Conditions

As I twisted a napkin, so it felt hardened into a chain, they spoke,
"If they didn't actually rig the last election, and Tehran is just very different from all other towns in Iran.
If smaller towns are influenced by promises and threats of the military,
     and if the military has sided with Ahmadinejad.
If there is no internal strife between Ahmadinejad and Khamenei,
If there is, in fact, backstage engineering of the votes
If people are not entirely as apathetic as it may seem
If they don't have any other dangerous intell on Rafsanjani,
If he has entered the race so late as a tactic and not in rashness
If Khamenei is actually convinced that he has the majority of the people on his side
     And if Ahmadinejad also imagines that he has the majority of the people on his side
If my sources, and my sources, and my sources of the right-wing conservatists, the left-wing liberals, the swing voters in Iran are correct,
And if we assume that they will hold the reins tighter as a result of the last election,
If there isn't a boycott against voting
    (because, you see, there is not ideal candidate, we are in defense, throw them onto a continuum, stand for the best of the worst)
If we all vote
Then, I am 100% sure that this election will move to the second round, and that he will win...."

Past them, in my line of sight,
behind the closed circle of chairs we sat in, in the cold common room,
a young man stood at a TV,
pressed his palms together,
and ground his teeth into the sides of his hands.

The score was 2-2
and it was a penalty shot.