““Placing my key on the reception desk, I imagine him a few kilometres away, stepping over his parents in the dark on the way to the kitchen to drink a glass of water, spashing a handful over his hair in an attempt to flatten it down. I picture his mother stirring slightly as he gargles and spits toothpaste into the sink. Clutching Vahid’s note to my chest I slip the heavy wooden bolt guarding the hotel’s entrance to the side with a thud, and slip away into the cool morning air.””
