Читать книгу 18 Stories on the Train - Алем Гулу оглу Кенгерли (Акперов) - Страница 9

The house where Nijat’s family lived was located near the Central Department Store. Nijat was busy in the office five days a week, and the other two days he spent at home. His mother Nargiz-khanum kept swearing: “How long are you going to stay at home, go out into the city, enjoy life.” But everything was useless. Sometimes friends managed to pull him out of the house by force and take him on a walk through the boulevard or to the cinema. But it happened extremely rarely. When at home, he would sit by the window, watching passers-by: he observed the way the people were dressed, the shapes of their faces and reflected on human society.

Nargiz khanum's cherished dream was to marry his son, who was already over thirty, as soon as possible, and devote the rest of her life to raising grandchildren. Actually, her husband Nadir-muallim dreamed of the same thing. But due to the respectful father / son relationship, he could not tell him about it directly, always passing a hint through his spouse, Nargiz-khanum. However, last time they talked, the head of the family put the question bluntly. His order was clear and concise. “Tell him that his father says that it is enough already, he has to have some mercy. I am giving him two months. If during this time he does not decide himself, he has been warned. I myself will go and marry him with the daughter of some relative.” Nargiz-khanum passed her father's words to her son, word for word.

The poor woman asked her son's friends so many times to try and influence him. And at each meeting, they tried to start a conversation about marriage in order to ignite a spark of interest from their friend. All these young people were married and tried using their own example to convince their friend how important and necessary it is to have a family, how good it is to be a married person.

The office where Nijat worked belonged to a computer programming company. Sometimes he did not have time to complete a job and then he took it home. He loved his profession and therefore did not get tired at work. And when he achieved good results, his joy had no limits. All of his attention was given to specialized literature and scientific research. He did not even want to think about the need to arrange his personal life. Over the years, he became more indecisive. He didn't know how to approach young girls, how to start a conversation with them. He could not imagine how he would behave if they refused. At the same time, he was actually aware of the need to start a family.

It was Saturday afternoon. A bit earlier than at noon, Oktay and Huseyn, the guys from neighboring families, knocked on their door and began to call him. Nargiz- khanum rejoiced at seeing her son's friends on the doorstep:

“It is so nice to see you, please, come in.”

“Thanks, auntie Nargiz. Is our nerd at home?” Huseyn asked. “I’m coming, I’m coming,” Nijat’s voice sounded.

While he was preparing himself, Nargiz-khanum, as usual, made it clear to the guests that they should again somehow bring him to the question of marriage.

In the presence of his mother, Nijat just could not refUse the offer of his friends to “go get a breath of fresh air” and agreed reluctantly. They all went out into the street and stood under a wide pine tree that grew at the edge of the sidewalk.

Huseyn lit a cigarette and started chatting about stuff. Oktay, though, was more to the point:

“Why don’t you marry, Nijat? It’s time, brother. Time to act. Arrange a wedding, we would enjoy hanging out with you. You don’t have pity of yourself – ok, but have mercy of your parents. You promised you would soon decide yourself, didn’t you. So?”

Nijat kept silent. This time, it was Huseyn who interfered:

“Say something. Aren’t there enough girls in the city? I swear that if you don’t marry, I’ll let my grandma to your place and I want to see how you will manage to expulse her.”

Husein's humor brought a smile to his friend’s face. But he still didn’t say anything about the case:

“Nijat, maybe you have problems that prevent you from marrying? Don't hide from us. We won't tell anyone,” Oktay said. He was so ambiguous that his friend was forced to answer:

“What are you talking about? Don’t even think about it. You know, Oktay, I do understand myself that one cannot wait too long with that. I am also aware that my father and my mother are extremely worried. They are desperate. But you have to understand me as well. At noon I am at work, at night I am home. Where should I find a girl? Let’s say I managed to find one. But then, I will have to get to know her well. I can’t get married blindfolded, can I?”

“Isn’t there a girl you would know well among your colleagues or relatives?” Huseyn asked.

“At work, no. Everyone’s married. As for relatives, I don’t know what to say. I think it is better to marry someone who is not your relative.”

“How many times did we tell you? You didn’t want to listen. Girls are girls. They are quick to get married. Now, it is not easy to find a girl who would match your age,” Oktay remarked.

At this moment, Huseyn noticed that two young ladies were walking towards them, and said, pointing at them:

“Look, Nijat, what pretties: nice and without makeup. Maybe they’re not even married. Maybe it is God sending them to you? What do you say? Which one do you like most?”

“Ok, ok, enough jokes already.”

“No jokes at all. He is right” Oktay said. “Come on, they don’t bite.” “Are you serious?” Nijat asked.

“Of course I am,” Oktay replied. “We’ll have plenty of time to get to know them better later.”

And when Huseyn said “Look, if you don’t approach them, then we will have serious doubts and assume that you have problems and that’s why you don’t show interest in girls,” it assaulted his honor. As soon as the girls walked around them, he summoned his courage and followed them. One of them was wearing a green jacket, the other a red one. He accelerated and walked over to the girl on the right, the one wearing a green jacket. He braced himself and said in a shy manner:

“Excuse me, you remind me of someone. Maybe we know each other?”

“Maybe you saw me in a dream?” the green jacketed girl replied with a bold face on.

“No, I’m serious. My name is Nijat.”

“No, young man, we don’t know each other.”

“Maybe we could know each other then, if you don’t mind. My intentions are pure. Please don’t think anything bad about me.”

They approached a department store. The girl in the green jacket said: “Please, Nijat, don’t follow us. Otherwise, some relatives can see us, which means trouble.”

“If you say so,” Nijat answered and stayed outside. He stepped aside and decided to wait for them to come out.

While in the department store, the girl in the red jacket told her friend:

“Ulker, I think he is a nice guy after all. Tidy, handsome, educated… Maybe we should agree to get to know him better, what do you think?”

“Don't talk nonsense, Jamila. How do you know what kind of person he is? If he is handsome, does it mean that he is a good man? Besides, his intentions are not clear. Maybe when we go out, he won't even recognize us.”

“Impossible. Are you kidding?”

“Of course not, I am dead serious. Let’s swap jackets and see if he can make it out?”

“It’s a deal!”

The girls were delighted at the original idea they’d come up with. They huddled in a corner and, giggling, exchanged jackets. They walked a little, then looked at themselves in the mirror and slowly went out into the street.

Nijat stood about ten meters from the exit. Seeing them, he began to approach. He went up to the girl in a green jacket and asked:

“How was shopping? Did you buy anything?” The girls laughed together.

“What are you laughing at?” the guy said, confused. “Did I say something funny?”

Jamila replied:

“You got it wrong, young man. We exchanged jackets while we were there. And you quickly forgot who you fell in love with. From now on, be attentive when choosing a girl, and now bye-bye. You can go.”

Nijat blushed intensely with embarrassment. He didn't know what to do. Then he gathered himself up and said:

“Excuse me^ I am really sorry…”

But no matter how he tried, he just could not say anything good in his own defense. He even forgot how and which way he took to reach home. In his heart, he did not stop cursing at Huseyn, who persuaded him to go after the girls: “Alright, Huseyn, you’ll see what I will do with you.”

His mother brought him tea and then, stroking his head, asked: “Dear, what should I say to your father? What did you decide?”

“Mom, I decided that you can find a daughter of one of the relatives for me to marry.”

Delighted at what she just heard, the mother, began to hug and kiss him, and then ran to pass this message to her husband.

Nijat went to the window and gazed at the dark sky.

He immediately cheered up. His anger towards Huseyn disappeared somehow. I even thought it was actually a stroke of luck. He would never have dared to marry if Hussein had not forced him to go after the girls who fooled him.