Through the Olive Trees Page #4

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I'll wake the others.

Mr. Karimi?

- Hello.

- Hello.

- Hello, Mrs. Shiva.

- Hello.

- Is Mr. Rhafari up?

- Yes, he's going jogging.

Mr. Samak Bachi?

It's very late.

- Hello, ma'am.

- Hello.

Mr. Jafarian?

I am awake.

- Mr. Jafarian?

- Hello.

Hello.

Mr. Kheradmand?

Yes, I'm here.

- Hello, Farhad.

- Hello, Mrs. Shiva.

If you don't need Hossein,

let him sleep a little.

He didn't sleep well, he's tired.

I don't understand.

I am awake!

Clear away the cups, wash them

and get our breakfast!

I am awake

and you say I'm sleeping!

Was I asleep?

Rectification...

Hossein was up early!

Okay!

Poor thing, he's worried.

Me too, I found it hard getting up.

Didn't you have a good night?

No, I had a sprung mattress.

My back hurt,

it was damp on the ground.

I spent the night as best I could.

But the pure morning air

makes it all worthwhile!

Here, breathing is a real pleasure.

I think they've all left

this place, haven't they?

Most of them were killed

in the earthquake

and the survivors moved away

to live along the side

of the highway in tiny houses.

They preferred the highway

to the pure air here?

I guess so...

They were right, poor things.

After the quake,

help couldn't reach them.

The roads were blocked

and many of them died.

The survivors left.

Besides... you can't live

on nothing but fresh air!

You need other things too and

you find them along the highway

And from there,

they can always move elsewhere.

That's why

Let's stop churning out cliches.

I'd like to tell you something

about this place.

If you greet the souls

of the inhabitants of this place,

they answer you.

- Their souls?

- Yes.

Hello.

If you say it that way,

only I can answer.

Say it a lot louder,

so they can hear.

Hello!

Did you hear?

- You're having me on.

- Why?

It's obvious, it's an echo.

If you think it's an echo,

say something else.

Then you'll see if they reply.

What can I say?

Pouya! Pouya!

Yes, dad?

Nothing,

I wasn't talking to you!

One other thing:
they only answer

to hello and good-bye.

Listen...

Good-bye!

And if you say good-bye

and then don't leave

they won't answer

your hello any more!

Don't forget:

Just hello and good-bye.

I'm going.

Farhad,

give this to Mr. Panahi.

I will catch up with you.

Good-bye.

Sit here in front.

I'll sit next to Hossein.

Everything okay, Hossein?

Yes, thank you.

- You don't look too happy.

- No, I am.

Maybe you're tired?

I hear you didn't sleep well

last night.

I did, but I fell asleep late.

You don't look like someone

who slept badly

but like someone who's upset.

Isn't that right?

No, I'm not upset.

Oh yes, you are.

You know, sir,

I don't like to speak ill

of others,

but inhabitants of dead Poshteh

are a lot friendlier

than little Miss Tahereh.

What do you mean?

When you greeted them

this morning at least they replied!

That's true.

I greeted her three times yesterday.

She never replied once.

Usually, you only say hello once.

If there's no reply,

you never say hello again.

- It's your fault.

- You're the one who asked me!

I told you to say it...

just once!

I thought

that by greeting her...

maybe she would reply...

She didn't reply.

I won't say hello

to her again either.

Why about today?

Will she be there?

I don't know. Maybe...

Mrs. Shiva?

Yes?

Stop for these people.

Hossein, let them in.

Where were you coming from?

I don't speak your dialect.

We were at the public baths.

Where are the baths?

Beyond Chima.

There's another over there.

Why go so far?

There are shops there,

there's the bazaar...

There's a baker's

and our daughters come with us.

Isn't it hard for you

going all that way?

Maybe, but it's quieter

and it's better.

Won't you catch cold up here?

We are cold

but we have to get home.

The cold, the heat

don't bother us.

We can't change it,

even if it's hard.

Over there it's quieter,

that's why...

- Is she your daughter?

- Yes.

She doesn't look like you.

She looks like her brother.

Her brother

looks like his father, doesn't he?

So she must look like her father.

- Where's her father now?

- He's dead.

- During the earthquake?

- That's right.

God bless him...

Do you think

she'd like to be in our film?

- Do you want to be in our film?

- No.

- Why?

- She can't act.

It's not difficult...

She just has to wash dishes

near a spring!

Surely she can do that?

Couldn't you do that?

What's your name?

Look at me.

Excuse me, sir,

but here people don't give

the names of women or girls

to a stranger.

It's not our custom.

Tell me, are there still people

who live here?

Very few. Only those

who still have cattle and sheep.

The others have moved down

to the highway.

- Do you have cattle too?

- We've got nothing any more.

Why stay then?

The edge of the highway

is no place to live.

It's not quiet.

Where do you come from?

We all come

from Taleche-Tolab.

- Taleche-Tolab?

- Yes.

Back there, we had flies,

tea plantations,

trees, rice fields, silk!

- Flies?

- Honey flies, yes.

We had to abandon everything

to come here.

But giving up this place

to live by the road on tarmac...

we couldn't do that.

Have you ever been

to Taleche-Tolab?

Taleche? No.

If you had, you wouldn't ask

why we won't move to the road!

It's no place to live.

All that smoke and asphalt

and people passing!

Indeed.

Thanks a lot,

this is where we get off.

Mrs. Shiva,

let them off here.

Grandmother,

give me your address.

We haven't got one!

Give it to me anyway,

we may need it later.

We haven't got an address.

Why do you want it?

- You'll see why.

- We haven't got an address any more.

- Good-bye, sir.

- Good-bye.

Grandmother, come here.

Mrs. Shiva...

take down her address.

- Yes?

- Where do you live?

Nowhere! Over there...

behind the tree...

We haven't got a phone.

We're near the road.

- I don't want your phone number.

- I haven't got an address.

We live behind the tree.

Our tent is over there.

We've got no address, nothing.

- What's your name?

- Zahra Norouzi.

- If I need you, will you be there?

- Yes, yes.

- My house is over there.

- I'll come and fetch you.

- Good-bye.

- Good-bye.

What did you want that woman?

Her...

No, she doesn't interest me...

I was thinking of her daughter

for the scene at the spring.

If it doesn't work,

I've also got an idea about Hossein.

What do you think, Hossein?

Her? I'm not interested.

Why?

She's a charming girl.

Yes, she may be pretty,

but she's illiterate.

- How do you know that?

- These people are peasants.

They've had no education.

When I get married

and have children,

if my wife is illiterate like me,

who'll help the children

with their homework?

I see.

Maybe she'd get on better with you,

seeing as you're illiterate.

I don't know how to read,

so I have to

find someone who's educated,

and sociable too,

who can read and write,

so that one of us

can help the children

with their homework

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