Bunker 77

2. Proposal

A father's goodness is higher than the mountain, a mother's goodness deeper than the sea.

- Japanese Proverb

***

When I reached the dining hall, Fikree was already sitting with Mum and Dad at one of the round tables. Four cups of steaming hot tea were served on the table with a packet of sugar placed on each saucer.

Mum and Dad gave me a smile as I took a seat in between them. After my brother's disappearance, I was all they had. We had no other relatives, since the uncles from my father's side never came back to Division Two after they had been recruited to the army. My mother was an only child, and both of my maternal grandparents passed away when I was very young.

The birth rate in the bunker was extremely low; some didn't even have an heir on their deathbed. It was considered a miracle if a grandparent lives long enough to see their grandchild grow.

"So, what are we discussing?" I asked, with a small smile on my face as I glanced at the three of them, one after the other.

Fikree wiped a sweat that appeared on his forehead and loosened the tight collar around his neck, before casting a worried glance at Mum and Dad. "I know that we agreed to get married on your birthday. But is it possible to speed up the wedding to this month?"

My smile fell as I stared at him with mouth agape. Did I hear him right?

"This month?"

"Fikree, has something happened? It's you who insisted on getting married on Amna's birthday," Mum asked, raising her eyebrow in confusion.

According to the original plan, we agreed to get married a year after our engagement because he wanted to wait for his promotion. With the promotion, he didn't have to go outside as much as he was now, and he would only supervise the new cadets in Division One.

He slipped his hand into his uniform coat and took out a letter. "I just got a promotion letter from General Kasem," he said with a bitter smile.

"And?" I questioned, seeing the frustration in his eyes as my father took the letter.

Fikree took a deep breath and looked at me in the eyes. "I'll be stationed in another bunker in a couple of months, and it would be my greatest honour if you came with me, Amna," he said quickly, and after he did so his shoulders relaxed, like a huge burden was lifted off him.

I stiffened on my seat, my mind went blank with the bomb he dropped on us. Mum's slender hand wrapped around my arm she scooted closer to my side. At the corner of my eye, Dad placed the letter on the table with a sigh before rubbing his temples.

"Does that mean... I have to leave my parents?" I whispered, touching my lip in worry after the shock had subsided.

Fikree nodded slowly, turning his gaze to the cup of tea in front of him. "I already asked General Kasem, and he agreed to let you come with me. He will give special permission for you to go out of the bunker."

"B-but," I stammered. "You can't expect me to leave my parents, could you?"

He shook his head regretfully. "I'm sorry. If I could, I would bring the three of you. But it's a dangerous journey, and it would be hard to guard everyone."

I sighed, slumping in the chair. The air was tense, and no one said a word for a while.

"I know it would be hard for you, Amna. But it's just as hard for me to leave without you," Fikree pleaded. His brown eyes held hope in them as he leaned against the table.

I didn't reply to his words, instead, I glanced at my parents, giving them a chance to speak their mind.

After a deep, long sigh, Dad gave a small smile to Fikree. He patted Fikree's hand before saying, "I know you really care for Amna, but we need some time to discuss this. I have known you for a long time, and I have treated you as my own son. But this is a big decision. It's not easy to let my daughter go into the outside world. We already lost a child to the war."

Fikree's shoulders slumped at Dad's words, defeated. "I understand," he nodded, giving us a tight smile. "I hope you know that it's not my intention to take your daughter away from you. When you have decided on the matter, just give me a call. I'll accept whatever decision you make."

With a last, sad glance at me, he stood up from his seat and went out of the dining hall, leaving the now-cold tea, untouched.

***

As I lay on the hard bed in my bedroom, I stared at the note in my hand. Who put it in my pocket? Was it Flora? She's the only one who hugged me on that day except for Mum, who I doubted would have had the heart to write something like this. But Flora loved to hug everyone. Does that mean she put it in others' pockets too? But no one ever mentioned it before. So, why now? Why me?

And who did she mean by the upper class? It's ironic that I found the note just after Fikree took Flora. But Fikree was not from the upper class. There were multiple ranks above him, and the note said don't trust the upper class. Not, don't trust Division One. There was certainly a difference between those two.

I sighed, playing with the engagement ring on my finger, as the image of Fikree's disappointed and sad face flashed in my mind. He said he bought it from a jeweller during one of his military expeditions. I had known him for a long time, during which he was just my brother's best friend.

But my parents were everything to me, and I was theirs. I would love to go outside and see the world, but to leave my parents behind and have them spend their old days in the bunker alone...

I shook my head, unable to stop the tears from streaming down my cheeks. As I sobbed, a knock on the door startled me. My mother emerged from the shadows before she sat beside me on the bed. A small smile graced her wrinkled face as she reached out a hand to wipe the tears.

"I have discussed this with your father. About Fikree's proposal. But before that, I want to ask you, do you really love him?"

I put my head on her shoulder and nodded slowly. "Of course I do but I also-"

Mum heaved a sigh. "I know your father and I were the only things that stopped you from accepting Fikree's offer. So, we both talked about it all night. We love you a lot, Amna, just as much as we love Rian. He was about your age when he went outside for the first time. And from his letters, we knew that he was enjoying his life outside despite all the war. Your father and I, we both would never see the life Rian told us. But you can, Amna. And we want you to experience it, even if you might never come back to us again."

"Mum, please don't say that," I cried, hugging her figure. "I love you both so much."

"I know," she said, kissing my head. "That's why we're letting you go. Find a better life outside, Amna. And if the war somehow ends soon, only then, come back here and take us with you."