Conclusion
[Previously: ‘Leila’s Unique Loveliness Spanned the Years of Their Happy Marriage,’ July 21. Keywords: Dr. Ali, Leila.]
Dr. Ali’s two sons followed their father’s profession and became physicians.
The older son, Ahmed, married and had two children, a daughter and a son. After the death of his father, they moved to Tehran, the capital of Iran. Ahmed opened a medical office. He became well-known and prosperous.
Their older daughter, Fatima, finished at the University of Tehran, and she went to Paris for graduate school. After obtaining her certification, she returned to Tehran and started working at the hospital.
One day she met a handsome young man in the elevator. At the first sight, he caught her attention. Some days later, they again saw each other in a meeting and were officially introduced.
Fatima learned he was a doctor who practiced at the hospital. From his name, she learned that he was of Armenian origin.
Official meetings turned to personal affections; soon they were deeply in love with each other.
He introduced her to his parents, who received her kindly. Later, he asked their permission to marry her; they did not object much, although in their hearts they preferred that he had married an Armenian girl instead.
She Begins with Mom
Fatima talked with her mother first. When she met him for the first time, her mother also admitted that her daughter had found the perfect man. Fatima then asked for her father’s permission and blessings.
Fatima and her mother were very surprised to find out that behind that sweet face of an intellectual father, another fanatic, racist and unreasonable man had been hidden for all these years.
She was surprised to hear all the unpleasant words coming out of the mouth of her beloved father, especially when his mother was of Armenian origin, and he was unofficially half Armenian.
His mother was loved and respected by her grandfather and by everyone who knew her. Fatima remembered and loved her grandmother although she never talked or tried to teach her anything about the Armenians.
Persuasion Does Not Work
For weeks and months, Fatima, her mother, brother and close relatives tried to convince Dr. Ahmed to accept the union, but with no success.
He told Fatima that if she talked to the man or dared even to think of marrying him, he would cut his relationships with her forever.
She would be considered as dead.
Regardless of his harsh treatment, their love conquered the difficulties, and Fatima married the young Armenian doctor. In her heart, she hoped that once married her father would soften his heart and love and spoil her like usual.
Her in-laws organized the most luxurious wedding party in the honor of their only son and his wife in the Armenian Club. Many Armenian and Muslim friends and family members were present and participated in the wedding.
The Missing List
Only three dear members of the bride’s family were absent, her father, mother and brother. The father refused to attend, as he did not approve of the union between his Muslim daughter and the Armenian groom. He declared that his only daughter was dead. His wife, who wanted so much to see her daughter in her bridal gown, was not able to attend as her husband said if she disobeyed, he would divorce her immediately. And the same condition was put on their son.
All the aunts, uncles and the cousins were present, and they enjoyed the wedding, the music and the delicious food.
Years passed.
Fatima and her husband have a 10-year-old son, handsome and intelligent. Fatima’s mother and brother visit her in secret. They go to her beautiful large house.
They love their son-in-law and the grandson, but at home they are not permitted to pronounce the name of Fatima. All the relatives and friends have begged the father to forgive and make peace with his daughter.
However, the educated father has continued to surprise and disappoint relatives by maintaining such a strong and hard opposition. Nobody is able to understand him.
A Visit of Hope
The oldest living family member, who is respected by the entire extended family, visited Dr. Ahmed and his family last winter.
After some days he told Dr. Ahmed that he had a last favor to ask before leaving for Khoy. Dr. Ahmed immediately answered that his uncle knew that he would do anything for him. The old uncle told him that his days are counted in this world and that he always lived in a traditional and united family.
It really broke his heart to see that his nephew had cut off all his ties with such a wonderful daughter and her family. He told Ahmed that his wish was the best gift that he could offer his old uncle.
Ahmed, in a rage, replied that if he wanted one of his eyeballs he would have offered immediately, but not any request about his daughter. Fatima and her family were dead for him. That was the only request that he could not fulfill.
The uncle asked Ahmed what if while his daughter was in Paris, she had fallen in love with a French Catholic man and married him. Would he have reacted the same way?
Why Is It Different?
He replied that was different. The old man answered quietly, “What is the difference? Are the Armenians still the poor survivors and victims whereas the French are superior?”
Some months ago when Fatima walked into her son’s room, she found him crying bitterly. She asked if something had hurt him at school. The child shook his head negatively, and then he told his mother that: “All the children at my school have two grandfathers. Why do I have only one?”
Fatima hugged her son with tears.
“You also have two grandfathers,” she said.
The next morning they left earlier than usual for school. She parked her car not far from her father’s office. In few minutes, Ahmed appeared, walking towards his cabinet as usual but this time he was not aware that a young loving grandson and his daughter were watching him from their car.
Now it has almost become a routine. Whenever the young boy wishes to see his grandfather, he asks his mother to make their secret visit.
My friend finished the story, and she told me whenever she calls Fatima’s mother, the deal between them is that she talks about Fatima and the mother only repeats by yesses and no’s, as even her telephone conversations are controlled by her husband.
She asked me if I could answer the reason why Ahmed was so hard and unforgiving towards his daughter when he had a wonderful “Armenian” woman, as good as his mother!
In Search of Answers
I told her that of course there could be many elements in the past that has made Ahmed bitter towards the Armenians.
May be some school kids bullied him for his mother’s hairdo!
May be he hated to see her mother be so resigned, obedient and dominated. The human brain is complicated.
But we know that before the creation of the State of Israel, many people considered Jews as weak people who were not able to defend themselves. It was after the creation of Israel that the same people could see that Jews could become soldiers and show all kinds of bravery and practice a variety of professions they were not permitted to follow in their countries of origin.
This is also true for Armenians. Since the independence of Armenia, people realize that Armenians are no more the hungry and scared survivors but proud citizens of this world who have the same rights as any French men and women.
I told my friend the other day I was talking to a reporter. and I said I wondered who the real victims in the Armenian Massacre were.
He laughed at me and answered; it is evident, the person who was killed.
I asked him if he was so sure of his answer.
Then I added that although sad, dying requires a shorter moment for the victim. But survivors live with their memory and its psychological effects all of their lives.
Unfortunately, they pass their heavy loads, willingly or unconsciously, onto the next generations.
This is the reason that I write and rewrite the stories of the survivors.
Many of these same sad stories are being created in Iraq, Afghanistan or in any conflict zones in the world right at this moment.
New Fatimas and Lucines are being created on both sides of the conflicts every day. Unfortunately, many more individuals are going to suffer in both sides of the conflict.
Dr. Rosemary Hartounian Cohen, who lives in the Fairfax District, received her Ph.D in sociology from the Sorbonne in Paris. She lived in two other countries before moving, with her husband and children, to Los Angeles in 1984. She has published three books in America and is working on her fourth. Since 1985, she has operated Atelier de Paris, an international art business, on Robertson Boulevard. Her email address is Rosemary@atelierdeparis.com
