Page 28 of The Mismatch

Soraya had been to Tehran a handful of times with the family when she was younger. Her memories of Iran were hazy but prominent among them was how perfectly her khale Rabeh made tea. It was always brewed at just the right temperature. She remembered her khale criticising her mum for her rushed tea-making, and her mum playfully swatting her sister with a dishcloth.

Now, her parents went to Iran every year without their children. It was easier to explain the absence in the family if none of the children were there. Soraya never felt comfortable in Tehran anyway. She was always regarded as a foreigner, despite looking like them. In England she had the reverse problem. In England she was Iranian, and in Iran she was English. Always a foreigner, never belonging.

‘Thank you, darling.’ Her mum handed Soraya two cups. ‘This one is your dad’s,’ she pointed to the faded mug with tea which was black with no sugar, ‘and this one is Amir’s,’ the milky tea with a lot of sugar.

Soraya carried them through to the living room and put them down in front of her dad and brother; they were receivedwithout thanks. She went back to her mum to retrieve hers and held the steaming mug close to her.

‘Ignore them,’ her mum said, without looking up. She poured the remaining tea, and then looked to find some biscuits to put on a plate. ‘They don’t know how hard you’ve been trying.’

This understanding made Soraya teary-eyed but also produced imposter-like feelings. Had she been trying hard? She had applied for so many jobs, read up on how to write the best cover letters, and taken her time writing the applications. But was her heart in it? Did she even know what she wanted to do?

‘I always tell students it takes time, so don’t be disheartened. It’s difficult to get your first job, but you’ll get there.’ Her mum patted Soraya on her forearm.

‘Your dad made such a mess of the house today,’ she continued in hushed tones.

Soraya didn’t reply.

‘I work all day and come back to biscuit crumbs on the floor and jam smeared on the remote control.’

‘Tell him to clean it up then,’ Soraya sighed, repeating the same conversation they always had.

‘Like he would listen.’

They returned to the living room, with the chocolate biscuits, which were devoured within two minutes.

Pressing play, the episode ofCoronation Streetbegan with one character almost being caught having an affair. ‘Again!’ her mum cried, shaking her head. ‘Her partner is so kind as well.’

‘They all drink too much and this is what happens,’ her dad said, as though he was an expert in such matters.

‘Wait, I thought that other guy was her husband?’ Soraya said.

‘No, they divorced and now she’s going out with his friend,’ her mum explained, dunking her biscuit into her tea.

‘When did that happen?’

‘Months ago.’

‘So why is she with him again?’

‘They got drunk at a party and kissed,’ her dad said.

‘They always go to the pub and drink. English people must spend so much money on alcohol,’ her mum mused.

‘You do know this isn’t representative of English people’s lives?’ Soraya said to her parents.

They often had this conversation too.

‘No, this is what they’re like. This is why we don’t drink alcohol, it makes people do bad things.’

‘It’s exaggerated for TV, though, they’ve got to make it interesting.’

‘Mum and Dad think our English neighbours all meet in the pub every day and cheat on each other,’ Amir said, laughing.

‘Oh, shhh,’ her mum said, turning the volume up.

Watching the soaps was an important pastime for her mum; she seldom watched TV, with the exception of the soaps. It was the only moment in which she had time to herself, and the only real time she bonded with her husband over a shared interest.

The Nazari family were fans of late dinners, which meant at 9 p.m. Soraya and Parvin were only just setting the table.Whilst Soraya dished up the pasta, Parvin added side salads to the plates and their mum took the garlic bread out of the oven. The men were watching football in the other room and occasionally Soraya could hear yelps, though she wasn’t quite sure whether they were cries of joy or anger.