Story 2 - Part 10: The Political Figure

My head was hurting as well. I wanted to smoke a pipe, but I saw that amidst the confusion, the same people whose cheers of “Long live!” still rang in my ears had taken my pipe, tobacco pouch, and some other odds and ends from my pocket. What hurt the most was the few thousand rials that had fallen out of the torn pocket of my “Khaghan al-Saltanah” bag in the corners of my coat. I wanted to use the money for food and water, but suddenly, a familiar voice rose near my ear, shaking my body. I looked and saw someone who had brought money from Khaghan al-Saltanah. I was about to curse him and express my patriotic indignation, but I realized that the crowd was not there, and any futile passion or “national prestige” would be pointless. Besides, the man had no time, and once again, the mule of flattery and sycophancy was heading for the mill of compliments. After the pleasantries, without catching his breath, he delivered Khaghan al-Saltanah’s greetings and prayers, saying, “I was at your speech today, and you caused an uproar. Of course, you must have thought it best to speak this way. Everything that Khusrow does is sweet! Truly, you performed brilliantly. You are the Plato of your time. Surely, a statue of you will be erected in gold, and your name is undoubtedly on everyone’s lips in Europe. I’m sure that soon, Khaghan al-Saltanah will become a minister, and thanks to your blessings, we too will be receiving a hat and praise from you.”

In short, this person continued until he reached the door of the house, praising and flattering. I had no idea how to get rid of this liar. As soon as I entered the house, I hastily closed the door and was left alone. I took a deep breath and started my ablutions when I heard the shrill voices of my wife and Hashemi. My wife was shouting, “Sheikh, come see what this sycophant is doing with your money! He took fifteen thousand rials from the money you sent and said it was his payment for the month. Who trusts a cat with their meat? Don’t you know this despicable man? If you can, deal with him yourself…” It turned out that Hashemi, who had taken the money from me outside the assembly, not knowing who or where to give it to, had brought it home and taken fifteen thousand rials as his own fee. Well, it seemed that God had decided it this way, and we accepted His will. But still, to maintain appearances, I scolded Hashemi a little, and he, in his generosity, slipped the fifteen rials into his pocket and left.

The next day, my name was on everyone’s lips. I heard in the market that people swore they had seen with their own eyes that I had not even looked at the thousand tomans of gold coins that were sent to me, and some even claimed that the king had promised that if I took my foot out of his shoe, he would grant me a six-danqi village deed in my name.

In short, little by little, I became one of the city’s notable figures. Haj Ali came a couple of times and complained that I had forgotten him. He took care of his own business and later I heard he became a successful businessman with a fat nose, and once his stomach was full, he forgot about politics.

A few months later, during the elections, I was elected by both the Democratic and Moderate parties with several thousand votes. However, after a few months of being a representative, I realized that it was a dangerous job. Even though it seemed like a way to get rich, one must always be a rooster in a fight, constantly meddling in other people’s business and grabbing the legs of lords and ministers. Since I had lived with dignity for many years, I found that this path was not suitable for me. So, slowly, we established our own little government in Na’in, a town far from the noise of the center, took our wife and children by the hand, and now we live a comfortable life. My son has recently become the head of education in Fars, and he is happy, we are happy, and I kindly ask you to no longer consider or refer to us as political figures.

Berlin - 27th of Jumada al-Awwal