VISA VOICE 2

ARASH AND SARAH’S HOUSE
THE STUDY

The study is a small room with a small desk and a chair placed in the centre. A computer and a lamp are set on the table. A hand-made Persian carpet is spread on the floor. A bookshelf stands next to the wall. A cabinet can be seen next to the bookcase. Arash opens the door to the cabinet, takes out a large cardboard box and places it on the desk. He looks at his commendation letter that is hanging in a frame. He notices an envelope containing a greeting card at the corner of the desk. The writing on the envelope says; „To my dear father‟. Arash opens the envelope and takes out the greeting card and reads it.
ARASH: “I congratulate you for the commendation that you received. Congratulations from the bottom of my heart. I am proud of you.”
Arash places the card back on the desk and delves deep into his thoughts. ARASH: “I have a terrible headache. I feel down. As if I have depression or something. What a strange dream.”
“It seemed so real. As if I was in a deep trance. Everything seemed so real to me. Even as we speak, when I close my eyes I could see those asylum seekers‟ angry faces. I am sure this nightmare stems from a subconscious conflict that is brewing deep within me. I feel that two opposing beliefs within my subconscious are pulling at each other. I must choose between them tonight. Make a firm decision. Otherwise these completely opposing forces will tear me apart. I will go completely mental. I feel as if I am at the cross roads. I must choose one of these two creeds and totally suppress and destroy the other, forever. What has put me in this predicament is doubts and indecision. No one is more responsible for this than Sassan Yazdani
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and Nazanine Afshar. This couple managed to cause an upheaval in my psyche. I am not sure about anything any longer. But, tonight I must choose the path I will take. It‟s been many years since I hid and put away this box that is full of mementoes from my past, reminders of whom I used to be and where I come from, connecting me to my roots and essence. So that I could be true to my work, I chose to live in an area of London, where you do not find many Iranians, because I was always afraid of being obligated to do something that is in conflict with my commitments and work ethics.”
“I always tried to deal with the issue impartially, just like a judge would. Under no circumstances was I ever influenced by these asylum seekers sobs and tears. Whatever they said, I translated verbatim. Even when just a yes or no answer could have changed the outcome and hence their destinies. I could have told them what sort of documents to present to the court and how to present their cases to be successful. I dare confess that I could have made it possible for the court to grant Rafat Shabani asylum had I slightly altered some of the things that he had to say in court. Had I not translated every contradicting statement that he made I could have prevented him from being deported from this country and sent to the gallows in Iran for his execution. The question is this, when it comes to a matter of life and death for a fellow countryman, what credence is there left for my work obligations?”
He takes a deep breath and continues.
“I feel that I was so deeply drowned inside my translating work and the ethical and legal obligations that it entails that I don‟t believe that even I could go back in time, I could still not translate Rafat‟s word any differently than I did at that time.”
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“At the same time, a guilty feeling takes over me whenever I think of this poor refugee. The nightmare I had tonight is the result of this ongoing conflict within my heart and soul.”
Arash takes the letters out of the box. He puts them on the desk. He takes a bunch of photographs that have a rubber band around them out as well. He puts them on the desk and begins to stare at them. Sarah quietly opens the door to the study and enters. She looks at Arash for a few moments.
SARAH: “What are you doing darling? I was worried about you. Why are you going through these at this time of night? Leave it till tomorrow. Come and rest for a while, you have to be in court first thing tomorrow.”
ARASH: “I was looking at these pictures. Pictures of my childhood up to the time that I came to England. It‟s been 27-28 years since I last looked at these. I want to remind myself of who I am, where I come from and where my roots lie.”
SARAH: “Well, couldn‟t you do this tomorrow? When you come back from work? There will always be time for looking at childhood pictures and old letters. But right now, what you need is rest. You really need it badly my dear.”
ARASH: As he looks at some of the pictures
“I think these pictures will be a great help in making me decide on what I am going to do tomorrow.”
He points to a picture.
...........“This is the last family picture I ever took with my mother and father, God rest their souls.”