Promise

Eshaan is playing in the sea beach in the late afternoon. Sun is going to set within an hour. Sea is calm now. His mom, Clamentina, is sitting beside him and looking at the movements of her son. She took her 4 years old son Eshaan to show the sea because he has never been to sea- beach. Seeing Eshaan, Clamentina is thinking that he is just like his father, Emanuel. Suddenly, she changes her mind and thought to herself, “No, Eshaan is only her child, he doesn’t have anyone in this world besides his mom.” She started to think about her life.
She was in higher secondary school. She was brave, energetic and an extrovert lady. She could rarely think of failure in her life. Fun, friends and career were the things in her world. She was a talkative girl. She could not stay a moment except talking. To her teachers, she was an ambitious girl. She had lots of friends. They all loved her because they got all kinds of help from her when they were really in trouble. She was like nature, she was always happy. She was as innocent as a new born baby. Her tear was for the deprived people of her society. Her happiness was in helping people.
It was the mid of the year. Clamentina was really busy with her study because final exam was coming. Her best, Nipa, invited her to a wedding. It was the wedding of her friend’s aunt. Clamentina don’t want to join but she hardly manages her time to go there. In the day of wedding she wore her favorite red sharee and went to the wedding party. There were lots of people there and after a while she thought to herself that she is enjoying her time. After the party, Nipa announced that there will be a dance party now. When the music began, the entire guest started to dance. Clamentina was feeling so tired so she decided to take rest for a while. While she was taking rest at the corner and looking at the people dancing, she found that one young boy was sitting alone in another corner. He looks so upset and embarrassed. She went to him and sat beside him but she asked him his name. He looks much shy than before. He slowly tells that he is Emanuel. Clamentina started talking in a restless way and one time she found that he is listening to her. After talking for an hour, Clamentina know that he is one of the friends of bride. He is sitting alone because he doesn’t like the crowded place. After talking to him, Clamentina was thinking to herself that he is totally opposite of her. She was really wondered that how a people could be so quiet and shy like him. "How a man could take a long time to answer if he was asked his name by someone,” she said to herself. Before leaving that place, Clamentina said bye to him. He politely replied. After coming home, when she was about to sleep, rapidly the thought of Emanuel comes to her mind. She did not know why she is thinking of him.
After one week, when Clamentina was going to her teacher’s home, she met him again in the road. She said hello to him but he just nodded. She felt so disappoint because he did not talk to her. She did not tell her anything but she called her friend and asked for the contact information of that boy. When for the first time she called him, she felt so anxious but she did not know why because she usually brave and never felt anxiety. She told him in the phone that she just wants to talk to him because she thinks that he is a good listener. He laughed but agreed to talk to her. From that day, they started to talk in phone almost every day. Time passed. Few months later, Clamentina found that Emanuel is a good friend of her. She started to share all her feeling to him. She could not sleep without talking to him, without sharing what she has done all the day with him. Her friends and family found that Clamentina is changing gradually. She becomes quiet than before. She is much influenced by the behavior of Emanuel. She found herself becoming like him. Even though it was quiet surprising for her, she liked this change.
Six months passed. One day Clamentina got the chance to participate in International Film Festival for youth. She left her country for a week. That time she could not talk to him. That week was the worst week in her life because she felt so alone and lonely. When she came back, she found that in the airport he is waiting for him. It makes her so glad that she could not control herself and ran to him. She was crying like a child. Emanuel understood that she was missing him. He told her to calm down and go to home. That night when she called him Emanuel also told him that he missed her so much. They said goodnight to each other. Before sleeping, Clamentina got a text from Emanuel’s phone number. After seeing the text, she could not believe herself that he proposed her. She was surprised and at the same time happy. She could not think that how could an introvert man like Emanuel understand her feelings.
They are having an affair for last one year. One day Clamentina realized that she is pregnant. She told this to Emanuel. He advised her not to worry. He assured her that he will talk to his family. Clamentina was stressed because in the society to be pregnant before marriage is considered as sin but Emanuel said her not to be anxious. He also promised her that he will not leave her alone. He promised her that he will be always with her. He promised her that they will raise their child together. He promised her that he will be with her always.
The next day Emanuel’s family called Clementina’s family to a restaurant. When Clamentina went there with her family, she found that Emanuel was not there. His family was there, there were also some people there who were from their society. Emanuel’s family started blaming her for all. They scolded her because they thought that it was only her fault. At last, after a long discussion, both of the family decided that Clamentina should not give birth to this child. Otherwise, there is no place in the society for her. Hearing this decision, she was completely shocked. She thought that they are deciding about her life but she doesn’t have the right to tell anything. She ran away from there.
Clamentina is standing on a bridge. She is looking at the water of the river. It’s a moonlit night. She is going to commit suicide. She is going to kill herself and at the same time her baby.
“Mom, sun is going to set down.” Eshaan is calling Clamentina. Clamentina was thinking about her past story. When she was to kill herself, she heard a call like the same. That time she heard like her child is calling her. Clamentina and Eshaan both are standing beside the sea and enjoying the sunset. Eshaan is holding the finger of her mom. Clamentina is reciting her favorite lines, “Woods are lovely, dark and deep,
But I have promises to keep.
Miles to go, before I sleep,
And miles to go, before I sleep.” Robert Frost.
Yes. She needs to live in order to raise her child, she needs to live to teach son so that he can keep promises.