The wisdom of a grandmother

Husna gazed out of the window and saw the sun was setting. She glanced up at the living room clock and saw it was time for prayers. She rose from the chair. It was rather difficult for her. Her bony fingers clutched the arms of the sofa as she forced all her energy on getting up. Quickly she removed them and grasped the walking frame. She moved one leg forward and moved towards the washroom. She was covered in warm clothes always. Wearing a sweater and a shawl wrapped around. She wore socks in her legs at all time yet she remained cold. The last time she was warm was ten years back. She had been out with her children on a picnic. How she wished she could feel a moment of that time.

Her daughter-in-law came in from the kitchen and helped her. She was a kind soul. She took care of Husna and tried to foresee whatever she would want. Whenever it was time for prayers, she’d help her mother-in-law in performing ablution and laying down her prayer mat, adjusting the chair just before it and making sure that the side table had all her prayer books, the Quran Shariff and prayer beads. Husna had lost mobility over time. Her arthritis had won. She had maintained herself till seventy but now, ten years later, she had became weak.

After finishing her namaz and reading Quran Shariff, she rang the bell. Her son had told her to ring the bell whenever she was done. This way the children let her alone and did not disturb her and once she had finished her prayer, they would come in and sit with her. She thanked God everyday that she got a loving son and a good daughter-in-law. They had four children; two girls and two boys. The girls were married and were starting their new lives with their husbands. Husna was glad she got the chance to see them wedded off. It is quite rare for one to see their grandchildren’s marriage. As for the boys, they were just too much for her. Always up to pranks and mischief especially the younger one. He hugged her too much for her liking. He had always been like that since a child. Now he was sixteen. Husna smiled, he would turn out to be as handsome as his grandfather.

Her daughter-in-law came in with some hot soup. Really! All she would like is some hot potato patties with sour chutney and a glass of cold sherbet. That was however not to be. The doctor has strictly said no oily food and control over sugar. Being old was no fun and especially with kids who were adamant to follow whatever that five feet doctor told them. She finished her soup like a good girl. “Where is Ali?” she asked her daughter-in-law. “He is yet to come from school ammi” she told her. “Why so late? It’s after sunset. Don’t tell me that crazy headmaster is again punishing my boy!” she huffed. She had met the headmaster and she did not like him. He punished the children too much for her liking. “Well Ammi, don’t forget Ali is not exactly the golden student” she replied with a smile. Husna nodded. She was amused. She knew Ali would have done something naughty. One day he mixed a water colors in a glass of water and added some red chili powder. He had then asked the peon to take it in to the headmaster. The headmaster had choked on the drink. Ali was not mean. He was just so naughty and up to pranks and he was the heart of his family and friends and the apple of the eye of his grandmother.

At 9 o’clock Ali came back. It had been raining and he came back drenched like a drowned kitten. He gave his sheepish smile to his mom, went into his room and changed. He then went to meet his grand mom. He was closest to her. She shared his streak of naughtiness and Ali was sure he got it from her. He narrated to her what he had done that day. When the principal was out on his rounds, Ali and his friend Junaid had sneaked in to his office and wiped oil over his seat. That evening when he came out to go home, his pant was looked wet. That had set the whole school laughing. Husna laughed heartily. She knew it was bad but she couldn’t help it. That man deserved it. He was a cruel dictator. However, after they had laughed their hearts out, Husna told Ali that he now had to leave the pranks. The man would remain as stubborn and dumb witted. Ali conjured with her. He was now done with the headmaster.

He was silent. As though contemplating something, whether to tell his grand mom or not. Husna looked at him with her beaded eyes. She smiled. Children never do come to know that their parents bore them. They know them in and out, when they are happy, when they are sad, when they are lying or when they are hiding something. They knew their children before they could even speak. She knew there was something on Ali’s mind. Something she recognized.

“Who’s the girl?” she asked. Ali looked up. He was shocked. How did grandma know he was thinking about a girl? Husna smiled at him knowingly. Ali smiled back. “Zahira, she is in my science club. I don’t know grandma but I feel very strange when she is around” he told her shyly. “Oh. You mean you feel shy and you find your heart beating faster” Husna said teasingly. Ali turned crimson and nodded. Husna laughed. The confusions of a young heart. Hadn’t she gone through it… for that matter, everyone?

“Do you like her?” She asked him. “Yes”, Ali replied. “She is kind and she is shy but she is very smart and she is one of the good students.” “What do you plan to do?” Husna asked him. “I don’t know” Ali replied. Was he supposed to do something? “Do you think this Zahira likes you?” She asked him. “I think so. She always smiles at me. She smiles at me rather shyly. She hardly talks to me. At times I feel she avoids me. I want to talk to her, grandma, like you know, be her friend and get to know her but somehow she always distances herself. I think that makes me even more restless. Why does she do that?” he asked her.

‘Oh ho!’ Husna thought. ‘The traffic is two way. Hmmm’ “What kind of a girl is she? Is she very friendly with everyone or does she keeps to her set of friends?” she asked him. “She is a confident girl grandma. She can go and talk to anybody and often is on the committee of every club. Her close friend is Mariam and they two are always together. They come to school together and apart from her she keeps to her girls group. She is however not timid or shy. She can talk to any boy regarding school work and projects. I have been observing her for the past one month.”

Husna was happy to hear this. She was glad that the girl who had won her grandson’s heart was a good and smart girl. She sounded perfect. Only her little grandson didn’t know that he had fallen in love. Love was strange. It creeps in when one least expects. She was sure that the girl was also smitten by Ali. After all, who would not be? Ali had the personality, the looks, and the intelligence. She was so proud of her grandson.

“The fact of the matter is son, that both you and Zahira like each other. Usually a woman, and a good woman, I am not talking of those girls who openly flirt and are shameless, but one whose heart is won by a man- hides her feelings. She maintains her distance. Partly because it makes her nervous just like it makes you and partly because she doesn’t trust herself as to what she may do. People do crazy stuff in love. At such times, it’s always best to keep away.” Husna explained.

“Really grandma? Do you think she likes me too? That she feels the same way as I do? That she is just as confused as me?” Ali asked unbelieving.

“Really” Husna affirmed smilingly.

“What shall I do?” He asked her. He trusted his grand mom. He would follow her advice always. Whether it came to his spiritual matters, his school work or now, that he was a young man, his heart matters.

“Leave her alone”. She replied

“What?” Ali could not believe his ears. If grandma believed that Zahira also liked him then shouldn’t he do something? Shouldn’t he tell her he liked her? Shouldn’t they become friends?

“Yes son. Leave her alone. Become busy in your life. Divert your mind. Concentrate on your studies and your future. At this point son, you are just sixteen. Both of you are still children. I would not advice friendship also because I know both of you have feelings for each other. Where these feelings would lead you, I don’t know. It’s like playing with fire. Therefore, I think it’s best you avoid fire.”

“But grandma, what about our feelings? Are they really not worth contemplating on? I mean this urge to know the other, to be her special someone?”

“Your heart son will one day hold someone special. I want that someone to be your wife. I do like Zahira. From what you have told me, I think she is a good girl and she would be good partner for you. Yet you two are too young and friendship is not possible when the line is crossed. You have admitted your feelings that it is beyond friendship. It is love my son.”

“I’m confused grandma. At one point you ask me to keep away from her and on other hand you say she is the perfect girl for me.” Ali tried to make out what his grandmother was trying to say.

“What I’m saying son is that keep your feelings covered up. Live your life as a student, finish your studies and when you have graduated, if you still like Zahira and you feel she likes you too, I will personally go to her family and ask her hand for you. At this point son, it’s too early. In my days it was not. Girls used to be betrothed by fourteen, fifteen but today’s generation wait till they are eighteen and in their twenties.”

The message dawned on Ali. Grandma was not against his or Zahira’s feelings. She was thinking about their future together. She was thinking of how they could be together forever and for that, a little sacrifice of maintaining their distance. They were after all young and God knows how impossible it can be not to fall in error. The respect for his grand mom grew even more and he got up and hugged her.

‘Oh here he goes again’ Husna thought. ‘This boy never gets tired of hugging’. She hugged him back and felt the grandmotherly love flow to him. She loved this boy. A boy who was now turning into a man.

“You are so right grandma. Yet I have a fear what if someone else takes her away from me?” He asked her with his eyes filled with fear. Husna laughed. “If she is in your destiny, no man will ever take her away from you. From what you said, I think it’s unlikely. She likes you.”

“All right grandma. I will do as you say. I will go to school and study and finish my studies well. When will you talk to her family?” he asked her anxiously.

“When you get into college. I will go and talk to them and fix up your engagement. At that time we shall see what to do. Whether to get you two married and both of you go off to college or you two finish college and then get married.” She replied.

“Oh I rather we both get married and then go off to college.” He replied earnestly. Husna laughed. The woes of the restless heart. “Ok, Ok, we will see then. Now you get away from me and go have your food and work on your homework. What we discussed will be our little secret” she winked at him.

Ali smiled. He felt so happy. He wanted to pick her up and dance with joy. He kissed her on her cheek and went away. Husna wiped her cheek once he had left the room. Really that boy loved her too much for her liking. She got up and walked feebly to her drawing table. She removed her diary painstakingly and opened the pages of her will. She kept her will ready for she didn’t know when Allah Taala would call her back. She wrote with great difficulty her wish to get her grandson married to Zahira should she not live before their engagement. She then wrote a letter addressed to Zahira’s parents asking for the hand of their daughter for her grandson. She sealed it and kept it back in her dairy. She was tired now. It had been a tiring day.

She said two rakats of prayer for her grandson. She begged Allah Taala to protect him especially now that he was vulnerably in love. Her daughter-in-law came in and helped her get ready for bed. She sat on her bed while her daughter-in-law propped up the pillows for her. She opened her Quran Shariff and read a chapter. At ten o’clock she had finished her reading and switched off the lights. As she lay down her bed and closed her eyes, her memories came back to her.

He had been her neighbor. They had shifted in when she was sixteen. He had been four years elder to her. When they first saw each other she had looked away. They both had avoided each other. She used to feel shy when he was around. They both knew they liked each other. Two years later when she had finished her schooling, his mother had come to ask her for her hand. They both had known since the day they saw each other, they were going to be together. He had left this world fifteen years before. As she turned towards her right, her eyes felt moist. She missed her companion of forty seven years.

Thinking of Ali, Husna smiled. History was repeating itself.