Chapter 35

The love affair between Esau and Chaudrey went on steadily despite Alfredo being opposed to it. There is really, very little one can do to prevent love between two people in love.

Love is an emotion and spirit that once its roots are established, it becomes an uphill task for one opposed to it to uproot.

After that confrontation with his father, Esau became always more careful and hid all the letters Chaudrey wrote him in a safe place.

He knew his father would be mad if he discovered he still loved the young Indian woman despite his warning. So he took great care of his letters and hid them where he knew they were safe.

But at school, Esau put in a little more effort when he remembered his father had been right about his dwindling performance. He began to concentrate more on his studies and believed it was the only way to please his father.

With that in mind, he paid less attention to boxing. He decided to avoid attendance or participate actively in club and societies' day. That would enable him to prepare himself for his evening studies at home.

The final school certificate examinations came and went. Esau thought he had done very well and passed. After all, he had taken control of the papers from the beginning to the end.

Moreover, his confidence never wavered but remained steady throughout the entire examinations period. He was sure he had prepared himself well for the examinations. He would come out triumphant as always, he thought.

Victory belongs to those who persevered longer and more than the rest, once said the French emperor Napoleon Bornarparte. He was sure Victory in the end would be his, for he had struggled and persevered to the bitter end.

When the results were announced three months later, Esau was among the top students who had obtained the highest grade: A. So pleased and excited was he with the results that he told his father back home in the evening.

"I knew it! I knew you could always make it if only you kept that bastard young Indian woman at bay," Alfredo could scarcely hide his joy but expose his hate and contempt for Asians: "And you have proved you are really my son. I, too, used to be quite sharp just like you."

A small party was held the following weekend to congratulate him on his success. It was mostly his father's friends and colleagues at work who turned up for the party.

Everyone praised him and congratulated him on his success, and most of the guests at the party added that he would definitely proceed with further studies.

The guests were served with various kinds of drinks. Esau was pleased that his father had recognised and honoured his academic efforts by hosting a party for him.

He was, however, inwardly disappointed that he could not invite Chaudrey to attend the party for obvious reasons. Knowing his father's dislike and feelings for Indians he had not even bothered to tell her about the party.

Fate seemed to have smiled down at them, he reasoned, since Chaudrey had also performed very well. She obtained Grade B, and Esau thought she too had a bright future ahead of her.

It appeared Esau and Chaudrey nursed similar ambitions. Common to both of them was the burning desire in their hearts to pursue further education.

He knew she would easily be sponsored for further education by her rich parents. She had indeed expressed her desire to go abroad for further studies where her mother was running the family business. He knew she could.

And he, too, would insist on going for further studies abroad wherever she was in order to be with her. He knew his father, given his recent joy following his excellent results, would not deny him the chance to study abroad.

Had he known what she was going through at that time, Esau would not have nursed such ambitions.

At Chaudrey's home, her father was breathing fire and smoke like a dragon; he was angry that his daughter had only obtained grade B.

"You must be very dense! Thick and stupid! How can you get only a B? No wonder the stories I hear must be very true," Patel was quite furious, his dark eyes filled with fury as his hands ran over his thick black hair. "If I was as stupid as you are, do you think I would have been able to buy such a mansion as this? Do you think I would have succeeded as a businessman if I was stupid like you? Never! Your mother will be very upset to hear this."

Chaudrey said nothing when she saw her father's angry face. She just stood there listening to his rants as he rumbled on, "Who's this black boy I heard you are befriending?"

"I've no such black friend, baba!" She lied but sounded quite desperate.

She addressed her father in Bengali, baba as the Bengali word for father or dad.

Then she felt her temper rising but knew she had to be extremely careful as her father was equally short tempered.

"Don't try to lie to me, you idiot! Do you think I have never heard of how you lost interest in Kamal and started loving that black monkey instead? Just because the black monkey knocked him out in boxing?" Patel's tall and heavily built figure moved restlessly as he paced up and down the lounge before adding: "You must be crazy! You should now be ashamed of yourself and die."

She thought she knew exactly what her father meant. He had condemned her for having a premarital sexual relationship and now hinted that she had to kill herself to avoid the shame she had brought her family.

I will have to do it, Chaudrey now thinking, and avoid humiliating your family baba!

Suddenly, she realised life was so unfair and not worth living. Her own father had passed his sentence and condemned her to death to uphold the dignity of his family.