Uncaged Summer
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Colet Abedi
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54
Chapter 1
āThe Road Less Traveledā
āYou have to find husband before itās too late!ā
My momās thick, Persian accent echoes through my SUV like an ancient call for war, booming through the Bluetooth speakers.
āOr you vill reach a point vhere nobody vill marry you! Nobody!ā
This is her raison dāĆŖtreāmy future marriage. Even though I am just finalizing a hellish divorce.
In my motherās mind she has an aging, divorced daughter she needs to find a man for, and the clock is ticking. And even though my ex has been lying and cheating for years, can arguably be called the spawn of Satan, and any normal mother would give their daughter a minute to processā¦itās not happening in this Persian family.
To make matters worse, Iām about to embark on an unexpected journey she highly disapproves of for the summer. To be fair, Iād probably feel the same way if I was in her shoes. But my whole world is in shambles, and I need to find answers. I need to know who I am, what I want in this next half of my life, and where Iām going. The brutal reality is that Iāve come to realize I never had these answers before. But since I canāt go back in time, all I can do is try to put the broken pieces back together.
And there are more than I can count.
Butā¦there are some things Iām grateful for.
Like the three suitcases in my trunk filled with all the belongings I have to show for my thirteen-year marriage to my high school sweetheart (barf), Darian Monfared (extra barf). I have my car, even though itās leased, and I have to turn it in at the end of the summer.ā¦
And I have my health.
My mental health is another issue altogether, but Iām hoping this little journey of mine will straighten me out and help me realize where I went wrong in my life.
Am I having an existential crisis at thirty-eight?
Fine. Thirty-nineā¦
Maybe. To both.
āAvalie?!ā My mom sounds worried when I take so long to answer.
Avalie means āstrengthā in Farsi. I wonder if she regrets giving me this name. At this moment in time, Iām leaning toward a strong yes.
āI hate to break the news, but the last thing I wantāor needāis a husband. Iām still trying to get rid of my last one,ā I oh so kindly remind her. āGive me a break and let me get to Pegahās and decompressāā
āYou vant to decompress on other peopleās couches?!ā
Sheās referring to my plan of bouncing around and staying with my best friends and some family, with the hope that Iāll have figured my life out by the end of the summer. Wishful thinking on my part? Who knows. But Iām going to give it a fighting chance. And itās not like my mother has to worry that Iāll be suffering at my friendsā homesāmost of them live in places others only dream about.
āMom, I just left my whole life behind,ā I remind her, hoping for sympathy. āItās all goneāā
āIt vas a shitty life,ā she interrupts so fast I fight not to laugh. She quickly changes the topic to an important one for every Persian parent. āDid you eat food?ā
āNot yet.ā
She tells me in Farsi that if I eat, my breasts will grow back.
āI never had big boobs,ā I remind her.
āYou vere size C,ā Mom says, like itās true. āYou tink I donāt know my daughterās body?ā
Iāve been a small B cup my entire adult life.
āYou concentrate now on driving. Call me vhen you get to your cousinās,ā she commands without missing a beat.
āOkay, Mom,ā I say with a sigh. Itās absolutely useless to argue. āI love you.ā
āI love you too, Avalie-Joon.ā Joon means ādearā in Farsi. āI promise everything vill be okay.ā
Even though Iām middle-aged, hearing my mom tell me itās all going to be fine is like the best kind of hug. It still works the same magic it did when I was a kid. I hope sheās right.
I stare at the road ahead. āOne day, this will all make sense, Mom.ā
Mom takes a second before responding. āMaybe it vill. Maybe it vonātā¦. Itās okay, either vay. Thatās just life.ā
