"What kind of tutor have you hired, Mom? She is busy with her phone during lessons! If she is focused on the phone rather than the student, what will she teach? You're just wasting your money."
Hearing this from the next room, I was startled. I put my phone down on the table and tried to listen to what else was being said. The voice was completely unfamiliar to me. I've been tutoring at this house for a month and a half, but I've never heard this voice before. There was a lot of anger in the tone. Aunty replied in a softer voice, "You've come home after so long, why are you looking that way?"
The boy answered with some irritation, "You've hired a tutor, haven't you? So, shouldn't you be keeping an eye on whether they're doing their job properly?"
I didn't hear any more sounds after that. Maybe he went into the inner room. I thought Aunty would say something, but she didn't say anything positive about me. She might have seen me using my phone from behind as she passed the window of the room to go to the other room. I started feeling bad without realizing it. My eyes were getting teary repeatedly.
When I looked at my student, Yaas, I saw he was looking at me. He's in the ninth grade, so nothing is beyond his understanding. I didn't know what I should say at that moment. I haven't been teaching Yaas for money these past few days. I'm giving him so much time despite having my final year exams coming up. Now that the topic of money has come up, I think I should just quit this tutoring job.
I clenched my fist and slowly stood up.
As I walked towards Aunty's room on the left, I suddenly saw someone in front of me through my blurry eyes and stepped aside. The boy also stopped along with me, he was buttoning his shirt as he came out of the room, but he stopped when he saw me I couldn't understand why. I kept my eyes down, waiting to see if he would go. But he didn't; instead, he paced around a bit and then said, "Preely, why are you here?"
I immediately recognized the voice. Startled, I looked at his face and shuddered, the word escaped my mouth, "Tiyas!" I moved away a bit, glanced back once again, and without saying anything, I went straight into Aunty's room. I told her that it wouldn't be possible for me to continue this tutoring.
Aunty, in her curious tone, asked if I was quitting because of what her elder son said. I avoided the topic and made an excuse about my exams and somehow left. I ignored everything Aunty said, and when Tiyas tried to say something from behind, I didn't listen to that either.
I was walking down the road, repeatedly wiping the fine sweat off my forehead with my scarf just like Tiyas used to!
After reaching my room, I left my bag and lay straight on the bed for a while. My head seemed to spin in circles, just like the fan above. I had been at that house for so long, yet I never realized it was Tiyas's family. If I had known, I would never have stepped foot in that house. I came to know and recognize that family in a month and a half, but I had known Tiyas long before that. Back then, I didn't know anything about his parents or family, nor did I want to.
He hasn't changed at all; otherwise, how could he behave like this, leaving the tutor in the next room?
Tiyas, standing by the railing for a long time, suddenly realized that he had come and spoken rudely about using the phone, intending for Preely to hear. Is that why Preely went to his mother's room to quit the tutoring? As Tiyas hurried out, he saw his mother in front of him. Upon seeing him, she said, "Come eat. And listen, since you're here, from now on, you will tutor Yaas."
Tiyas muttered, "So, that means Preely has quit tutoring?"
Tiyas's mother, looking a bit surprised, said, "What? Who's Preely? Are you talking about Lia?"
Feeling a bit awkward, Tiyas said, "From Preelya, I just say Preely, and you call her Lia. It's the same."
Then Tiyas's mother, Rozina, said,
"What else could she do but quit? Who talks like that? She used to tutor for an hour, sometimes half an hour, you know? Your brother is so clueless, that she would make sure he understood everything before leaving. So what was the girl supposed to do with all that time? That's why she would use her phone in between. Do you know how much Yaas's results improved in the second term because of her? I just got the results sheet yesterday."
Tiyas closed his eyes and placed a hand on his head, "Shouldn't I have been informed beforehand? How would I know you hired a new tutor? Besides, if I knew this girl was coming, believe me, even if she was just using her phone instead of tutoring, I wouldn't have said anything. I would have even suggested paying her more to keep her year after year."
Looking at her son, Tiyas's mother said, "Did you already know Lia, or did you like her after seeing her?"
Tiyas glanced sideways at his mother, smiled a little, and walked away. His mother assumed that Tiyas liked Lia after seeing her. Rozina, too, had grown to like Lia a lot over the past few days. Lia's radiant complexion, even within her dusky tone, and eyes seemed to be made of pure affection. She wasn't extraordinarily beautiful, but her petite figure and sweet manners could easily endear anyone. The name Preelya felt a bit complicated to Tiyas's mother, so she only called her Lia, pronouncing the simpler last part of the name. By calling her Lia repeatedly, she had even forgotten Preelya's full name. As it is, everyone except Tiyas called her Lia.
' ' The evening descended, and I still hadn't gotten up from bed. I hadn't eaten in the rush at noon. As the Maghrib Azan resonated, my roommate Prova entered the room, turning on the light switch and removing her hijab as she tiredly said, "Hey, Lia, why are you sleeping at such an odd time? The room is dark, is there something wrong? Are you feeling sick?"
I slowly got up, leaning on one hand, and tied my messy hair into a bun, then went to check the rice pot. The morning's cooked rice was all soggy. I threw it out and started cooking fresh rice.
After washing my face, I saw Prova talking with her close friend. Whenever Prova praises this male friend of hers, for some reason, I feel an overwhelming sense of discomfort. Still, I managed to brush it off. To me, the idea of friendship between boys and girls feels very toxic. Amidst her conversation, I suddenly said, "Prova, isn't this city too small?"
Prova put down her phone and looked at me, "You think it's small? Have you ever gone anywhere besides home, university, and the two tutoring jobs? How would you know this city is small?"
I wiped my face, gave her a forced smile, and said, "Keep talking to your friend."
I sat down to study right after dinner. I had a lot to study. Building an identity for myself beyond the family structure was essential for me. My mind wasn't into it, but I forced myself to try. After a while, my phone rang. When I looked at the screen, I was startled—it was my student's mother, Tiyas's mother's number. I had received many calls from her before, but never had I been so shocked as today. My hands were trembling as I answered the call. As soon as I picked up, Aunty started speaking, "Lia, you still haven't recognized me after all this time? Have I ever said anything bad to you? If you have exams, take your time, and then you can continue tutoring afterward. But why did you suddenly decide to quit? Are you upset because of what Tiyas said? If so, come tomorrow, I'll make him apologize."
Flustered, I replied, "No, no, Aunty, he doesn't need to apologize. Besides, he's very smart, so let him tutor for a few days. If he stops, then I'll try to come back."
There was some muttering on the other side, and then Aunty said, "Okay, I understand. But Tiyas wants to apologize to you. Can you meet him?"
Hearing this, I was both surprised and puzzled. Imagine a mother asking her son to apologize to a random girl. It felt as if hot steam was coming out of my ears. Even though I said 'okay' and hung up, the thought kept spinning in my head—does this mean Tiyas has told his mother everything about me? If he has, how can I show my face to Aunty again? Aunty knows me well; how will she accept so much happening just because of my mistake? No, I'm not going to bring back the past. I've forgotten everything; it was my mistake, so just like the last four years, I have to correct those mistakes again. I'll disappear again.
I went to the back door and saw Prova still talking on the veranda. With a sigh of frustration, I lay down. The next morning, I told Prova,
"Prova, I'm going to look for a new place a bit farther away, and I won't take you with me. It's just a few months until exams, then, like last time, I'll leave the city again."
Prova didn't understand anything. She just stood there, stunned for a moment.
Within two days, I moved to the new house. I had to quit both my tuitions. I'll look for new tuition tomorrow. This house is about a mile away from college. Let it be far; I still want to stay away. I turned off my old number that day, got a new number, and called my father. The moment he answered, I sensed a lot of excitement in his voice. I asked,
"Dad, are you okay?"
Instead of answering my question, Dad said,
"How do you keep your number like this? Listen, my dear, come home today."
Somewhat surprised, I replied,
"Don't you know how busy I am? I'll come after the exams."
In response, Dad said,
"Your grandmother isn't well. He wants to see you. Come, Leya!"
I let out a deep sigh and said,
"Okay!"
I started my journey before noon and arrived in the afternoon. As soon as I got off at the station, I saw my younger brother, my cousin, and some of their friends standing to pick me up. They grabbed my bag and led the way. No one had ever come to pick me up from the station before. I didn't realize anything at that time, but as soon as I stepped into the house, I was taken aback. Why was there a crowd of so many people in the house? Everyone was smiling, as if waiting to welcome a new bride.
I called my mother to ask the reason, and the neighbor's sister-in-law chimed in,
"Leya, tomorrow is your 'Gaye Holud' (pre-wedding ceremony). A proposal has come from a big family, you know? That's why so many people have come to see you. Our Leya is becoming the daughter-in-law of Major Ehsan Mahbub!"
I had been listening in shock all this time, but hearing the last part from the sister-in-law made my whole body go stiff. I just stood there like a robot, looking at everyone. In the midst of this, Mom came forward, took my hand, and said,
"Why did you have to say all this at the door? Let her come inside first, then say whatever you want."
Even though I entered this familiar house today, I couldn't shake off the unfamiliar feeling. How could someone make such a big decision about my life without even telling me? And after all these years of running away from him, they decided to hand me over to him? But why does he want this?