THE WINDMILLS

It was an average evening, the salty smell from the Caspian Sea was pleasant and there was absolutely no harbinger of bad events on the horizon. My sister Gular- it’s her legal name (we called her Guela) and I were at home alone watching TV. The cacophony of the very busy street, below our balcony, was absolutely normal and even comforting – it was our home. About 11 pm our parents (father Heybat and mother Rafiga) arrived home from some party and were in great moods. We kissed Mama and Papa, I remember Mama’s hair was silky and saturated with the cosmopolitan smell of the city. Shortly after they arrived home the phone rang, it was someone from the government, I can not recall what department it was, asking for help with some medical issue. Our father, Dr. Heybat Abdullayev, was a pioneer of cardio surgery in Azerbaijan and a member of the International Society of Surgeons in Brussels. He was always available to help whether the person in need was family, friend, neighbor, acquaintance or a complete stranger. I witnessed it all. Papa left home, he said he would be back soon, or call us if he needed to perform surgery. He was wearing a white suit and a black bow tie. HE RETURNED HOME EIGHT YEARS LATER... On the first morning after his arrest, my sister Guela and I were home alone when the doorbell began ringing nonstop. Mama was away trying to find out what was going on with Papa. We did not know this was going to be one of the most awful days in our lives and would stay with us forever. There were many uniformed men and others in civilian clothes at our door. They were demanding that we open the door and let them in. We did not, there was no way we would do it. The door was the only shield between us and them. We were scared and brave simultaneously. The fear was so intense it was beyond fear and became sheer terror, but at some point we became fearless. Now thinking back, my heart is full of pride that we stood in defiance of the KGB and others, although our stand was ineffective, we did it! We went to the balcony and saw an awful event in progress. Looking down on the L shaped yard, created by three large apartment buildings and two entrances, we saw a large crowd of KGB, Militsia (police) and officers of the Justice Department and who knows what else gathered there. Nobody was on any balcony, but every window was crowded with neighbors. It was so surreal that this was happening and happening to us.