A drop of water
Bonoful
translation from bengali to english
Translated by mehedi hassan
Rape
Mansur was aimlessly wandering along the earthen road beside the village he lived in and the sun was a few steps away from middle of the sky. He made the day off by his own because his occupation was rickshaw pulling that was not straightly under any authority but himself. Anyway, all of a sudden, he met Shaheed lived in the same village and was a gambler and drug addict. Mansur's job didn't depend upon brain but physical strength. On the other hand, Shaheed applied his brain to earn his livings and even expensive drugs. Moreover, Shaheed's job was challenging and also his life. But Mansur's job was very simple and straight as well as his life. Yet they lived in the same village, because of their lifestyle and occupation, one was a fool and rustic and other was shrewd and kind of metropolitan. A casual conversation started between them as they were standing beside the road in the shadow of a tree. The conversation didn't go on nonchalantly, changed its path and turned to be a serious one. However, at the end of the conversation, they came to a conclusion that they could earn some extra money by accomplishing a trade together. Mansur would participate in the trade with the capital earned by his physical strength and Shaheed his experience originated from gambling and they would share the profit 50/50. Shaheed suggested that they would buy some husk from any rice mill in low price and sell it in the local market in high price. It was unspoken that Shaheed would make all of the decisions counseling with Mansur.
Without any delay, they set off for Elenga where were many rice mills, a small town twenty miles away from their village. At first they went to Hamidpur bus-stop on rickshaw, only one mile away from the place, from where they would have to take Elenga bound bus.
Anyway, they reached Elenga easily. After getting out of the bus, on the way to the rice mill area by foot, they made a stop at a small stationary shop cum tea stall, not very far from the bus-stop, to buy some cigarettes and take rest a little. There were some people seated on the wooden bench placed in front of the shop, chatting with each other, smoking cigarettes and taking tea. There arose a man in a lungi and a ragged shirt with unruly hair unexpectedly and taking Shaheed's Hand in his, said, "I have some words with you; please, come with me." Shaheed had faced this kind of situation in his life many times and he know well the purpose of this man and as to how to handle him, so he went with the man as a fun without making any protest. Having seen his naïve look upon his appearance, the man regarded him as nothing but a village fool. But as for Shaheed making his appearance look like a village fool had been one of his techniques for long to make other people fool. Making other people fool is his only job, gambling. Accordingly, the man had fallen into the trap of Shaheed. As Shaheed went on with the man, told Mansur, "Wait for me here, I am coming in a while." Mansur bought cigarettes, lit up one of them and begun puffing seated on the corner of the bench.
Taking Shaheed to a secluded place, the man grabbed the collar of his shirt and said in a fearful voice "Where have you been these days, you mother fucker. Give me the money back you took from me as a loan before."
Shaheed replied in more threatening voice than his, as he came back to his real look, "What the fuck are you talking about, you mother fucker. I say, leave the collar now, you mother fucking cheater. You may don't know but I am more dreadful cheater than you. Cheating is the thing I do for earing my livings. Do you know that I can charge you for the same thing you did to me?"
Having heard such words rudely said and saw the real appearance of Shaheed, the man realized that the men he had taken was not really a fool but a cheater like him. Therefore, the man said, "Oh, sorry brother, I am really sorry. I got the wrong man. You look like him who have taken some money from me and then vanished. I haven't found him yet. I am extremely sorry for what I did to you. Please forgive me." The man invited Shaheed to drink tea with him as a friend for he knew they were same kind, but Shaheed denied the request gently.
When they were alone, Mansur asked Shaheed to tell about the person and the event in which he didn't participate. Shaheed told him about the person and the story in detail and then urged him to go to a rice mill around. But Mansur didn't comply with that. "Just as we reached here, a bad thing happened. My grandfather used to say, 'if the starting is bad, the whole thing will go wrong.' In accordance with my grandfather's words, I am sure that we will not be able to make any profit and there have even a chance to lose all of my capital. You know, my grandfather was said to be a wise person in our zone. So, I decided not to invest my money today in any kind of trade." Mansur uttered those words in shaking voice.
Shaheed mocked him for his faith in that kind of old talking. But Mansur as an utterly ignorant person continued to debate with him about the matter with lame argument. Shaheed comprehended well that there would be no use of any withstand because Mansur was country bumpkin as well as arrogant. Therefore, he withdrawn himself from the dispute and conformed him. A few seconds later, Mansur flushed and said with merriment, "But I have a plan. Let's do some fun."
"How? What kind of fun you mean?" Shaheed asked sulkily, and continued as his mood changed into cheerfulness "Oh, no need to tell, I understand. You want to take yaba. Let's buy some tablets, you have money and I know the dealer, and it is the contract."
"Fuck your yaba!" He said shaking his head violently. "I don't have any motive to take yaba. My money is not for yaba but for girls. Let's hire a bitch. How long I haven't fucked a sexy bitch! Fucking my wife is becoming a boring thing day by day and I need some new test."
After a pause, Shaheed said excitedly, "Yeas, it's a great idea. You know I am also bored of my wife, the fucking wife. Her skin loosed with her age. I hate her and you know I am reckoning as to marry a young girl."
Mansur made him stop by taking his hand and urged to take him to the place where they could find a sexy and young harlot. Upon his urging Shaheed said, "It is not the time. You know, they get fucked by many people for whole night and sleep on day. They usually wake up in the evening, and being ready to get fucked, they arise to streets like moon. If we want to hire one from here, we have to wait till dusk have fallen upon."
But Mansur will not wait here another minute. He had a lot of money in his pocket and the town was full of cheaters So he scared of getting robbed the money that, in his own words, he earned by rickshaw pulling. So, Mansur beseeched him to get out of the place at once. Shaheed did what he was requested because he know well that in the evening this place got very dangerous. All the same, they could also hire a prostitute from Ghatail, also a small town, not as far as Elenga from their village, and it was their Thana town. Shaheed know there a man, a prostitute agent, who assisted people hiring whores and got commissions from the girls.
It was let afternoon when they reached Ghatail. They strolled here and there to spend the extra time. When the dusk fell upon, they arrived to a small stationary shop, and the owner of the shop was the person Shaheed mentioned before as a prostitute agent. The man was occupied with the customers and when he noticed them he waved with his hand to seat and wait for him for a while.
Just as the shop owner got rid of the customers, greeted Shaheed cordially and he knew that what they had been looking for. Shaheed thought that he didn't need to tell him about the cause of their advent for he already knew it. The shop-owner informed them that the prostitutes were about to come and they would have to wait a little. Sometime later when the dark got dense, as they were smoking, Mansur spot a girl wearing bourka, walking past the shop, and he suspected her as a harlot. Mansur advert Shaheed to the girl and then Shaheed whispered something to the shop owner pointing his index finger to the girl.
The shop owner became sorry for he had not noticed the girl passing his shop. And then he acquainted with them that the girl is very sexy, young and playful. So, the rate would be a bit more than usual rate. And he urged them to follow the girl along the road till they have reached a secluded place and then converse with her. Mansur paid what they owe to the ship-owner for cigarette and tea, and they went to the girl's direction. Shaheed was expert in hiring prostitutes so that he would take the initiative. A moment later, the girl perceive well that two boys had been chasing her. So in order to talk with them, she entered into a narrow dark lane.
Shaheed shouted to her to stop in low voice. Upon this the girl paused, turned around, looked at them and started to walk again. "what do you want from me when I don't even know you." The girl said playfully.
Shaheed reached her by running and started to walk shoulder to shoulder with the girl and as for the Mansur, he was walking just behind them.
"Don't you understand yet what do we want from you?" He made his voice a bit harder.
"No, I don't and I don't need to understand" a smile on her eyes.
"Come with us to our place." He said with harsh voice.
"Oh, you are talking to me as though you are my husband, my dear lean and black husband!"
Yes, we two are your husband. Now do what I told you to do.
"Oh, my dear husband, do you know husbands have some responsibilities to their wives."
Yeas, he knew that well.
"The girl continued, "Okay, accomplish the duty first and I will be your wife and do what you will bide me to do. Okay."
Now, Shaheed asked how much she want.
"Don't you know my rate yet as a wife for a night? The ship-owner didn't tell you anything about it."
"No, he didn't."
"I don't want to banter with you over the matter, So I will tell you the rate and it is fixed. You have to say 'yeas or no'. I don't have any time to waste."
Shaheed told her that they would decide after seeing her face. The girl signaled them to come along with her and increased her pace. When they reached a more secluded place, she turned to him and unveiled her face and requested them to be quick. As Shaheed asked Mansur to step forward and focus the mobile phone torchlight on her naked face, squeezed her boobs firmly with his calloused hands.
At the event, the girls shouted at him. "Get your hands away from my boobs and go home, and if you want to squeeze something, do your sister's boobs,"
Shaheed put his index finger on his blackened lips and said whisperingly "Shas! don't shout, please. Be quiet. I didn't mean to hurt you but just felt your boobs. They are nice ones and I like them very much. Now, just let my friend feel your well-shaped, rounded, and small boobs." At the last sentence, Shaheed made a shape of her boobs with his hand.
The girl stepped back a few steps and cried out, "No, of course not. Don't dare to touch me ever again. Even if you try to do so, I will call the police."
"Hey, are you crazy? Okay, okay, be calm, please. I assure you he will not touch; I will tell him how it feels. Okay." Shaheed tried to soothe with these words.
"I will go with you providing you promise me not to squeeze my boobs or any part of my body until I have reached your place and when at your place not squeeze it hard for I will get pain." The girl uttered these words in a cold and grave voice.
"Okay, I agree." But he said in mind inaudibly, "Come, our place first, then you will understand what the definition of pain is." And then said audibly, "Now, come forward and let us see your face."
Yes, the shop owner said the truth. She was young and sexy. Her face was powdered with cheap rouge and her lips colored red with lipstick. Now, Shaheed wanted to know the rate. The girl told them the rate and it was 2000tk. She also dictated that them that she only let them fuck her only two people.
Mansur thought in mind, "Shaheed don't have any money in his pocket. And even if he has any with him or in his home he won't give. He will only fuck the girl. How many times will I be able to fuck her throughout the whole night? One time, two times or though I am not sure of it, suppose three times. Any girl in the prostitute village however beautiful and sexy they are, per shot 150tk. So in three shot I cost only 550tk. But here to this girl I have to spend 2000tk in two shot or maybe in three shot. It is just ridiculous. This money is very much valuable to me. I earned it by pulling rickshaws. Only the rickshaw puller knows how tough the job is."
Shaheed agreed with the girl immediately. But Mansur stepped forward and protested firmly. "No, no. I can't afford it." and then said to the girl pointing a finger to Shaheed, he is no one to decide, but me because I have to give you the money. I will give you 2000tk provided let us fuck you four or five people as many times as we can."
"As you can't afford the money, I also can't bear to get fucked by four or five people in a night for I assume everyone will fuck me at least three times each and as a whole, it will be 15 times or more. You already knew that by my appearance that I am very young and new in this line because there is no sign of prostitution on my face and body. If you want otherwise with that amount of money or less than that I suggest you to, Please, search for another one who is older and more experienced than me. Go to the shop owner, he will help you to find you such one. Anyway, don't disturb me any longer. I have to catch more gentle clients than you."
After saying these words rapidly, she was gone.
Shaheed whispered to Mansur in shouting mood, "What the hell are you, motherfucker! You are utterly an idiot. Have you ever hired a prostitute? You only have gone to the prostitute village and fucked one or two girls. What do you know about them? Getting fucked is their business. You can't imagine how many times they can get fucked!"
Mansur said in a timid voice, "Why then she told that she wouldn't be able. And you know she is really young. I knew it just as I saw her face. If she can't, what about my money. I earned the money by rickshaw pulling. And you, a gambler, don't know how tough the job is."
Shaheed said, "Fuck your rickshaw pulling and your money, you motherfucker. What is the matter with you, always saying, I earned the money by rickshaw pulling and you, a gambler, don't know how tough the job is! Anyway, I don't have time to fence with you. Please, just shut-up. I will take the responsibility of your money. You know, it is very hard to find a young bitch like her. Please, just shut your fucking mouth. If you can manage even 10 people, we all of them will fuck her whether she comply with us or not.
After those words, Shaheed started running with Mansur after him along the track they girl had followed. Having passed some distance, they reached the girl just in time for another person was about to approach her.
Shaheed said, "we are agreed. 2000tk and we two people only, okay. But you have to let us fuck you as many times as we can."
"These two men could fuck me highest 6 times. It is hard for me but I will be able to bear the burden with trouble. And maybe they will not able to fuck for a long time." The girls thought in his mind. And then said to them, "Okay, I will let you fuck me as many times as you can, providing you assure me that you two people only and not a single one more."
Shaheed shook his head meaning 'yeas'. And the girl looked at Mansur as a question. He shook his head in the same manner as Shaheed as a reply.
The girl informed them that they would have to bear all other expenses. Seeing Mansur hesitate, Shaheed stealthily push him with his elbow. This time Mansur also shook his head as before.
Taking 200tk from them, the girl went to a restaurant to have dinner. She would not take long and would reach the shop in 20 minutes. The girl kept her words. She came back on time.
There was no reason to believe clients. It could be happened that after fucking her whole night, they took her all money they had given her and even her mobile phone. Therefore, she deposited the money she got from them and her mobile phone switched off. After that, she set off with them.
It was already night when they got out of the bus at Hamidpur Bus-stand. Now they would have to be cautious about people acquainted with them. If they saw them with a girl, surely they would think of her as a prostitute and ask who was the girl with them. What would be their answer to that question then! If they couldn't make believe them that she was not a prostitute but a relative, they would be in trouble. In order to get rid of the trouble they would have to make a story, but they would assuredly hesitate as they would be telling the story, so it is better to keep a bit distance from her. In this way, there would arise a problem to communicate with her for she had no mobile phone with her. Therefore, they would have to make a better plan. Yes, they got the plan. They could go to their village using another path. If they did so, they mightn't have to face any question. There would be another advantage using that path, they wouldn't need to enter their village with the girl who was nothing but a prostitute. They could go to a machine house situated in the middle of the paddy field of their village straightly from the road. Machin houses were a safe place, no one would know that they hired a prostitute.
When they reached the verge of the paddy field with the girl, Shaheed told Mansur, "I am so much hungry, so I have to go home to have a meal. Take the harlot to a machine house without me."
Straightaway Mansur objected in an angry voice, "Who the hell are you to command me. I hired the girl. And I am also hungry. You do take the girl with you and I will go home."
Shaheed took his hand and moved a few steps away from the girl. When they were alone, Shaheed placed his index finger upon his lips, "Sash! Please, don't create a scene, you bugger; other people might hear you and straightway come to see what is going on here. If they come, could you imagine what kind of problem will arise? Would you be able to handle this? No, of course not. I am aware that you hired the girl and don't be so much proud of that. Now listen quietly what I am going to tell you. You know well that I have some extra task to do. I must inform some boys about the harlot and send them to you. otherwise, all of your money has gone. Moreover, I have to also take yaba tablet. If not so, my penis will not be erected enough to fuck her. But if take yaba, I will be able to fuck her like a dog. Please, don't argue with me, take the girl with you to khaja's Machin house like a decent boy and give her in the driver's hand. I know the driver well, he is a my-dear-type-person and also from another village so that he is safe. He will not make any trouble and do what we bid him do. We have to just give him a chance to fuck her, of course after we do her, that's all. And---
At this point, they girl yelled at them, "Hey what the hell are you talking about. Are you plotting against me, you bloody boys? Are you planning to gather other people to frig me, you fucked up?
"What the nonsense are you thinking about? We are counseling as to find a safe place where we could fuck you securely without any tension of getting caught. If we are caught with you by some bad people of our village, can you envisage what will happen? I assure you, no one will come to rescue you, but many people to fuck you. And you will die of getting fucked by a lot of people." Shaheed articulate those words while pretended to be angry.
At those words, the girl became mute.
He continued as to assure her, "Oh Darling, no need to be scared of anything. We are going to take you to a place which is very safe and reliable. Even birds won't know that we are there. Don't worry about it and make yourself easy. We hired you and we are responsible for you. Hey Mansur give her a cigarette.
The girl mouthed lighting the cigarette "if you converse about that matter, why are you away from me?"
Shaheed went to her, took her arm with his hand and whispered heading to the rain tree near to them, "Oh, you remind me a good thing. You could be noticed here by some village people. It is our good luck that nobody has seen us with you yet. Please dear, go to the backside of the rain tree and hide yourself. Otherwise, we will not be responsible for your plight. We are boys, no one can harm us. But you are a girl and even a prostitute. Anybody who will see you at this time of night and in that kind of place will fuck you severely without giving you any penny."
At those words came from Shaheed's mouth, the girl got afraid of being gang raped and hide herself at the backside of the rain tree. As for Shaheed, he came back to Mansur and muttered, "Remind me of what we were talking about, and at which point I was."
Mansur scratched his head thinking and after a moment said enthusiastically, "Oh, I remember! Taking the girl to a machine House."
Now Shaheed remembered, "Oh, yes! Give her in driver's hand. Then go to your home and take a bath and have your meal. In the meantime, I have sent some boys. You can also pick up boys from your neighborhood. Anyway, whoever they are, mind it, take the money first from them and then let them fuck her. I think this way we will be able to make some profit also. And mind that the profit will be shared between us fifty/fifty. Okay, go now! If I am late, start screwing the bitch without me; I will not mind."
Mansur took some steps to the rain tree to get the girl and suddenly stopped. Turning around to Shaheed that already had set off to the direction of his house, Mansur called him to stop because he has a question to ask. Shaheed's seemed to be a little bit irritated at his call.
"What, If the girl run away from machine house when I am not there?" this was the question.
And reply to the question was as below:
"You are nothing but an idiot. But the girl is not such an idiot to take a decision like this. You know, the girl is not familiar with the area and the machine house we are taking her is situated in the middle of the paddy field. The girl will not be able to find the right path to get away and to reach the main road we are standing now because the paddy field is vast and it is pitch dark outside. If she gets away from the machine house, she must get lost of directions in the paddy field, I assure you about it. Nevertheless, imagine that she has reached the road…."
"If the girl is lost in the vast paddy field, how she will reach the road?" Mansur interrupted him in low voice.
Shaheed ground his teeth in anger, "Don't interrupt me, please. The driver may help her to reach the road."
"What! What do you say! How dare he! If he does so, I will kick him out from the village immediately." Mansur looked as if he was going to kick him out from the village now.
"Keep your screwed up mouth shut and be quiet. You know well that before you did so, your father will kick you out from his house because he will have known the matter by the time. You understand now!" He seemed to be out of patience.
At those words, Mansur became speechless for a moment and then said trying to be calm, "Now tell me, why the driver will help the harlot to get out of the paddy field."
The girl could bribe her body the driver to help her to get out of the paddy field. Shaheed said wisely.
"Okay, I understand. Now continue." His voice seemed to be so much tired.
"Let's imagine that she has reached the road with the driver's help, okay. But the whole road up to bus-stand won't be totally empty, some people must be there. When they see a girl alone in this hour of the night, they will suspect her as a whore as you did before in Ghatail and taking in the bush beside the road without giving her a single penny. Not only they will fuck her, but they also call their other friends to join them."
"How the people will be sure of her as a whore? I think suspecting her as a prostitute will not enough for them to grasp her, a girl alone in the road could be a member of a decent family" Mansur asked tentatively."
"They surely know that a girl that is not a prostitute will not be alone on a road in this time of night. Moreover, when people see a girl unaccompanied in this village road, surely they will fuck her whether she is a prostitute or a daughter of the prime minister. Now I ask you a question, if we see a beautiful and sexy girl walking along the road by her own, what will we do, tell me what you will do."
Mansur said triumphantly as if he got the girl, "Okay, no need to explain anymore, I understand well."
Just, come once
Long way away, in my drifting warm childhood-
On the secluded corner of my reading-desk,
A glass of mute water you left.
Even now when thirsty, like a weary pedestal,
I drink the water with the content of my heart.
Tip
Tania went into a cosmetics shop in the new market area in order to buy some tips. She was dressed in sky color jeans and a stripe shimmy. She sensibly started to choose some from a great deal of different color and shape of the tips with her finicky eyes. It kept her busy quite a long time. If she was not a stunning beauty and youthfulness, the shop owner must have been irritated by the time. And it is well known that every young girl spend rather much time to choose their cosmetic things, but Tania really exceeded every other girl of her age in spending time of selecting some tips. Anyway, in spite of the girl's striking attractiveness, just as the shop owner was on the verge of getting irritated, the girl showed the tips selected by her and asked for the price. No sooner the shop owner told her the price than without a moment's hesitation, she brought out a purse from the vanity bag hanged from her shoulder and then briskly drew out two hundred taka notes from the purse and passed on to the shop owner. As he put the money in his cash-box and searched for the change, she smoothly gathered the packets of tips and cautiously put in her vanity bag as if these things were very precious. Then she received the change and did exactly opposite as she had done at the time of giving the money to the shop owner. The shop owner articulated some smooth words to her so that she would come back in his shop whenever some cosmetic things needed to buy. Tania gave her consent by smiling sweetly and departed from the shop swiftly. She walked for some time and found herself just out of the market on a busy road flowing alongside the market, where many rickshaw had been standing waiting for passengers. She energetically mounted on a rickshaw that was just before her without making any bargain with the rickshaw–puller and directed him in an affable voice where to go.
Regionalism
One evening, on a busy highway in Dhaka city, a suprobhat bus broke down, and a turag bus rammed into it, though the hit was not very hard, for the bus driver had slammed on the brake on time. If not so, a fatal accident could have happened. Due to the hit, both buses jolted, and some passengers on both buses were injured slightly- passengers at the back of the suprobhat bus were more hurt than others.
A faded image
My high school situated in a country town was a boys' school, for that reason we scarcely saw girls nearby. There was also a girls' school not really far from ours. Often the teaching period of the girls' school came to an end before the proper time, most often in our tiffin period, for the authority of the school was not sound. This was a great opportunity for us to look at the girls of the girls' school through our classroom-window while they were going back, walking in groups, dressed in their school uniform (A blue color chemise, white color pajamas and a white color scarf) to their homes along the earthen road going beside our school premises. This was our only enjoyment in the midst of our tedious lessons, and we kept ourselves waiting ardently for them to come. But having overwhelmed us with distress, now and then they came after our session had been over.
The girl with curved nose
Once upon a time, I fell in love with a girl whose nose was carved in the middle of it. I was proud of her, thinking in mind that apart from her there was no girl in all over the world who had a curved nose. Her curved nose, mainly, caused me a great fascination for her.
Wrath and Happiness over the same incident
Fahad was thinking randomly about various things not connected with each other with his eyes half closed, sitting on a seat beside a window on a bus full of passengers, and the bus was running along the highway in Dhaka city at night nearly eleven o'clock. All of a sudden, he perceived obscurely that the bus came near a flyover and he was pretty sure that the bus would go over the flyover, because the buses of this service used to go over the flyover. But unlike before, the bus veered its track and then ran along the highway under the flyover. Anyway, Fahad was so much engaged in his haphazard thoughts and his brain was so distracted that he was not able to concentrate on that matter. And all of the passengers on the bus were too fatigued physically and mentally to quarrel with the driver over the matter. Well, the bus continued to run and after going a little distance, abruptly stopped. Fahad opened his eyes and looked idly out of the windscreen in order to know why the bus stopped and perceived that the bus stood in front of a rail crossing and as a caution a bamboo stick was placed diagonally for a train was coming along the rail track though it was not very near. However, weariness of his body made his eyes close fully, he threw himself off in arbitrary thoughts and in a moment started to adrift on the imagination as the sea fig on the wave of the ocean.