THE FALL

Fall is my favorite season. 

I only realized that this year.

Maybe because as a child, unlike most my friends (and especially my brother) I looked forward to the first day of school. ‘Looking forward’ would be an underestimation. I loved it. I couldn’t sleep the night before…I would stay up all night arranging my clothes and my notebooks and pencils. And it wasn’t so much the social aspect that hyped me up…most of my friends didn’t even go to my school. What I loved the most was that uninhibited glance into a potentially bright future, endless possibilities, more things to discover, and becoming an adult.

The streets of Tehran intoxicated me with their changing colours; the sight of leaves leaving the trees and wind clearing the streets from summer sweat and lethargic malaise; And the sound of brooms sweeping the alleys in early morning hours, interrupting my sleep.  

I also loved fall, because winter was next – I anticipated the snow, snowmen, and going skiing with my friends (where I met my first boyfriend).

So fucking nostalgic, I know.

But this is the first time in many years that I don’t have a first day of school. I guess now I’m just working on that “bright future” I dreamed about.