On a Park Bench with My Daughter

I was sitting with my daughter on a bench in the park near our house, thinking about writing a new story… “Dad… are you okay?” “Yes, sweetheart… I’m okay…” “If that’s true, why don’t you smile? I can’t even remember what your smile looks like!” “I’m okay, darling, because I have you…” She hugged me. I watched the wind dance through the tree branches. “I’ll feel better, sweetheart… We’ll all feel better soon… “One day, no one will miss the person they used to be. “One day, we won’t need to put on a smiling mask just to smile…” “You mean I could laugh for no reason, without anybody tickling me?” “Yes, sweetheart… Promise me one thing.” “What?” “That even if I’m not there, you’ll laugh out loud from the bottom of your heart for me.” My fellow Iranian, a piece of my own flesh, my friend: remember that we are fighting so our children can one day laugh freely, out loud, from the bottom of their hearts. Whether we are there to enjoy it with them or not, may a free Iran’s dignity be what we leave behind. A land where being yourself is the first rule of life. Long live Iran. Long live the Shah.