Chapter 2:~• Buoyant Spirits
" Our shouting is louder than our actions,Our swords are taller than us.This is our tragedy.In short,We wear the cape of civilisation But our souls live in the stone age."
Nizar Qabbani
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"We are going to Shikla for my brother's wedding shopping, do you want to come with us"?Eisha tapped the flat end of her stick on the huge rock they were sitting on and looked at Hera.It was break time and like always instead of sitting in the class Hera and Eisha moved out to their favourite spot at the back side of the school.Her brother's wedding was fixed with a girl from the neighbourhood town,Shikla.The wedding was scheduled to take place after two months but the preparations were started from now only. Though the nikah was going to be a simple ceremony but the reception,which is thrown by the groom's side was planned to be a lavish affair. A grand hotel was booked in the city and professional event planners were organising the whole function. Eisha was full of the joys of the spring at the moment, coming from a rich family she had seen a different life than that of Hera's.The marking was either less or none to the struggles in her life but inspite of all the luxuries she never boasted about it,in fact her background too was very humble.
"You are on cloud nine on your brother's wedding I am wondering what you will be like on your own wedding".Hera enthused.
"Must you say something to spoil my mood and why don't you bring back some knowledge from your memory, if you have any".
"What do you want me to recall".
Hera was sure getting in her hair.
" You know I will never marry".She said with a displeased look.
"Girls who say like that are the first one to get married."
"Then you must be the topper in the list of those girls".
" I never said that I don't want to get married at all.I will marry when the time comes and it's going to be after I am done with my higher studies".
"And I hope that's just few months away,when you are a senior school graduate".With that she said ameen with a loud voice enjoying the annoyance that she was causing to Hera.
She knew Hera was not that sort of a girl who would easily give up to the circumstances. She had dreams to make her own identity in the society,She wanted to move into the city with her mother and earn her living. She was determined to work in the city and exempt her mother from the worry of earning money,this ambition of her always motivated her to work hard in her studies and remain among the top three position holders. But her biggest concern was to find a way to continue her studies,there was no college or university in the town and for further education boys were sent to the city. Most of the girls were made to cease their education after senior school. No one went to college or university, not even from the rich class of the town. The way ahead to reach her goal seemed to have so many bumps but she was determined to meet them all if that's how it was meant to be. Her mother had given the young years of her life to make Hera's life though Hera could never pay her back,not even an ounce of it but she still wanted to give her a good life and desired for a free-living life for herself.
No one knew what her head was planning about her future except Eisha,whom she had once talked about it nonchalantly while having a conversation. She was scared to let her mother know about it. She was scared to discuss her future,she was scared that her mother might not like any idea of her,she was scared that her mother's response might give her a dead end because the chances of her going to a city for gaining education were from slim to nil. Every day she prepared herself to talk her mother into it but whenever the moment came it seemed like her tongue turned into a heavy stone,not able to move at all.But it was now getting hard to put it on hold as the time to make a decision was drawing near.
"I know what you are thinking Hera,but thinking doesn't settle the matters right".Eisha never seemed to mind when Hera's thoughts jumped around or if she lost her place in the middle of the conversations. It was easy for Hera to get lost in her own thoughts to the point that she even missed, what's going on around her.
"Sometimes I wish I was a boy then I'd had a free wheeling life".Eisha mused.
"Why would you say like that"?
"You know it very well".She replied,her gaze cutting through an ocean of lush green lawn.
"I can feel you but you see even boys are not immune from parental pressures and restrictions but due to the culture these often fall more heavily on the daughters of the family than the sons.People have mixed Islam with culture and it's the culture that they follow most of the time.On the contrary,Islam has raised the status of woman so high that it is said if everybody knew the true status of a Muslim woman in Islam, even the men would want to be a woman."
"Oh please,they are 'wondrous' as it is.I don't want them to infiltrate the womankind." Eisha laughed out loud at her own statement and the smile that Hera suppressed broke free, racing across her face like wildfire.
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"Fahad,you still need to work hard.
Look at this problem,it's asking for the total cost of eight chocolates which means you need to do multiplication".Writing the numbers on the note book Hera asked the kid to do the calculations,who like an obedient child put the well worn notebook on his lap and started to run the numbers in his head.In the meanwhile Hera turned to attend the other student.
Tutoring the school kids was the recent thing that she had started. In order to give some financial help to her mother.Though it was very hard to convince her mother for this but at the end she allowed it,however she was not told the correct intention behind this.
Hera was blessed with a gift of working with kids and she enjoyed teaching students from kindergarten to kids of middle school.She was careful to charge very nominal fee and those kids that came from very poor background were tutored free of cost.She felt immense satisfaction in helping these kids with the school slumps.
"Khadija,add the circumferences of the two cirlcles first." Hera ultimately gave hint to the girl who was struggling with the same word problem from the past few minutes. The girl became panicky and yet again she solved it wrongly.
"Hey,good girl come here." Making the girl sit next to her,Hera put her arm around her shoulder and asked her politely,"This is the third test in a row that's come back with a C or a D. You're usually a B-plus student. Is there anything disturbing you that you'd like to tell me"?
"It doesn't matter how hard I study, I just can't seem to get the hang of geometry.I think others are right about me, i am dumb".Keeping her head down,the girl said tenderly with a sad look in her eyes.
"Who says that"?Hera drew khadija closer to her.
"My brother,he says it all the time". Erasing the curve on the paper,
khadijah stopped for a moment to look at Hera and then resumed to erase the circle.
Hera was inarticulate for a moment,She didn't know how to help the little girl with this.She decided to speak to her brother directly when he comes to pick her up.Though she never spoke to the male guardians of her students but since this had upset her a lot and it could even mar the personality of the girl so she decided to have a face to face conversation with khadija's brother.Soon after sometime,the front room was vacant except for khadija and one more girl.She was about to rise for the Maghrib salah when the name of khadija was called from outside. When she opened the door and saw that it was a young man may be in his early twenties. Troubled rose in her and she took a step back,struggling with her decision she finally decided to go ahead.
"You are khadija's brother,right." That was suppose to be a question but it came out more like an information. Not waiting for his response she carried on,"She seems to have some trouble in solving mathematical problems but I am sure she'll soon improve her performance.As elders we are suppose give them the support they need and not critcise them or dissect their performance to tell them how bad they are doing.Stop ruining your sister's self esteem and treat her with love whenever she expresses any emotion - especially vulnerable feelings.This time onwards I hope you'll stop calling her names".
The guy tried to look at the girl who was incessantly giving him lessons on values,but her face was partially hidden behind the door.Someone clearing her throat,brought him back from his struggle to get a glance of the figure behind the door.
"Yes,I will do as you say".
Hera turned to her student,cupping her face she said,"I have talked to your brother.He will not say anything bad to you.Happy now"? A soft smile dawned on her face as she looked at her.
" But he never said anything bad to me."The girl looked at her, innocently.
"Then who did"?Her own voice felt like coming from a far distance.
" My other brother ".The smile on Hera's face was replaced by a raw, reactionary look of embarrassment. She opened the door a fraction,peered through and said," I am very sorry,I should have gathered the complete information first,before speaking to you". That's when his eyes met her brown orbs,analysing every feature of her face.The furrowed eyebrows, the bridge of her nose,the apologetic look that was reflected on every feature of her face,everything looked so perfect.He seemed to be trying to memorise every small line as if he was scribbling her image in the back of his mind.
"Trust me,I couldn't have felt any better. I am glad you spoke to me about my sister's problem.That's my younger brother,they both keep calling each other names.It happens during the siblings fighting but I'll admonish him and make him stop doing this."
Hera looked at him,a warm smile spread across his face before it flitted into a smirk which made Hera highly uncomfortable.
"Thank you,I appreciate that".Her reply was less vocal more like a blab and with that she shut the door behind her,mentally chiding herself for acting in haste.
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Entering into the class Hera figured out that her desk was taken by Suleyma,every student was given a permanent seat and nobody could take over others.Hera knew she did it on purpose to provoke her.Unlike her regular self she walked past her and decided to take some other seat.
" Sorry this seat is occupied already for my friend".Keeping her bag on the desk she was about to sit when Suleyma picked her bag and tossed it in the air.Sudden Anger gripped her and it flared up like huge flames.
" I can respond to you in a way worst than yours, but no!I will not because I haven't stooped that low yet so let's end the matter in a peaceful way."She spoke through clenched teeth and turned around to pick up her bag from the ground,turning around she saw Ustadh Abdullah coming into the class.On seeing him,Hera deliberately slowed down her steps just so that he gets to see her bag on the floor and right to her thinking that's exactly what happened.
"Why is your bag lying on the floor"? He asked in a surprised tone.
" Suleyma threw it,when I tried to sit on the seat because according to her it was reserved for her friend".
"Is that true?Suleyma". Keeping his belongings on the table he scrutinised her.
" Ustadh I was trying to keep it on other desk but it slipped from my hand."Hera was not at all surprised over her flat lie.
"And it came flying all the way from the back to the front of the class room."Spinning a pen between his fingers he picked apart her 'truth'.
"Why is it so difficulty for you all to stay in harmony?You are already past the age of doing such petty things. I am really disappointed in you, Suleyma". Pausing for a significant moment he blew out a deep sigh and sat back in his chair.
"I am sorry Ustadh, I didn't mean to do that.It just happened". Hera jerked,looking at Suleyma with wide eyes.She was acknowledging her mistake,which was quite disbelieving.
" You should be sorry to the one whom you have wronged".
"I am sorry". She turned to Hera.
" It's alright".Hera gave her the programmed response,looking into her eyes which were screaming that she was just pulling up this act for the Ustadh's sake.
"Fille!You gave an excellent beginning to our boring morning". It was break time and as usual Hera was sitting alone in the park for Eisha was absent today. Yasmeen joined her to the lunch and was very excitedly talking about all that happened in the morning class.
"Hera,some guy is here to see you. He is waiting for you outside".A classmate of her shouted at her from a distance.
" Who"? She asked bewildered,as the girl approached her.
"I don't know I have never seen him before". She shrugged her shoulders.
" Did he tell you his name"?
"He is so handsome".She squealed bringing her fists up to her chin and shaking slightly, showing her excitement.
"That's his name"?She cocked an inquisitive eyebrow at her.Whatever it was,but she didn't like the kind of reply she received.
"Seriously"? The girl let out a frustrated sigh and blew her bangs out of her face.While Yasmeen sitting next to her was laughing so hard that she bent over to hold her stomach.
Leaving the two of them,she walked into the said direction.
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Aye!!Is the town girl in some trouble?What do you think?
I am having my exam tomorrow and here I am giving you all an update. Anyways how's the story so far?
Don't forget to share your views with me.