Martyr!

The poem preceding Chapter 18 is for Roya. After the poem, the chapter continues the story about how Leila and Roya met. After Leila convinces Roya to leave the house in the evening, they take a taxicab to the mysterious location that Leila wants to show her. Roya is transfixed by Leila’s effervescence and nonchalance; she asks very intimate questions of Roya in the presence of the taxi driver. Roya is uncomfortable with this overfamiliarity, but Leila’s carefree attitude soothes her.

They arrive at a recreational lake, where Leila takes her headscarf off and proceeds to impersonate a man (as two women, they would not be permitted to walk unsupervised at night). Roya is even more nervous now that they could get in trouble with the law but continues to follow Leila. They stop by a wall near the lake, which Leila says is her favorite spot. To Roya’s wonderment, when they peer over the wall, they are able to see into a giraffe enclosure at the zoo. A police officer interrupts the moment, demanding that they leave. In spite of the threat of arrest, Leila convinces Roya to stay a little longer and rests her head on Roya’s shoulder.