Stories

The Mother of Talents

I did not give up my dreams, because I could not stop my eyes from watching them every day and night. I knew I had to leave my desires far behind me. And far enough to forget them one day or consider those pretty moments a night mare or something hard enough to waste their soothing feelings that once I had. But still I decided to go with the flow of my precious dreams, and to attain them what did I lose I can never forget about that. My mother, father and siblings loved me a lot as I was the youngest of all. I was never able to understand the path of my thoughts flow, was never known to the first feeding of such a passion to me, was never able to communicate a passionate and boasting person inside me and then I realized, it was God gifted.

That was my first day at college, when I was subjected to face the threats outside my home. Before that I attended my schooling in quite a security of my parents. Even after having such an environment in my home I always felt an energetic person inside me who could let me free to have the diversified situations in an enjoyable way. I went to the college by public transport and felt happy to see the building of college before me, like it was saying welcome to college Ms. Aiman finally you’ve reached safe and sound on your own.

 When I was just thinking my phone rang and it was my mother on the call, “Hello my baby, do you have to reach to college?” she was asking with anxiety. “Of course mummy, I’ve reached quite safe and sound; it was not a big task by the way. No need to worry at all, the college is saying I’m not a little girl anymore because it’s declared on the main gate of college “Queens College for Women”. I laid stress on the word “Women”. “I know my little girl has grown up, stay safe my child.” mummy said in a relaxed and proud full tone.

I entered the college and there was a great hustle and bustle inside because a number of senior students were busy in fooling the new comers. I went to the block of Intermediate studies and found some new comers with painted faces or the marks of lipsticks on their faces. Finally I was also caught by a group of seniors, they asked me to sing a song and I pretended to be a speaker of some other language and fortunately this trick helped me to stay safe till the off timing and I went back to home with the new experience.
“How was your day Aiman.” Father asked me on lunch.

“It was good; I enjoyed it and learnt new things.” I said.

“Oh! It seems you’ve not gone through the segment of fooling in your college show?” brother tried to tease me.

“Not so, I was subjected to it but I pretended to be a speaker of some other language. They asked me to sing a song, and I replied; hajunume tokhmenuti solosinga sho minko hudy navirda fairy.” I told him, recalling the situation.

“What does it mean?” brother asked curiously.

“I was equally unknown to the language and the meaning of the words as the seniors happened to be.” I smiled.

The dining table got surrounded with laughers on my answer.

Page # 2

The days went on and I started showing my good performance at college. I won the debate competitions, singing competitions and declared to be the best compare in my college. I was facing a bit problem in studies so I joined a nearby evening academy as well, to improve my performance.

I got engaged in the first year of intermediate level. My fiancé was not only a good person but also my ideal personality. He was a daring person, enjoyed to accept the challenges without the fear of outcomes. Once he was sent to police station for promoting the rivalry against the abusive performance of an admin at his university. I always loved to listen to his achievements which sometimes appeared as dreamy, but all those were of my taste so I trusted them without a rational thinking.

It was my third month at academy when I realized an impressive personality in a class fellow of mine. He was a good guy and stood in the front line in all charitable tasks and speaking for the rights of the people or to defend the women whenever anybody tried to make fun of them. He was also a daring but shy person , he never looked or tried to look at any girl in the class. Regardless of all this there was a number of my female class fellows who were impressed by him in a way that they started loving him but all efforts were in vain because Sameer was unaware of all this and there was no way to approach him.

“Aiman! Aiman! Wake up my dear you are getting late from college.” Mother was trying to wake me up.

“Oh my God, It’s really getting late.”  I caught a sight of wall clock.

“Get up and get ready, hurry up. I’ll drop you to the college today.” Mother tried to release my tension.

“No mummy! I’ll go myself. I know I’m late but I should take the responsibility of lose.” I was a person of my words. Mother was aware of my attitude so she didn’t stressed more.

I got ready and set off for college, it was for the first time that I was getting late from college and the reason was that, my fiancé used to make hanging calls at night and tried his best to impress me with his new achievements.  With the passage of time it became a regular routine to get late from the college. Raheel started calling me in the day time after my college. This led me neglect my test preparation for academy. I tried to make him understand that this new change of calling schedule had started ruining my whole routine. But he, instead of understanding me, used to get angry and considered it a lame excuse for getting rid of him. The result of this new routine was absolute and showed as the worst condition in my studies like never before. But still I used to attend Raheel better with all my sincere consideration and forgot all about the brilliance in studies.
“Aiman, I need to talk to you. You’ve to be there in my office after taking lecture.” The professor of physics in my academy asked me one day as I reached academy.

I attended my entire lectures with a lost mind as it was becoming a part of my attitude in class because I didn’t find time to review my lectures and prepare tests. Then I went to meet professor.
“Yes, come in.” professor said as I knocked the door of office.

“Asslam o alikum Sir” I greeted him.

“Wa Salam Ms. Aiman, have a seat.” Professor asked me to sit.

I sat down on the nearby sofa.


Page # 3

“If I’m not wrong, you’re the same student who bloomed in the class during the last few months. But now a day’s your performance is approaching to zero. It’s really sad Ms. Aiman.” Professor said.

 I bent my head down and felt ashamed. “I don’t mean to degrade you. But I want to know about the reason. I mean is there any problem in family or some kind of financial problem?” Professor asked with a fatherly affection.

“No Sir, this is not the case. Everything is fine.” I could hardly say this. I could create a lame excuse but I was not a person of that kind.

“So it’s your careless behavior?” Professor got a bit angry at me.

“Sorry Sir, I’ll try to improve onwards.” I said with guilt.

The bell rang and the professor concluded by saying. “I want you to show your performance in next test.”

“Sure Sir, I’ll try my level best.” Saying this I left the office and came back to home.

Hardly one hour passed after my return to home, I took my dinner and offered prayer. I took my book and opened it to study when the mobile rang and it was the text message of Raheel.

 I replied “My dear, I’ve to prepare for my test. Professor rebuked me today for my carelessness in studies.”

I started reading again with keen interest when the mobile rang again, again it was Raheel saying “I know your time is precious but I want to tell you something special and it will not take so long.”

 Finally I’d to decide to talk to him first and study later. I replied “you may cal now I’ll prepare my test later.” He called me and the conversation was so interesting that I could not forbid him for that. I was watching the wall clock when it struck 1 am. I thought to finish that moment but Raheel was so excited that I could not do so.

The days went on and Raheel caught my attention again. I lost my performance and the whole year of my studies ruined badly. I used to remain ill because of the tension of losing performance in studies.  Finally I took my exams with a poor preparation and got 73% marks. It was the worst condition in the career of my study. 

 Nobody at home was happy with my result but they didn’t say anything because they were familiar with the reason that it was due to my break up with Raheel after the 6 months of engagement. The reason of break up was another girl in the life of Raheel. I could never even think of this end of that person, and with the passage of time it also revealed that the shocking stories of his achievements were the fake news just to win my heart which he really did. 

The main reason of break up was that he started asking me to meet him at some lonely place because he wanted to satisfy his thirst, but I always denied and some other girl did that so he left me. It was really shocking news for me when I attended his last call and his family came to my people to end up with us. Another shock was there when they said that I’m indulged with someone else and Raheel has seen me many a times coming out of some guest house. My family had a firm believe on me they didn’t consider them but asked me to try to forget about that.

Page # 4 

I put my life again to the routine but I was not a girl like I was once as I lost my performance in studies and other curricular activities. A girl who used to stand first in the class had fallen to the average grade holders.

“Look Aiman, you cannot neglect the other relations and people in your life because of your past incident.” Rida, a very good friend of mine tried to advise me one day.

“You are right Rida, but you are taking me somewhat wrong. This is not because Raheel cheated me, but because I left all my choices and tastes for him.” I said.

“Then what are you waiting for? He is no more in your life you can start it in a new way.” Rida tried to heal me.

“Yes, you’re right. But my mind does not work the way it used to be. You know I suffered from hypoglycemia and it caused me face the situation of getting faint again and again, which affected my memory. 7 months is not a short period for being in such a situation.” I told her disappointedly.

I used to smile all the time but deep down inside of me, was a sad and broken heart. And the continuous burden on my mind was in need of a soft corner, a good friend to whom I could share all what I’d suffered from.

Finally the day came and I met such a person who was a real one and wiped out all the bitter memories in a very short period.

I remember it was the month of September in the second year of my intermediate when there came a celebration of the Day of Freedom. Professor selected a pair in our class for comparing on the occasion and after the auditions I and Sameer were selected to take the responsibility.

We had a time of one week to prepare for the occasion and we were doing our level best. For the whole week, we used to come one or two hours before the start of academy to rehearse and share our writings. I came to know those days that he was a brilliant person, he had a nice literary choice and I learnt a lot from him.

The clock was striking 10 at night when my phone began to ring. It was an unknown number, I picked it up “Hello?”

“Asslam o Alaikum, may I talk to Ms Aiman please?” the other person was saying, I got that time but did not show.

“Wa alaikum Salam, yeah speaking.” I said.

“Oh, Aiman this is Sameer here. How are doing today?” he asked.

“I’m good thanks, and what’s about you?” I asked formally.

“I’m fine too, thanks. Actually it does not seem good to call you at such a time, but you know we have only one day left for final preparation. So I just want to ask if you please bring your written material tomorrow so that we can make a final amendment, if needed.” He was talking nicely.

“Yeah sure why not, I’ll bring it with me.” I was getting confused but did not know why.

“Well, that’s pretty good to know about. I will see you there, in academy. Take care, Allah Hafiz” he said.

“Thanks a lot, Take care, Allah Hafiz” I replied and the call got disconnected.

 The next day I went early to the academy with all the material as required by Sameer but he was late. I was shocked to see when he entered the rehearse room, he was injured and having a band aid on his right arm which was supported to the shoulder.  

“Oh my God! What is it Sameer?” I spoke out, a bit louder, unknowingly. 

“Asslam o alaikum, you need not to worry about. It’s a little injury.” He said calmly and formally.

“wa alaikum salam, but it seems you got a bad accident.” I was feeling shameful for being informal towards him.

“Yeah I was coming to academy and my bike struck with a car just in a try to save to little girl, passing the road with green signal.” He narrated. 

“Oh it’s so sorry to know about.” I said.

Before I could comment further, he broke another shock by saying “This is the full script from my side, and I hope you would’ve written well. I’ve asked sir to hand this duty over to someone else as it does not seem good to join the stage such a condition.”  He shook his shoulder.

“But Sameer you’re fine this way. Audience are interested in speaking and not in our outlook.” I was getting injured inside me and wanted him to perform with me.

I was about to say something when Professor entered the room. And said, “Mr. Sameer upon your request I asked some people but they are not really ready for it and Abdul Basit is out of city otherwise he could take your place, he is good at speaking. He is trying to come back by tonight and will attend the ceremony.”

“I’m really sorry Sir, but I’ll email him the whole content and he’ll do it well.” Sameer said calmly.

“No matter my dear I know, you are a responsible person.” Professor said and Sameer left the room.

There was a silence outside but something inside me was shrieking “Please Sameer don’t go, I’ll not perform with anyone else.”

Page # 5 

             

After attending my classes I came back to home with an unknown pain in my heart. Such a condition surrounded me after a long time after losing Raheel. I could not take my meals at night and just went to my room. Putting my head to the back of rest chair I got lost in thinking about the time I spent with Sameer, and came back to the silence of the night when the last meeting flashed through my mind.

“Oh my God! What is happening with me? Oh Almighty please do something, it’s hurting me a lot, but why? I don’t know the reason dear Almighty but You know I’m getting crushed into pieces…” tears rolled down my cheeks while I wished this from Almighty.

“I should try to agree Sameer for coming tomorrow. But he is quite formal with me, last time he made a call at 10pm and considered it wrong and now its 11:45pm at the clock… and tomorrow is the performance. I’ll not be able to perform without you Sameer… Sameer are you listening to me…” 

once again my eyes started shedding tears on my helplessness.

“Sameer, how are you feeling now?” I typed a message and was trying to press the send button but failed in doing so. This act got repeated for about an hour. Now it was 12:45am and all the hopes and desires were suffocating inside me.

While doing the practice, a sudden sleep kidnapped the memories of Sameer from my mind. It was about 3am when my phone rang, and it was unbelievable to see the text message from the desired sender “Sameer”. 

I just rubbed my eyes and opened the message which was narrating “Thanks, I’m quite well. Actually I was also thinking of talking to you because Basit is not coming tomorrow. And professor has asked me to come tomorrow for hosting. Can you please come a bit earlier before the starting of the ceremony so that the final rehearse can be done that we missed today?”

I was quite happy and confused as well because I didn’t send the text. Just then I checked the conversation and found that during my sleep the “send” button was pressed. That incidence made me thank Almighty the whole time till I went to the place of celebration.

He was looking quite handsome in black suite. And luckily I was also dressed up in black. He caught a sight of me and stepped up towards me, I was feeling his stamping as the beats of my heart.

“Asslam o Alaikum, Aiman.” He created a frenzy feeling in me, calling my name.

“Wa alaikum Salam, how are you feeling now?” I asked, controlling myself.

“I’m good, thanks a lot. And how are you?” he asked putting his eyes to the chits in his hand.

“I’m quite well, where is your bandage?” after saying I felt that was an informal question.

“Forget about that, just come with me and rehearse the material we are getting late” he said informally. Oh my God, I started flying high instead of following him to the rehearsal room.

The ceremony started and we performed quite well, both of us showed a decent sense of humor throughout our speaking to the audience. Finally the ceremony reached to the ending moments and the audience was invited to the lunch. Thanks a lot to professor who asked the hosts and other participants to have a separate lunch with him. This act gave me more time to spend time with Sameer. 

We had our lunch and at last the time came when we had to scatter. My friends dragged me with them and started praising my outfit and performance but a friend said something from which I was escaping myself since the very first day of feeling for Sameer, she said “All was really good but the couple was performing like the ones made for each other.” She just tried to tease me and the other girls also supported her view which really made me feel something similar to their comment.

Page # 6 

      

The days went on and I started with a little conversation with Sameer regarding studies. He used to help me through and during this time he got somehow informal towards me while I was seriously caught in the feelings of love for him. A time came when he started treating me as a good friend and sharing like a friend.

He used to say “This is for the first time in my life that a female dared to come and became a very good friend of mine. I seriously ponder what was the start and where did I gave you space to come in? At which point you targeted me and I got to accept you my friend.”  

One day I was in the college and my condition got disturbed. Probably my glucose level was getting low; I was feeling unable to go back to home on my own and my parents were also out of city. I did not find the way to go back safely to the home, then I dialed Sameer’s number and asked him to help me. He came to my college on his bike.

 When I came out he said “It will not sound good if I take you to the home with me, can you please wait a little so that I can hire some taxi for you? And I’ll follow it the way to your home.”

“Yeah, I’m trying to manage.” I said. And we stood there but no taxi came and my condition was getting poor. Finally he proposed me to go to the home with him. I was also having no other option so I did so, with pleasure.

He dropped me at the gate of my house and left in a hurry. I entered the home and asked Raimu baba (servant at our home) to prepare something to eat. There was a shock waiting for me in the home and that was my mother, who had come back to home. He had seen me and Sameer outside the home.

She entered my room with lunch trolley and asked about my health. I was just having the ride in my mind so could not answer her properly. She checked my blood pressure and glucose level and fed me accordingly.

In the evening she came again to my room and asked about my health. I told her that I was feeling well. Then she asked me in a bit strict tone “who was the boy with whom you came to home?”

I got stunned at this unexpected question then tried to overcome and said “He is Sameer, my class fellow in academy.”

“What was he doing here? Did you go somewhere with him and he tried to do something wrong with you? Was he the reason of your illness?” she asked a series of questions.

“No mummy, not at all. He just helped me, picked me up from college and dropped here” then I narrated the whole incidence and answered all the questions she asked about Sameer.

“Well, Say my thanks to him. I want to meet him someday.” I got irritated on such a behavior of mother.

“But why mummy, I’ve told you all what was true. Don’t you believe on me?” I spoke in an irritated manner.

“Aiman I’m not thinking wrong about you...” 

“Then about Sammer? He is not Raheel! He is a decent person.” I interrupted her. 

“I’ve asked you and you are to obey it. This time you’re taking me wrong.” Mother said and left the room.

Page # 7

After finding a proper situation I asked Sameer to meet my mother and told him that she had seen us. He was a true person by heart so he didn’t feel uncomfortable in meeting mother. One day he came to meet her and a dialogue started between them.

 

Mother: Gentle man, since when are you in contact with Aiman?

Sameer: It’s about four months back that I came in contact with her, when we were doing practice for hosting at celebrations of the day of Freedom.

Mother: Look Sameer, my daughter is an innocent girl in fact a childish one. It will be good if you don’t let her slip to the apparent lap of love for you.

Sameer: I am quite humbly telling you that we are not in such a relation. It’s a pure one of friendship. And don’t you worry about that as I’m not going to behave like the play boys.

Mother: I’ve heard about your performance in studies and that you’ve helped Aiman a lot in this regard. I’m really glad for that. But you must know that sometimes these little helps or the actions of affection make you a special person for someone.

Sameer: You are right Aunt! I know Aiman pays respect to me and so I do.

Mother: What will happen if someday you come to know that the friendship has crossed the limits and the relation is turned to something else?

Sameer: I even don’t think about this to happen. And maybe I’ll not be able to bear such an unwanted amendment. 

Mother: Good, you seem a rational person. 

I entered the drawing room when Sameer had left. Mother knew that I’d listened to their conversation. “So what are your remarks about him?” Mother asked me in a serious but concerned way.

“He is a good person.” I said, taking my eyes away from mother.

“And what do you perceive about yourself?” she asked me again.

“About me? I didn’t understand.” I got confused.

“That you love him.” Her words stroke my mind like a blast.

“But I must tell you, either you should make yourself understand the reality or leave him soon and not to hurt yourself for your innocent desire.” Mother said in a polite tone.

I said nothing and left the sight with a severe brain storming. I went to my room and just fell on the bed thinking about all that I felt for Sameer, the moments we spent together, the last meeting and the mother’s wording. “Mother is right… but Sameer can be the only one who will let me go with the flows of my passions, to turn my dreams into reality and he will support me every moment in the journey of life. Yes! He is the person I was waiting for; he’ll not change anyway because he is also of the same taste as I am. He’ll help me making my own NGO for the needy people, he’ll help me completing my writings, he’ll be there to get all my brightness and abilities I had and he’ll be the guiding star in the dark days of my life when all of my people will leave me to live with my dreams.” These thanking based on a hopeful perception about Sameer blow up a wave of life throughout my existence. 

The days went on but Sameer was always there just like a good friend. We met, we talked and a great time together even we entered the university life. Both of us got admission in the same department, this thing gave much strength to my emotions. 

Page # 8

“Aiman, sometimes your words really make me feel that you belong to those who are meant to excel. Your philosophical thinking, a decency and simplicity in your personality, the way you take out the mysterious relations among different things and the quotation type sentences you say, they are simply mind blowing.” Sameer said one day as we were sitting in the university café.

“Thanks a lot for praising Sir, but you know all what has taken my abilities far away from me.” I said.

“No, no not at all. All this is just confusion in your mind that you have created on your own. You are still a bright girl and can create a great name of yours by your skills.” He encouraged me.

“I want to write but if I’ll do this, I won’t be able to give this much time to you.” I tried to hid the arousal of my craze inside me, which Sameer was talking about.

“Oh my God! I know that will happen but in the long run you are going to give all of your time to me.” He just stopped after saying this as he had said something which he did not want to say.

“In the long run I will give all of my time… what does it mean?” My heart started beating badly, but my mind was not able to believe his wording. I was thinking it’s happening with me but I was wrong because the two hearts were experiencing the same situation.

“A, I mean that… that mean that I… I’ve a gift for you.” He was finding it hard to say, he took out a wrapped gift from his bag and tried to run as he handed that to me.

I was drowning in the vast ocean of my hopeful thought and was watching him stepping out of the café. As he left the sight, I tried to hold myself when I came to know that some people around were noticing my foolish behavior. I just pretended to get busy in opening and reading the book in my hand but I spent the whole time in thinking about that beautiful and shy moment between us, between Aiman and Sameer…

Sameer just hid himself the day and I was getting sure about he was trying to reveal that he feels the same about me as I’ve been doing for him. I went back to home and was surrounded with the sensation of that beautiful moment. After getting relaxed I sat in my chair and put the gift on the study table before me, watched the beautiful wrapping enriched with the fragrance of an appealing scent, for a while and then opened it with care. 

It was a beautiful diary and the first page was having a red rose following the writing “I’m really confused how to tell you but cock sure it’s reality… I promised your mother for not letting it beyond friendship but I’m failed… Please don’t take me wrong, the whole time I spent as a friend was really a friendship but now I feel I’m telling a lie with you and with myself… You’re free in your choice to leave me or gather my scattered person around you… But I’ll be always there with all my heart and soul to walk with a most special girl, with a special personality and a distinguished girl, with a distinguished and honorable thinking…      with love….” 

My eyes got tearful on with pleasure and the lips were smiling that should it be considered an apology, an appreciation or a Love letter? But it was all I needed, and all I ever wished… It was my Sameer, his innocent, shy, respectable and loveable personality…

 

To be continued…