Not Without My Daughter

Not Without my Daughter The story starts out on an airplane. Betty gets dressed in traditional Iranian clothing on the airplane. Before they land Betty is tricked into giving her passport to Moody. They end up getting housed with Ahem Bozorg. The house is extremely filthy and Ahem Bozorg doesn't like Betty and tries to get Moody mad at her. Like at the Temple were they worshiped Betty had to stay sitting next to a mirror. She went into a trance, and then a woman came in and yelled at her. Moody come and also started yelling at Betty. Betty explained that she was having her period so then Moody starts yelling at Ahem Bozorg. Finally Betty convinced Moody to move out of Ahem Bozorg house. She was able to pull this off by acting like a typical Iranian housewife. They move in with Reza and Essey because of the Taraf (offer that isn't really meant) that Essey had promised.

Moody

Betty Compson

Betty Davis (album)

They have better living conditions with the exception of the baby that poops on the floor. While she is living with Reza and Essey she meets a storekeeper named Hamid who lets Betty use his phone. While living there, she finds out that there are two ladies that got wind of Betty's problem and are willing to help her get out, but it would be very risky and dangerous. So she decides not to go with Trish. Slowly she earns Moody's trust, as time progresses Reza and Essey decide that they don't want Betty and Moody living with them anymore. So Moody thinks about moving back in with Ahem Bozorg but, then Mammal and Nasserine offers them room and board if they watch over their baby while they work and go to school. This place is cleaner but needs improvements on the food status. Betty plays housekeeper as Moody sits and does basically nothing. One mid-autumn day Mahthob asks Moody if they could go to the park, he agreed but only for a few minutes while there she makes friend with a woman named Judy. Judy's Iranian husband was a New York contractor he had to stay in the U.S., so Judy brought their two children to Iran to visit their grandparents. Also Judy was with her Brother-in-law Ali who was wondering about how to get a visa to visit the U.S., as Moody and Ali are talking, Betty reviles her secret to Judy. Betty also tells Judy to go to the U.S. embassy to get help, Judy agrees. During this time Moody was getting lazier and lazier partly because of a cold he was suffering from, because of this he lets Betty go into town alone (but she's on a time basis), this helps Betty since she is able to make calls to the Swiss embassy from Hamid's store (Betty does this by time her trips right and using the excuse of long lines. Also while living there Mahthob is going to school and Betty is taking a Koran study class. She also starts making friends there at the Koran study classes. While in Koran Study Class, Betty becomes friends with Ellen from Lansing, Michigan. She tells Betty about her story about how she was brought to Iran by her husband Hormoz and forced to stay there for one years if she didn't like it, then she could move back to the U.S., she went back to the U.S. twice both times she returned to Iran, the reason is because she has no education, no money, no skills, and two children. Ellen gets beaten by Hormoz, Ellen says that she doesn't stay there with love she stays because of fear. A few days later Moody tells Betty that he has got a Valentines plan for her, His plan is to bring her to a restaurant (that supposedly was English speaking), none of the staff could speak English to make thing worse she had to keep her Roosarie and Chadors on the whole time. That night Betty was awaken by an explosion; they were getting bombed by anti-aircraft fire. In Iran they celebrate No-ruz (the equivalent to the American New Year celebration) was celebrated along the coast of the Caspian Sea, Moody, Betty, Mahthob, and Ahem Bozorg's family will all be going and they will be staying in a former Shah villa. To get there their were three cars that had to fit twenty-six people (in the three cars of course). They spent a week there, with barley anything the women could do like washing food and doing other tedious tasks on occasion they got to walk alone the shore which was littered. The men on the other hand got to sleep in late and go horseback riding. When they had returned, Moody and Betty were surprised that Moody had gotten a Hospital job. The only question in Moody's mind was, if he had that job, who was going to watch over Betty. Then he realized that the days that he is gone he can have Nasserine keep tabs on Betty. One day at Mahthobs school, a teacher had Betty go into her office. The woman struggled with English, but her intentions were good she handed Betty a paper with a phone number on it. When Betty called the number a woman that spoke English (Miss Alavi) picked up the phone. Her and her husband were offering help for Betty. The days past by Betty waiting for the right moment to call, then it came Alavi has a brother that lives in Zahidan that crosses people across the border all the time, Alavi said that they have to move as quick as possible and get the papers Betty needs to fly to Zahidan, the best day to get the papers would be that following Thursday. As soon as Betty senses that her freedom is coming she receives a call from Ellen saying that she told her husband Hormoz about Betty's escape plan, and to add to that Ellen has to tell Moody about Betty's plan. Betty begs her not to, but Ellen says that its her "Islamic duty"Ã¯Â¿Â½, then Betty says that she will tell Moody Ellen say that she will let Betty tell Moody, but if she doesn't in time then Ellen will have to tell Moody. The next day Moody was really moody, they brought Mahthob to school Moody forced Betty to leave with him, Mahthob didn't want her mother to leave, Mahthob then started to cry. Moody then started to beat on Mahthob (he was slapping, kicking, and hitting Mahthob), finally Mahthob was getting protected by the teachers that worked there. Since Moody couldn't beat up on Mahthob, he beats up on Betty. Betty says that she will go with him to keep Mahthob out of danger. He hails a orange taxi and start threatening to kill Betty while they are in the taxi. Then the taxi stopped and Moody forced Betty out of the taxi, Moody was still in the Taxi. She scurried to a phone and called Helen at the embassy and told what had happened so Helen decides that she is willing to meet Betty at Mahthobs school. As Betty was hurried to get back to Mahthobs school, Hormoz see her and asks her to tell him what's going on but, Betty just states that she called the embassy. Hormoz and Ellen drive Betty to Mahthobs school, Betty tells them the story. Finally Mr. Vincop and Helen arrive, Betty tells them what had happened and they say that they want to bring her to the police so she can tell them what happened. Betty thinks about it, but rejects the idear because they could deport Betty without her daughter Mahthob. Ellen and Hormoz offer to keep Betty at their house until the problem is resolved. After that big fight moody locks Betty up in the house, she is now like a prisoner. One day Betty finds Moody's Briefcase it has a three digit combination she starts from 0-0-0 then goes to 0-0-1, 0-0-2, 0-0-3, etc. finally she get the combination 1-1-7. Inside the briefcase there was a telephone she hurried that she could hook it to the outlet in the wall a she hurried she heard rustling about, she knew that Essey was home and that Essey would hear the phone dial and she would tell Moody, so she didn't risk it. A few days later Betty notices Alavi standing outside on the sidewalk, Alavi said that she knew everything that had gone on and that the trip to Zahidan was all set. Betty then said that she couldn't because she doesn't know were Mahthob is, Alavi then says she will find Mahthob. Then Moody comes home one day saying that Mahthobs was sick and he had to go to the hospital with her, he did not let Betty go with him. While Betty is wondering what's going on the air raid seines go off Betty get really worried for Mahthob. That night Moody returns with Mahthob (a very sick Mahthob). Mahthob finally got better and even started to help her Betty teach Elham English. One day Moody leaves Betty at Ahem Bozorgs house surprisingly she is very sympathy towards Betty and says use my phone call your family for as long as you like, Betty thought there was a trick, but wasn't this was a genuine gesture. They knew that moody was turning vicious and crazy. Finally Moody started to become kinder to the point that he let Betty look for a new house. She found the perfect house, she brought Moody to see this house he also fell in love with it. He thought it was perfect to start his practice. Betty liked it because it was big, had a American toilet, working bath & shower, a pool, a telephone, nobody could spy on her, and Moody couldn't keep her under lock & key. While there Moody met some of his childhood friends Zaree and Chamsey. Moody started his practice the sign he had said "Dr. Mahmoody: American-educated and trained, specializing in the treatment of pain"Ã¯Â¿Â½. One day Betty finds out that Amahl wants to see her so she goes to his house; he explains that finally they have come up with a plan that will get Betty out of Iran. He will need papers of identification like drive license, credit cards, and her birth certificate (preferably a Iranian Birth certificate). He said that they could most likely be home for Thanksgiving. After that Amahl let Betty use his phone to call the embassy, to set up a meeting with Helen, Amahl said not to tell the people at the embassy. Betty went to the embassy she was so ecstatic from the news that she had gotten from Amanhl, she couldn't resist she had to tell Helen, Helen then gave Betty her driver license, American birth certificate, American passports, and her credit card information. They were both very happy along with Mr. Vincop, Mr. Vincop also stated "that it's my job to warn you against escape"Ã¯Â¿Â½. Unfortunately she was still there on Thanksgiving, but her escape plan was coming more and more into context, now the plan was to be there by Christmas, which again she was unable to do. One day Betty receives a call from her sister Carolyn who says that their father has a bowel obstruction and if they don't remove it he could die, but he's so weak he might not make it through the surgery, they don't think he will live to see the next day, Moody sees the concern in Bettys face and says go see your father. The only reason why Moody is allowing Betty to go back is because he wants her to sell all their belongings also he is not letting Mahthob to go with her. Of coarse she decides to not go because Moody could have her band from the country and she would never see Mahthob again. Moody had forced her to get a passport to go to the U.S., Moody's plan was working, But then Amahl called 3 days before the flight Moody planed, Amahl said everything was ready. Betty then said I want to leave tomorrow. They had it all planed Betty would leave at 9 am and fly to Zahidan, then the smugglers would take Betty and Mahthob through the rugged mountains into Pakistan, after that the smugglers would take her to Quetta which is in Pakisan and from there they would fly to Karachi. The whole trip is costing Betty $12,000, Then to Betty's disappointment the trip was canceled do to a big blizzard in the mountains (the biggest in a hundred years). Betty was quite sad because she didn't know if she would escape before she would be forced to go to America. Finally it happened the moment Betty had been waiting for, Moody had to go to a emergency call and he had to leave he couldn't stay. So Fereshteh offered to watch over Betty for him. Moody accepts and then leaves; Betty didn't want to get Fereshteh in trouble so she came up with an excuse so Fereshteh would have to leave. She then calls Amahl and says she has to leave now there will be no other chance. He agrees and gives her his home address. He had Betty call Moody and tell him that she was not going on the flight Friday and other things to delay him, like saying she will tell the government that Moody is practicing medicine without a license. Amahl returned at seven in the morning with food and extra clothing. He also told them the route they would travel, They would go to turkey, the a flight to Bandar Abbas, then a speed boat ride across the Persian gulf, then a flight to Zahidan, then a smuggles run to Pakistan, then a flight to Tokyo. The total cost of the trip was $12,000. They start the trip the day after, the trip was very long they went from a van to horses, they climbed mountains, traveled in a bus, finally they made it to Ankara, because they didn't have there passport stamped they couldn't stay in the hotel (about a week to a week and a half had passed by). The next day they were on their way home.