About seven years ago, I went to the office of a lawyer for legal advice. He was about seventy years old. His office was located on one of the upper floors of a high-rise building near the Republican crossroads of Tehran. Our meeting lasted about three hours.
The lawyer said that the building where his office is currently located was constructed around the time of the revolution, and he had been working in the same office since the beginning of its construction. Initially, a diligent caretaker worked in the building. He received a salary, and one of the units in the building was allocated for him and his family to live in. He was illiterate and came from one of the villages in Azerbaijan.
One day, I encountered this caretaker on the building’s stairway. After exchanging greetings, I said to him, “Mashdi, I heard from the residents of the building that you plan to leave us soon. Is that true?”
He replied, “Yes, sir, I will be leaving here soon.”
I asked, “Aren’t you comfortable here?”
He said, “Yes, sir, I am comfortable.”
I said, “Well, if you’re comfortable, just stay here. Where would you go? Where are you heading?”
He replied, “I am returning to our village to resume farming.”
I asked, “What happened that you suddenly decided to leave Tehran?”
He said, “Sir, to be honest, the reason is that recently Shahr-e No has been closed for several days now. It’s been completely shut down.”
I said, “Well, let it be shut down. What does that have to do with you? Did you go to Shahr-e No? You’re a religious person; your blood type doesn’t match Shahr-e No!”
He responded, “No, sir. I’ve never been to Shahr-e No, but if it is closed, I will no longer be sure about the safety of my daughter here. I have a high school-aged daughter. I cannot always be anxious about my daughter!!”