Chapter 4
"Berang Si Hai Badi Zindagi, Kuch Rang To Bharoon
Main Apni Tanhai Ke Vaaste Ab Kuch To Karoon" –Life in a Metro
The Emergency Department of Alta Bates hospital was exceptionally busy as it tended to be on Friday evenings. As a volunteer, it was Yusuf's responsibility to comfort distressed patients and ensure that priority was given to those who needed it. After making sure that a little boy with a large piece of glass embedded in his leg was given immediate attention, Yusuf looked at his watch. It was already past five. He would never make it home by six.
After staying in Berkeley for the first four weekends of the semester, Yusuf was finally going to Fremont to spend some time with his family and check out their new house. He was looking forward to catching up with his siblings and getting some much needed rest. Yusuf informed the volunteer coordinator that he was leaving, punched his time card, and headed to his apartment to pick up his bags.
As he entered the living room, he was greeted by his roommate, Jason Lam, who was lying back in a recliner, flipping through channels on their high-definition television.
"Hey, how was volunteering?" Jason asked, turning down the volume.
Yusuf collapsed onto the sofa. "Let's just say I didn't get a chance to sit down for the past four hours."
"Wow, I didn't know Alta Bates was that busy. Oh, by the way, Rehan called about ten minutes ago checking if you had left for home yet. I told him you still hadn't returned from volunteering."
"Oh okay. Thanks," replied Yusuf. "He probably called my cell too, but I didn't get a chance to check my messages yet."
"Seems like your family really missed you. They're waiting anxiously."
"Yeah, I don't think so. My mom probably cooked something good, and they just want me home so they can have dinner."
Jason laughed. "I'd normally believe that, but your family is too perfect."
"Looks can be deceiving," Yusuf asserted with a smile. "No, actually they are pretty great. I can't wait to see everyone again."
"Well, you better leave soon. The next BART train is in five minutes." BART was the name of the Bay Area's metro system.
"Oh crap, you're right!" Yusuf exclaimed, looking at his watch and jumping up from his seat. "Bye Jason! See you on Sunday."
"Bye. Have fun!"
Yusuf grabbed his duffel bag and left for the BART, eager to get home as soon as possible. He hadn't eaten all day and the thought of his mother's biryani was making his mouth water.
Imraan was relaxing in the family room before dinner, when his cell phone rang. Recognizing Sabah's number in the Caller ID, he quickly answered it.
"Hi Sabah."
"Hey Imraan. How's it going?"
"Not bad. What are you up to?"
"I'm trying to get started on the Crime and Punishment paper," she replied, "but I forgot the prompt in my locker. If you have it with you, can you read it to me?"
"Sabah, are you seriously telling me that you're doing homework on a Friday?"
"Well, Yusuf Bhai is coming in an hour, and he'll be here all weekend. I'm not gonna have time later."
Imraan took his binder out of his backpack and gave Sabah the information she was calling for. Just as he was hanging up the phone, Samira joined him in the family room.
She sat down next to him, giving him a knowing smile. "You were talking to Sabah, weren't you?"
"How did you know?"
"Your 1000-watt smile gave it away," she answered, teasingly.
Imraan was bewildered. "So…you figured it out?"
"Bhaiya, I think I know you better than you know yourself. I saw the way you looked at her on the first day of school, and I could tell."
"Yeah, well, being discreet about how I feel definitely isn't one of my strong points," he admitted. "Do you think she knows?"
"I'm not sure, but I think you should be careful."
"About what?"
"Sabah's not an open book like you are. She seems like a nice person, but I'm still not completely sure about her sincerity. And anyway, she might not feel the same way about you. Main nahin chaahti ke aapka dil toot jaaye."
"You know what they say, 'it's better to have loved and lost than to never have loved at all.' But don't worry. I'll try to be realistic about this."
"Good," Samira replied. "Relationships aren't as easy as they look. Just look at David and Carissa."
"Oh yeah. What's going on with them?"
"I don't know. I talked to David about a week ago and tried to convince him to forgive Carissa, but he was just too angry with her. Maybe he'll be more willing to listen now. I'm thinking of asking Rehan to talk to him on Monday."
"I really hope they work things out," Imraan told her.
They heard the front door open and excited voices coming from the living room.
Samira turned to Imraan excitedly. "Apa's home! Let's go keep her busy so she doesn't have time to get depressed again."
The next morning Aisha awoke as the morning sun beamed at her through the window. She opened her eyes slowly and wondered why she hadn't shut the curtains. Glancing at her alarm clock, she realized it was only seven. It was going to be another long and tedious day. At least I'm not in Berkeley, she thought, getting up from bed.
She put on her exercise clothes and went for a jog around the neighborhood. Being a member of the track team in high school had taught her that running was the best way to relieve stress. Aisha spent an hour jogging and hanging out at the park before returning home.
As she was taking her keys out of her pocket, she heard the door to the house next door open. Looking over, she saw Yusuf walk out onto the porch. He noticed her and smiled.
"Hey Aisha. So my brother was right. You do live here."
"Yes, and your family just moved here from L.A.?"
"Yeah. So what have you been up to? I didn't see you at the Indus meeting this year." Indus was the South Asian Culture Club at UC Berkeley.
"Yeah, I've been really busy." She put her hand on the doorknob anxiously.
"Okay, I guess I'll see you later." He smiled awkwardly. "I have to go grab something from the store for my mom. Bye."
"Bye," Aisha replied and quickly went inside. She stopped at the door for a minute realizing how rude she had been. The talkative, friendly Aisha was now antisocial and reclusive. The transformation seemed irreversible. Well…unless she could forget Hasan. No, that just wasn't going to happen. Sighing, she walked towards the kitchen to join her family for breakfast.
That evening, Aisha and her family walked next door to the Akhtar residence for dinner. While the parents talked in the living room, Rehan led the kids into the family room. Soon after they were all settled on the large sectional sofa or on bean bag chairs, they broke into groups. Amaan, Maryam and Shamyl played Nintendo Game Cube and Samira, Imraan, Sabah and Rehan gossiped about something that had happened in school. Aisha felt guilty about that morning and decided to start a conversation with Yusuf.
"I heard that you're applying to medical school this year," she began. "How's that going?
Yusuf's face lit up. "Great! I have an interview at UCSF next week."
"Oh wow, congratulations! Isn't that one of the top schools in the country?"
Yusuf nodded. "Number five."
Aisha asked him more questions about what field of medicine he wanted to go into and how his volunteering at the hospital was going. Then he asked her about her classes and extracurricular activities. The conversation was going well when Yusuf's mom called them into the dining room. After getting their dinner, they returned to the family room to eat.
In the dining room, Zaheer Akhtar looked towards his wife eagerly. She nodded at him, and he turned towards their guests.
"Fatima and I had an idea that we wanted to run by you," he said.
Javed Rehman looked up from his plate. "Sure, kya baat hai?"
"Well, this is Yusuf's last year in college, so we've started thinking about finding a rishta for him. I'm not sure if you're ready for this, but…" Zaheer hesitated.
"We're interested in Aisha," Fatima finished his sentence.
"What?" Javed replied, taken aback.
Zaheer continued, "Agar aap ko ya Aisha ko koyi aitraaz na ho to."
"From what you've told us about her, she seems like a good match for him," added Fatima, "and we thought there's no harm in them getting to know each other."
Javed turned towards his wife. "Kya khayaal hai, Najma?"
"Why not?" she replied with a smile.
"Okay," Javed said to Zaheer and Fatima. "We'll talk to Aisha later tonight and let you know what she says."
"Wonderful!" Fatima exclaimed. "Maybe we can turn our friendship into rishtedaari."
When they returned home, Aisha was walking across the living room towards the staircase when her mother stopped her.
"Aisha, there's something I need to talk to you about," she told her.
Imraan, Samira, Maryam and Shamyl all turned to stare at them, interested in knowing what was going on.
Their mother looked at them sternly, shaking her head. "You all need to go to your rooms and go to sleep. Bahut raat ho chuki hai."
"Is Apa in trouble?" Shamyl asked innocently.
His father picked him up and carried him toward the stairs. "Nahin beta. Mummy just wants to tell her something. Let's go to bed."
When everyone had left, they sat down in the living room, and Aisha's mother told her about the conversation that had transpired at the dinner table earlier that evening. Aisha listened silently, wondering what to say. When her mother had finished speaking, she waited for a couple seconds before replying.
"I don't think I'm ready for marriage yet."
"Aisha, we're not trying to get you married immediately. Just talk to Yusuf and see if you have anything in common. If it doesn't work out, that's fine. You know we only want you to be happy."
Aisha stopped to think again. All her memories with Hasan flashed through her mind followed by Radhika's sincere advice telling her to stop reliving the past. Was this her chance to move on?
Finally, she opened her mouth again, almost changing her mind with every word. "Theek hai, Mummy. I'll try talking to him."
As her mother hugged her, Aisha felt apprehensive. Had she made the right decision, or was Yusuf's entry into her life going to complicate things further?
Before heading to bed, Rehan went to the kitchen for a glass of water, and noticed that the light in the family room was on. He went there to find Yusuf sitting on the sofa, deep in thought.
"Yusuf Bhai," Rehan said joining him, "you're still awake?"
"Yeah, I just have a lot on my mind," Yusuf answered.
"What are you thinking about?"
Yusuf turned to him with a grave expression. "About how the Peripheral Nervous System controls involuntary biological processes."
Rehan gaped at him puzzled. "What?!"
Yusuf burst out laughing. "I'm just joking. I may be pre-med, but I'm not that nerdy."
Rehan laughed too. "You scared me there for a second. Anyway, what's really up?"
Yusuf began, "Mummy just told me she wants me to start thinking about marriage. And she thinks Aisha is someone I should consider. Apparently she already talked to Javed Uncle and Najma Aunty about it."
"Oh wow. Well, actually, I'm not that surprised. Now that you're almost out of college, it's about time they start thinking about getting you married."
"I guess. It's just a little strange because I really haven't given it much consideration before now. Especially about Aisha. I never thought of her that way."
"Are you afraid that if it doesn't work out, it'll ruin your friendship with her?"
Yusuf shook his head. "We're not really friends. I barely even know her, so I guess there's nothing to lose."
"So, are you going to give it a try?"
"If it's okay with Aisha, then I don't have any objections."
Rehan smiled. "Cool. I can't wait to have a Bhabhi."
"Don't get too hopeful yet. You never know. Maybe you'll end up getting married before I do."
"Bhai, I'm still in high school. Definitely not thinking that far ahead yet. Anyway, I'm really tired. We should continue this conversation tomorrow."
"Sounds good." Yusuf replied. "Sweet dreams."
"Goodnight. Don't stay up too late!"
"I won't. Goodnight."
Rehan returned to his room, leaving Yusuf to resume wondering anxiously about marriage and his future.
Questions:
1. How do you like Yusuf's personality?
2. Is it hard to keep track of so many characters? If so, do you have any suggestions on how I can make it easier?
Please also make general comments about the chapter. Thanks!
Edited by SuhanaSafar - 17 years ago
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