Short Story
. . .Unforgettable. . .
They met on the Facebook chat line. He had just started his second year at LSU and she was a freshman. Neither of them remembers whether he first saw her outside the gate waiting for a rickshaw or on Facebook. But they both agree that he first sent her a friend request on Facebook. She did not know who he was and waited for a few days before she said "yes" to be sure it wasn't a stalker. She heard from others in the university that older men, mostly with cash, were befriending young women and then taking them out to wild parties. Finally, she accepted his friend request and they started chatting. She was not a good chatter at the beginning since her mobile phone did not have a good keyboard. He, on the other hand, had the latest Samsung S4 and always sent her poetic lines about love, feelings and nature.
They usually saw each other after class, although his classes were in a different building. They talked about poetry, music, careers, and usually politics in the cafeteria in the Biplob Building. After a few months, he suggested that they go to the nearby Basundhara Shopping Center to hang out, and they checked out the food court on the top floor. The rickshaw ride for him was thrilling since it was the first time he went out with any girl besides his sisters. Over snacks, they talked, laughed, and just touched each other's hand. Both were very cautious about commitment, and never discussed the future. She was the youngest of three daughters, and he still had a younger sister in college. She knew that her parents would probably arrange a marriage for her just as they did for her two older sisters, and he knew that the odds of getting married to her were very remote, at least at this point.
But they liked each other, and for two years their mobile phones and Facebook helped the lovers to get to know each other better and dream of a life together in the future. But of late, their secret rendezvous have become less frequent. Online they stay in touch and often have to catch up with each after a family event or other flows of everyday existence. She learned about a death in his family after a week, and he found out that she had gone to Cox's Bazaar with her eldest sister's family only after they came back. He had confided in his younger sister about his relationship with Shumi, who was sympathetic, but they both knew his mother would find the news hard to swallow. She almost had a heart attack a few years ago when one of his sisters announced her decision to marry a fellow student.
Recently, they had a long break for Ramadan, and he went back to Sylhet to spend time with his mother. After Eid, he went to the Biplob Building a couple of times to see her, but without any luck. He had left his mobile phone in Sylhet and had no way to text her. Finally, he saw her after class one Thursday, and wanted them to go to the cafeteria.
"Hey Shumi, you've forgotten me, isn't it?"
"No, I was overwhelmed with term papers, and two lab reports.'
"Can we talk?"
"Yes, but not today. My classes end early on Mondays. Come here at 2:30 and we can go to Rafi Bhai's tea shop, OK?"
After that they resumed their rendezvous, meeting once a week on Mondays and he felt that their relationship was back to where it was. But they both felt something was missing. She was interviewing for jobs, and he was trying to decide what career path to prepare for. They both stayed away from the campus during the rounds of hartals, and street-fighting that erupted over court battles and trials of old political cases. He went to Sylhet and spent a few weeks with his sister in the Rainagar Tea Estate. After he came back, he decided to see her after her classes. But she had gone to visit her uncle in Barisal.
A few days ago, she had classes the whole day, and they did not get to see each other. He tried to hook up with her but she had labs and an exam the following week. Chatting provided a way to stay in touch. He, on the other hand, was taking it a little easy and trying to decide whether to switch major. He had declared Economics as major but was now a little disappointed. After taking the required Micro and Macro courses, the free market and perfect competition modelspreached by the textbooks lost their appeal that it had when he was taking his SSC. Moving supply curves and demand curves looked elegant in college, but now he could see that for a country like Bangladesh, the market equilibrium really is a fairy tale. He wonders now if she should major in Business or Information Technology, and then decided to take a semester off. At least, there will be more jobs after he finishes, he reasons.
She wasa biology major and getting set for the job market. Her sister went to medical school, but she did not want to be a doctor too. But, she figured that one day if she goes abroad she would be able to do research in molecular biology or work on curing the many diseases that afflict Bangladesh. In these respects Anik and Shumi both had a common passion: Poverty eradication in Bangladesh. In fact, the first long conversation they had after they met face to face was how to help the poor people while thepoliticians fight it out in Shahbagh Chattar, national elections, or in the streets. Both are fans of the Grameen model, and she thought that the Grameen health initiative really had a potential untilthe government decided to mess with the Grameen establishment.
He has only one class today, and wanted to see her. But she texted back that she has only a short break, and might have to see him another day. He is a little disappointed and is not sure whether she is avoiding him or there is something else on her mind. She is graduating next year and is frantically looking for a job. His graduation is two years away since he is switching majors and also because of the dropped semester. But he feels jittery about all the changes and wants to be sure she is not just trying to break away.
Her parents have been receiving marriage proposals since her freshman year and she was determined to keep these "vultures", as she called them, at bay on the pretext of exams, graduation and job search, but the pressure is growing. He has indicated that he needs a couple of years more to get his affairs in order, and wanted to know if she was willing to wait. She indicated at the beginning that she is not ready for marriage and would wait for her elder sister to get married before she gives it any thought. But of late, he is not so sure about her resolution. Her parents did not have any strong opinion one way or theother, butas her life enters a crossroad, she feels that she could make such a big decision without giving it some thought. And her parents would probably veto the idea of waiting for too long.
His mother always had big dreams for him. She wants him to get a good job and his older sisters have already given him hints that they have marriageable prospects, pretty, talented, intelligent, etc. etc. who would be very good match for him. Only his younger sister, who is close to him, understands his sentiments and he has shared his secrets with her. And another complication of any ideas to marry Shumiis her cultural background: she is from Bogra and her family is modern. While his mothers and sisters are not conservative, true to tradition all Sylheti girls are expected to be modest: one of his sisters covers her hair, and all are married into conservative Sylheti families.
As she recounted to him, last year before Eid, she had a big fight with her mother. There have been a running war of sorts going on for some time between them about the proposals the family was getting and she was rejecting out of hand. When her mother brought it up again after dinner, she just lost it and yelled back,
"Amma, will you stop keeping on bringing up these ideas and torturing me. I told you I will not get married now.'
"But, you know your Boro Mama came this morning and he brought a proposal for a boy who is very well established. It would be bad for us to say no again to him. What's wrong with Bhaiya's suggestion to invite the family to have dinner with us and chat with you?"
"Am I a cattle that they have to come and look? If they liked me so much let them look at my picture or wait in front of the campus and make up their mind!"
Her mother was taken aback. Does this mean she was open to entertaining marriage proposals?
A few days later, as he was getting out of the university, he saw her standing in the lobby. He sensed something important must have come up, or she wouldn't have come to meet him unannounced. She handed him a letter and left. He read:
Dear Anik,
I don't know how to convey the message to you. I am getting married this weekend. The pressure on my family and on me has increased lately, and I was hoping that I'd be able to fend them off until you are ready. But how can I even ask you to make a decision now or in the next few years? You have always been dear to me, and I wish our relationship had a different ending, and we could discuss this over. But I think, this break is the best of us, since you have you whole life ahead of you, and probablydon't wantto be thinking of settling down so early. I wish we lived in a different society, where we had more time, for both you and me. But you probably understand how a woman in this society faces so many challenges while we try to navigate through life.
I hope you find someone who will be able to give you more than I could, and bring happiness forever. And remember, you will remain unforgettable.
Love, Shumi.
Dr. Abdullah Shibli lives and works in Boston.
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