It feels like you don't care

Oh, why don't you recognize

I'm so rare?

I'm Always there,

You don't do the same for me

That's (that's) not (not) fair

I don't have it all, I'm not claiming to

But I know that I'm special

(so special), yeah

And I'll bet there's somebody else (else) out (out) there

To tell me I'm rare, to make me feel rare

Aaban was dumbfounded. He had no idea Tahera was so proficient at programming...

He had an urge to ask her where did her sudden proficiency come from but her absolute concentration in her work deterred him from doing so. He didn't want to break her focus.

He stood quietly by her bedside watching her work. He found it difficult to calm down...

45 minutes!

Tahera used less than one hour to finish writing the program. She kneaded her hands, let out a long sigh, and turned to meet Aaban's astonished eyes.

Tahera passed him the laptop. "I think it's done. Give it a try and see there are any mistakes. If it's usable, send it to your senior and ask for the pay."

"Huh? O... okay..." Aaban accepted his laptop dumbly, staring at her with a pair of vacant eyes. He was waiting for an explanation.

Tahera was too distressed to notice his strange behavior. Her eyes were tired from continuous exposure to the screen's harsh glare and it added to her already mounting headache...

Tahera slumped back down her bed, shut her eyes, and... fell asleep!

Aaban had to use every ounce of his self-discipline to not shake his sister violently awake.

Sis, please explain what's happening before you retreat to your dreams! Where did you learn such impressive programming skills‽

He was bursting at the seams with questions, but he dared not disturb her sleep. The only thing he could do was to suppress his curiosity and wait patiently.

The two hours it took for Tahera to wake up was torture for Aaban. The moment she opened her eyes, she realized she was staring into Aaban's inquisitive, unblinking eyes.

A startled Tahera said, "What are you looking at?"

Aaban replied, "Sis, do you want to eat some pineapples? I'll go buy you some."

"Pineapples?" Tahera frowned.

"Yup, it's your favorite fruit, right? Do you want some?" Aaban said enthusiastically.

Tahera pulled her upper body upright using the bedframe as support and stared at Aaban quizzically. Aaban stared back at her anxiously, waiting for an answer.

Tahera narrowed her eyes. "Aaban, what are you planning? You know I'm allergic to pineapples."

Aaban lurched forward to grab her hands, his eyes red with tears. "So, it is you, Sis! Do you remember saving me from drowning when I was five years old?"

"Are you high? We didn't know each other when you were five."

"Sis, it is you!" Aaban wailed with joy. "I thought you died and your body was taken over by a new consciousness like how it's normally portrayed in reincarnation-themed web novels. You have no idea how worried I've been for the past two hours."

Tahera stared at him curiously, "What are you talking about?"

"You know, your soul died and your body became host to another person's soul... that sort of thing."

"You fear I am no longer the same Tahera?"

Aaban nodded as he broke into a smile. "Can you blame me? You suddenly become so good at programming after a car accident. Isn't that how the plot for these novels go? I was so afraid that you've become someone else. Thankfully, you're still the original!"

Tahera was rendered speechless.Then again, she couldn't really fault Aaban for thinking that way, she had never shown him her programming talent.

No one in this country knew about her past. They only knew she was a star student from the Mathematics Faculty of Harvard University.

"I was a computer whiz since I was young, my technique only got better after years of learning," Tahera shrugged like it was no big deal.

Understanding dawned for Aaban. He said, "Sis, you grew up overseas so none of us were particularly clear about your history before you moved in with us. We tried to find out more from you but obviously you couldn't remember. Regardless, Sis, you're still mighty impressive. You finished writing the piece of software in an hour when a programming student like myself needs at least a few days to complete it, and that is after six years of amnesia..."

Aaban's head slowly lowered in shame. His results had always been the top of his class, but he was handily beaten by his amateur programmer sister.

"Sis, how professional exactly are you? Based on your level of proficiency, I dare say you're at least ten times better than my senior," Aaban asked eagerly but was hesitant to hear the answer.

Tahera shook her head, "I have no idea honestly because computer science is a constantly evolving subject. If we're just talking about the theoretical aspect, I believe I know less than you. Since I've got nothing else to do at the moment, could you bring me some textbooks that were published in recent years?"

Aaban laughed, "Sis, you're too modest. I've just tested your software, it was bug free. I've sent it to my senior and he said the same. The only comment he gave was that even though the coding method was a bit outdated, the technique was definitely superb. He realized immediately that it isn't my handiwork. I told him it was by a friend when he asked."

Tahera nodded affirmatively. "It's good that you didn't mention me because that'll be hard to explain."

"I agree. I have no intention of going into your history and amnesia with him so I opted for a white lie."

"Then, has he banked the money yet?" That was Tahera's only concern.

Aaban said excitedly, "He just did! Sis, do you have anything that you want to eat? I'll go buy some for you. I'll stop by the library to get some of the books you want as well."

"I don't mind anything, why don't you buy something that you like to eat? We can share."

"Okay, I'll be right back!" Aaban shouldered his bag and left the hospital with a spring in his step.

His first pit stop was his college. He checked out several programming textbooks from the library before going to purchase a bowl of meat porridge and some fruits for Tahera.

After a quick lunch, Tahera started on the books. Aaban's advice that she should take some rest, inadvertently, fell on deaf ears.

She was filled with a burning desire to absorb all the knowledge, to restart her life. If not for her weak body, she would have been out there looking for work.

However, she knew certain things couldn't be rushed. Health was one of them. Overexertion might exacerbate her head injury. She decided to use the downtime to catch up on the six years of progress that she had missed.

"Sis, your reading speed is so fast..." Aaban whispered in shock as he took a bite out of his apple. Tahera finished reading two-thirds of a book in half an hour.

Tahera replied without taking her eyes off the page, "I'm speed reading just to familiarize myself with current technology. I'm not reading the details."

Since Tahera already had a good foundation, she could figure out which parts of the text she needed to focus on after just a quick scan. This way, she didn't have to waste time reading about things she already knew...

She put down the book she had in her hands and picked up another. Aaban studied her quietly. He still had trouble accepting the reality that his sister was a computer programming master.

"Sis, how come I've not seen you near a computer in the past three years?" Aaban asked curiously.

Tahera's amnesia shouldn't have wiped out her motor memory or go so far as to eclipse her computer knowledge completely.

There wasn't a lack of conversational topic on computer science in their household because that was what he studied, so why hadn't she said anything in the past six years?

Tahera stared at the space before her vacantly... The brilliance in her eyes dimmed as she said, "I felt so useless..."

"Huh?" Aaban had trouble understanding her.

"After my memory loss, I became so useless, it felt like I was suspended from reality." Now that Tahera thought about it, the past six years seemed like a long dream.

She had no idea memory loss would be like that. Her brain appeared to have emptied, leaving only an empty husk behind...

She would fail at everyday chores and she didn't seem to be conscious of the world around her. If she was to describe her past six years with one word, it would be lost.

Aaban thought back to how things were six years ago when Tahera first moved in with them. She would stumble over the simplest of things. In fact, it took great courage for her to go looking for work.

The process was long and difficult because she needed to overcome great psychological pressure every step of the way.

She even had trouble remembering his name in the beginning much less her computer science knowledge. She was like a puppet, her very essence gone.

Afraid that it would lead her down a dark path, Aaban quickly changed the subject, "Sis, I'm sorry for bringing up the past. Now that you've recovered your memory, let's focus on the future. With your impressive skills, I'm sure things will only get better from now on."

"You're right," Tahera said with a slight smile before resuming her reading.

Within the shortest amount of time, she managed to get herself updated to the latest IT information...

With the project payment in Aaban's account, Tahera no longer hurried to leave the hospital. Tahera was a practiced spender because she only spent on worthwhile investments.

She needed a fully recovered body before she could go out to earn more. Money can be earned but health can't be squandered, that was her philosophy.

Aaban's graduation was approaching so he was only needed at college for a few days of rehearsals. He decided to stay at the hospital to look after Tahera and worked on some small paying projects.

Tahera's dedication to her studies inspired Aaban. He also picked up a few books to study in between his programming downtime and whenever he came across things that he didn't understand, he would ask Tahera.

After two days like this, Aaban realized Tahera had an almost encyclopedic knowledge on computer science! There was no question that she couldn't solve!

Instead of dampening his spirits, it made him push himself much harder so that he could one day catch up to his genius sister... However, there exists a large gap between a genius and a commoner.

Over the past two days, Tahera finished reading ten reference books... She shook her head and sighed as she put down the last book. She didn't look satisfied.

"Sis, what's wrong?" Aaban asked, "Something wrong with these books?"

"No, there's nothing wrong with them. It's just that these are all textbooks for programming students. Does your college have anything for professionals?" She enquired.

Aaban pouted. "These are recommended readings by my professors and I couldn't even understand half of them. Sis, you're really something else."

"At the end of the day, these are intended for classroom reading, the information provided is only at a rudimentary level. Do you have any place in mind where you can borrow books on this topic other than your school library?"

Aaban thought about it and said, "How about my senior? He's the director for an IT company, I'm sure he has some literature that is more your level."

"That's not a bad idea," Tahera agreed.

"Okay, I'll go find him now."

Aaban knew she was anxious to get her hands on new material so he immediately went into action.

He called his senior, Parvez Mostaque to state his intention. Parvez readily agreed and asked Aaban to meet him at his company.

Aaban rushed to his company. He was going ask the receptionist to send a message to Parvez when Parvez walked out of the elevator.

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Eid Mubarak Everyone! Wishing all of you a happy and peaceful Eid. Anyways any suggestions?

~ Ittefa ♥️

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