In Part 19 we get our first look at some of Zainab's family. This includes her father Farhad and mother Leyla, as well as her uncle Omid. The following goes a little above and beyond what's covered explicitly in the story, but it should add a little background for those interested:
The Taherini Family - The Taherini family is one of the many ruling families that came to Surda after the Delhi Sultanate conquered the islands in 1386. They have held different titles at different times, but the one they've retained the longest is the title of Wali of Madtha, which would be the equivalent of a count title. Members of the family have served as advisers or even wives to the sultan. When the British took over they lost most of their official power, and when the nation became independent again the constitution made their position largely ceremonial. However, the family is quite wealthy, Madtha has been home to the Grand Market which has been the primary spice market and trading hub of the country going back centuries. Additionally, they have invested that money well over the centuries and now have diverse holdings from real estate to fishing to boat building.
Omid Taherini - Omid is 51 and is the oldest of four children, and has several of his own with his wife Saanvi who is 53. As the oldest, when his father died several years earlier he inherited the family's historic titles as well as the bulk of their holdings and wealth. He manages the estate and its various business interests, but tries whenever possible to be hands off when possible and trust the business to those he considers "better with the books," Nonetheless, managing them is still demanding and takes up a good deal of his time. He feels that even though he would rather be relaxing, he has a responsibility to not let things fall apart on his watch, his view is that he's simply "temporarily in charge." He has two daughters and a son, and wants to insure that they be in just as good or better shape than when he took control so that they do the same. He was educated for a time in Britain, and can still have a slight accent for it.
Farhad Taherini - Farhad is 44 and works as the Head of Mission for the Embassy of Surda in the United States which is one position below the ambassador. He is the third of four siblings with two older brothers, Omid and Sepehr and one younger sister Sadia. He keeps his curly black hair cut short and is much closer to an "average" height than either his wife Leyla or their daughter. He's a little reserved, very professional which can sometimes make him come off as cold or detached when in a private setting. He sometimes blames it on what he calls "diplomat autopilot" when people point it out.
Leyla Taherini - Leyla is 46 and does work occasionally for several charities, including sitting on the board for one that helps families with children who lose a parent to a workplace accident. She is very active, going for long morning jogs every day and yoga almost every afternoon. She grew up in a poor family. They could afford rent and food but not much else. Her father worked for one of the mines, her mother worked as a housekeeper in the Taherini home. When she was 16 her father died in a mine collapse, and with only one income they asked if they could live in the servant's quarters even though they had a child which would normally disqualify them. They took pity and agreed to relax the rules in this one case.
Farhad and Leyla - Farhad was only 14 at the time when the 16 year old Leyla moved in, but he instantly found this older girl irresistibly attractive. He kept his distance at first, but Leyla noticed how one of the other kids in particular always seemed to "bump into" her. After a few weeks she caught him lurking a bit away and decided to confront him. She walked up to him and even though she was shorter she went up onto her toes, pinned her hand against the wall and looked down at him silently staring until he either said something or left. He nervously left, pretending it was all a misunderstanding. But he was more infatuated than he had ever been.
Several weeks later, he finally decided to make his move. He gathered up roses from their garden to bring to her down in the servant's quarters. As he actually got to the door, he panicked and left the roses a the door before running away. She still knew where the roses came from, and decided she needed to do something. She walked up to him when he was eating a snack and sat down on the table beside him. She laid out her conditions without so much as a hello. "One, no matter how this goes, you don't get to make things weird for me or my mom. I don't care if this is all your house, I refuse to be bullied by that or in awe of your wealth. Two, if I say there's nothing there, that's the final word in it. You don't get to keep asking. Three, just because I am saying yes now doesn't mean I owe you anything later so you better not presume. If those are fine by you, I'll see you Saturday at 6," she said before dropping the roses on his lap and walking away. He ended up surprising her by getting over his nervousness, the two clicked right away and they have been in love ever since.
When they were both older, both graduated from university in the US, and finally married, they decided to start a family by having a child. There were however major complications during childbirth that nearly killed both mother and child. They were warned by the doctor against trying for any more and after the brush with death both Farhad and Leyla agreed wholeheartedly. Farhad began working for the country's state department and was eventually offered a job at the embassy in Brazil. Leyla stayed back with Zainab, worrying that she'd prefer to stay in Surda. After over a year and a half apart though, Leyla and Zainab joined Farhad on his second posting.
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