Reflection Of Life

Chapter 1 -The Rays of the Morning Sun

Chapter: 1 -The Rays of the morning sun


Fahmida was not someone who would bury her nose all day in study materials. She loved visiting her uncle's place, and helped with her aunt's kitchen work. Her aunt had excellent culinary skills, which she passed on to her niece. Fahmida also enjoyed reciting from the Holly Quran,

The Holly book for Muslims

and she prayed five times a day.


She was allowed to wear both eastern and western attires, always in a decent way. She looked gorgeous in a long skirt and matching top, she looked breathtaking in a traditional Shalwar Kameez.

A set of a dress, a pair of trousers, and a drapper worn together

The sixteen-year-old was always admired for her unique choice of fashion wherever she went.

Fahmida sat on the nearby divan. A plastic bowl full of freshly picked Jasmine occupied a spot near her legs. Her fingers kept coming up and down, cautiously picking up flowers that formed into a long necklace. She kept flicking at a naughty strand of hair in front of her large forehead. A reddish-black, long braid jumped on her back as she moved forward to pick up flowers, one after another.

'Fahmida, put that craft aside now, it's time to study!' Parveen hardly discouraged her daughter's hobbies, but being a mother, she had to be stern at times.
Being the only child of her parents, Fahmida wished to be pampered all the time. Parveen, on the other hand, believed in a balance of care and limitations.

'Mom, please, just a little bit more. I'll ace my quiz tomorrow, I promise!'

Parveen looked down at the younger version of herself. The small, dark brown eyes adjusted with her round, tanned face well. A pair of thin gold earrings added more charm to her innocent beauty. Parveen planted a light kiss on her daughter's forehead.

A group of house sparrows thronged around a few grains of rice. A few mango trees stood surrounding the large, white gate. Students of all shapes and sizes made their way towards their respective classrooms through that gate. All of them seemed to be in a hurry, worry splashed all over their faces.

A gentle breeze blew past Fahmida's long braid as she entered through the large white gate into the school premises. Dry leaves cracked under her feet as she trudged towards her classroom a few steps away. The heavy schoolbag felt like a lump of stone on her back. A few of her juniors could be seen playing on the see-saw. Some occupied the slide and swings. Some were just practicing in the basketball court.

"Hi everyone!" The teen greeted a few of her peers. She was dressed in a navy blue Kameez

Dress

, white shalwar

Trousers

and a white Orna

Drapper

. A pair of black school footwear covered her feet.

"Hey, "How's preparation for the Math class?"

"We have a mock test today, right? I practiced for three hours last night."

You're great in Math, I'm not.' The somber expression on Saima's face was enough to tell she was not really in a good mood.


'Come on Sam, you're not bad at all.' Fahmida gave her friend a short pat on the back.


Saima looked up into Fahmida's eyes. Those confident eyes always made her envious. Unlike her friend , Saima had extremely dark complexion. On top of that, she was one of the shortest girls in class. She just wished she had a mother like Parveen aunty, who was always there for her daughter through thick and thin. Saima could seldom keep long hair, due to a severe hair fall problem. Her mother was a businesswoman, who never had the will to spend quality time with her. On the other hand, Saima's father had passed away due to a sudden cardiac arrest when she was just a toddler.

Various plants decorated either side of the walk way. Ixora, Periwinkle, China Rose, Oleander, all sorts of shades and fragrances could be seen and smelt everywhere. Fariha's personal favorites were the guava trees. She would often enjoy the taste of sweet- and sour guava the gardener would keep for her. In return, he would charge just ten taka for each fruit.

'There's nothing like natural desserts!" Parveen commented one day, biting into a greenish-yellow guava.
Fahmida picked up a bunch of Ixora flowers from a nearby bush."See , it's a two-in-one flower." she commented, as she placed the little Ixora petals one by one on her fingers. Her nails looked as if they were just painted with dark orange nail polish.

"I like natural makeup, don't you?" Parveen asked her daughter.

"Nope, I just like herbal face packs.'


'Right you are. Branded cosmetics are not bad; they can be used at times.'


'Cosmetics, right? I wonder what to suggest for Saima, she's always so worried about her skin.' Fariha enquired. She was well aware of her mother's passion for beauty. Parveen had done a four-month long beautician course when she was expecting.


'Come, let's take a seat.' Parveen pointed at one of the empty benches.


The cement bench made them shiver. Tiny lizards climbed up their feet, but still they did not push the reptiles aside. Fariha played with a colorful pebble for some time. A hawk rested on one of the palm trees shading the bench they were sitting on. Fariha brushed a dry leaf away from her hair. Relaxed, they continued their conversation:


'Saima? Why should she be worried? She's pretty.' Parveen mentioned.


'I don't know. She's always complaining about her mother and says she wants a mother like you."

"That is a bad practice indeed, we should always be happy with whatever we're blessed with. There are many people living in worse conditions than us."

"I remember that Ammu, but how do I make her understand?" The sombre expression on Fahmida's face was enough to display genuine concern and love for her best friend.

The sky wore a lovely red robe, with a little hint of violet in it. Pious people were on their way back from the mosque after saying evening prayers. Wild birds were chirping noticeably on the way back to their nests. The teen was busy in the kitchen preparing snacks for her father. He was about to return home from office.

Unlike the other Bangladeshi mothers, Parveen always allowed her girl in the kitchen. Fahmida sometimes cooked a whole meal for them. The girl excelled at things she enjoyed, like cooking or studies. Moreover, her own wishes were always prior to anything else. Parveen or her husband Monir, did not want their girl to be overloaded with expectations.

Fahmida just finished frying some potato dumplings when the telephone rang:

"Hi , It's me, Saima. Did you complete your Physics homework yet?"

"Oh hey Sam. How have you been? Yes, I had finished making the periscope about an hour ago."

"So, what do you think? You'll get an A+ here?"

"Letter grades doesn't really matter Sam. All I know is, I enjoyed doing my task, that's more important than an A+"