The Scratched Persian Script on the Back of the Wallet Card

Dear Delyara, While searching for my ID badge tonight, I pulled out an old, faded business card from a teahouse in Darband that has been sitting in the back leather slot of my wallet for three years. On the reverse side, my father had written a small phone number and a single line in Farsi script using a blue ballpoint pen that has now bled into the cardboard: “Wherever you stand, stand tall.” The ink is turning grey at the edges, dissolving into the sweat and the friction of my daily routine. I ran my thumb over the indentations his hand made on the paper all those years ago. It felt like a physical connection to a life that feels increasingly like a dream I had a very long time ago.