Love Across Borders by Naheed Hassan, Sabahat Muhammad

her what was
wrong. She told me quietly that her father thought that the
political situation in Karachi was deteriorating rapidly, and there
was an air of mistrust against the Hindu minority, particularly
given the tension over East Pakistan. She told me that her father
was contemplating moving to India over the next few months.
    She got up, without waiting for my response, but
before she left she handed me a note.
    I unfolded it. A single sentence was written on
it in her beautiful handwriting— Tu Muhenjo Rano Theden —Will
you be my Rano?
    Unfortunately, her father’s fears were soon to
be vindicated, as a wave of political disturbance erupted across
the city and the country. The tension continued for a few days and
entered the university as well. It was clear that the right-wing
parties considered all non-Muslim students as Bengali
collaborators. With the university environment getting tense
day-by-day, the university announced early-holidays.
    I never saw her again. I left for my village for
two weeks and when I returned, the whole country was already in the
grip of war. I found out that her family had left Karachi as soon
as the war broke out, and the only thing left of Kavita was the
paper she had given me, which I carried in my wallet. Fearing for
their safety, her father had taken the entire family and left the
city. I never heard from her again.

    ***

    As the memories rushed over me, I felt a sea of
emotions raging inside me. Impatient and curious, I wrote a message
to the Karachi University logo, “Who is this—and why do you
ask?”
    But there was no answer.
    I closed the laptop and switched on the TV. But
it did little to chase away memories I had tried for so long to
forget. Rano and Momal went around and around in my mind. But there
was no-one lighting lamps for me and no way back to the past. My
secret was my own to bear.

    ***
    Ratu came over the next day, which was the weekend. I was curious
about his mysterious friend who seemed to want to know more about
me.
    Over lunch, I asked him about his progress with
his new Facebook friend.
    “Nothing new,” he said and added casually, “Last
week, I got a request from that ‘logo person’, and accepted it. It
seems that we have a lot in common.”
    I was curious and decided to fish for more
information. “It seems to be something serious,” I said.
    “May be, may be not,” he replied
cryptically.
    Lela who was silently listening to the
discussion, smiled and said, “This is quite interesting!”
    “What makes it interesting?” Ratu asked.
    “Well…both grandfather and grandson are equally
interested in the same person… ”
    We both laughed, and left it that.

    ***

    The next day, as we finished lunch and I got up
to leave, Lela followed me and told me that one of Ratu’s friends
was coming to see us that evening. A Facebook friend, she told me,
and I interpreted Lela’s underlying message. I should be
well-dressed and present for dinner because Ratu’s girlfriend would
be visiting.
    I smiled at being proven right. So, Ratu had
fallen in love with some girl on Facebook—maybe a Sindhi girl whose
grandparent was educated at Karachi University. That would explain
the logo. In any case, all my questions were about to be
answered.
    I thought I should retire for the afternoon to
take a nap and be fresh for the evening. Before I knew it, Lela was
in my room, waking me up.
    “Are they here?” I asked.
    “Already arrived…want to meet you.” she
nodded.
    “And where is Ratu?” I enquired.
    “All of them are in the drawing room,” she
said.
    “How does Ratu’s would-be-bride look,” I
asked.
    She said nothing, smiled, blushed and went
out.
    I went to the bathroom to freshen up. Just as I
had finished getting ready, there was a soft knock on my door. I
opened the door and Lela entered, leading a graceful woman behind
her, and then left, closing the door behind her.
    The late afternoon light didn’t allow me to see
her clearly, but when