A Bitter Veil by Libby Fischer Hellmann Read Free Book Online

Massoud left off. A third speaker followed him.
    As the speakers proliferated, the sun climbed higher in the sky, and the day grew warm. It was becoming hard to breathe under the bags. Nouri kept fidgeting with his. So did Anna. Finally, Nouri tapped her on the shoulder.
    “I can’t breathe. I’m taking it off.”
    “You can’t. It’s too dangerous.”
    “I don’t care.” In a sweeping gesture, he tore the bag off his face and gazed around defiantly.
    Anna froze. He knew she wasn’t sure what to do. A moment later another student nearby stripped off his bag. Nouri and he exchanged nods. A third student, then a fourth slowly took off their bags. Soon, everyone around Nouri had ripped off their bags. Some congratulated each other and clasped hands. Others hugged. They all cheered Nouri. He dipped his head.
    As the crowd cheered and pushed in, Nouri and Anna were separated. When he realized she was not behind him, he whipped around. He spotted her, four or five people away. He gestured to her. He could see her trying to slip through the throng to get to him. As she did, she slowly removed her bag as well. Her eyes were wet, but she was smiling. Nouri sucked in a breath. She was telling him how much she loved him. How proud of him she was. He didn’t think he could love her more.
    His joy was short-lived, though. A moment later a scuffle broke out on the other side of the plaza. A student and an on-looker, Nouri thought. As if it was a signal, the police started to move in. Shouting erupted, followed by more scuffles. The police grabbed some of the protestors. Nouri, in the middle of the crowd, couldn’t get away. The police were closing in, heading straight toward him. He turned around and saw Massoud slinking off in the opposite direction with his brassy, blonde girlfriend. Nouri wanted to yell at him to stop. Everything was coming apart, and Massoud was their leader. He should do something. Nouri turned back to see a beefy police officer brandishing his club ten yards from where he was standing. He was going to be arrested. Then what? He would be thrown in jail. His life would be over. He swallowed nervously, edging toward panic.
    Suddenly, Anna was beside him. She snatched his hand and pushed through the crowd. Nouri followed, stumbling at first, then steadier. Together they wove through the hordes of people, Anna still clutching his hand. He couldn’t tell how far they’d gone, but he lost sight of the police. By the time she guided him to the other side of Washington Street they’d left the demonstration behind.
     

Eight
     
    The warmth of spring eventually came to Chicago, and cars that had been buried in snow for months were finally dug out. The warmer weather brought with it hot political rhetoric, and a female politician decided to challenge the mayor in the next Chicago primary. Anna thought it was long overdue.
    “There’s no reason in the world a woman shouldn’t be mayor,” she said to Nouri at dinner one night. “Israel had Golda Meir. India, Indira Gandhi. And Margaret Thatcher may be the next prime minister of Britain. As usual America lags behind.”
    Nouri sliced his chicken and took a bite.
    “What do you think, Nouri? Would you vote for a woman?”
    He chewed and swallowed his meat, then laid down his knife and fork. He clasped his hands together. “I don’t think I will have the opportunity to vote for the mayor of Chicago.”
    “Well, of course not. The election is over a year away, and you’re not a US citizen, anyway.”
    “Even if I was a citizen, I would not vote.”
    Anna frowned. “Why not? Don’t you believe a woman can do the job?”
    He smiled broadly. In fact, he looked like he was going to burst. Anna frowned, puzzled. “What is it, Nouri?”
    Nouri backed his chair away from the table, scraping the floor with its legs. He stood up. “I’ve been waiting for the right moment to tell you. I was offered a job in Tehran. It’s an engineering job with the company