A Letter to My Love, From New York City
Chapter 18 of “ Hold On”: Washington Square Park 2014
(N.B. I’m writing a novel, a chapter a week, here on Medium. Find out why I write here, start from Chapter 1 here, and always feel free to give me feedback in the comments. I write here for the community.)
“Salam, my dear Hira,
I am spending this sunny Sunday in Washington Square Park. Everything around me is so vibrant and colorful. There are stand-up comedians performing here and hundreds of people are enjoying their performance. Children are playing in a little play area. This park is full of tourists. Sometimes I wonder why the parks in our city Peshawar are not so vibrant and full of life.
There are colors and blossoms around me but I am still feeling lonely. I wish you were here with me. We would sit together under the shade of trees and read books just like I see the other couples doing. Many of them spend their weekend here, reading with picnics spread out in front of them. Some students are also working here on their laptops. This place is so close to my heart. But still, it makes me lonely without you. Then I remind myself that only two years are left and then I will come back to Peshawar as promised. Though we won’t be able to spend such weekends there.
How are things on your side? What’s up with your studies? Ohh, I just want to tell you that we have started learning Python. It is such a powerful programming tool. You can learn it easily on your own. There are so many free online courses. Now you have your own laptop and can spend time doing such courses at least when you are in the university. After learning Python basics you can start applying it in artificial intelligence. This field is rapidly emerging. I hear daily how driverless cars and many other such machines will soon be running without human beings through artificial intelligence. Don’t think your degree from the university can land you a competitive job. You will have to make your own efforts to do online courses from the world’s best teachers. You can always write to me if you are stuck in any such course. But you should start your learning journey with Python. You have only one year left in your degree and the university has not taught you anything that is required in the market.
I am so excited to tell you that my father has asked me to visit Peshawar this summer. I am missing my family terribly, and you of course.
I will say goodbye now. Want to take a nap for some time. Have been reading for the last three hours and just ate Gyro Kabob roll from a nearby vendor. It is making me sleepy now.
Take good care of yourself. May Allah bless you with a lot of happiness and good health. My prayers and love are always for you.
Yours,
Ahmed”
Hira was reading this email sitting in a corner of the university where internet signals were just enough to open an email. The new laptop brought a different kind of independence and happiness to Hira’s life. She could now frequently exchange emails with Ahmed and could also do her homework. She had to sit in her university’s lab for her homework but then her father would pick her at 5 pm. She could never do her tasks in peace around so many other people in the computer lab. Last month, she had been awarded this laptop by the Government of Pakistan as one of the brilliant students who scored good marks in F.Sc and performed excellently in university as well. This also made her father very happy. But her mother found a new reason to scold Hira. She would often say, “This coputer has ruined our home. Now you spend so much time on it.’’ Hira would always say ‘’Mom, you know I don’t have the internet at home, and I only do my homework on it. There is nothing I can do with this laptop that is not part of my studies.” Sometimes, Hira wished that her family could afford an internet connection at home and she could do courses at home that would improve her learning. But she had to do most of these things at the university with a very poor network there.
After reading the email, Hira visualized herself sitting in the park with Ahmad. It distracted her from everything around and she just enjoyed the moment by disappearing from her surroundings. Meanwhile, Sadia came up behind her and put her hands over Hira’s eyes. Hira then said, “Sadia, you know no one does it with me and I know it every time when you do it. Then why do you do it.’’ Sadia then patted her head with a laugh and sat down. Sadia asked her what she was doing in this corner. Hira thought for a while that she should tell her about this email but then she stopped herself and discussed the assignment that she was doing before reading the email. Hira said that she had been doing an assignment in project management where they were required to reproduce the presentation of the teacher. It was so boring as there was nothing in the professor’s presentation. Still, he spent two hours talking about 100 slides that he had downloaded from the internet. “He was just telling us the history of project management and then showing some weird charts and infographics which were not making any sense. I wish we could learn something practical in this university”. Sadia then interrupted her. “Hira, can’t you talk about anything other than studies? Tell me about Ahmed and how things are going between the two of you.”
Hira smiled, rolled her dopatta around her finger and said, “Ahmad is coming this summer and I am so happy to meet him again.’’ Sadia then asked her, “Hira, you owe me lunch on this news. Let’s go to the café and have lunch and chai.”
