An Iranian Love Story, Part II

DAVOOD: “Elham stayed with me for a week. Her mother called her all the time, asking where she was and what she was doing. Elham was tired of all the secrets, so after that week, we told her mother that we were together again.”

ELHAM: “She was very sad, especially when I told her that I had slept at Davood’s place. This was a big problem. She didn’t talk to me about it any more, but I heard from somebody else that she said I was a bad daughter. My father didn’t have a problem with Davood, but my big brother was also against him.”

DAVOOD: “I was fighting with my family too. They liked Elham, but not her mother. In Iran, it is very important for the families of a couple to get along.”

ELHAM: “I visited Davood quite often. We couldn’t meet up in the park all the time, so we wanted to book a hotel room together. In Iran, this is only allowed for married couples or siblings. So I brought my brother’s passport with me for Davood, and we pretended to be brother and sister.”

DAVOOD: “For years, our situation didn’t change. We were tired of this, so I moved to Elham’s city and got a little house there. Only Elham and I knew.”

ELHAM: “Every day after my work at a hair salon, I went over to Davood’s house – for eight months. It was very dangerous, because our houses were very close to each other.”

DAVOOD: “I told my parents about it, and my mother was scared for us. She wanted to help and promised that she would talk to Elham’s mother about it – one last time. So my parents went to visit Elham’s family.”

ELHAM: “That was the first time I dared to speak and to cry. I said: ‘I love Davood. I need you to accept him!’”

DAVOOD: “After the visit, my parents waited for three or four months. Then, Elham’s mother finally said: ‘Fine. Get married.’”

ELHAM: “And then, I finally married Elham! I had waited nine years for this day. Six months later, we had to leave Iran due to circumstances we can’t talk about in public. We came to Europe as refugees and celebrated our first wedding anniversary in Austria. Every day, I thank God for Davood. He supports me in everything I do and is very patient. He has been loving me and fighting for me for nine years.”

DAVOOD: “I can’t say what the best thing about Elham is because there are so many things I love about her. She is so nice and kind, which is more important than being pretty – although she is beautiful too. She knows me and accepts me the way I am. I love her from head to toe.”

ELHAM: “Whenever I think about our past, I start to cry and get depressed. It was so hard for me. We have a bag filled with letters we wrote to each other, and with diaries from both of us. The bag is in Iran, locked away. After our wedding, I didn’t want to open it again. I’m not ready to read any of it yet.”

DAVOOD: “Sometimes I get hopeless here in Austria. It’s hard to live in the refugee camp, not being allowed to work. But whenever I get sad, I watch a clip from our wedding day where I smile, and then I forget all my troubles. With a love like this, everything else is easy.”