’s mother and sister. I served lunch for Samad's father and brothers; but babies’ cry rose as I wanted to stack up the spread. I had a hell of time. I either prepared milk for babies or changed their diaper, or I was busy putting them to sleep.
It was afternoon in the twinkling of an eye, and my mother-in-law returned; but I hadn’t swept the house, hadn’t washed the courtyards, hadn’t cooked dinner, and was not able to wash the dishes. After all, Samad also was not able to go out and got to his work. My mother-in-law got upset and had a little tantrum, when she saw this situation. Samad showed favor to me and explained to her mother what hell babies gave us from morning. My mother-in-law said nothing anymore. We gave babies to her and breathe a sigh of relief.

To be continued…