INTROSPECTION
Doodling on the last page of classwork copy is the only thing keeping me awake in this boring Advanced Solid State Physics class; feels like time freezes itself during this period. Honestly, the faculty member is really sweet and anything related to physics is fun too but this period never works to gain attention, umm.. something like apple pie with cheddar on top individually good but being together not for my taste bud.
Abruptly,
Someone pokes with a pen from back and a folded paper comes flying; lands just on my copy.
With a note-
“Elora,
Aren’t we going to visit the exihibition tomorrow? Why do I have to chivvy Irene up for this, that too now! a day before the plan.
”
I can clearly hear whatever the faculty member is saying but nothing is getting into my head, every information or whatsoever is just getting bounced back from my brain cells to those slides.I think it is true for the whole class why else Liam and Irene would be talking about tomorrow’s plan now !
Thunder rumbling is working as a background score today. I just powered my phone on to see the time, it is 5:18pm 12 minutes left. Mondays are very tiring; lab and classes from 9am-5:30 pm; really hectic to pull off.
Anyway,
Flipping the note over to the blank side to write-
“She’ll be going and there’s nothing to nag .We are going right after the class tomorrow. Done deal”
Folding the paper I kept it on the desk behind mine where Rahman is sitting, he knows whom to pass the note.
How long is a time span of 12 minutes? Feels like an enternity.
The peal of thunder continues; it is going to rain heavily, from the window I can see it is all dark. Why doesn’t the period end already pfft!
For few minutes or so I kept looking into the slide gaining nothing and returned to my doodling. Also, I am really hungry at this moment; need to stuff myself after I am out of here.
** whooshing ** pit·ter-pat·ter **
The rain would be a trouble today, need to go home before rainstorm starts.
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.
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The bell rings. FINALLY
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The faculty member leaves the classroom.
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All the sound of rain, thunder, packing bags, noise of the desks hitting one with other creating a cacophony; packing my bag I left the room.
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Waited for Liam and Irene in the corridor; usually we sit together in every class what happened today was I had a club meeting before the period started. Got in the classroom a little late and had to grab the first seat which I found empty.
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The three of us planned to sit for a cup of tea in the cafeteria because the torrential rain could not be avoided and we had to wait for it to slow down.We ate burger and ordered tea. Meanwhile Rahman, Sakib, Natasha, Anila and Elijah joined us; we all sat down to talk through this episode of waiting. Everything is a topic- who is Sakib having a fling with, how terrible Natasha feels in her retake classes sitting with the juniors, Elijah has already started to prepare for GRE, Irene is obsessed with her niece who just learnt to call her name and a lot lot more.
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The rain does not seem to co-operate it’s getting really late already.Everyone is trying to plan something out of the situation to reach home.
*phone rings*
I seperated myself with a cup of tea and took a chair to sit on the porch.
‘Hello ma’
‘Yes, the weather is really bad, are you done with your classes?’
‘Yes I am waiting for the rain to stop ’
‘Oh my child should I come to pick you?’
‘No maa I will take a rickshaw; I will manage. Don’t worry’
‘Okay,be careful’
.
Ma had office the whole day and that place is a different part of the city; didn’t want her to take the hassle in this weather.
‘Call from ma?’ Liam said taking a seat beside me.
‘Yes’ I replied, sipping some tea
‘What do you think, how will be the weather tomorrow?
‘Mmm..gloomy not sure about the rainstorm’
‘Oh, the pain. The pain. It always rains. In my soul.’
‘John Green keeps
seizing the moment with his deepshits’
‘C’mmon you like reading him too’
‘I do’
‘I was born in this season of rain, monsoon has this bittersweet thing causes us so much trouble but we can’t hate it, it is just so beautiful, no?’
‘Yeah,are you happy with the plan..like going to a exhibition on birthday’
‘Oh I am so glad tbh, paintings are my favourite form of art I love art galleries’
‘Mm-hm’
‘Tell me what takes one closest to another human mind?
‘What’
‘Art, any form of art’
‘Yes I agree, so is it painting your favourite medium to connect with another human mind?’
‘It is, what is for you?’
‘Reading/writing’
Irene is coming this way; she is all frazzled. Her place is just near the campus not much trouble for her, I guess.
‘Anila will be dropping me, what are you people planning?’ Irene asked
‘Waiting for this strormy rain to stop how else I would be going home!’ I said
Liam doesn’t even care
‘Call up uber or smth?’ Irene again
‘Tried, getting noone near this place’ Me on reply
‘Terrible!’
Irene took seat.
Dhaka is terrible during monsoon; water clogging, traffic jam, electricity trouble everything comes together. As Liam said it is incredibly beautiful and terribly painful.
Some chit chat goes on among three of us.Rain sometime gives us time to stop by; to have moments which we will never have if rain isn’t the reason
A crash of thunder sounded and everything went dark.The electricity went off. The generator doesn’t help with a light on the porch. Horrendous situation to be true! The main road and everything seems dark.
.
Phone rings again and it is ma,
‘Hello ma’
‘Yes, What is happening there, the electricity is gone in our area it is all dark!you will be scared should I tell baba to pick you?’
‘Na ma I will manage don’t worry baba is at office don’t get him bothered, I will be fine!’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Yess ma I am’
‘okay’
.
.
The rain slowed down a little. Now we can move but with an umbrella. It is all dark; the power failure is making the whole thing a lot more troulesome and to some extent scary.
We three were keeping our flashlight on after the electricity thing and cursing the whole situation.
.
Irene and Anila have left; their residences are in the same route.Anila will be dropping Irene home and she will have to go 5 minutes more on rickshaw
Before leaving I checked the time, It was 7:45pm
Liam is with me, trying to convince rickshaw-wala mamas. We have our umbrellas on head still drenching and hunting for a ride. Oh water has clogged of course. What is this whole situation the area is all dark except two three lights here and there, raining and all rickshaw-wala mama rejecting. Literally all of them!
Liam will be taking a bus, he is helping me to get a ride; this guy is suffering more just for me.What an awful day!
.
After getting rejected by almost 30+ rickshaw-wala mamas one agreed to take me home, that too for 100Tk where the usual fare is 50Tk. I didn’t say no.At least someone agreed I am glad.
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Liam had to take bus 13; I am totally unwitting about anything related to the bus services in Dhaka,that’s terrible I know.Liam assured bus 13 will be in the stand by the side of the road in just 5 minutes and forced me to get on the rickshaw.
.
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The rain continues and thunder too. Road through which the rickshaw is going all known to me but I am scared because it is all dark; unusually dark. I checked the time it is 8:30pm.Dhaka doesnt’t sleep all night but this weather and power failure made it like this.
*phone rings*
Baba this time
‘Hello baba’
‘Yes mamoni where are you?’
‘I am on rickshaw’
‘Where is the rickshaw?’
‘Near the alpha heathcare center’
‘Be careful ma and the power failure has made the city horrific”
‘Yea baba no problem I will be fine’
‘Yes my child’
.
.
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Near a roundabout the rickshaw stopped, there is a traffic congestion and crowd too.Rickshaw wala mama kept the rickshaw in a corner and went near the crowd to see what is wrong.
He came back and said a tree fell on a car and crashed it, there’s a mess it will take an hour or so to clear up the road.Can we wait for an hour sitting here? The answer is obvious NO it is already very late.Should I call baba to pick me from here?
In absolute lightspeed without even asking me anything rickshaw-wala mama took over the paddle and started moving somewhere in the left. The road he is taking me to I don’t know it much and it is all dark!
I anxiously said
‘Mama are you sure this road will be fine?’
I intentionally pretended that I am not unaware of this route just a little unsure.
Mama replied,
‘মামা চিন্তা কইরেন না আপনেরে পেলেনের গতিতে বাসায় নিয়া যামু’
translation ‘Mama, don't worry, I'll take you home the fastest way possible.’
The rickshaw is going through some narrow alleys which I don’t recognize. The whole environment got me numb, this ill-lit surrounding and not knowning where am I.
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The weather,the power failure and unknown dark alleys; on a rickshaw in Dhaka around 9pm alone.
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Was it a good decision to let rickshaw-wala mama take me into this unknown route?Was I suppose force him to take the route of north lane? Did I make a mistake trusting his man?
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How long exactly are we into this unknown route?
I lost count.
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Liam was right rain causes us so much trouble and that is on an unbearable stage for people in Dhaka.God has been so kind that monsoon is one whole season here; many countries don’t see rain in years, many places don’t have enough fresh water, many countries can’t grow crops because it is too dry there and what are we doing?
Being is trouble with our blessings, why? Because we have everything unplanned, mismanaged and corrupted for years now.
.
*phone ring*
Baba calling
‘Hello’
‘Where are you mamoni?’
‘Right in front of almaraz baba five minutes more’
‘Okay ma’
.
Rickshaw-wala mama proved him a hero; after passing those alleys he took the main road of bijoynagar and from there onward was everything known to me.
As he promised he was taking the fastest way possible!
We are passing almaraz the supershop near my home. The garish polythene is covering my bag really well; all the copies / notes everything would have been ruined otherwise.
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I have been really worried and afraid with the whole situation and left the whole fact unnoticed that this man rickshaw-wala mama is all drenched and putting all his energy to take me home in this unendurable situation.
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Strange that in this horrendous day the man who helped me the most to reach home safely; after those 30 around rejections from other rickshaw-wala mamas he agreed; the mess near the rounabout blocked the road he could have skipped the idea of taking the dark alleys in this weather, he didn’t; but probably never in life again we are coming across one another.
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In just one meet and probably the only one, this man is trying take me home safely also trying to comfort me with his words getting all drenched that might cause him fever later in the night. I sat quite comfotably with the garish polythene on his vehicle and I bought this service for 100Tk.
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How much will this 100 Tk matter in his life? He will manage a meal for his family and gone.He will have to run again for earning.
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He impacted my life a lot more than I could in his. And taking a lot more from him than what I am giving to him.
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Rickshaw-wala mama pulled the brake as I asked him to stop infront of the building left to my hand. Taking the polythene off I gave him a 100Tk note from my wallet.
‘মামা কইছিলাম না চিন্তা না করতে’ Rickshaw-wala mama said with a grin
translation ‘Mama, told you not to worry.’
I smiled back and said ‘Thank you Mama’
.
*phone rings*
‘Hello’
‘Hey have you reached home?’ Liam asked
‘Just now, what about you? ’ Me in reply taking my steps toward the main gate with umbrella in one hand phone in other.
‘I am stuck in the jam of bijoy sharani, the obvious! Hey was everything fine in the road were you safe?’
‘I was.’
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