Lira’s glasses

“For the hundredth time, I’m telling you, take off your damn glasses,” Lira’s mother muttered.
“I can’t see without my glasses. You know that, Ammu,” she retorted. 
“You look like an old nerd,” her mother lashed out while stepping out of the car.
“Well, I’m not responsible for my weak genes,” Lira said, grinning.
“What do you wanna see anyway, huh? It’s not the first time I brought you to a wedding,” her mother replied, angrily. 
“The flowers. Decorations. Food. The bride and the groom.” 
“As if you are getting married anytime soon. You never like the guys I choose,” her mother snapped. 
“That’s because I don’t wanna get married. I wanna focus on my career.”

Her demeanour became enveloped with sadness. She nodded her head and kept her spectacles inside her purse while walking up the stairs to the venue. Her mother glared at her. She walked beside her daughter, sulky and defeated. 
“Oh, Lira. How are you doing? I haven’t seen you for a while,” greeted her khala, hugging her, “Where’s Liton and Elise?” 
“They got caught up with work,” her mother said apologetically. 
“No problem at all,” her khala replied and left to greet the other guests. 

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Lira and her mother walked on a secluded white-marble balcony, adorned with black and red roses. Her mother was feeling giddy, admiring the decorations. Lira couldn't admire any of it. She barely saw anything. 
Suddenly, she paused.
“Liton slapped Elise yesterday. I saw him with my own eyes.” Lira turned back to her mother and confessed, “Elise’s lips ripped open. I saw it happen.” 
“No, you didn’t. Shut up. Now it’s not the right time to discuss your brother. Let’s go and greet your cousin and his wife,” her mother replied, pushing her to the side. 
“When is this ‘right’ time, may I know, your highness?”
“I told you yesterday, and I’m telling you today,” Lira shouted, grabbing her mother by the arm, “You always do this. You shove things under the rug as if they never existed.”
“I do not. Stop this clownery at this instant”. 

“Or what? Do you want me to get married and be beaten up black and blue like Elise? Huh?” 
“I’d make sure you get married to a nice guy,” her mother replied, trying to calm her down.“Just like you made sure that your daughter-in-law gets a good life. You stopped your husband from insulting you left and right. Oh, how bravely you stopped your beloved brothers from stealing your properties”, she roared back indignantly. 
“Lira, you need to learn to compromise”, her mother said soothingly. 
Turning back, Lira bolted down the stairs and got into her car. 
“Mama, I will drive you”, their chauffeur pleaded. 
“I can drive, Mama. Please take a day off”, she smiled at him. 
Before starting the car, she took her purse in her hands, opened it slowly, and put on her glasses. She decided to see, after all. 

Ilhum Rahman Pushpita is a Computer Science and Engineering (CSE) student at North South University. She loves exploring the realms of technology and fiction. You can reach her at pushpita.ilhum@gmail.com