The French Wife

Grandma Stella’s mother, a refined and elegant woman with a French background, faces harsh judgment and envy from other women at a hair salon in Tehran due to her appearance and accent. Despite the unpleasant encounter, she maintains her dignity and stands up for herself, revealing her husband is Arab. This leads to humorous teasing from Papa, turning their relationship into a family joke.

My mother was quite a lady. She was very conscious about her appearance and the way she conducted herself. Everything about her was elegant, the way she dressed, walked and spoke. Papa was a business man. They intermingled with the various embassy crowds in Tehran. His firm exclusively represented some of the well-known companies from different countries. Because of that, they led quite a busy social life. It was not uncommon for them to be out three or four evenings a week at various functions in the different embassies.

It was necessary for Mama to be well dressed and groomed. She made sure she had the proper attire for different occasions at all times. She was soft-spoken. Mama’s accent was quite French with her r’s pronounced softly at the back of her throat due to her education at the Alliance Française in Baghdad since she was a young girl.

On a cold winter afternoon, she had an appointment with her hairdresser before a cocktail party with Papa. As she entered the busy salon in her silver fox coat, a cloud of Arpège by Lanvin perfume surrounded her. The women at the salon, particularly an older one, eyed her disapprovingly, making derogatory comments about foreign women. Mama, feeling increasingly upset, eventually revealed that her husband was an Arab, not Iranian, causing a stir among the women.

Returning home distressed, she recounted the encounter to Papa, who found amusement in the situation. Teasing her affectionately, he joked about having a fancy French wife married to a humble Arab. This led to their relationship becoming a source of humor within the family for years to come.