The laptop was placed directly in front of her, her wrists resting lightly on its edge. The screen's illumination washed over her face. Her hand was positioned on the side, and a single index finger was tracing the surface of the laptop's touchpad. Her straight, long, black hair cascaded loosely. Her eyes, large and shining, resembled silver moonlight. Her complexion was fair, clean, and seemed to glow. She was utterly absorbed, gazing at the screen with complete devotion. A moment later, she moved the index finger resting on the touchpad. She quickly pressed two or three buttons, and the screen blinked in her eyes. It was loading...
...She waited, an impatient restlessness hovering about her, for the next page to appear.
She gently slid the index finger of her right hand up from the screen's edge. A few strands of her hair slipped forward, partially obscuring her face. As the page loaded, the screen instantly sprang to life.
The shock in her eyes spread to her lips, and the glow on her face began to fade, as if a new dawn had suddenly begun to set. It took me great effort to believe it myself, and it was exactly nine o'clock, the time I had decided to check my email. Along with that, I received a message from my brother's side.
I immediately raised my head and quickly dialed a number to make a call, attempting to break the silence of the night. A slight tremor ran through my hand as I held the phone to my ear.
"Hello, Zara! Have you connected? Oh my God! You haven't fallen asleep yet, have you?" Another voice was heard from the other end, and her friend mentioned a few things. She was laughing nervously, covering her mouth and falling back into her chair.
"You're not married, are you? No, my brother's wedding, I don't know anything about it."
Zara said this to the other person, giving me a moment to interject.
"If I say this, how will you ever believe me?"
I put the laptop down with one hand, took a tiara out of my side bag, and began to adjust my clothes. Then, I smoothed my hair with both hands. Simultaneously, Zara's voice could be heard from the other side, confirming what I was thinking.
"No! Absolutely not. I'm not married yet. My wedding hasn't even been fixed. Neither Aaram nor Ami are thinking about me, silly Zara! You've been thinking about this since we were in MA, and I had applied for something... Artemis EPAGE, or whatever it was called!"
Can you believe it, Zara?"
"The European Union has selected me for the scholarship! On the other side, Zara Aati's clamor is filling the entire room, even though the mobile's speaker is off."
"Absolutely, Zara is talking! My university email arrived just fifteen minutes ago." – "And along with it, I received a new email from the Vice Chancellor." "I immediately checked the application status using the link the VC's office sent. You saw it, too. It says selection is complete. You applied fifteen minutes ago, yours must have arrived as well." She was on a video call, holding her mobile in one hand and her laptop in the other.
I raised the laptop screen, placing my hand on the keyboard and mousepad. "I saw the website from the corner of my eye. There was silence for a few moments." Then, she started questioning me again from the other side. "This is a small issue. We won't tell our female cousin about it."
"She said this in a hushed whisper, glancing at the closed door." " The head scarf is mandatory for girls here, and talking to non-relatives is strictly forbidden. Instead of raising the roof and shouting at the home folks, we should have a word with the Vice Chancellor. " " But they aren't listening to either of us. This is the work of the other side of the dividing curtain. " They were both startled to see me standing behind the curtain, looking at them. The full-length curtain had dropped from the back of the folding screen. There were no balconies below, only open spaces. Perhaps this was the Vice Chancellor's doing.
My father never forces me to wear a scarf outside the home, nor does he say anything about it to my brother. And as far as the tribal customs are concerned, we ignore those as well. My father does not permit them to interfere. The issue isn't even their family honour. They are not even allowed to walk over the small patches of grass. They came to us as guests. So, they must just be acting out, trying to influence my little sister. "
For a few moments, Zara remained silent. Then, her friend spoke again, filling the silence with her voice:
" No, my brother's mehndi is tomorrow! And Aaram and Ami are here, staying with us. Everyone in the family is excited. Okay, now I have to go check on the arrangements. I'm getting sleepy. Bye, bye. "