Late pigeons. Bakhtiyor Raximovich Sharipov

no, my darling, I am just worrying about you… Just want to say…you’d better take care of yourself…my girl!”

      Although her mother warned, Raykhona continued selling brad in the bazaar after her lessons, and used to do her lessons till midnight. And then she would sleep after a tiresome day…

      A father and a son may not tell their secrets to each other in a family, but, on the contrary, a mother and a daughter can trust each other. A daughter learns many unspeakable things from her mother, tells her secrets to her mother and gets many useful advice. Masturakhon and Raykhona were of the same kind of mother and daughter. Once Raykhona told her mother about Otabek after having hesitated a lot. She told about the first meeting, about his smartness, but she hid that she had fallen in love. It was because of her shyness. But the mother understood everything.

      “Daughter, you are our only child in the family, forget about Tashkent, you know that we have a lot of smart guys in our neighborhood, each one smarter than the other, with wealth families. Will I have to seek the way of Tashkent every time when I want to see you?” – Masturakhon reprimanded her daughter. “Now a family from Kircha is wooing you to marry their son, their son won a Green Card Lottery and in America now, and working as a lawyer there. They say he erns thirty thousand dollars a month. I would have married you to him, but America is far away, if you go far from me, I will not endure that…”

      “Mommy, Tashkent is not far away. If you catch Afrasiyob train it will get you there in two hours…”

      “No, I will marry you here, in our makhalla. Do you know shop holder Ato? He has more than 10 shops in Siyab Bazaar. They also reauest you for their son, if you agree you can meet him, and we can make the deal with them…”

      “He hasn’t a definite job, he spends all he earns in the street, do you want to spend my life with him?” – Raykhona said sorrowfully.

      “OK, then. What about the grandson of the Valikhodjaevs. He is good guy. He knows five languages, travels to 3-4 countries every month. He has done his PhD…”

      “No, I will not marry him. I do not like being buried in the books…”

      “You keep rejecting everybody I say. What have you seen in that guy from Tashkent? We don’t know him, his relatives. Your father will not agree, as well. There is another guy from the neighborhood. The son of Academician Vohid Abdullo’s sister. They also want you. We can start preparations if you consent.”

      Having seen her daughter peeling at one point Masturakhon went out of the room being upset of that her daughter wasn’t hearing her advice.

      Raykhona also doesn’t want to go to Tashkent, who wants to go far from relatives, friends? But life has its own rules, precepts of hearts and dreams. Does love not mean marrying a person who you adore, having kids from him, living with the beloved person? Raykhona entered her room with these thoughts and murmured to herself: “You stand between two fires, Raykhona”. She put her head on the pillow and went asleep.

      The next day her mother told her daughter’s story to her father. He didn’t object, but said: “Of course, I want my daughter be with us, but if they suit each other we should not hinder. We have to investigate about the guy’s family.”

      “You are also on her side, instead of making her change her mind!” – Mastura said angrily and continued: “Tell her that Tashkent is far, instead, there are a lot of wealthy families here, as well and so on… Your daughter won’t reject you.”

      Tonight Masturakhon told her father’s ideas to Raykhona. Her father agreed the boy’s relatives come to ask her daughter. It doesn’t mean that he agreed. First of all, we will get acquainted with his parents, their behavior. We will go to Tashkent and get information about them from their makhalla. If their generation and family suit us then we will consider about our reply. Raykhona also agreed. She knows that her parents are educated people, and that they will do all their best to make their daughter happy in life.

      In their next date Raykhona old Otabek that her parents are ready to meet his parents.

      8

      Otabek finally told her mother that he liked a girl from Samarkand and told everything about her. Will you please go to Samarkand to ask that girl for me. Of course, his mother didn’t like that suggestion. Why Samarkand girls, when there are girls of Tashkent, like moons shining in the sky. Besides, we are from a noble family, and it is not our tradition to attach to the first girl we see…

      On the contrary, his father didn’t find it strange. “That’s my son! It is not an easy deed to find a girl from Samarkand. I couldn’t do it once, but you managed it.” – his father said pushing his wife’s nerves. “Ah-ha! Better late than never! You go and find one for yourself, as well!”– said Kimyokhon nervously. In the end they decided to go to ask the girl from her family…

      ***

      Otabek prepared the car from the early morning. Future relatives started to the ancient city of Samarkand to have a look at the future bride. After an hour of driving on their way to Samarkand his mother, sunk in her thoughts, said: “Turn your car back to Tashkent, it’s not easy to have a bride from a far and unfamiliar place, and who knows what people they are, are there less girls in Tashkent?”

      “You must be joking, mommy!” – Otabek said astonished.

      “Do not bother your son when he is driving, woman!” – his father interfered in the conversation.

      “Please calm down! It was you who let our son find a girl from Samarkand while we have a lot pretty ones here in Tashkent!” – here were tears in his mother’s eyes.

      Yusufbek usually visits Samarkand on business issues. His colleagues, friends don’t let him go in case they happen to know that he is in Samarkand. That’s why he didn’t tell anybody that he was going to Samarkand. It is Kimyohon’s first visit to Samarkand.

      “The city is beautiful.” – she said from far looking at the visible minarets, madrassahs and modern buildings.

      “There is no other city like this!” – Otabek added.

      “I am worrying our relatives may deride that we are accepting a bride not from Tashkent, but Samarkand.” – his mother continued – “Hope we will not be embarrassed before neighbors and relatives…”

      “Do not worry, wife! You will be proud that you have such a bride from Samarkand.” – said Yusufbek.

      ***

      As the Eiffel Tower, Taj Mahal of India, the symbol of love, Egyptian Pyramids – the Registan Square is also the symbol of Uzbekistan. That’s the reason why many tourists rush to see this place. The city has changed a lot in the years of Independence. Wide roads, charming buildings and rainbow fountains were built.

      Mansurjon lives in Koshkhavuz makhalla along the way leading to the Reqistan Square from Tashkent Street. As he was the youngest in his family his house was left as a heir to him. He didn’t want to destroy his house, which is already 100 years old. He destroyed a four-meter wall beside the entrance gate and constructed a two storied house. Is he hadn’t done so there exists the problem of space in the territory of the old city, and everyone has to take this situation into account. He renewed the gate and made protruding ornaments for the sun rays go through to the house. There is no transportation in Tashkent street, the way to makhalla goes through Koshkhavuz Makhalla from Registan side.

      Seeing Raykhona to her house every time he estimated how to go to her house by car but this time he was confused and got lost. He stopped just beside a woman and asked the house of Mansurjon.

      “Why are you asking?” – the woman asked looking at the plaque of the car – “I guess you are foreigners.”

      “Yes, we are coming as guests to his house.” – Kimyokhon said angrily.

      “The second house on the right of the second turn over there.” – the woman said having felt Kimyokhon’s condition and added: “Let me say that their daughter sells bread in Siyab Bazaar, as I guess you are coming to ask her to be a bride. A lot of guys go around