Narrative essay structure and techniques

¶ … amazing or remarkable things take place. The remembrances from those days are so special they remain ingrained in the mind through the years. At any time of day, morning or evening, thanks to the workings of the mind, that particularly meaningful memory can be brought into perfect focus and the recollection of events on that day warms the human spirit and brightens the heart.

My special day was the day I met my love. That wonderful day and the time we spent together will always be the brightest reminiscence in my mind. The darkest memory in my mind will be the day he was killed in the streets of Tehran by the police. It was June, 2009, and millions of Iranians honestly believed that the results of the national election had been rigged. Before the election, the polls all showed that Mir Hussein Mousavi was leading and would likely be elected. He would turn the country away from a kind of dictatorship into a more democratic nation. Our voices would be heard.

After the corrupt results of the falsified election became known, millions of people were asking, "Where is my Vote?" We asked this in unison because the man we all wanted to be our president -- Mousavi -- was defeated unfairly, so the "Green Movement" was launched as millions went into the streets to protest the corrupt government of Ahmadinejad. The police used brutal fascist tactics on the protestors. My love was a political activist and he had great integrity but in his passion to protest corruption in our government, his life was ended with a bullet. The Green Movement was turned into a blood-red disgrace for Iran. My life was forever changed in that violent moment in 2009.

How I met my man and fell in love

Let me reflect on the way in which I came to know and love my man. I was working for an engineering consulting firm -- I had a good job there as an executive manager. A young man who worked as a graphic artist for an advertising and marketing company was hired by our firm. His job was to design the promotional materials, the advertising publications -- including the logos -- for the new villas we were marketing. Even though he didn't work for us, I had contact with him because when he needed to have a meeting with the chairman of our company, he had to coordinate that meeting through me, the executive manager.

For the longest time, I never actually met him in person. He would call the office, or email the office, and request to see the chairman, and I would make that arrangement for him. I came to really be fascinated by his wonderful voice. It intrigued me at first because his voice sounded like a newscaster I heard regularly; it was a distinctive voice, sincere but strong, professional but sweet as well. I was more than curious about the man behind this voice; I was enamored, captivated, and I was determined to somehow meet this person with the golden voice.

When the day was drawing close for the "Grand Opening" of our villas, I made my plan. All his work had been completed; the marketing and advertising materials he designed had all been printed. So basically he was not part of the grand opening because for some odd business reason, the firm he worked for was not invited to the grand opening. But my fascination for this gentleman would not be dashed just because his firm wasn't invited. I had his business phone number, so I dialed him up.

He said hello and immediately asked if there was anything wrong with the design work he had done. Of course not, I replied. "Everything is perfect and I just called you to say thank you for all you have done for our company," I remember saying. "I want to invite you to our grand opening." He was somewhat surprised but he accepted the invitation. The day of the grand opening I did my best to look very good. When he arrived, I was at a desk greeting people and he came up and said "Hi," and used his formal name (Ali Abedini). I was busy greeting guests but that voice was unmistakably his. I turned to him and smiled, and he smiled back at me with a wink. A warm rush of emotion went through me. That is the day I referred to in my introduction, a day I shall never ever forget. I had known that voices do affect me in emotional ways, but no voice had ever moved me like his voice.

I had wildly fluctuating emotions that day. I needed to be professional and do my job, but I was emotionally attracted to Ali, who had his eyes on me throughout the event. Afterwards he offered me a ride home, and during the four hours of our ride together he took the opportunity to get to know me. He praised me for the way I handled the grand opening, and even offered me a job with his design company -- at two times my current salary. But I am a loyal person, and I could not leave my company after my boss had so professionally and thoroughly trained me and believed in me.