Bahora is such a beautiful name, and she's a very beautiful girl too. I wonder what happened to her that she ended up in this state.
Two hours later.
"Hello, I'm here."
"Welcome. What's wrong with her? Why is she forcing herself to smile? That fake smile feels so familiar. I often walk around with that same fake smile."
"Hi, we're here, big sis! Did you miss us? I missed you!"
"Yusuf, you came?"
"Mom and dad are here too."
"Mom, Dad, I'm so happy to see you."
"My daughter, are you okay? How are you feeling?"
"Don't worry, Mom, I'm fine."
"By the way, the doctor was waiting for you. He wants to talk to you."
"Okay, I'll go with your dad. You guys stay here."
"Alright."
"Asilzoda, I'm sorry for the noise we're making."
"Huh? No, why are you apologizing?"
"My family's a bit loud."
"I understand."
"Oh, I forgot to introduce—this is my younger brother, Yusuf. Yusuf, this is my partner, Asilzoda."
"Nice to meet you, Yusuf."
"Me too. Are you going to be my sister's new bride?"
"Hmm, I guess I hope we'll be friends."
"That's good. Then I guess I'll see you a lot more. By the way, do you have a boyfriend?"
"What? Why are you asking that?"
"Just because you're a beautiful girl and totally my type. Will you go out with me?"
"Yusuf, please stop."
"Why? She's beautiful—I don't want to miss my chance."
"Hahaha, thanks for the offer, but I'm not interested in little boys."
"I'm not little! I'm 18!"
"I'm 22."
"Ahh, rejected. How painful. My first love rejected me."
"Yusuf, stop acting."
"Alright, alright. Would you like some juice? I can bring you some."
"Thanks, but no need."
"What about you, big sis? Can you bring me some peach juice, please?"
"Sure. Serving beautiful girls like you is an honor for me."
"Okay, go already."
"Hahaha, your brother is such a cheerful guy."
"Yeah, sometimes it's too much."
"My daughter, we're back."
"You came back. What did the doctor say?"
"Come, let's take a short walk."
"Okay."
"Dad, aren't you coming with us?"
"No, I'll stay. You two go ahead and walk."
"Alright."
"Excuse me, may I speak with you, daughter?"
"Yes, of course. What do you want to talk about?"
"Let me introduce myself. I'm Abrorov Akbar, Bahora's father."
"Nice to meet you. I'm Sultonva Asilzoda."
"Nice to meet you too."
"What did you want to talk about?"
"You've seen my daughter. She needs help right now."
"What happened to her?"
"She was bullied and humiliated by her classmates and friends."
"What? How?"
"We don't know either."
"How can you not know as her parents?"
"We were busy with work and left her alone. We didn't pay enough attention to what was happening in her life, and now she's in this condition. My daughter was like an angel... and because of us, she ended up like this."
"Okay, how can I help?"
"We've learned about you. You've been through a lot too. To get to the point, you might be able to help my daughter."
"Where did you hear that?"
"The doctors said so. They said you two might be able to understand each other and heal together."
"Hmm, maybe."
"Please, help my daughter. I'll do anything. I'll even pay you if needed."
"Hey, what are you saying? You want me to be friends with your daughter and now you're offering money? Do you think friendship is something you can buy?"
"Of course not. But I have no other choice."
"If that's how you think, you won't heal your daughter—you'll make it worse."
"Alright, I agree."
"Really?"
"Yes, really. So how much were you going to pay me per month?"
"What?"
"You said you knew about my situation. So why are you surprised now?"
"Ah, now I understand."
"Don't worry. I'll help your daughter as much as I can. Trust me."
"Thank you so much."
"We're back! I brought fruit tea for my beautiful new big sis!"
"Oooh, thank you!"
"Alright, we'll get going. We've taken up enough of your time."
"Okay, Mom. Take care."
"Bye, my beautiful big sisters. See you soon!"
"Go already."
"See you, Yusuf."
"What did your dad say to you?"
"He asked if we could be close friends."
"And what did you say?"
"I said yes, if you don't mind."
"To be honest, I don't think I can be friends with anyone anymore."
"Why not?"
"Because both my best friend and the one I loved betrayed me."
"If you don't mind, can I ask what happened to you?"
"Sure. It started around six years ago. I moved to a new school and became close friends with a girl. She introduced me to other girls. I had a great time with them… until I found out their true faces."
"What do you mean?"
"My dad is a major businessman in South Korea, and my mom is a famous designer."
"Wait, they work in Korea?"
"Yes."
"Then what are you doing here? Why didn't you go to Korea?"
"They trusted my grandmother to raise me. But she passed away two years ago."
"I see."
"What did your friends do to you?"
"They never saw me as a friend. I was just an endless wallet to them. When I stopped giving them money, they started bullying me—hitting me, mocking me, humiliating me. I never told anyone. After my grandmother died, I fell into deep depression."
"Then I met a boy named Karim. He helped me out of that depression. We'd talk, go for walks, watch movies. Eventually, we became lovers. I loved him. I thought he loved me too… until I found out the truth."
"He also saw me as a walking wallet. He was working with those girls. I was a fool again. I even wanted to kill them all when I found out. But I failed, and they beat and humiliated me even more. If I didn't give them money, they'd start fights or threaten me. I was tired of living like that. I went home, picked up a knife, and cut my wrist. If my brother hadn't come in time, I would've been dead."
"When my parents found out, they were in shock. And now, as you can see, here I am."
"Bahora… can I hug you?"
"Yes. Come here."
"If you want to cry, go ahead and cry. Okay?"
"Okay… But why did they do this to me? What did I ever do to deserve this? Why did they ruin my life? Why?!"
"Stop thinking about them. Your life isn't over. Everything is still ahead of you. I'll be by your side. We'll get through this together."
"Are you feeling a bit better now?"
"Yes, a little."
"Then lie down and rest a bit, okay? Sleep now. I'll go see the doctor to get my meds."
"She fell asleep quickly. So many wounds for such a young girl. She's been through more pain than I ever imagined."
Dear reader, what would you do if something like Bahora's happened to you? And what do you think you would do if you were in her place?