The Fate of Siege

When I reached home, my Mum was dumbstruck when watching me. She was not good. I saw my father who was still twitching because of that night’s incident. My wife, the so-called new bride, was also there. I went forward and kissed my parents’ hands. My mother’s eyes became full of tears. I asked about Mahdi and his family. They said they had escaped all. Unintentionally I smiled and became happy. The story of Mahdi’s escape along with his family is so interesting.

That house was bought by the financial help of my brother and had several rooms with particular situations. One of these rooms was near the main gate where the SAVAK had deployed its agents. His wife and children were in the back rooms. One of the rooms had way to the neighboring yard.  There was also a small wooden door in backyard that would open to the alley behind the building.

Two or three days after my arrest, the ladies in the back rooms would hear the sound of children playing football in the ally about 2 o’clock in the afternoon. One or two voices seem familiar to Mahdi’s wife. She becomes suspected and would think that it was abnormal for the children to play football there at the time of afternoon rest. She would go to the backyard on curiosity and suddenly hear the sound of hitting the ball to the door for three times. She would go to the door…and see paper there. She would pull out that paper. Then when one of the kids who was watching inside through a hole, pulled himself back, she would look out through the same hole and see the children of former partner (who shared buying that building) were playing with some other kids. Mahdi’s wife would get back to the room so fast. Then she would find Mahdi had written in the note that she had to go to somewhere around Moniriyeh square along with her children and find a particular car with the specification mentioned there in that note.

Mahdi’s wife would tell the details to my wife. Fatima would tell her that feel relax about my parents and she would surely take care of them. My brother’s wife would join Haj Mahdi along with her three children and run away from the siege just based on the plan. They would go to Mashhad after some time and follow their hidden life there.

My wife narrated that one-day Mohammad-Hassan Enb-ul-Reza would go there unaware of anything. When he would knock the door, he would see SAVAK agents. Based on his experience, he would note the abnormal situation there and would ask about me. The agents would lead him inside and keep him arrested there all day. But he would not say anything. Enb-ul-Reza had managed to hoax the SAVAK agents very cleverly and even change his name and say that he was a teacher and one of my friends at the time that I was a teacher. Finally, the agents would free him at night. Ebn-ul-Reza right after being freed would contact other friends and warn them not to go around Mahdi’s house!

The day that I was freed, the phone ranged at 9 o’clock at night; it was Haj Mahdi. After greetings I objected why he had called and told him: “Why have you phoned? They chase and find you through the phone line.” He said: “Don’t worry. I know when I should hang up. Ok, how are you? ... I called to see if you are ok or not...” He would think that I was angry with him so he said: “I did not introduce myself to the police because I was sure they cannot keep you for a long time without any reason. So, take care! Ok?” I said: “All right. You did correctly in not introducing yourself. You see that I am finally freed….” Then I insistently asked him not to call anymore and take care of himself and his family.