9
Farewell My Country
During his final few days in Tehran, Karim couldn’t get Zahra out of his mind. Every time the phone rang, he felt edgy, wondering if it was the authorities telling him one of their ‘servants’ had been arrested. His house was Zahra’s last address in Tehran. When no call came and no one thumped on his front door, he assumed they’d got out of Iran and arrived in Australia. They were probably staying in a smart hotel in Sydney while Zahra’s despicable cousin disposed of his smuggled drugs.
Karim pushed on with the work of organising the final packing in his family’s home. The day before he left, he stood in the echoing atrium of the house. His life in Iran was over. After Tahmineh and Amir had helped him lock up, he was sure he would never see this house again. He was
