A Short Story of some street children, Written on November 18, 2011 at 7:38pm

                                               Never Ending Waiting

Look, Liton indicates.

Where? Murad asks.

Liton answers, inside the car.

Murad further says, yeahhh, angel, take a look Raja.

Liton sarcastically says,he will not since he has his angel. Pori. Hahahahaha..

Liton with an angry tone says, so eat the angel, Salara, you can only dream about these girls.

Raja, Liton and Murad are street children, they are also bosom friends. They don’t know about their parents? They have grown up together in the streets since their childhood. The street is their home, it is their parents, and it is the place of their merriment. Everyday, at dawn, they separately go out to work for collecting raw materials. They sell these materials, when the sun is about to set. After selling the garbage, they eagerly wait for closing all the shops,restaurants, and offices because they have to take possession of a small space for passing the night. The street which is at the stones throw of Bashundhara City Shopping Mall becomes their permanent address.Sometimes they have to fight with other street children and other people only for a little space.

It remains 7 days to Eid. Everyone is busy in shopping but nobody bothers about these people who are living beneath poverty. These floating people look at the rich with great fascination wherever they look at themselves with great abomination. They think, “How much money they have!!! We are born to suffer, our poor luck…”

Whatever, today is Eid for three friends though it remains 7 days. Today, they have collected huge raw materials and have sold them at good price.They have bought daal and vaath with this money. After taking their meal a belch of satisfaction comes out from them which most of the rich people can not.

It is midnight suddenly Pori arrives at their conversation. She asks how are you, guys?

Everybody with a smiling face answers, good.

Raja asks her, how are you,Pori?

She answers; a spoiled girl like me does not remain in sound health and body.

Pori takes bade from them and says, ok, I have to go for finding out a client. Hope you will be in sound body and mind.

She starts to walk, Raja stands and begins to follow her. He shouts Pori, Pori, Pori.

Pori stops and asks, why are you barking like a dog?

Raja says, I have something to tell you.

Pori replies, please hurry up, and tell. I don’t have enough time.

Raja repeats the same thing that Pori used to hear. He says, you know I am saving money for our future. One day, youdon’t need to sell your body anymore. I shall open a “tong -dhokan” with this money. Pori, give me your word that you will wait for me.

Pori answers, waiting for this day and again starts to walk.

Raja looks at her disappearance with a concealed pain.

Pori knows that the money which Raja is saving is nothing at all. With these money he can’t feed her for a month, opening a business is beyond imagination.But, she does not want to break his mind since without hope man can not live. She also loves Raja from the core of her heart,but hunger does not allow her to lead her life with Raja. She wants to cry but she can not since it will spoil her make-up. And, if she doesn't get any client today her sick father has to starve for the next day.

It remains five days to Eid. Every body is in a festive mood. But, Eid is not going to bring any specialty in their lives. Tothem, there is no difference between the Eid day and the other days. On Eid day, they have to go to work to meet their hunger. Pori has to go with a client and sell her body for want of food. According to them, there is no Eid for the poor people like them.

Whatever, night comes and three friends begin to look for a space. They find and occupy it but some other street children threat them to leave the place. They deny and a terrible fight starts between two groups. There are eight members on the other group and these eight members begin to beat them severely. They have snatched the saved money from Raja. After receiving heavy beating, they decide to pass their night beside Farmgate Foot-Over Bridge. They get up from their sleep after receiving kick from the police man. Raja is severely wounded that he can not walk. Murad tells Liton that Raja has a high fever. Liton and Murad take him to the poky-hole ofPori.

But, going there they receive another shock. They find, Pori is lying on the floor and groaning. They have come to know from Pori’s father that last night, she went with a client for 250 taka. But going there, she found that there were also four people waiting for her.  They jumped on her and dominated her body for the rest of the night. At morning, these beasts threw her on the street without paying a single pie. With the help of a sweeper, she returned toher poky-hole. Pori’s lips are still bleeding and her face is filled with biting spots of some beasts

However, Murad and Liton keep Raja there and come out for collecting raw-materials since they have to save their friend. They return with aspirin and vaath at night. Liton and Murad remain starve because they have spent all their money to buy medicines and vaath for Pori and Murad.

Next morning, Pori feels good but Raja’s condition has been deteriorated. Liton and Murad decide to take Raja to a doctor and go to their own work. But, ill luck is always at their beck and call. After days hard toiling they earn only 60 tk. They have spent almost all the money to buy food and medicines. They do not have the money to take Raja to a doctor. They are thinking how to gather money?

Suddenly, Liton shouts, let’s snatch.

Murad with astonishment says, snatch!!! Are you in your senses?

Liton again says, yeah, snatch, and I am in my senses. If you are not agreed to it, I will. I have to save my friend…I have to….and begins to cry.

Murad keeps his hand on Liton’s shoulder and says, let’s do it.

They go to see Raja. His condition of health becomes worst. He is shivering from fever. They also find him in a state of delirium. He constantly saying, Pori, Pori, Pori , they snatched all my money………they destroyed our dream…..dream…..dream… Pori, you have to sell your body …….i am aliar…..can’t protect you…liar, liar,liar …..Pori, I don’t want to live anymore…..God, kill me….Kill…..kill….

Liton and Murad begin to shed their tears silently to see this. They sit beside Raja, one holds Raja’s hand and the other keeps his hand on Raja’s head, Liton says, my friend, don't worry, we are with you, and everything will be alright. They come out from there.

Pori heard everything.She stands with a great stress and begins to prepare herself.

She says to herself, Raja I love you; I can not loss you. She starts to walk. Fortunately she finds her client and goes with him.

It is midnight. Even now, people are entering into the shopping mall since tomorrow is Eid. Murad and Liton are looking for their prey. Suddenly, Liton points his finger to a woman who is getting off a car. She is alone and holding her purse. Liton says to Murad to follow him. Liton suddenly snatches the bagand says, Murad run. The woman shouts,snatcher….snatcher.

They are running and a group of people are chasing them. Liton suddenly hand over the bag to Murad and says run and save Raja,I will come back soon. Murad begins to run at a great speed but alas, People catch Liton. They begin to beat him black and blue.

Murad arrives to take Raja to hospital but by this time Raja is no more in this world. Murad becomes numb and lost the power of speaking. Pori also arrives and she sits beside Raja. Tears are rolling down from her eyes and falling into Raja’s face.She only utters, sorry Raja , we are so poor that we can not save you.

The lamentation of Pori and Murad has come to an end. It is midday and they are thinking how they will arrange everything to bury Raja.

One of the slum dwellers tells them to call the Anjhuman Mofidhul’s ambulance and says, they bury the dead bodies whodon’t have any near and dear ones or who can not bear the expense of burying theirnear ones. Murad requests one of the slum dwellers to call theambulance of Anjhuman Mofidhul.

It is raining at twilight. The ambulance arrivesby this time to take the dead body of Raja. Murad and Pori sees Raja’s face for the last time. People keep the dead body inside the ambulance and it startsfor its own destination. Murad is crying and asks, Oh, God,are we born only to suffer? Whose fault isthis; we are born poor, is it our fault? Or you have created us poor, it’s yourfault? I know you will not answer since you're only a mute observer. Drops of rain are falling down from Murad's face and the tears of his eyes become one with the drops of rain, as if rain doesn't want to see the tears of a poor boy.

Murad does not go to his work for the next two days. But, at last, hunger wins over grief. He goes out to work.

Every night, he comes to the same place where they used to pass their nights. He waits for his another friend, Liton. Liton said that he would come back soon. So he waits.... But Murad does not know that it is his never ending waiting since he was killed by a group of crazy people on that night.