Rabiya

Running away, she hid herself behind a tree, feeling the chilly breeze brush against the loose cloth of her hijab. Cigarette smoke burned the inside of her nostrils, hideous chuckles that sounded like hyenas whispered in her ear with all its vulgar terms, and Rabiya desperately wished to escape from the village. 

She despised their predatory gaze. 

Pressing her back against the harsh wood of the tree, she felt the sharp edges dig into her back. Rabiya clutched the jacket closer to her chest, losing herself to Adar's scent, a heavenly aroma of roses as if he were as delicate as the petals and as fierce as the thorns. A smile tugged on her lips, mind lost to the senseless nature of a girl too far from reality. 

"Can you believe that girl?" chuckled a deeper voice from nearby.

Her smile fell, fear gripping her into its poisonous talons, threatening to shatter her inner peace. 

Another male rumbled with his own laughter. "She's so naive. Abdul Jalil's granddaughter might be easier than we thought she was."

Tears welled in Rabiya's eyes, but she refused to let them water. 

"Prude women like her are too trusting. She should be grieving at home not smiling around with a boy."

Having heard enough, Rabiya walked away from the bustling bazaar, away from the feathered smiles, away from the rainbow drapes of cloth, and away from cruel men and women. She kept it all behind her, keeping her head high in the face of slander and gossip, keeping her lips tight in the face of lying scoundrels. 

Each step she took weighed heavier than the last, a knot rising up in her throat, replaying the voices of typical village life. They did not understand. They did not know her. They did not get the right to categorize her. And Rabiya would not let their words dictate her actions. 

Even if everyone turns against me, I still have Allah, she thought. 

"Hey!" yelled a familiar voice from behind. "Wait!"

She paused abruptly, recognizing the male's voice. He followed me?

A tall figure came in front of her, eyes a comforting shade of brown, dark enough to lose herself in, but Rabiya quickly averted her gaze. A faint blush blossomed on the apples of her cheeks. She wondered how she perked his interest so soon. 

"Sorry," he apologized, "I couldn't see you leave so sad especially after your... uh..." 

Rabiya flinched, thinking of her beloved uncle and grandfather. 

Noticing, Adar sadly smiled at her, a look of empathy crossing his handsome features. "Those villagers," he whispered so only she could hear, "they revel at the enmity in others. Right now, you should focus on yourself. Give yourself some time to heal. The rest of the world is only a speck of dust when you grieve."

Appalled by his words, Rabiya could not help but stare in shock, not knowing where her heart laid through the millions of emotions that crossed her. Since their deaths, no one had visited her family, had offered comforting advice to her, had gone through the extra mile to make sure that she was alright.

Adar was the first. 

"T-Thank you," she mumbled, stepping around him. "Pardon me, but I must be going." 

She heeded her brother's warning that people were not to be trusted within the village. If she had not just experienced their aggressive nature, then she may not have believed Tahmid. Walking away, her heart accelerated faster upon hearing his footsteps coincide with hers. 

"What's your name?" he asked. 

"Rabiya," she whispered under her breath, keeping a cautious haze on her surroundings. They were a good distance from the bazaar and far from any nosy neighbors. "Why do you ask?"

Nervously scratching the back of his neck, he offered her a sheepish smile. "Well so far everyone has referred to you as Abdul Jalil's granddaughter. It didn't sit well with me when you are as much a person as he was."

She merely nodded, keeping her head low. 

Adar noticed her reluctance to engage in conversation. "Are you alright?" he asked. 

"Yes," she squeaked, surprising them both. Rabiya cleared her throat. "I mean, I am fine." 

They walked together in silence, him accompanying her on her long walk home as if to protect her from the accusing eyes of villagers.

As they passed neighboring villages, she heard the hushed whispers that fell across the land like a plague, snickering laughter, and foreboding stances. A sudden tension corralled between Rabiya and Adar, both sensing the imbalance. 

She turned to him. "Is something wrong?" she asked.

He shrugged, walking ahead of her. "Villagers will be villagers," he said, slipping his hands into his pockets.

"What does that even mean?"

Adar smiled, giving her a sideways glance. "You must be from the city," he observed. "Around here, people prefer to sit back and watch the drama unfold beneath the cracks."

"You act as though they suspect a scandal."

"It is very plausible."

Rabiya narrowed her eyes.

"What?" he questioned.

She chose to stay silent, not liking the slight hint of amusement in his tone. If her father knew she was walking home with a boy, Rabiya would not see the light of day again. She could not understand the boyish grin he wore whenever he gazed down at her. Rabiya shook her head. 

"Well," he interrupted her thoughts, "I regretfully must inform you that I shall take my leave here."

"What?"

Adar nodded his head in the direction of the school. The small building sat on top of a pile of bricks, scattered shreds of paper littering the hardened soils. Gray smudges coated the white walls, metal bars closing the windows in order to prevent distraction to other students while broken shards of glass pierced through the ground. 

A group of young boys between the ages of nine and ten ran out the building, wide smiles beaming at Adar. Their frail bodies flung themselves at the man beside her, eyes shining with glee. Rabiya watched Adar wrap his arms around the group, laughing as they spoke in a chaos of voices in an attempt to grab his attention. 

"Adar, can you show us how to use the telescope today?" asked one of the boys.

Another shook his head. "No, I want to see the math equations again."

"Slow down, guys. We have time to do all of that," chuckled Adar, ruffling the first boy's hair. "We can look through the telescope after Isha (night prayer)."

Rabiya cleared her throat, grabbing Adar's attention. She wondered why these young boys stayed so late at a school building, especially when the entire village was wandering around the vibrant bazaar, searching for tawdry items that would show their wealth. It confused her why poorer people spent more time disguising themselves to be rich. 

He sent her an apologetic smile. "You can get home by yourself, right? If you want I can show you the road back," he offered.

The breathtaking smile placed a spell upon her, casting her away from the chains of her grievances and introducing her to a world of light, of beauty, of him. Her heart surged out of her chest, drumming in an irregular rhythm, a symbol of her shyness. Rabiya blushed, averting her gaze to the ground, feeling foolish for her inability to respond to such a simple question. 

Darn his smile, she thought. 

"Rabiya?"

"Uh... yes?" she mumbled, falling deeper into her self-pity. 

Adar tilted his head, an amused grin gracing his lips. "If you would like, I can point towards the direction you need to go. I know that you are new to the village," he said, shifting on his feet as though her presence cause shyness to erupt within him.

"Don't worry about me. I shall find my way back eventually," she gave him a tight smile. "I would feel awful if I tore you away from these eager children. I had no idea that you tutored so many."

He shrugged. "Well, they are orphans. They are not as privileged as other children."

Rabiya bit her lip, feeling awkward from the indirect insult.

Instantly, Adar's eyes widened in realization. "No! I did not mean that you are privileged or anything. I was just implying that... I mean..." he stumbled over his words.

"It's truly no big deal," she said with a smile that did not reach her eyes, gazing fondly at the little boys who watched the scene with boyish curiosity. "I did have a more privileged upbringing than most. Yes, it was definitely poorer than the elites, but it was better in the sense that I grew up in suburban areas."

"Rabiya-"

"You kids behave for him," she interrupted, tearing her eyes away from Adar's hurt expression. "In Shaa Allah (if Allah wills it) you kids will be the future of East Pakistan."

"Ma'am, is it not Bangladesh? All the men have been raising the new flag," stated one of the boys.

"Well it takes more than resistance to win a revolution," said Rabiya, knowing the full extent any war could go. If the resistance was serious in their intentions, East Pakistan would be no more.

With her head held high for the second time that day, Rabiya prepared herself to walk away from another man that judged her too harshly without witnessing the struggles Rabiya had endured. He was just like the rest.

"Wait, Rabiya."

She paused, breathing uneven. Why did it hurt to know that he thought of her as too privileged?

He took a couple steps toward her, cautious as he neared like Rabiya was a scared deer who would leap at her first chance of escape. If that were true, Adar was not wrong. Rabiya acted like a scared animal by not confronting her insecurities.

"Hey," he whispered, "look at me."

Slowly, she turned, gasping at the raw emotion hidden behind his dark eyes, the apology written all over him.

"What I said came out very wrong. It was never my intention to hurt you. Please do not take my words to heart," he pleaded. "It devastates me to see such an innocent girl cry especially if the fault is mine."

Rabiya stayed silent.

"I shall take that as my sign to leave," he mumbled, expression falling as if he were mortally wounded. Adar began to walk away when Rabiya had snapped out of her daze.

"Adar, wait."

"Yes?" he eagerly turned to face her. "What is it?"

"I forgive you. It was silly of me to take offense," she admitted.

Adar smiled, beaming in delight. "Perhaps I will see you around."

"Perhaps."

Even though her brother had warned her against love, Rabiya felt the spark between them ignite. The flame had already set fire to her heart.

----

I've literally been studying for AP Biology like crazy. I think I'm going insane from it.

Yep, I need sleep.

What do you think Rabiya's personality? Anyone finding this too boring? I swear the action is coming real soon ;)

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