پریا - قسمت هفتم

I was sleeping like a log when my phone rang. Without opening my eyes, I followed the sound with my hand. I couldn’t find the phone.

I narrowly opened my eyes/ I was squinting and started to look for the phone. It had fallen under the bed again.

As I was laying down, I reached out and declined the call. I closed my eyes again. I had slept late last night and could not get up.

If I was given 100 kilos of gold in one hand and 100 billion bucks in the other, I would gladly choose sleeping! Of course, I’d also hide the money and gold under my pillow!

I was thinking about the absurd dreams I had last night when my mom’s voice startled me: “Pariya! Do you know what time it is?”

I answered in a scratchy morning voice:

“Mom, clock is on the wall! I’m not responsible for announcing the time.”

“You think this is funny? It’s 7:15! The poor Mrs. Keshavarz has been here for half an hour!”

Now, even if the president was on our street, it would make no difference to me. Let alone Mrs. Keshavarz! I wasn’t in the mood to argue. That’s why I got up reluctantly. “Okay, I’m getting ready now.”

After putting on my clothes and picking up my bag, I went to the kitchen and hurriedly took a bite out of a jam sandwich. When I left the house, I didn’t see Mrs. Keshavarz’s car.

I thought she might be waiting down the street and has not parked in the alley, but there was no sign of her within one-kilometer radius of our house.

It was as if her threats had become serious and she had taken the options on the table into action!

I looked at my watch. It was half past seven.

Embarrassed, I went to the taxi service building at the intersection and asked for a taxi.

The driver was asleep, and his colleagues finally brought him out of the building’s balcony to the car by force and lots of shouting. Everything was pouring gasoline on my fire to make my morning worse.

I finally got in the car and we drove away. It must have been the millionth time I was late for school, and I was sure that this time Ms. Ahmadi, the school administrator, would not allow me to go to the class.

“Would you like some music?”

The driver looked at me in the mirror and waited for my answer.

“Doesn’t matter.”

A few seconds later, I wished I had a time machine and went back to tell the driver, “No, I would not! Don’t play any music!”

On the one hand, I was about 20 minutes late, and on top of that/ also the traffic was driving me mad. And the driver’s music was so annoying.

He had chosen such a happy song that you’d think he won the lottery or something! ,the whole situation caused me to pay the driver and get out of the car two streets away from the school.

I took faster steps to get to school sooner. I was one street away from the school when someone called me out from behind: “Why are you in such a hurry? You didn’t come with the service driver today, I thought you were not coming at all… I was leaving.”

I glanced back. It was Erfan. The same stubborn boy who came to school every day and stared at me like a mountain goat. I was a little scared, but I kept walking without paying attention to him. The faster I walked, the closer I felt the sound of his footsteps. Until he finally reached me. Ignoring him, I kept going.

“I don’t wanna bother you, really… Would you look at me for a moment?”

I was getting more anxious. Without looking at him, I said, “You are harassing me… Please go away.”

“I have been looking for you for a long time.”

I didn’t answer. I was getting closer to the school when he grabbed my bag, “Just give me your number and I’ll go,” he said in a slightly harsh tone.”We’ll talk about it later.”

I pulled my bag out of his hand and shouted this time, “Go away or I’ll…”

He didn’t let me finish my sentence. He stood in front of me, “Or what?” he said with a nasty smile.

I had nothing to say. I lowered my head and tried to pass him, but he stopped me every time. I felt very bad and didn’t know what to do.