Hasna's Wedding

Hasna is feeling sad. The boy has a limp! This boy is here to see her today. "Many boys got limps from running behind me", Hasna is talking to herself. "Why would i marry him! Never!". She runs to her mom.

-Mom he has a limp!
-who told you that?
-I saw it with my own eyes!
-His one leg is bit shorter than the other. He is no limp. He is perfectly fit in all other aspects. Now go and prepare.
-No you talk to dad. I don't want to go in front of him.
-oh my queen! what you have other than that face! go tell him yourself if you are that brave.

Hasna can't think of anything now. She knows their situation. Her father has high blood pressure. They can't be choosy when some good proposal comes up. They are poor. Every mouth is counted as one more mouth to feed. If she gets married that will be a breathing space for everyone else. Maybe she will be even able to help her family. But how can she marry a limp. She is sweating just from the thought of it. What would Rina, Nila would say if they could just hear that a limp came to see me. i wouldn't even have to get married, i will be made fun of everyday.
Couldn't dad just get someone rich who can at least walk properly! She knows then they will have to pay a big dowry and they can't afford it. Maybe that's why dad brought him. Hasna even curse her God few times for being born in this family.
Hasna studied till eighth grade. All the guys from around made her life miserable. Not just because she is pretty. There were other pretty girls too, nobody could say anything to them. But because she was poor. They knew they would get away with saying anything. Lower class girls are like white clothes. If there's a bit of ink, you can't wear it anymore. It glows. You can't see anything but that black ink. Her father was always afraid of that. if something happens, it won't be easy to marry her off. She couldn't have a life because of that. She regrets being in a poor family and pretty. Sometimes she wants to be ugly. So others won't be jealous and say bad things about her. All her life she wanted to keep the image clean. Tried her best to keep herself away from it all. People tried but she had the strength to fight. After all that she heard that, the previous guy came to see her some of the neighbors said to them,'Hasna is a slut'. Even though she doesn't know what did she do. She doesn't care about it. Some people just can't take when other people are happy. Some women come and say the more it takes time, the better groom you will get. Of course they are being sarcastic but who cares. They even get upset when they see Hasna doesn't care about it at all.

Hasna doesn't do anything but she is always busy. No class, no job just waiting at home to get married. Sometimes she helps mom but most of her days go thinking about the perfect groom for her. the fantasy she has, she can't tell anyone. She just smiles on her own. She wants to have someone to show people off. So she can show Rina and Nila that her groom is this and they get jealous so much that it makes them sad. She thinks of a beautiful child. She knows she will have a beautiful baby as she is so beautiful. Sometimes she can see a face of a girl sometimes it's a boy. She smiles and sometimes they smile back. Sometimes she gets worried as she is getting old. Sometimes she console herself that she will get a better groom if she waits long.
She knows she will have to go in front of that guy. She can't insult her father in front of the people. She is curious and even if they don't like her who cares, she will get some money.

Only two people came. The groom and his brother in law. There were many people before them so it's nothing new to her. No matter how ugly the guy is, she wants to be liked for a change.
Like the other times, the brother in law told the groom to ask if he has any questions. She thinks he will just say "no i don't have anything to ask. you go ahead." but she gets surprised as he says, he wants to talk to her alone. That didn't happen before.
- Do you like me?
She is really surprised now. Cause no one cares if she likes him or not. If the groom side likes her and her father says yes then it's all done. No one cares about her opinion. She likes him the moment he asks her that. She doesn't know what to say. She puts her face up and just looks at him. He knows.

The groom's name is Mamun. All the arrangements get fixed. Wedding day is in a month. Everything's happening so fast. There were other times when people liked her but later something happens and they always backs up. So She can't be excited again. But this time everything is fixed even the wedding date. If she doesn't get excited now when will she. Everyone is so happy.

It wasn't to last. In two days Mamun's father comes with dozens of letters. They are saying all this letters Hasna wrote to some guy name Motaleb. But she has no idea who this guy is. No matter how many times she says she never wrote any letters to anyone, they don't believe her. They don't want a bride with the ink. It glows. It blinds them in face of the society.

It would be okay if other people doesn't believe her. But not when it's her own parents. They were cursing her all day. She doesn't think much every time something happens but she can't bear it anymore. She decides to end it all. She even wrote a note, "It's my fault. I am the only guilty one".
Suddenly mom knocks on her door,"Mamun is here. wants to talk to you". She thinks why not.

-Why are you here? Don't you know what i am?
- Will you marry me today?
She looks at him with shock. She could see herself with him all her life. He is a good guy and brave. He came here even after seeing those fake letters and going against his own family. Tears coming out of her eyes. It's tear of joy. She nods.
Mamun takes her hand and says let's go.