The Lion Women of Tehran

Ellie goes with Mehrdad to visit his colleagues at Rockefeller University. Ellie has dressed up in imitation of Queen Farah Pahlavi, but then is embarrassed about her efforts when she meets the other scientists and Mehrdad’s boss, to whom she gave the platter with the hand-painted design of a bird, the platter she bought in the bazaar the day she saw Homa. At a gathering for other post-docs and their spouses, Ellie meets Angela, who becomes her friend and helps Ellie get a job at the cosmetics counter at Bloomingdale’s. Ellie watches on TV as US President Jimmy Carter celebrates the country’s friendship with Iran, but she realizes, “I should have known that some friendships fracture and rupture beyond belief” (241).

Ellie prepares for her mother’s visit and steels herself to feel again like a chubby child always being criticized. Her mother comments on the small size of their apartment and exclaims over everything that surprises her about America, including the food. She tells Ellie of the riots in Iran and her concerns if the religious fundamentalists take over. Ellie takes her mother to Bloomingdale’s and treats her to frozen yogurt at the restaurant. When Ellie asks why her mother objected to her friendship with Homa, her mother reveals that she married Massoud to give Ellie a better life.