Hawwa's Paradise

Chapter-3 #Rewritten

Apu: Sister

Dadi: Grandma

***

Wing Commander Qibriyah Haque was running on the treadmill of the Airforce Officer's mess gym situated in Bashar Base, Dhaka, dressed in a tank top exposing his olive-skinned biceps and sweatpants. His face was clean shaven but with a thin moustache. He heard his mobile ringtone. Pausing the treadmill, he took out his mobile seeing Khadija's name flashing on the caller ID.

"Assalamualaikum Aunty." He answered the call, his deep voice reaching the other line.

"Walaikum Assalam Qibriyah." Khadija returned the Salam. Hearing his name, Hawwa's fingers paused on the copy. She turned towards Khadija desiring to hear his voice. "Are you at the gym now?"

"Yes. What are you doing?"

"Nothing in particular. Are you coming here tomorrow?" His free hand absentmindedly ran over his black buzz cut hair.

"Yes."

"What did he say?" Hawwa asked as suddenly she was hit with anticipation. Khadija nodded. Relieved, Hawwa resumed her writing.

A couple of hours later, Hawwa left her study table. Her studying was complete. She picked up her side bag hanging on the clothing stand. Then following a copy of the class routine taped on her study table she dropped three copies in the bag for the next day. When she was done, she placed the bag on the chair. Then, she picked up her tablet lying on the bedside cabinet near her. The time on it read 9:46 pm. She walked to the door of her cousins' room. Opening the door partially, she saw two girls with facial features similar to Kabir and Ruponti. Asma, the younger one was sitting by one of the two reading tables in the room with her back towards Hawwa The older Marium was sitting on the bed with her back to the wall.

"Asma, how long do you need to finish studying?" Hawwa asked.

"Around half an hour. You can come inside. Marium is free now." Asma answered looking back. Opening the door further to let her in, Hawwa closed it. Walking to the bed, she sat next to Marium in a similar fashion. She opened the WPS office app. She selected the top most pdf "Pleasure For Pleasure", a novel by Eloisa James. It was a historical romance surrounding a eighteen year old girl and thirty four year old man. She started reading from page thirty one.

"Come to eat dinner." After sometime Hawwa looked up from her tab to notice Ruponti standing at the entrance of the room with the door wide opened and her hand on the door handle. But as her stomach clenched in discomfort due to the conversation some hours ago, Hawwa lowered her eyes to the tab the next moment.

"I have a little portion of my studying left. I will eat after finishing it." Asma responded without looking back. Ruponti glanced at Asma briefly before staring at Hawwa and Marium.

"Then you two come."

"Apu, come." Hawwa heard Marium. Looking at her right, Hawwa saw Marium climbing down the bed and Ruponti was no more standing by the door. Hawwa followed her. Coming to the door, Hawwa bit her lips seeing Kabir sitting at the head of the table with his back to her. Lowering her eyes she walked forward.

Next evening, dressed in a full sleeved shirt and pants, Qibriyah drove his car to Dhaka Cantonment civilian residential area. He stopped near a six storeied building. The gate was wide open with the caretaker sitting at the entrance on a chair. Getting out, he entered into the
building. The caretaker gave him salam. As he knew Qibriyah, he didn't stop him for interrogation. Responding to him, Qibriyah walked to the lift.

After the lift reached the fourth floor, Qibriyah walked out of it. The lift doors closed having no other occupant inside. There were two apartments on his two sides. He went for the one on his left. Ringing the bell, he waited for the door to open.

Hawwa was memorizing a class lecture using blurting method when a chill ran down her spine.

Was Qibriyah here?

She shook her head. She needed to study. She would worry about him when she would on break.

The door was opened by Khadija dressed in a sharee, her head loosely wrapped by it's veil.

"Come inside." Khadija gestured with her head for him to enter after they had exchanged salam.

Stepping inside, Qibriyah started taking off his loafers. Behind, Khadija was closing the door. Then Qibriyah walked into the living room on his right. He caught the television running. He sat on a single sofa crossing his legs and Khadija sat on the double sofa.

"What were you doing?" Qibriyah inquired.

"Watching television. Did you drink tea before coming here?"

"Yes. I also ate."

"Shaima, bring a glass of tang." Looking over her shoulder Khadija addressed the maid who was in the kitchen.

"Yes Dadi!" Shaima responded from the kitchen.

"I want Hawwa to get married. And she has been wanting to get married for some time." Khadija's face turned serious.

"Why now?" His voice was laced with surprise.

"I don't want her to be alone if something happens to me." Her eyes softened. "She would have Kabir and Ruponti. But her bond with them isn't as strong. So, she's better off having a husband." Qibriyah's heart sank as he understood she was referring to her possible death due to cancer. He could only pray to Allah to not lose her to cancer.

"That's reasonable." With his jaw clenched he observed Khadija intensely.

"Hawwa wants to marry you."

There was a pause.

"What did you say?" Qibriyah's face scrunched up in shock as he backed away, his back pressing against the sofa.

"She wants to marry you."

"I reject her." Qibriyah blurted out while composing himself.

"I am not surprised." But Khadija looked disappointed. "Why don't you court Hawwa to see if you can marry her?"