Reflection Of Life

Chapter:8 - Imprisoned in four walls.

Dealing with the sudden isolation was not an easy job for Fariha. She used to have nightmares, and would find herself soaked in sweat as she jumped up in bed at the middle of the night. Only Parveen would sneak in her room to give her dinner or sometimes do her hair. Otherwise, she had a domestic helper constantly at her bedside.

Parveen had suffered from the same disease some years ago, so that kept her out of the risk.

Paper always had more patience than people, so whenever loneliness surrounded her from all four sides, the teen would just sit at her reading table, scribbling away anything that came to her mind. She managed to complete at least ten poems and two short stories that way.


“Oh, how I wish Shanto was here, or maybe Saima, even Mishty would do.” Fariha would often tell her mother.


“Have patience, my little lady, you’ll feel better soon.” Parveen would assure the girl, even though the untidy curls and the swollen eyes would stab her directly in the heart.


At times, Fariha would just sit hugging a large teddy bear. She did not even have the energy to sit at Facebook or Twitter like she used to do before. She sometimes typed small friendship messages to all her friends through her cellphone. All her peers would often call, but a simple phone call from friends did not satisfy the thirst to hug any of them, or see them smile. The bedroom seemed like the Central Jail, with her inside, imprisoned with a life sentence.


Fariha had lost her appetite, and even the sight of food made her nauseas. She used to enjoy both cooking and eating before, but now she did not take more than a morsel at any one time, if she was forced to eat, she would immediately throw up. The only palatable items for her were liquids, which she did consume in abundance. To make her antibiotics and other medications work, she did have to take a certain amount of solid food at regular intervals against her will. The six month long course of treatment seemed like an eternity.


Music came as a silver lining to her during the boring, tiring illness. Though she was forbidden to sing, she would listen to music for hours, both melodious and rhythmic ones. The songs played in the CD player were like true friends to her, tunes were her constant companions.


Her classmates and teachers did come to visit her, but naturally, none were allowed in her room. Only the doctor and a hired nurse were allowed to pass through that one wooden door, which was like the equator to the teen. It separated her from the entire pole of loved ones.


Fariha did not like to be admitted to the hospital, all the white reminded her of death. That was the main reason behind all the treatments at home. Moreover, her parents did not want her to go away; just a few visiting hours at the hospital would never satisfy them.

The teen had lost weight noticeably, but she did not forget her regular exercises, especially the free hand routines. Her favorite exercise was riding her dark blue bicycle, and she would often go to her friend Shanto’s house on her favorite vehicle. It seemed as if her hind and fore limbs had become rusty, because she was away from her bicycle for what seemed like decades to her.

Fariha would often seek refuge to books, she read her favorite classic novels, especially Jane Eyre and Pride and Prejudice over and over again just to kill time. She adored both Jane and Elizabeth, both of these characters did not give up after coping with loads of pain and hardships, and they did win the battle of life at the end of the day. Fiction sometimes looked much better than real life.


After four months of carefully monitored treatment, Fariha did gain a bit of weight, but her naturally rosy cheeks still looked very pale, her reflection laughed at her when she looked in her mirror. She gradually got back her appetite, and could be seen munching on fruits, especially guava and apples.


These days, sunlight played with Fariha. House sparrows and Magpies had special songs for her. The isolation period would soon come to an end. She would have many of her written works ready for publishing in the magazine where she worked as a regular contributor. Her fingers were not as numb as before, so she could go back to her keyboard as well. Not the computer keyboard, the musical one.


Obviously, she did not forget her academic books and notes all these days. She got regular study updates from Shanto. She had waited for months, she did expect calls from Samia, but none came. She just could not figure out the change. Fariha went through her books and made special notes for her juniors to publish them in her school’s web site. She loved helping people out in any possible way. She would often teach juniors for free, especially the ones who found studies as fun, instead of a burden. Of course, she helped through e-mails and occasional Facebook notes. Though some juniors did not have access to their own internet, they would take help from friends or relatives, even from cyber cafes.

Check out

FORUM

Try your luck-Charity Raffle-Hibernate   (E) A raffle to support various charity groups #1291778 by Humming Bird