by Taj63622
Chapter 13
The concealment of his arrival had many in eagerness to greet him. He has been receiving welcome visits from friends and neighbours since his return from the local mosque, where he did his morning prayers. These visits have been keeping his mother busy in the kitchen, fulfilling her role as an attentive host. She has also been distributing the sweetmeats he bought yesterday. Some, she gave through the immediate hands of visitors, whilst others through Shunara, the maid at their household. She was only sixteen, and endearingly called him Suto Baba, meaning little Master.
It has just passed three in the afternoon, and certain guests of importance have come to offer their greetings too. His connection with them was such that his mother added extra devotion towards their hospitality. These guests are his sister’s in-laws.
‘Oh, you have unnecessarily brought out so much,’ Sabina’s mother-in-law, Rabia, says jovially, glancing at the numerous plates of sweetmeats and savouries. ‘There was no need for any of this,’ she says politely. ‘We just came to see Char. We have inconvenienced your mother greatly,’ she says apologetically to him, who sat opposite her.
‘It is of no inconvenience,’ he replies. ‘That’s the least we can do. You are family after all.’
‘Yes,’ she agrees with a meaningful smile. ‘We are.’
Rabia was not the only member from Sabina’s in-laws, who has come to visit. Her husband, Nazrul, has also accompanied her. They have three sons. Her eldest son, Shabul, was engaged to Sabina. By custom, upon his engagement, the groom cannot enter his in-laws’ house before the wedding.
As her brother converses with Sabina's father-in-law about politics, she helplessly sank into deep thoughts. She has concealed much about her daughter’s marriage from Char’s knowledge. She has lied and compromised in her desperate effort to ascertain this marriage. It was necessary, but her guilt was unrelenting.
Both her children have their father’s complexion. It was a shade outside the general preference of society, who referred to it as “dirty complexion”. On men, the complexion was acceptable, but upon the unfortunate female, the complexion could significantly reduce her chances of marriage. Suitors from good and educated backgrounds came to study her daughter’s eligibility. Some demonstrated a genuine interest in her, but the single evident flaw discouraged them severely, and they sought some form of compensation should they accept her daughter for marriage. Rejections and objections amassed to a prolonged despair upon her family. Some of these rejections came from those suitors, whose complexion did not differ much from her daughter. She was uncertain whether to feel dejected or pleased that she gained a deep insight into the shallow thoughts of these suitors, thus saving her daughter from ruin.
She was constantly in distress. The numerous placations she prescribed her heart came to no effect. Her daughter’s future became uncertain. Relatives and acquaintances did not hesitate to make bitter remarks either about her daughter’s eligibility. Their taunts, which were cleverly implied through words of consolation, caused her great uneasiness. Yet, she maintained her silence to each comment, carefully acknowledging the value of relations. Her position became such that her ears neglected to hear anything when her mind was tending to disconcerting thoughts. It was improper to keep an unmarried girl at home, particularly when she was at a marriageable age. By Char’s strict instruction, she did not consider Sabina’s marriage at sixteen. Her son was adamant that she should defer Sabina’s marriage until she was at least eighteen. She abided by his will. On Sabina turning eighteen, she announced her desire to get her daughter married. On few occasions, the suitor and his family accepted her daughter as a potential bride, but when talks furthered to wedding costs and finance, the subject of dowry quickly surfaced. They demanded a sum in exchange for making her daughter their daughter-in-law. Their argument was that, because they are accepting their daughter with her faults, they are entitled to compensation. Once, she even compelled herself to agree, but on learning the news from his aunt, Char made immediate travel home to rescue his sister from a querulous future. There will be no affections in the formation of such alliances.
It was to be from Boldhi, where Nazrul and Rabia Hussain live, that a proposal came for Sabina. They sought her daughter’s hand for their eldest son, Shabul. He was a handsome man of twenty-four years, fair complexioned, with positive manners to indicate he was decently educated. He belonged to a respectable lineage of family. Shabul’s paternal grandfather fought in the 1971 Liberation war, before becoming a board member of the Sylhet District Administration. His father was an officer in the same administration, before his hard work and dedication had him elected as one of the chief councillors of Khadim Nagar Union, one of the councils representing his neighbourhood, Boldhi. Both Khadim Nagar and Baraikandi are unions belonging to the Sylhet Sub District, Sylhet Sadar. They are good people. It is their job to better their town and thus improve the common person’s quality of life. They do much for charity, and had a respectable social standing.
She has not been the recipient of good news for a long while that she found it quite hard to absorb the sudden success of a suitor agreeing her daughter as his bride. She had good reason to be doubtful.
The concerns on Shumi’s face did not escape her understanding. Proposals for her son, Shabul, were not scarce, but in an environment where people treat marriage like the stock trade, she was determined to get the best price. She did not want a common native girl for her son.
The daughter of one of her neighbours’ had the unexpected good fortunes to marry a man from London. The alliance had given the girl’s parents a constant reason to boast. Their London bred son-in-law always brought expensive gifts on his visits to his in-laws. Her neighbour left no opportunity unused to display their foreign gifts. This girl, who was scarcely educated, makes deliberate conversation in English to belittle others whenever she makes her visit. She even had a driving license in London and drove her own car.
To nourish her jealousy further, the wretched girl and her imported husband arranged visas for her parents’ to visit London last year. For three whole months, her parents were away from Bangladesh, enjoying the English air at the expense of their generous son-in-law. On their return, the wretched girl’s mother flaunted her designer saris in a deliberate effort to make the whole neighbourhood jealous. The mother has found some excuse or other to enter her house to talk about her stay in London. She talks wildly of Tower Bridge, and suggests that she ought to see it in reality and not just in films. She talks of Buckingham Palace as if the Queen had personally invited her. When the old wretch talks, she adorns a pleasant smile, but suffers many wounds internally. As if the injuries were not enough, the old wretch inflicted another, when she said her exported daughter was considering moving her parents and two brothers permanently to England.
She was certain, that had she any daughters, then the offer of that imported suitor would have come to her, and it would have been she, who wore the designer saris and expensive jewelleries. But, as she had no daughters, and it was often the girls that are married to overseas suitors, she decided to make use of her son’s eligibility. Her husband pointed out many proposals for Shabul, but to none she replied. None had any close connection to America or London.
A courtesy visit to a relatives’ house in Baraikandi revealed that a certain someone was looking for a suitor for their daughter. Fate never fails to impress! Thus, learning the family‘s financial standing and most importantly their connection to London, she formed an advantageous plan. She was fully aware of Sabina’s dirty complexion, knowing the fault to be the chief cause to her remaining unmarried. But Men are often compelled to make compromises in an effort to gain a greater benefit. She overlooked the girl’s dirty complexion, and focused predominantly on the fact that the girl’s brother lived in London. He was an architect.
It was apparent that the girl’s mother was in a vulnerable position, desperately seeking to settle her daughter into a good family. Such positions gave
an eager opportunist to take advantage. She made her proposal appear genuine. The truth of one’s complexion is not beyond the fact that we are all creations of the Almighty. The Creator is just, and if he deprives a certain quality in one, then he justly compensates by giving it in another.
The joyous news spread wildly throughout the neighbourhood, and the two families exchanged gifts to seal their approval.
She allowed some weeks to pass by in this contentedness, to allow the inhabitants of Boldhi and Baraikandi to become aware of the marriage. It was an important tactic to affect her schemes. Then, one day, she and her husband arrived unexpectedly to Shumi’s house. They apologised sincerely for their sudden arrival, but the matter was such that any further delay was becoming unbearable. Since they are now family, she and her husband wanted to place a small request. She began by highlighting the unpredictability of present times. It is futile to depend on another and one should make their own path in life. She belonged to a big family of fourteen members. In good times, they laugh and enjoy the merriment together, but in bad times, tongues easily turn bitter and sprout shameful comments. When in the encouragement of anger, our mouths reveal certain truths that our sensibility keeps repressed. One such bitter truth that she and her husband had the misfortunes to bear was her son‘s idleness. Although her son was of a good character, he holds no earning employment. There was never any need to do so. That is the chief drawback of being born into a financially gifted family. Children never learn to appreciate the need for independence. Knowingly or unknowingly, she had a share in her son's idleness. Until now, these small family disputes did not concern her much, but with an addition of another to the family, she did not want her daughter-in-law to suffer any embarrassment. Soon, her son and daughter-in-law will have a family of their own. She must consider their welfare too.
Job opportunity in this country is very scarce, and the little that was available, produced insufficient income. Perhaps by force, she can persuade Shabul to consider a position alongside his father, but application by force always nurtures a rebel. The scattered pieces will divide the family apart. Thus, bearing this likely eventuality, she comes here with great hope to relieve her tension.
Rabia’s hope was to get Shabul a visa to London through Char's help. Shabul has expressed a desire to work in London. Unable to reach a decision, she sought her brother’s advice.
Man’s words should not be trusted when spoken, for the volatility of mouth gives it no seal. The in-laws’ demand had placed him in an unfair predicament. The business of marriage was an affair that gave all a reason to speculate. The exchange provoked envy amongst the less fortunate, giving them opportunity to rejoice should there be the breaking of another’s marital alliance. Nurul, Shumi’s youngest and only surviving brother, considered this harsh truth, when he made the final decision. He considered Char and Sabina less his nephew and niece, and treated them no differently than his own children. He held their best interest at heart, sometimes placing their wishes before the need of his own children. With Char’s departure to London, he took full support of his sister and niece, despite his sister’s constant rebuttals. He held a fatherly protection over both, and thus was unwilling to compromise with their welfare. If it were up to his sister, then she would have agreed to the first suitor that came for Sabina. The perception of society would have had her sacrifice her integrity at the expense of her daughter’s disadvantaged complexion. He was an intuitive man, often able to hear that from others, which they have not brought to their lips yet. The agenda behind Shabul’s marriage to Sabina did not escape him either.
The foolish Man quests for perfection, and the wisest of them strives to improve. Sabina’s in-laws and Shabul are not perfect. They had flaws, so did Sabina. He cannot remain ignorant of Sabina’s age, and neither could he challenge the ancient custom of culture. He and Shumi will have to make a compromise. They cannot keep refusing suitors. This time, matters progressed too far. Half of Sylhet have come to learn of this alliance. Retraction will only expose them to humiliation. Besides, what harm is there if Sabina’s husband earns a living in London under Char’s supervision?
It is in their good fortune that Sabina’s in-laws have disclosed these matters before the wedding. What selfish advantage can they achieve from this disclosure? Their son is handsome enough to choose any girl to marry, but Sabina’s fortune is not such that any man will choose her.
Scarcely, did he console his heart that he and his sister welcomed one more decision to make. It regarded Char’s marriage to a cousin sister of Shabul. For the sake of Sabina’s happiness, they gave their consent.
Once Sabina is married, they will take Char into confidence. For now, they kept these proceedings unknown from most people, particularly from Char. He was overly sensitive when it came to matters involving his sister. They feared the worst to happen should he gain a whiff of the truth. Char would not consider society or customs to break his sister's alliance with a man, who had a selfish agenda in marrying her. He does not understand the compulsion of the parent of a daughter. She and her brother had decided to let the wedding take place first, and allow Sabina to settle into her new family. After that, they will be in a better position to address these matters civilly with Char.