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It was the dawn on Wednesday.
Shibly prayed his dawn prayer in Akbar mosque. After the prayer, he stayed for some time at the mosque, reciting the Quran.
Zubair Haajiyar was at the main entrance of the mosque building, talking to an old man.
Zubair Hajiyar was the man to whom Shibly had talked about renting the boarding room yesterday. He recognized Shibly at a glance.
“How are you, sir? Night you stayed here? Everything is fine?”.
“Yeah, al-alhamdulillah (all praise be to God), everything alright”.
“The maintenance is the problem here. People don’t listen to anything. They smoke and then throw cigarette pieces away wherever they wish”, Zubair Haajiyar said, “Will they do it at their houses? Not at all, right?”.
“Yeah, that’s right, Haajiyar. But, what to do?”.
“Sir, I will come today or tomorrow and let me talk to everyone. If everyone corporates, we could do something for the maintenance”, Zubair Hajiyar sounded as if it was his mistake that the boarding rooms were unhygienic.
After talking to Zubair Haajiyar, Shibly came outside the mosque compound.
The sun was yet to rise.
Pleasant dawn wind was blowing. It was cooler than usual.
Even in the grey light, he could sense clouds to be filled with evaporated water, being anytime ready to shower.
Few drops of rain started pouring slowly. They were pleasant and refreshing.
The frequency and the intensity of the raindrops started increasing swiftly. Before Shibly got to the shadow of his boarding room building, it was showering intensely. It wasn’t heavy rain, though.
The dwellers in the rooms still seemed to be sleeping. The nostalgic smell of mosquito coils could be felt even from outside the rooms.
It was 5.50 am when he got into his room. He must be within the school premises by 7.30 am.
Travelling was definitely going to be a problem. Probably, he would have to walk. There wasn’t any sign of public transport.
Sometimes he would be able to catch a threewheer. But, he wasn’t sure.
It was better to get out of the room before seven.
Not much time was left at hand.
Shibly was scrolling down his mobile for any new messages. There was a voice message from his sister.
“Shibly, Hope you are doing well. I was to call you. But, where do I have time for such luxuries these days, after this prince and the princess came into my life?”, She meant both of her kids.
“So, I am sending these voice messages late at night. Just now these two cuties have fallen asleep, giving me some rest”, she sounded proud and happy.
“Shibly, don’t think I am complaining. You know, being a mother is such a good feeling. You could never understand that. I was to tell you one thing… but, I am talking about something else”.
The message was over. The next voice message was loading.
“Next Sunday, our uncle’s daughter is getting married. They have decided in a hurry. They did not bother to tell even our mother. Most probably, uncle will call you to invite you. Make sure you come home Friday afternoon whatever the work you have. Otherwise, there will be a wrong impression”.
There came the final message.
“You know I am talking about whom? About Nifra. Probably, you would remember this name. How could you forget it? But, don’t get upset. Don’t show uncle any sign of you being upset. Be free and happy. In fact, it is your fortune that she leaves. She is such a lazy stubborn girl. I always hated her…”
The uncle was Shibly’s mother’s brother. Nifra was his daughter. There was a rumour going on within the extended family that Nifra could be given in marriage for Shibly. Doubtlessly, it had created some hopes in Shibly’s mind, too.
Shibly’s fabulously rich uncle, however, had many other plans in his brain. God alone was aware of them.
He had implicitly made it absolutely clear that he had no intention of accepting Shibly as his son-in-law, for he had selected a profession of less opportunity for making a fortune out of it.
The news his sister’s message brought was not unexpected. It was helpful in one respect. Shibly would be emotionally ready to talk to his uncle when he knows in advance. Probably the uncle might call him soon.
Shibly tried to ignore the news. He falsely tried to rationalise that the news was not unexpected. The reality was that the news was thunder-storming. It was so painful, like injecting a sharp needle into his deep heart.
Shibly was scrolling down for other messages.
He wanted to simply distract himself.
****
It was a fairly big town along Kandy - Colombo main road.
Long distance travellers usually stop here.
They take meals, answer their call of nature and get refreshed here.
Hamdha, Rushdha and Shakira were sitting at a restaurant table having their breakfast.
Doctor Zaidh’s family had occupied another table, too far away from them to overhear each other. Only doctor Zaidh seemed to be missing in his family.
The girls studying in Colombo were returning home with the Doctor's family.
Only now the girls got the opportunity to talk to each other freely. All of them had been trying to pretend everything was smooth and normal. None of them wanted to have their fight in front of this family.
“Shakira, don’t you have any lectures this week?”, Hamdha asked. Hamdha is Mohideen Haajiyar’s daughter. She wanted to end the quarrel that had restarted after news of the attack on Shakira’s father, the Principal.
“I have. But, I really wanted to see my father. Today he is getting discharged from the hospital. I should be with him…. You two don’t have any lectures?”. Shakira, the Principal’s daughter, asked Hamdha and Rushdha.
“We have. Hamdha is going home. So, I also decided to go with her”, Rushdha, Minhaj’s sister said.
“What a friendship you two have?! Sometimes I feel jealous of you two”, said Shakira.
“You are also our friend. Why should you be jealous?”, Hamdha told Shakira.
“That’s right. But, girls are gossiping that…. that... You... You have a crush… You have a crush on Rushda’s brother, Hamdha”, Shakira said with a broad smile, all of a sudden. It was like a sudden blast of a mine.
“What?”
“A crush?”
"What are you talking about, Shakira?"
Both Hamdha and Rushdha exclaimed.
Both of them did not expect this sudden blast.
Hamdha’s cheeks got reddened. Her heart started pounding fast and her body started trembling. Her tongue was stuttering.
“Shakira… What? What are you talking about?”, Hamdha cried, “Rushdha, Shakira is kidding. Don’t… Don’t believe her. Shakira, please be serious. This is not something to make fun out of”.
Rushdha remained silent with a serious look. She was sinking into deep thinking. Shakira was still smiling.
“Come on, Hamdha, why are you getting upset? Be calm, dear. If it is true, say yes. If not, then simply say no. It is just that simple. What I just said was the girls are gossiping. That’s it. I just wanted to confirm”.
“You want to confirm what?”
“Let me ask you straight. Do you have a crush on Rushdha’s brother, Hamdha?”, Shakira asked straightforwardly.
“What type of question is this…! Rushdha is my best friend”.
“Rushdha is your best friend. That's true enough. Everyone knows that very well. I will never deny the fact that both of you are best friends. But, it doesn’t mean you couldn’t have a crush on her brother. Those are not two contradicting things. Am I right, Hamdha?”, Shakira asked in her lawyer-like tone.
“You are making a serious accusation, Shakira”.
“Why should I accuse you in the first place, Hamdha Mohideen? Having a crush is not a crime. It is normal human nature. I am simply curious to clarify. That’s it. There couldn’t be smoke without any fire, right? If you are not comfortable enough, no need to share with me. That’s your private affair”, Shakira laughed and stood up, “let me wash my hands and come”.
Shakira walked towards a washroom.
“Is it true, Hamdha, what Shakira just said?”, Rushdha asked in a serious tone.
“Even you are asking me this question, Rushdha?”, this time Hamdha got furious.
Rushdha did not say anything.
Her face was expressionless.
Hamdha couldn’t read anything from her face. Both of them remained silent for many eras until Shakira returned.
“Hey, Hamdha, simply tell me. The news is true, right?”, Shakira asked Hamdha, pretending to be unusually friendly.
“Which news?”
“There you go. Hamdha, You are pretending to be so innocent, ah? I was asking about the news of your crush on Rushda’s brother”.
Shakira always hated Hamdha.
Shakira thought Hamdha has every blessing in life, that Shakira deserves to enjoy.
Hamdha was pretty. Shakira was not.
Hamdha was born with a silver spoon at her mouth. Shakira was born into a middle-class household where every rupee is spent very cautiously.
Hamdha had a lot of friends, despite being shy and introverted. Shakira hardly earns any friends despite being extroverted and outgoing.
Over and above all these things, Hamdha’s father, Mohideen Haajiyar was a well-respected and very influential man.
Shakira’s father is neither respected nor does have any real influence, regardless of his educational credentials. In fact, Hamdha’s father was the sole reason for the lack of respect for Shakira’s family. Finally, there was an attempted murder to kill her father.
This is how Shakira believed. She thought destiny to have placed both herself and Hamdha on unequal footing.
Shakira impulsively hurt Hamdha on many occasions.
Hamdha always had her friends around her to defend her. Rushdha would always take Hamdha’s side. Rushdha was not like Hamdha. She always had the guts to talk to Shakira’s eyes.
Today Shakira thought that Rushdha would never come for Hamdha’s help. The matter was extremely sensitive even to Rushdha.
“I was asking about your crush on Rushdha’s brother? But, How innocently you act..!”, Shakira said, “What a shameful character you are, Hamdha...!”
“Shakira…!”, Rushdha called Shakira.
Shakira was too busy accusing Hamdha.
“You pretend like a loyal friend and then, you have a crush on your own friend's brother. It’s so disgusting, Hamdha".
“Shakira”, Rushdha said again, “Shakira, please listen”.
Both Hamdha and Shakira were looking at Rushdha.
“If Hamdha happens to be my sister-in-law, I would be the happiest person in the world”, Rushdha said sternly, “I think, Shakira, you need not worry”.
The complexion of Shakira’s face changed within a fraction of a second. “Oh, okay… Okay... I apologise to both of you. It’s your family matter, isn’t it?. Who am I to interfere?”, Shakira said.
Throughout their journey, those three young ladies remained silent, within the confinements of their own worries and thoughts.
When they entered hill country, it was raining.
****
Shibly’s heart was wounded after the news of his cousin Nifra’s marriage. Even the mustard pieces of remaining hope had now completely disappeared.
The news was not unexpected. Still, it was capable enough to strike him with the fullest force.
Shibly wanted to distract himself. He started reading some messages in his phone. Just for the sake of distracting himself.
Although he tried to focus, he was obviously not able to give his complete concentration.
Even in his half-focus state, there was one obvious thing.
The news of the attack on the principal had started to fade away in the village.
One message in a village forum was saying that the principal would be discharged from the hospital this morning and get home.
People had started discussing many other things, especially a project of a community library.
“This is a useless idea. The era of printed books is over. The library is an old fashioned idea. Why don’t we think of something more useful and constructive?”, one voice said. But, many other voices completely disagreed with the opinion.
“Everyone has a smartphone in their hands. Theoretically, every boy and every girl is equipped to extract any knowledge. But, the reality is worrisome and completely opposite. They have gone far away from even the so-called old fashioned knowledge. Our aim has to be to keep them busy with old fashioned knowledge and keep them offline as much as possible”.
It was refreshing to Shibly that village folks had started discussing something constructive after having been seamlessly scolding each other.
Shibly checked the social media post that he had typed previous day. Usually, sleeping gives him the ability to think with more clarity.
He had decided last night to delay posting the message until this dawn. After reading his own message again this morning, he did not feel comfortable posting it.
His intuition was warning him to keep silent on this matter. Despite his playful character, the principal’s son, Hamzi, did not look like someone trustworthy to depend upon.
Finally, Shibly noticed that he has been added by Rizwan sir in a social media forum of the school staff.
He could not go through old messages. But, he noticed a new message to be sent from Izzadeen sir early this morning.
“All of you know that many discussions are going on in social media about the unfortunate incident that happened to our principal. This has revived the old problems between two influential families in the village.
I have seen some of our staff expressing their opinions, too. It is your right to express anything you like. It is your freedom. But, the issue is not whether we have the freedom to say something or not. We have to solve the problems, not create the problems. We should bridge the hearts.
As I had already said in my previous post, my strong opinion is that we, as the staff, should speak in one single voice. Whatever we say publicly should be our shared opinion, despite our differences.
Let’s have a staff meeting today and discuss this matter. Till that, I kindly request everyone to refrain from posting anything publicly about this issue on social media”.
There ended Izzadeen sir’s message.
After going through all messages, Shibly regained his strength. He started getting ready to go to school. He had to take a shower and iron his clothes.
What does it matter if Nifra marries anyone? Who cares?
Shibly thought angrily. He has his own responsibilities. He has his own works. He has his own ambitions.
There are hundreds and thousands of girls out there in this vast universe. There must be a soul whom God has created for Shibly who would be hiding among the crowd.
Who is she?
Where is she?
What could she possibly be doing right now?
((To be continued))
_ _ _ _
Next chapter: chapter 13 - your brother doesn't deserve her?
Previous chapter: chapter 11 - You couldn't guess who I am, right?
* Characters, events and the places in this story are fictional and a mere product of the author's imagination. Any resemblance to real-world events or characters is merely coincidental.
** Vijayapura and Marudur are fictional places.
Riza Jaufer
Akurana -Kandy,
Sri Lanka
