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Persianality QUOTES

Persianality QUOTES

1 " Bosco's hand stabs forward, flicking his mostly-finished cigarette. It twirls through the air like a Molotov cocktail, barely missing me, but after striking the tin-clad door, sparks explode in all directions. "

― Michael Ben Zehabe , Persianality

2 " You're no Mother, but after you arrived, we began to heal. We all felt it. Father speaks to us through you, and we, likewise, through you to him. Strange, but somehow you've returned the circulation to a dead household You arrived just in time With you here, I don't feel so bad about leaving. "

― Michael Ben Zehabe , Persianality

3 " It's forbidden to bite a woman's arse. In the absence of a legal precedent, the Imams decided to apply human law to the guilty monkey, whoever it turned out to be. They narrowed it down to Bosco or Shin Bone. The victim was unable to distinguish one monkey from the other. "

― Michael Ben Zehabe , Persianality

4 " Step outside on the terrace if you can't sleep in the heat. Don't be surprised if you find me there. The summer stars are spectacular. Just make sure you sleep near the half wall. Stay out of the sight line of the north tower. It would be scandalous if Uncle Solomon watched you sleep. You know, Islamic propriety and all. And by the way, you sleep about as quiet as an egg beater. "

― Michael Ben Zehabe , Persianality

5 " I lied to Father . . . to spare him. I broke our family rule: better to hurt with the truth than comfort with a lie. I woke up today with a list of his expectations and I'm tiring of it. "

― Michael Ben Zehabe , Persianality

6 " Some people have described Ava as religiously non-observant, but I think she's starved for love. She must have been deprived in her youth. That's why she acts out. Deep down, she didn't have a good opinion of herself. Not that she's perfect. I just think she could use a hug. "

― Michael Ben Zehabe , Persianality

7 " Although my words were temperate and well-expressed, they seemed to repulse Ava. My timing has never been precise. Ava regarded me the way a widow spider examines a housefly. She laughed loudly, a vulgar Occidental laugh, the laugh of a person who wraps their next meal in silk before draining their lifeblood. But, I have been known to imagine things. "

― Michael Ben Zehabe , Persianality

8 " A boorish laborer of some type emerged from a crowd of timid Coke-drinking men. He moved toward us with the wide menacing stance of a wrestler, black glistening hair, jutting like straight shards from beneath a Pashtun cap. Strong as an acre of garlic. He stared at me with an undignified glimmer in his eye that I wished wasn't there. "

― Michael Ben Zehabe , Persianality

9 " I'm insane. I'll admit that. I have that awful condition: cleithrophobia. Father knew all of this, of course, but nowadays he never asks direct questions. I was determined to show him the world outside should be invited in--celebrated. I had every intention of doing the same thing tomorrow, and all nights thereafter, until he conceded, or, I made my escape to gay Paree. "

― Michael Ben Zehabe , Persianality

10 " Sarah has read books on manners and good conduct, written in the language of the Arabs. I know she turned those pages. Watch her: perfect posture, grace in every step, perfect clothes. Not very fashionable, but clean and beautifully pressed. "

― Michael Ben Zehabe , Persianality

11 " I'm sure love has its own means of survival, its preferred host, its ideal temperature, its own law of thermodynamics. Why else would women crave hot baths? "

― Michael Ben Zehabe , Persianality

12 " Iran. Hot for certainties, but all us women get are rhymes. Always a metaphor; always a clever turn of phrase; always quoting poets without giving a direct answer. Give us definitive wedding dates. That's certainty! Those are the certainties we ache for--as certain as the sunlight that our sun-loving botany aches for. "

― Michael Ben Zehabe , Persianality

13 " In this unguarded instant, I realize how much I miss my childhood-big-brother, Uncle Solomon. I miss the comfortable merriment we once shared. His face is awash with a transitioning auburn from the setting sun. It is a handsome face, maybe the only pleasing face left in this wretched town . . . besides Armand's. "

― Michael Ben Zehabe , Persianality

14 " Bosco stares into the distance, like I am no longer worthy of his attention. He had always seemed so well behaved on the race track--like a real gentleman. I must confess, I thought he was better than this. "

― Michael Ben Zehabe , Persianality

15 " He's a pitiful soul. Gentle, frail, the least likely to protest. In a nation of hairy men, Father stands out like a sleek adolescent boy. For years, his hair was thin and wispy, then, in one year, gone. He couldn't even keep the hair on top of his head. "

― Michael Ben Zehabe , Persianality

16 " It was clear Zoe had stars in her eyes, a little too enthusiastic about her new home--our home. I wasn't sure what manner of house she came from, but I was starting to hold her opinion suspect. "

― Michael Ben Zehabe , Persianality

17 " Father, too, is a contradiction. The least heralded physician in Noshahr, a father too busy healing others to notice his daughters' broken hearts. Not exactly true. I'm sure he notices. He just doesn't know what to do, and I don't know how to ask. So, here we are: him locking me in and me plotting my escape. "

― Michael Ben Zehabe , Persianality

18 " I'm telling you this because I want you to grasp the nuances of Persian hospitality. Whether entering or leaving, all guests must be accorded the honor and dignity of monarchs, because they are. "

― Michael Ben Zehabe , Persianality

19 " Deep in the shadows, a hot ember from a lit cigarette glows. For a brief second, the light illumines the face of the famous chimp, Bosco, champion bicyclist. He stares back, emotionless, unimpressed. His relentless gaze makes me uncomfortable, self-conscious, intimidated. "

― Michael Ben Zehabe , Persianality

20 " So pointless to play over how our years might have been put to better use. They can't be recovered now. We do well not to grieve on and on. Ancient voices may have much to tell, but no one's listening. "

― Michael Ben Zehabe , Persianality