Hello, Thermeh, by Syed Mohammed, Hyderabad

Born, raised, and currently residing in Hyderabad, Telangana, Syed is a reporter, always looking for a good story.

I always wondered what she’d look like, and soon, I found out. She was pink, cloudy, congealed, and trapped in a tightly-capped test tube, only twelve weeks old.

She was thrust into my unsuspecting, damp hands. I could have cradled her in my arms, softly recited the mellifluous azan– the liturgical call for prayer– in what could have grown into delicate ears. But instead, I was coldly instructed to take her to a lab, where they’d run genetic tests. 

It’s been over two years. I have a beautiful, healthy boy now. But despite this, I think of what our conversations could have been. In my dreams, they’re quirky; they’re witty; there’s a lot of giggling. In my dreams, she tells me she’s ticklish, and tells her Baba, her father, to stop. ‘Baba'. It is something only she would call me. And perhaps this is why I’ve always encouraged my son to call me ‘Abba’.

The park near my house was quiet during the lockdown. Every day, on my way to the office, I’d turn my head to the left, even as the trees and hedges fled past me. I would picture us together. We would try to chase each other. She’d trip face-first into the grass over her undone shoelaces, and I would tie them, telling her not to go too close to the lake. 

She’d laugh and say, “I won’t. The water is smelly, Baba!”

Three months into the lockdown, a communication from my office informed me that, like my colleagues from the Circulation Department, us reporters, too, would have to work from home. Confined to the house, my visions of what could have been became even more frequent and vivid. 

I seldom ceased thinking of what my wife and I had planned to call her. How happy we would be, and how often we’d have the joy of calling her name: Thermeh.

_________________________

(This story was prepared for an “Imagine Another World” online storytelling workshop held December 12, 2020.)

Protect yourself and others from COVID-19: wear a face covering over your nose and mouth, practice physical distancing from other people, and avoid settings that are crowded, indoors, or involve close contact. More information about how to stay healthy.