Late pigeons
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At the end of a three-day trip Otabek decided to write a letter to Raykhona finally…
“After my sincere greetings let it be known that this letter is being written by Otabek, from Tashkent. I am astonished at my present condition, at my relationship to you. When I met you I thought I would tell everything I had planned to. No, I couldn’t do so. Why, what was the reason? Is this because of my shyness, or any other feeling, I haven’t realized yet…
But it is precise that if I do not see you, I have no pleasure in my life, and it seems meaningless. If you consent to meet I will find you. Otabek.”
The next day he went to bazaar and bought two loaves of bread from Raykhona, and attached the letter under the basket secretly. Raykhona in her turn took the letter in her hands as if she was tidying the basket cloth… Otabek left to Tashkent from Samarkand on the fast train…
5
Raykhona’s heart was beating strongly with excitement and she opened the letter in a secluded place, and read it over and over. But she knows only the name of Otabek. She was shy to show the letter to her friends or talk to anybody about him. She didn’t say a word to her mother. Intuitively she consented to meet him again, and she knew that she was waiting for him to come…
After about ten days Otabek again came to Samarkand with tourists. The guests visited sightseeing places the whole day. Tonight, when the guests came to hotel Otabek went to bread stall. Raykhona was just starting home after having sold all her bread. He accompanied her.
“Did you take the letter?” – Otabek asked.
“I did.” – Raykhona replied sharply. Then she whispered: “Why do you put the letter in the basket before everyone, you could ask me aside and give it to my hands?”
“If you haven’t showed the letter to them yourself, then nobody saw it, I am sure.” – Otabek said and continued: “After all, this letter belongs to us. You don’t need to report to anybody…”
“OK, then. What happened, happened. I have to go.” – Raykhona let him realize that the dating ended. Where could Otabek know from that this was only caprice of the girl.
“Please, don’t go! We haven’t talked about anything yet.”
“What should we talk about?” – Raykhona stopped. “You don’t know me, and I don’t know you. What shall we talk about?”
“That’s why I am saying we have to have a talk.” – Otabek got encouraged. “Let’s us get acquainted with each other, let our parents get in touch, and if our stars converge … then…”
“Look at you!” – Raykhona couldn’t stop laughing: “You are really expert in solving problems, I see.”
Thus they got on well with each other day by day. The two desperately waiting hearts’ wishes prevailed over everything. Otabek got to know that Raykhona was also the only child in the family, that she studies as third year student in the university, that after studies she helps her neighborhood bread bakers to sell their bread in the bazaar. The next day they met near the monument of Timur the Great. Raykhona came directly to the agreed place after her lessons.
They went to a caf'e located in the university boulevard to have some ice-cream. The Otabek accompanied Raykhona till the beginning of makhalla located not far from the Registan Square and the girl stopped him just there and said:
“I will go myself from here. You needn’t see me to home. As you know neighborhood, friends and enemies…”
“Ooops, do you have negative heroes of Abdulla Kodiriy in your makhalla? We are not credulous, as you know we are from special forces of colonel Yusufbek Yalangtush of Tashkent. I will not surrender so easily.” – Otabek said.
“You are a talkative guy! But do not lie, or you will stay with Zaynab…” – Zaynab departed with laughter.
6
Otabek shivered for a while after jokes of Raykhona because tragic life of Kumushbibi and Otabek was memorized by him as he had read the book for several times. He decided not pay attention and he thought past days are different from the modern times. These unfavorable days will not come back.
The two months, that passed by, lit the fire of love of hearts in their bodies, and it was impossible to extinguish it. In one of their dates Otabek mentioned that his parents are going to marry him.
“Go ahead! Who is stopping you?” – Raykhona said.
“I will marry you! If you consent I will send my parents to your home…”
“What else do you want sir? I am the only child in the family, they will not let me go so far…”
“Then I will steal you…” – Otabek said to Raykhona. “Do not joke, I have told about you to my parents. What do you say?”.
What could Raykhona reply? “Love is cureless, we can no longer escape from it…”
***
According to our people’s tradition when they go somewhere to seek a girl for marriage they say that they come to be “slaves”. This doesn’t mean that someone becomes a lord and the other a slave, it just emphasizes the responsibility of marriage.
We should, first of all, care about the groom’s intelligence and honesty, but not his nationality, origin or wealth. An intelligent person allows her daughter to get married to a groom, who can preserve their honor, who will be satisfied by their relatives and most important – with whom his daughter will be happy. Marriage will let the girl to the door of maternity. Imam Ghazali, in his work “Ihyau ulumiddin”, mentions Asmo binti Khorija’s advice, said to her daughter as follows: “Oh my daughter! You are leaving your nest and going to a place you know nothing about.
Be an earth for him, and he will be a sky for you. Be a house for him, and he will be a column for you. Be a maid for him, and he will be a slave for you. Do not bother him over trifles, do not demand everything from him, he will get sick and tired of you. Do not go far away from him, he will forget about you. If he is close to you, be close to him. If he goes far from you, be away from him. Keep his nose, ears and eyes safe, let him smell nice from you, let him hear good things from you and see your beauty.”
The more nicer a wife to his husband the more stronger their relations will be within a family. Girl’s education and explanation of marriage responsibility is an important step for a stable and strong family…
Although Raykhona was the only child in the family she was not spoiled. She can do any homework and she is diligent – and this feature comes from her mother Masturakhon. Her father Mansurjon is a humble person, he is very obedient and he may reply only once while his wife may ask ten questions. Long time ago he worked as an engineer in technical repairing factory, located in so called “Abramov Boulevard”, now the University Boulevard. The factory stopped its activity, moved to another place and he was left unemployed. Fortunately he is very good at his profession – a turner. He made a special room for his instruments and opened a workshop, and bought a turning machine. This profession is considered to be very rare and perhaps this is the main reason to have endless customers at his workshop – one asks to make a spare part this car, another asks something different to be turned and so on. Mansurjon’s habit is that he doesn’t negotiate with the customers, doesn’t argue with them and makes his service of best quality. He can say, due to the volume of the order: “I need at least two days to make this spare part.” or “Come back in two hours, please. Then you can take your item.” If the money that customers pay his service is more than he deserves, he returns part of it.