Hawwa's Paradise

Chapter-1 #Rewritten

Amma : Mother

Dadima : Grandma

Chachu : Father's Younger Brother

***
It was the second week of February 2019, a Monday morning in Dhaka.

"Assalamualaikum Sir." The students of Bangladesh University of Professionals, Psychology Department, First year, Section-A, stood up to greet the teacher. Giving a nod in response, the middle aged man left the classroom with a file in his hand. It was the first semester.

Standing by one of the seats of the second row, was an olive skinned woman named Hawwa Shikdar. Eighteen years in age, she was dressed in a black headscarf, some portion of her black hair falling over her forehead, black pants, and a blue sweater over a red frock. There was no makeup accentuating her round face. She closed her Experimental Psychology course class copy before sitting down, relieved that the second period was over and it was finally break time. She then picked up her side bag lying by her table to drop the copy in it. Her eyes fell on the woman sitting on her right. She had curly black hair which was wrapped in a ponytail. A few strands of her hair fell forward as her face was leaned over her mobile as she was working on it. Behind her, a bespectacled woman with fair skin and straight black hair falling down the shoulders, was sitting wearing black and pink jacket over a pink salwar kameez. She was putting her pen inside a pencil bag. There were also a few students wearing sweaters or jackets. The chilliness from winter was lingering even though spring was knocking at the door.

"Tasfia, Shazia." Hawwa called drawing their attention. Tasfia was the curly haired one and Shazia, the bespectacled. "Let's go to the canteen." She proposed looking from Tasfia to Shazia.

"Hmm." Tasfia put down her phone.

"Alright." Shaiza nodded reaching for her bag lying by her table.

It was night when Hawwa returned to the room she had been sharing with her grandmother on her father's side, Khadija Nasreen. As told by Khadija, Hawwa had gone to inform her uncle on her father's side and his wife, that the old lady wanted to speak to the couple about an important matter.

"They are coming." She sat down by the chair by her reading table and resumed copying the notes of her Introduction to Psychology course from the printed version of the lecture slides.

"Amma, why don't you come to our room? Hawwa will face disturbance in her study due to our conversation."

"I won't. I am writing notes Chachu." Pausing her hand, Hawwa turned her face to her right to discover her uncle, Kabir Shikdar and his wife, Ruponti Shikdar standing by the doorway of the room. In case of Khadija, she was now sitting on the bed with her legs crossed.

"Hawwa needs to listen too." The old lady slightly tilted her head to gesture at Hawwa. Her eyes were lowered and face grim, striking curiosity in Hawwa. Kabir and Ruponti sat on the bed across from her. She had just written an alphabet, when she turned to her right again.

"Hawwa, do you still want to get married now?" Khadija finally raised her eyes to look at Hawwa.

Three months ago.

"Dadima! Can you come to our room?" Hawwa was calling for Khadija one afternoon while playing with her mobile. She was sitting on the bed in her room with her legs crossed.

"Why?" Khadija's voice was heard from the drawing room in the midst of the sounds coming from the television. .

"Come here!" Hawwa shouted louder looking at the doorway of the room.