Don't Count on Us

“Heydari! Take this girl to the holding cell. Let’s see how long she can keep her chin up.”

The captain’s voice echoed down the station hallway. Heydari, who was standing beside a desk, looked away from the girl and turned toward him.

She was young. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail, and a thin line of eyeliner ran along her upper lash line. Fear showed on her face, but she held her head high, as if she wanted them to know she wasn’t afraid. Her cropped hoodie ended above her waist, leaving her belly button exposed. She stood perfectly still. She had been arrested while trying to flee a protest calling for women’s right to choose what to wear, including whether or not to wear the hijab.

Heydari stepped forward and cautiously asked her to come with him. Without saying a word, she followed. She didn’t protest or even look at him.

The officers had taken her phone before placing her in the holding cell. It was switched off and protected by a numeric passcode. They still hadn’t been able to access its contents.

A few minutes later, the girl was in the holding cell, while Heydari stood outside, near the captain’s desk. The captain glanced at the phone on his desk and said:

“Heydari! Her phone’s off, and it’s locked. They still haven’t been able to get into it and see what’s on there. Go ask her for the passcode. Get a family member’s number, too. We need to let someone know she’s been detained.”

Heydari picked up the phone and went into the holding cell. The girl was sitting in a chair, her head resting against the back of it. She stared straight ahead at a fixed point. Heydari stood in front of her and held up the phone.

“Give me the number of someone in your family.”

She didn’t answer.

Heydari raised the phone slightly.

“What’s your passcode? It’s off. They want to turn it on. They’ll figure out how to crack it sooner or later.”

The girl glanced at the phone, then fixed her eyes on the same spot again.

Heydari waited a few moments, then asked again:

“Can you hear me? Give me your family’s number, too. We need to let them know.”

The girl remained silent. She didn’t even turn her head toward him.

Heydari lowered the phone, glanced at her for a moment, then finally left the room.

The captain, who was busy sorting through the scattered papers on his desk, looked up.

“What happened?”

“She won’t answer, sir.”

The captain muttered a curse under his breath and went back to his paperwork.

About an hour later, Heydari found an excuse to stop by the holding cell. He asked the same questions: the phone’s passcode, her family’s number, the name of someone they could contact. The answer was the same as before: silence. She didn’t even lift her head. Heydari waited a few moments, then returned to the hallway without getting anywhere.

Some time passed. The room had grown quiet when the girl’s voice suddenly broke the silence.

She began to sing, softly at first, almost under her breath, as if humming to herself. Gradually, her voice grew louder until the song filled the small room.

“Our home is far away, far away…”

Heydari, standing near the door, looked up. He listened for a few moments. The girl wasn’t even halfway through the song when the captain’s voice rang out from behind his desk.

“Heydari! What’s that noise? Go tell her to shut up!”

Heydari went into the room and took a few steps toward the girl.

“You need to think about what you’re going to do. At least give me a number for someone in your family so we can let them know.”

The girl shot him a bitter look but said nothing. After a brief pause, she started singing again.

The sound of the captain’s footsteps echoed down the hallway. A moment later, the door flew open, and he stormed into the room, his face flushed with anger.

“Are you going to shut up, or do I have to shut you up? This isn’t a barn! We don’t have to sit here listening to your god-awful singing!”

Heydari flinched at the captain’s voice and instinctively stepped back. The girl, however, kept her eyes fixed on the captain. Despite his shouting, she continued to sing.

The captain stepped forward, grabbed her by the ear, and yanked hard.

“Can’t you hear me? You said you weren’t afraid, didn’t you? I’ll call them right now. They’ll come and take you somewhere you can’t even imagine. Then you’ll see who’s really in charge.”

The girl winced in pain. Her singing stopped, and her voice broke into sobs.

The captain let go of her and shouted at Heydari:

“Heydari! Go find a headscarf, a piece of cloth, anything you can get your hands on. Bring it here so she can cover her head... You people have really gone too far!”

Heydari looked flustered.

“Sir, what am I supposed to bring? Where am I supposed to find one?”

The captain shot him an angry look, then walked out of the room. He opened his desk drawer and took out a keffiyeh. A few moments later, he came back and threw it toward the girl.

“Put this on your head. They’ll be here to take you away soon.”

The keffiyeh fell to the floor. The captain was still glaring at the girl when he raised his voice again:

“Freedom, freedom! You people never stop talking about freedom! What the hell do you even want with freedom?”

The girl bent down, picked up the keffiyeh, and looked at it for a moment. Then she angrily threw it back at the captain.

The captain was furious at her reaction. He opened his mouth to say something, but a voice called from outside the room:

“Captain! You have an urgent phone call.”

The captain shot the girl one last angry look and left the room.

Heydari and the girl were alone.

Heydari stood by the door, unsure what to say. Finally, he asked:

“Is there anyone we should call?”

The girl lowered her head. Her lips moved as she whispered something, but Heydari couldn’t hear her. A tear rolled from the corner of her eye. She turned her face away.

“Go away. Leave me alone. I don’t have anyone who’d come to save me.”

Heydari asked in surprise:

“You mean you don’t have anyone?”

The girl gave a short laugh, but it quickly faded.

“Yeah, I guess I don’t... I mean, I do.”

Then she continued, her voice cold and serious:

“But they told me, ‘If you get caught, don’t count on us anymore.’”

Heydari paused for a moment.

“Your family told you that?”

The girl didn’t answer.

Heydari looked away. He stood there for a few moments, then asked:

“They arrested you at the protest. Do you know what might happen to you? Were you trying to escape?”

The girl raised her head and looked at him. She had no answer. Maybe she still didn’t know what was going to happen to her.

Heydari sighed.

“I mean, at your age... I don’t know. Don’t get on the captain’s bad side. Try to get him to go easy on you. Maybe he’ll let you go.”

The girl looked away and said nothing more.

Heydari stood there for a few more moments, then left the room and closed the door behind him.

The captain was sitting behind his desk, talking on the phone. Heydari stood beside his desk and glanced at the clock. There were still a few hours left in his shift.

He could hear the captain talking to someone about a case. Heydari picked up a sheet of paper from his desk and glanced at it, but his attention soon returned to the holding cell door. He put the paper back where it had been.

A few minutes later, he walked over to the door and peered inside through the small window.

The girl was no longer sitting in the chair. She was standing in the middle of the room, singing. Then she put her hands on the floor and started doing push-ups. She did several push-ups in a row, paused, then started again.

Heydari was still looking through the window when the captain’s voice rang out behind him:

“Heydari! What the hell are you doing over there?”

He quickly stepped away from the door and turned around.

“Nothing, sir.”

“Then why are you glued to that door?”

Heydari hesitated for a moment.

“I was just checking on her.”

The captain gave him a brief glance and went back to his work.

Heydari returned to his desk.

A little later, he stopped beside the sergeant’s desk. He glanced toward the holding cell and asked:

“Sergeant, this is the first time I’ve seen a detainee in this kind of situation since I got here.”

The sergeant was sorting through some papers. Without looking up, he said:

“Yeah, they’ve brought in a few people like this over the years.”

Heydari paused.

“What happens to them in the end? What do they do with them?”

The sergeant looked up and glanced at him.

“What difference does it make? Why do you ask?”

“Nothing. I was just asking.”

The sergeant went back to his papers.

“It depends on their background and what’s in their file. If it’s just about the protest and things like that, they handle it one way. If there are security concerns or links to other groups, that’s a different story. Then other departments look into it.”

Heydari said nothing.

He got up from his desk and glanced around. The captain was busy talking on the phone, and the sergeant was still occupied with his paperwork. Heydari picked up a plastic cup and filled it at the water cooler.

He stood by the holding cell door for a few moments. Then he slowly opened it and stepped inside.

The girl was sitting in the chair, staring into the distance. Her lips were dry, and sweat had gathered on her face. Heydari walked over and held out the cup.

“Here. Drink some water.”

The girl didn’t react.

Heydari held the cup out a little farther.

The girl slowly turned her head. Her eyes were wet. She looked at the cup for a few moments, then reached out and took it.

Heydari didn’t wait. He turned and walked out of the room.

One of the other soldiers at the station, Lotfi, got up from his desk and walked over to Heydari. He held his phone in one hand, glancing around now and then to make sure no one was paying attention to him.

When he reached Heydari, he raised his phone slightly and said with a smile:

“Heydari, have you seen this clip? Look how funny!”

Instagram was open on his phone, and a video was playing. He held the phone so that only Heydari could see the screen. He smiled as the video started, suppressing a laugh.

Heydari watched the screen for a few seconds but didn’t react.

Lotfi laughed and said:

“Come on, look at this! It’s really funny.”

Heydari gave a slight smile.

“Yeah, it’s good.”

Lotfi lowered the phone and glanced around again.

“It’s really busy at the station today, Heydari.”

Heydari said nothing.

Lotfi slipped his phone into his pocket and headed back to his desk.

The captain put his phone down on the desk and turned to the sergeant.

“What about the report on that girl the patrol officers brought in? Is it ready?”

The sergeant looked up.

“Not yet, sir.”

The captain frowned.

“Then what have you been doing?”

The sergeant gestured toward the papers on his desk.

“Wasn’t that burglary at the Memariani house a priority? You told me to get that report ready first. I haven’t finished it yet.”

The captain slapped the desk impatiently.

“How many times have I told the patrol officers not to bring girls and women like this to the station? I don’t have the patience to deal with these intellectuals and freedom activists. I want reports about thefts, criminals, neighborhood fights, and things like that. Deal with that nonsense out there!”

The sergeant said nothing and went back to his paperwork.

Heydari, standing near his desk, had heard every word.

He walked out of the station and stood by the entrance for a few moments. He noticed a house a few doors down from the station.

Since being transferred to this station, he had gotten to know a middle-aged woman who lived in that house. Some nights, when Heydari was on the night shift, she would bring him a sandwich. Sometimes, when she was returning from a walk and saw him standing outside the station, she would stop and chat with him for a few minutes.

Once, she had told him:

“I know you’re doing your military service and you’re away from your family. If you ever need anything, medicine or anything else, just let me know. Don’t be shy.”

Heydari looked at the house. He stood there for a few moments, his eyes fixed on it. Finally, he headed toward it.

He pressed the doorbell.

The woman’s voice came through the intercom:

“Who is it?”

Heydari hesitated for a moment.

“It’s me, Heydari. I’m the soldier at the station.”

The woman said:

“Hello, son. Did you need something?”

“Hello. I wanted to ask you a favor. If you have time, could I speak with you for a few minutes?”

There was a brief silence. Then the woman’s voice came through again:

“Sure, son. Wait there. I’ll come to the door.”

Heydari waited where he was. When the woman opened the door, he explained the situation to her. She listened to him and nodded, already deep in thought.

Heydari hurried back to the station.

The station door suddenly opened, and a middle-aged woman rushed in, visibly distressed. Her voice rang through the station:

“Where’s my daughter? Where have you taken her? What have you done to her? Have you killed her?”

The captain looked up from his desk.

“Ma’am, what happened? What’s going on?”

The woman hurried over to his desk.

“You arrested my daughter and brought her here! You locked her up! What have you done to her?”

The captain frowned.

“Who’s your daughter?”

The woman replied:

“She’s young, with black hair. She was wearing a hoodie. People saw your officers arrest her.”

The captain said sharply:

“Ma’am, keep your voice down. Your daughter was trying to escape. The patrol officers caught her and brought her here.”

The woman shot back angrily:

“So just because someone tries to get away, you think you can arrest them and do whatever you want to them? Did you kill her? Did you torture her? I know what you people do!”

The captain smirked.

“Torture? Your daughter was driving us crazy with her singing just a few hours ago. How do I know you’re even her mother? Do you have any ID?”

The woman looked flustered for a moment.

“You expect me to remember to bring my ID at a time like this? People saw your officers arrest my daughter. I’m her mother. I came here to find out what you’ve done to her.”

The captain was about to say something when the phone on his desk rang. He picked it up and began talking. A few moments later, he covered the mouthpiece with his hand and turned to Heydari.

“Heydari! Take this woman to see the girl.”

Heydari headed toward the holding cell. A few minutes later, the girl came out of the room behind him.

As soon as the woman saw her, she hurried over. She raised her hand and slapped the girl hard across the face. The girl’s head jerked to one side. She stared at the woman for a moment, then tears began streaming down her face.

The woman immediately turned back to the captain and pleaded:

“Captain, I swear it won’t happen again. She was wrong to do it! She’s young. She doesn’t know any better. I’m her mother. I’ll set her straight myself. Please, show some mercy and let her off just this once.”

The captain still had the phone to his ear and continued talking. He shuffled a few papers on his desk and gestured for an officer who had approached him to wait. Then he covered the mouthpiece with his hand and turned to Heydari.

“Heydari! Tell the sergeant to look into this properly. Find out what their story is. I don’t have the patience for this kind of trouble. If there’s nothing serious, have this woman sign a written statement saying she’ll take responsibility for the girl. Then let them go.”

The sergeant, who was busy with the files on his desk, glanced briefly at Heydari.

“Heydari, take care of their paperwork yourself. I’ve got a ton of work to do.”

The captain returned to his phone conversation and paid them no further attention.

Heydari looked at the woman and the girl. The woman was still thanking the captain, her voice pleading. The girl stood a few steps away, wiping her tears. She said nothing.

Heydari walked over to the sergeant’s desk. He sorted through the papers on the desk and pulled out the form for the written statement. He placed it in front of him, picked up a pen, and began filling it out.