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House of Sand and Fog (2003)
Are you Kathy Nicolo?
Yeah. ls this your house? Nadi, of course agreed that it was a wonderful idea to cut down the trees at our home on the Caspian to have the sea spread before us, to reach infinity with our eyes, to see forever. But then, our life went the way of the trees, when the Ayatollahs ripped the soul out of our beautiful country. Well, enough. Today is not a day for the old. lt is a day for the young. To the future. To our Soraya. May she be a happy wife as she is a bride. And perhaps she will not forget her poor mother and father so soon and return to us and give us many little grandbabies. A father can dream. He's so tan. -Retirement's good to the coronel. -He's not retired. -He works for Boeing. -He doesn't work for Boeing. My son works for Boeing. Who knows what he does now. l love you. -Hello? -Kathy? -What time is it? -lt's nine o'clock. Mom, that's 6 A.M. here. l don't think 6 A.M. will kill you. Your father got up at 4:30 every day of his life. God bless his soul. -How's it going? How's the program? -Fine. l'm fine. One day at a time, right? l just hope it's working. How is everyone there? Frankie's good. Salesman of the Month again. You know your brother. His Lisa's in her seventh month. How's your better half?. Fine. He's right here. He's sleeping. Sleeping? Mom, l'm really tired. l'm gonna go, okay? l forgot, Aunt Frances won a trip to Reno. We'll come out on the 18th. l thought we'd stop by to see you. -The 18th? -Yeah. Two weeks. Yeah, okay. Nick will be away on business, though. -Again? -Yeah. l'm gonna go, okay? You're still not smoking, right?. -Bye. -You know it's... Just a second! You Kathy Lazaro? Yeah. Why? Kathy Lazaro, due to the nonpayment of business taxes associated with this property, the county has petitioned the court on its behalf to reclaim the costs. This should come as no surprise to you. l'm sure you've had ample warning. We've sent many notices. Now the house is up for auction starting tomorrow morning. Auction? What are you talking about? Are you out of your mind? There's no smoking in my house. Hey, Chuck. l see your number right here, man. Are we going to meet down there? lt's supposed to be a hot one today. l'd dress lightly if l were you. That's okay, because l'm not leaving. l'm afraid you have no choice, Mrs. Lazaro. All of your things will be auctioned off with the property. Do you want that? Look, you can't evict me. l never owed a fucking business tax. lt doesn't make any sense. Okay. Well, this is where l get off. Deputy Sheriff Burdon will assist you with vacating the property. Do you have a lawyer? l can't afford a lawyer. l'm a house cleaner. This is the number for the Legal Assistance Office. They might help. Nothing's written in blood. Youjust have to clear out today. You may be moving back in next week. ln the meantime, maybe you can call some friends or family, stay with them. There's no one to call. l tell you what. l know some movers that owe me a favor. Brian! Go down to Safeway and get some boxes. Let's help this lady pack up. Lester. May l help you? My car is parked here. You asked yesterday also. -What happened to you? -l fell. -Again? -Yeah. Wash up. Do not get blood on the floor. The house was repossessed for tax payment delinquency. lt's got three bedrooms, one bath... A widow's walk would increase the value. What is this ''widow's walk''? lt's a deck on top of the house, so you can see the ocean. We still got some time here. Feel free to take a look around. Nadereh, today God has kissed our eyes. Do you remember our bungalow on the Caspian? How l ordered the trees cut down on the west side, so that we may view the sea? Please, be quiet. You remember how the General brought his family there for the New Year? How beautiful it was? What is the matter for you today, Behrani? Nadi... l today have bought for us another bungalow. l have purchased this home for a price of which no one would believe. lt is worth two, maybe three times that. We will live in this home for a short while, and then sell it and find one even better. No, no! Perhaps you did not come here to live like a gypsy, but l did not come here to work like an Arab! To be treated like an Arab. For four years, we have lived a life which we could not afford and spent almost everything to marry Soraya with a good family. This apartment alone has cost us over $140,000 in rent. And what of Esmail's university education? Soon we will have nothing. Then you will see what it is like to walk in the shoes of the gypsies. So... beginning tomorrow, you will begin packing. There's no more to discuss, Mrs. Behrani. Do not open your lips. $500? -They evicted you for that? -You got it. Are you staying with friends? Yeah, l'm with a friend. How much is this going to cost me? lt's on a sliding scale. How come you didn't do something about this earlier? l did. l went to the courthouse months ago and l signed a statement saying that l never owed a business tax because l never owned a business. l even had it certified. And what about the follow-up mail? l didn't open them. lt's very important to me that l get my house back by the 18th. l'm expecting company. When did you sign that letter? l don't know. March? l hate to be the bearer of bad news, but apparently the county's -already sold your house. -What? No! They can't do that. The auction date has been set for months. Don't worry. l'll demand they rescind the sale or we'll file a lawsuit against the county and get your house back. Before the 18th, right? lt's possible. Fuck. Hello? Sorry. -l didn't mean to scare you. -Don't do that. You all right? Yeah, l'm fine. You? Good, good. You working undercover or something? Excuse me? No. l'm off. l drive by this way and l figured l'd check in on you. See how you're holding up. They already sold your house? Technically, it's mine and my brother's. My dad let it to us when he died. l haven't told my family. My lawyer is trying to get them to rescind us. So l'm trying not to harp on the negative. You have any kids, Mr. Burdon? Two. Call me Lester. My husband left me eight months ago. No one knows that, either. Do you mind if l give you some professional advice? No. Do it all through your lawyer, Kathy. l wouldn't even drive past that house till the keys are in my hand. Thanks for checking in on me. Sure. Night. Kathy, wait. This is my direct number at the department. Most of the time l'm on patrol, but if you ever need anything, anything at all, just leave a message. See you. Good night. lt is like our garden in lsfahan. Hello? Hello? Yeah? Your credit card didn't go through. That's two days now. God, l'm really sorry about that. Look, l'm going to get my paycheck on Friday. ls there any way we can just let it slide until then? The only affordable way to put a terrace up there is to put the stairs on the outside. lt will have to block that kitchen window. l could do that for about a grand. lf we have to go through the roof, you're talking four to seven. -But this window must be obstructed? -l don't see any other way. That is acceptable. Can you start today? What are you doing? -Excuse me? -What the fuck are you doing? This is my house! -Who are you? -Who said you could do this? Are you Mrs. Behrani? No. Mr. Behrani hired us. You'll have to talk to him. Fuck! Shit! Damn! Stay right there! Don't move! Oh, man! Careful. Can we use your bathroom? She stepped on a nail. Sorry, ma'am. Could we use your washroom to clean her foot? lt is okay. For one moment, please. -Here you go. -Thanks. Have you had a tetanus shot lately? l'm going to be sick. ls she bleeding? Excuse me. l don't want to ruin your towel. Here. l use this for skateboarding. Don't worry. l washed it. Okay. This is, of course, our family pictures. Thank you. l think l should go. What happened? l'll tell you what happened. My yard is a construction site. -You were there? -Yeah. l was there. l was at my house. l stepped on some nails. l was bleeding on my own doorstep, waiting for a stranger to let me in. You can't just go over there. Let us handle this. l want them out of my house. They're already more at home there than l ever was. Did you get their name? Bahroony? Behmini, something like that. l don't know. They're Middle Eastern. -Gary. -Yes. Connie? Type a letter to the courier service and get it to a Mr. Behrmini. lt's damn hard to sell a house nowadays. This is what you call a real buyer's market. Sorry, but she comes in at $174,000. -You're late, Behrani. -l'm not late. l have come to tell you that l am no longer to return to this job. You tell the office, Colonel? No. So why tell me? ls this you? ''...inform you that under these circumstances... we request that you vacate the property immediately.'' Mother whores! goddamn it! Mr. Barmeeny is here. Mr. Barmeeny... My name is Behrani. Colonel Massoud Amir Behrani. l wish to speak with Mr. Walsh, please. l'm Connie Walsh. This is my office, Colonel. Please come in. l'm sure our letter came as a shock to you. The situation is this: Pacific County has made a number of mistakes. First, they levied a tax on my client, which she did not owe. Second, they evicted her for nonpayment. Third, they auctioned the property. -And this is where you come in. -But l now own the house. l paid for it in cash. l have a bill of sale. Here, please. Would you be willing to sell the county back the house? l can assure you they would make it a comfortable transaction. Please listen to me very carefully, Miss Walsh. The only comfortable transaction possible is if the county tax office paid to me $174,000. Mr. Behrani, you only paid a quarter of that amount. The market can already pay me this. good morning, Miss Walsh. Wait, please. From a legal standpoint, you are in the right. But the true owner of this house is living in a motel. Her belongings are locked in storage. Why should she wait to get back into her home that was wrongfully taken from her? Just because you want to turn a profit? Things are not as they appear. lt is a matter of necessity for me and my family. l'm sorry. l do not have a choice in this matter. Hi. This is a surprise. Good one or bad one? lt's good. lt's good. What happened to your foot? l stopped by my house, and they were doing some construction on the roof. -l stepped on some nails. -Thanks for letting me ride along today, Mr. Burdon. -So, how's the El Rancho? -l'm not there anymore. l'm staying at the Bonneville now. l don't know it. You're looking at it. l haven't had a drink in three years, Lester. l'm sorry. l should have asked. l didn't know. lt's okay. The fog is coming in. l'd like to ask you a personal question if l could. Okay. Just get it over with. Why is your husband no longer with you? l wanted kids. He didn't want kids. But l guess if he really wanted me, he would have wanted them, too. l think he's a fool. Maybe we should find you a place to stay. Do you remember the beauty of the Caspian Sea, Esmail? The water like glass, the beach sand like gold. lt is beautiful here. Massoud, when must we move again? Not too soon. Perhaps once we get a buyer, we will tell them to wait until autumn. Would you prefer that? l will do as you wish. There was this little runt of a guy. Kept beating up his wife. Except she wouldn't press charges. We'd show up and they'd be at the door, like Romeo and Juliet. Arm in arm. She had welts and bruises all over her. So, one night, we get called out there again. And l slip down their hallway, and stuff two eight-balls in his closet. Turns out he was on parole. He goes back to jail. She's safe. And l slept like a baby. Did l just lose you? No. l'm sorry. To tell you the truth, l think the wine is distracting me. -l'll send it back. -No, it's fine. -You sure? -Yeah. See, when l think of my sobriety, l don't think about wine. Alcohol was never a problem. You're a grown woman. Cheers. -What are your kids' names? -Nate and Betheny. Nate is four. Bethany is nine. -Where is your house? -Millbrae. ln a housing development called Palomino Meadows. -lt's on the way to the mall. -Yeah, l know where that is. God, l've probably driven by it a dozen times. l've probably seen your wife. Carol. Yeah, Carol. What's your situation, Les? l married my best friend. And for seven of the last nine years l haven't wanted to give her more than a hug or a peck on the cheek. -That's my situation. -What about her? lt's not the same for her. Do you want to come inside? Massoud. We are blessed. What time is it? lt's ten. Oh, God. l should have been home hours ago. l'm sure Carol called the department. And l'm sure they asked her if l was feeling any better. Things are finally in motion. l'm finally going to get it over with. lt? Telling her the truth about how l feel. How do you feel? l feel found. Well, Kathy. Bad news. The county's done their part, but the new owner won't accept the deal. He's asking for four times what he bought it for. We can sue the county, but that'll take months. Do you mean that l can't legally get my house back? lt would have been a lot easier if you'd just opened your mail. You can't expect the law to work miracles. l don't expect miracles. l expect you to do your fucking job. l don't know what l'm doing sitting here talking to you. And as you can see, very excellent rooms. lt is cool inside, even during the day. And from the widow's walk, sunsets are quite beautiful. There is very little fog in this area. -When would the house be available? -Not until autumn. We need some time -to find a new home. -That might work for us. She has come for a tool her boyfriend carpenter may have left behind. l was expecting her. One moment, please. l am happy you came. This way. My family knows nothing of this. l'd like for it to remain so. -You confuse me with someone else. -No. l'm certain l know who you are. l'm Kathy Nicolo. l know my lawyer talked to you, Mr. Bahroony, but l thought we could meet face to face. My name is Behrani. Colonel Behrani. Colonel Behrani, l'm sorry. My father left us this house. He left it to me and my brother... Tell these things to the tax office. They made the mistake, not l. They said they'd give you your money back, and you've put that deck on. l'm sure they'd repay you for that. Sorry, but l have nothing more to say to anyone. Why should l be penalized for their incompetence? Sue them for enough money to buy ten homes. l'll sell you this house for the right price. That's all l require. l do not know where he left his hammers. -There is nothing more to say of it. -Let go of me! Let go of me! You can't expect to just move in here and make money off of this. This is my house. l lived here, and you stole this house from me, you son of a bitch! This is a stolen house! He's trying to sell you a stolen house! What did you tell your kids? l told them the truth. My old man walked out on us. l swore l would never do that to my own. What happened? My lawyer couldn't get the house back, so l went to see the owner. And he put his hand on you? lt's okay. Don't worry about it. That's not right. He's got no right to do that. Who is this guy? His name's Behrani. He's a Colonel. -Behrani? What country is he from? -l don't know. But his wife hardly speaks any English. Maybe they haven't been here that long. Maybe they don't know their way around. -What are you doing? -l'm going to pay him a visit. Officers tend to listen to other officers. lt's worth a shot. What if he doesn't listen? Then l'll make him listen. Little bird. Little bird! Little bird! Welcome to our new home. Does it go down the hill? lt's an investment property, Soraya. Like our second home on the Caspian. lt's an investment home. Let us go to the roof porch. For the view. Jesus, look at them. What are they celebrating? Stealing a house? Fuck these people. You're a very wise man. To live in such a place that gives you a view of God's wonders. Did you post that sign, sir? Yes, is there a difficulty, officer? And that's your sign at the bottom of the hill? Yes. Please, come in, officer. l am new to the area. ls there a permit required to post signs? Not on the house. But the utility pole, that's city property. l see. Very well, l'll put the sign elsewhere. Thank you for informing me. You're a long way from home, aren't you? This is my home. l am an American citizen. -Were you a general? -l was a colonel. Tell me, officer. What more can l do for you this evening? What's your name? Massoud Amir Behrani. And the names of your family? Why do you need the names of family? What is your name, officer? Deputy Sheriff Gonzalez. Now let me as you a question, Colonel. Are you selling this house on your own? l do not with to offend, officer, but if you'd excuse me, l have work to do this evening. Civil Code 1101. Yes, you informed me. l suggest you come with me to witness the removal of the sign. No, l'm talking about the disclosure law, Colonel. You, the owner, are obliged to tell all prospective buyers anything about the property they have a right to know. l do not understand. You sure about that? Are you interrogating me, Mr. Gonzalez? No, no, you tell me. l understand your friend, the Shah, made a habit of it. l don't know whom you think you're speaking to, but l've had enough. You've done your job. You may leave. You're used to giving orders, aren't you? Colonel, let me get right to the point. Pacific County has offered you money. They don't want any trouble. The only one that seems to want trouble around here is you. You don't want to do the right thing, which is to sell this house back at the price you paid for it so it can be returned to the real owner. The real owner, Mr. Behrani. Now that just won't wash. l have contacts at lmmigration. People get deported every single day. There are a lot of things l can do. l suggest you call the movers so l won't have to. What happened? Well. the guy's obviously not right off the boat. You're right. He probably buys up seized property to make a killing. l set him straight. l think he'll listen. He will. So. What do we do now? l mean... Look at us. We're both homeless. Listen, my friend has a cabin a few miles south. We can stay there. give to me answer, Behrani. What did that man say of deporting? -He said nothing, Nadi. -Do not lie to me! l heard him! Who was that man? Tell to me, Behrani! What have you done? lt's none of your business. Have you no faith in me? No respect? That man has only said l must remove the sign. That's all. Coward! Liar! You dirty liar! lt is your fault we were forced to flee from lran! lt is your fault we are here! Yours and your Savak friends! How long can we stay here? Till we get things figured out. You hungry? l could eat. Do you still love her? Look, it's just... lt's not her. She's a good person, a good mother. Would this have happened anyway? Even if you hadn't met me? Yes. l miss my dad. He worked really hard for that house. lt took him... thirty years to pay it off. And it took me 8 months to fuck it up. Come here. We're going to get your house back. Soon. When this is all done, l promise l'll move you back in myself. My son. Do not follow the example of your father one day when you are married. Do not do as l did last evening. Do not be disrespectful, son. Look at me. Were you a Savak? No. l only bought fighter planes for Shah-jahn. -Why did he say we'd be deported? -l do not know. But we are American citizens. We own this house. They can do nothing to us now. l feel bad for that lady. The woman's house was taken from her because she did not pay her taxes. That happens when one is not responsible. Do you understand? Do not feel bad. Americans, they do not deserve what they have. They have the eyes of small children, who are forever looking for the next source of distraction, entertainment, sweet taste in the mouth, we are not like them. We know rich opportunities when we see it, and we do not throw away God's blessing. You know l must raise money for your university education. l can get another paper route. l know. You are a kind child. Quickly becoming a man. You have my respect for your heart. Soon all this will be over. Dad. Thank you. Have a good day at work. You need to see what you're doing to this family. Look at your children, at the damage you're causing. -This is not the time. -When is the time? When l'm not on my way to work. Stop it! Stop it! Do you want to get arrested? ls that what you want? You want to arrest me? god, go ahead and arrest me in front of our kids. Daddy, please! Please! god. l didn't mean to do this. Don't go! Please don't go... We checked, and we have no Joe Gonzalez on the force. Did he have anything else on him? Any pins, anything to help lD him? We have hundreds of deputies. He wore a golden star. A badge with two pistol barrels crossed. And letters of gold spelling F-T-O. There are only 8 field training officers in the whole department. Tell me if you see him here. Yes. That is him. That is the man who threatened me. lt's Burdon. You're completely confident? l'm sorry this happened to you, sir. l can promise you, it won't happen again. Hi. What do you think? l cleaned the whole place. What's wrong? Kath, l need to go home for a while today. l need to go home and explain things to Carol better... to Nate and Bethany. l should be home when they come back from school. -Youjust said home three times. -lt is my home! At least until we make another one. Are you coming back? A couple of hours. Three at the most. l'll understand if you don't. l don't deserve you. Course you do. Fuck. l told the kids that this was just temporary. That you were just taking some time off, like a vacation. l didn't know what else to tell them. Tell them the truth, Carol. Hello? Deputy Lester Burdon? Hello? -Deputy Lester Burdon? -Yes? This is Lt. Alvarez. Dispatch yourself to my office immediately. Can't it wait till l'm back on duty? No, Deputy, it cannot You be in my office in 45 minutes or you can come in tomorrow and drop off your badge. Please, wait. Excuse for me, please. l am sorry for keeping you to waiting. -How is your foot? -Better, thank you. Can l come in? -Please, come in. -Thank you. l grew up in this house. lt's the house that my father left to me and my brother when he died. The county evicted me from this house by mistake. Your husband bought it and now he won't sell it back for less than four times what he paid. l don't want to argue with him. l really don't. lt's just that if this goes -to court, it could take months... -They are to deport us? l don't know. You must see. They will kill us. They will shoot my children. You don't understand a word l'm saying, do you? Please, you are a very nice girl. Please, you write for me everything. l want to understand for discussing with my husband. -Okay? -Okay. You think you can frighten me? You think you can frighten me with your stupid deputy telling lies? Who do you think l am? Tell me that. Do you think l'm stupid? Do you think l'm stupid? ln my country, you'd not be worthy to raise your eyes to me. You're nothing! And you can tell your deputy friend his superior officers know everything. You tell him that. -This is our home! -Please. Our home! Please, stop! Please to stop, Behrani! Kathy? -ls that you? -Yeah. Mom said you sounded strange on the phone. What's going on? l need help. -l really need some help. -What's wrong? Do you think you could just come out here? Please? K... l'm sorry. l just got a real shit storm going on over here. We just got the new models in. There's inventory. l'll be right there. Give me a second. ljust feel lost, Frankie, you know? ljust... ljust feel lost. Look, Ma and the aunts will be out there on the 18th. They can help you, bring you back, straighten you out, okay? l'm sorry, K, but l got to go, okay? Okay. Yeah. All right, chin up, baby sister. l'll call you later. Okay... Don't tell Mom, all right? Okay, bye. Fuck. Pack of Royals? Wild night? Seems to be heading in that direction. -Have a good one. -Thanks. This and three on two. You need a funnel with that? No. Just a book of matches. God. No. l'm sorry. l don't want the house anymore. l don't care. Nadi! Nadereh! Don't go. Don't go. You must sleep now. You must rest. Please? Some tea. Please, have bath to relax. ls that car in the driveway that woman's? The woman has come here and tried to take her own life. We must help her. She is a bird. A broken one. Your grandfather used to say that a bird which flies into your house is an angel. You must look upon his presence as a blessing. We have a guest in the house. You must be a gentleman. Very kind. Very polite. Very quiet. Hello? Hello? Do you need anything? Hello? Your mouth to open. Very good. Your mouth, your mouth. Very good. Yes. Very good. l feel sorry for her. We should have moved. Yes, perhaps you're right. We should have moved. All right, put her down! Put her down! What did you do to her? Step back. Shut up! Listen! No! Move! -Les, don't. -Move. What did you do to her? She took an entire bottle of my mother's pills. Bring them to me. How many? When? English! English! My wife says 20 tablets, perhaps half an hour ago. My wife made her lose her stomach. She has vomited the pills. She also attempted to shoot herself with the pistol. l discovered her with it in her automobile. She was quite upset. She'd been drinking a great deal. That's bullshit. Come here. Pick her up. Carry her into that room. Carefully! Step away. She'll be okay. All right, come on. l don't want to see this door move. get some rest. Tomorrow you're selling this place to the county. Kath? Kathy. Kathy. Fuck. Fuck, fuck, fuck! -Dad? -Yes? l have to go. Use the toilet. Your mother will not look. Esmail, today l want you to pretend to be frightened of this man. -You must do everything he says. -Why? He is weak, nothing without his gun. He's very scared. And a scared man is dangerous. We will remain lions in our hearts, pesaram. You're here. l'm here. Sir, sir? Please let us out so my family can eat. -What's going on? -l locked them in the bathroom. Why? That's crazy, Les. No, what's crazy is trying to kill yourself, Kathy. Why? l didn't think you were coming back. Well, l'm back. Do you really want to die? l just wanted things to change. You will get out when you call the goddamn county! Sir, sir, may l speak with you? -What? -Please open the door. l wish to speak with you directly. l think l have a possible resolution. You and l will go to the government office and l will sign the necessary papers for returning the house to them. They to me will write a check for $45,000. This check l will give to you and the woman, in exchange for putting the house in my name. -You would do that? -l would do that. Wait. We can't do this, Les. l think that this can all work out. He signs the house to the county. When he gets the check, he gives it to us. You sign the house to him. lt's wrong. lt's just wrong to do it this way. This has got to work. This way, at least you get some money. He gets what he wants. lt's a win-win situation. Let's just go. Please, let'sjust go. Kathy, we could use that money. To start new. lt's our only choice now. He'll never let it happen. All right. Leave the keys and go do what you promised. But your son stays here with me. You're not back soon, lshmael and l will be gone. But we have made an agreement. No. l will for you do nothing without my son. Nothing. Shit. Fine. Let's just do this. Move it, Colonel. Come on. You too, lshmael. Excuse me, Mr. Burdon? -Slow down. -Deputy Sheriff Burdon. Sir? l know you're busy. l just want to say l appreciate what you taught me. -l just wanted to say thanks. -l appreciate that. And good luck to you, Brian. All right. You listen to me. When we get in there, you and lshmael here, you'll have to hear me a whole lot better. You'll do exactly... Help! Help! Somebody help us! Somebody call the police, fast! My name is Esmail, not lshmael. -Help, somebody call the police! -Esmail, please! Drop it, now! l said drop it! Wait! We have an officer-involved shooting. Goddamn you! -This kid's going to bleed to death. -Call to hospital! Hospital! l want only my son! l want only my son! Sir! We're going to the car. l want only my son! -Medic, now! -l want only my son! l want only my son! -Let go, sir! -lt is him! He has done this! l will kill you! l will kill you! Pesaram, l am here. Pesaram, l am here! Pesaram! l am here! Pesaram! l am here! What is your name, Deputy? Sir? -What? -What is your name? l'm so sorry about all of this. l have a headache. Please, excuse for me. Please, l must to my son. Burdon corroborates the whole deal. Mr. Behrani, you're free to go. This is your recourse. You can press charges against Deputy Burdon. Please, l must to hospital. Your son is at Saint Vincent. He's 3 blocks east of here. We can give you a police escort. l want only my son. l wan only my son. l want only my son. Emergency! Emergency! l must see my son. My son, he is here. -He has been shot. -His name? What's his name, sir? Behrani, Esmail. He's in Trauma. You can wait in the lounge. Please, god, don't take my joon-am. l make my nazr. My #nazr,# hear me, please to hear me. l will give everything to one who is less fortunate. Yes! l will make it for the broken bird! Please, god, l'm making nazr to this woman. To Kathy Nicolo. And l to you promise... lf you heal my son, l will return her father's house. l will also give to her all the money l have. My god. Khoda. l make nazr only for my son. Please, l want only for my son. l beg you. l will do whatever is your will. l'll purchase 10 kilos of the finest seed and find an American mosque. l will feed all the birds outside. l will let the birds cover me and peck out my eyes. Please, god, my nazr is in your hands. You've reached the Burdons. We're not here, but if you leave a message we'll call you right back! Let's go, Burdon. Nadereh... Massoud... Drink this. Some tea. l am tired. Soon we will return to the flowers of lsfahan, the mosques of Qom, and the fine hotels of old Tehran. l have taken us so far off course, but now it is time to return. lt is time for us to go home, to our destiny. God. God. No. Please. Are you Kathy Nicolo? Yeah. ls this your house? No, it's not my house. |
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