‘Your Ranju’s left in some foreign land, couldn’t you see him just for once with your own eyes!’
Standing at the foot of well Osman picks up lemon-leaf one after another and listens his mother’s lamentation. Crushing the lemon-leaf with the fingers while having advanced towards the yard some unknown guy saw him, ‘hey! Let Ranju take chance to shoulder!’Who’s the guy? That same guy regrets again, ‘Aha however elder son, the eldest child! Where did he lie idle,not a drop of water could he give to his father’s mouth!Ah,being a father he did not get a fist of soil from his son!’
The conversation continues in the very presence of Osman.Nobody takes notice of the mistake. He also goes towards the western locality carrying on his shoulder one side of the cot bearing the dead corpse of his father.
In the western locality there is a jum’a prayer house, in the backside of the jum’a prayer house there is twine silk-cotton tree-shade of the kazi residence, ten small bushes and uneven graveyard filled up with dead-thorns. The rose-water sprinkled from the rose-water pot over the procession accompanying the dead corpse seems to be the drops of dew shedding from the silk-cotton tree. Few drops having fallen upon Osman’s legs wake him up. A large part the sheet has got wet, through the window of the other side are coming sprinkles from the rains.
Osman had to get up.He laid down again having closed the window-panes after spitting through the window-bars. But the side-window remained open. Through that window water-sprinkles have fallen on the chair. On the chair there are kingstork,match,key and ‘Pakistan observer’ of few days back .
On the first page throughout 4 pages there is a miss world picture of this year. Yesterday at noon he’s brought this from Anwar’s home for using. Falling in the clutches of the guy brother Shawkat the quantity of bangladrink became much at night, forget when the hell he’s laid down with pants .Cold rainings fall upon the thick thighs of the Sicilian miss world. Keeping that in the front under the blanket it would be easy to let the condensed cascade flow from one’s own thigh-joint. But it doesn’t work.
While unbuttoning the pants it is understood that his whole body’s got frozen out and out being in touch with the dead body of his father. Who knows whether dreams at dawn come true really, whether his father died truly? A dream dreamt a little while ago, does it want to leave easily?
Even in the day of winter it gets glued like sweat. But if someone of one’s own is seen dying in the dream other person dies. No! father is fine for sure. Being sure a little bit of papa’s staying alive Osman gets angry over his father. Why the hell did he return once having been to Pakistan for living?
Here he did neither homestead nor anything. After having done the jobs for six years he went to the country long since taking leave for once showing any sign of his return no longer. Where the hell will he show his bossing without staying in the village!
Before his anger over papa got deepened well Osman got down at a hop on the floor being tensed much hearing the sounds of stirring the door-handles, whether did father do come? After throwing away the picture of miss universe with a blow of hands on the floor he opened the door-nails saying ‘Who is it’ while buttoning the pants looking to and fro.Shit!where the hell papa will come from? Is it a matter of joke to come from India?
Immediate after opening the door there’s a blurred stiff stairs for descending. On the topmost step of the stairs a boy of 14/15 years old stands. Through the open window of Osman’s house lights have fallen upon the body’s upper part of the boy. Half-sleeved hawai shirt of blue colour is worn, under the flap two chest-pockets, a pagoda’s top is embroidered with a thread of deep maroon colour on the right pocket.
Staring at the door-frame the boy says, ‘you get down for a little while.’
Osman looks straightly at the boy’s face, ‘what’s the matter?’
At low voice the boy replies, ‘we live in the second floor.’
‘What’ll I do?’ smiles Osman a little bit.
The boy doesn’t laugh, doesn’t get annoyed. Keeping hands upon the railing of the stairs beside him he mutters, ‘you come for a while .My brother’s died.’Taking a pause for a little while suddenly he speaks out loudly, ‘Yesterday he’s been shot dead with the police-bullet.’
In spite of not asking this question where did the bullet hit? Osman asks, ‘where?
Standing straightly again immediate after lowering his head a little bit instantly.
‘Come to our house. The house owner told me to call everybody.’
‘Let’s go.’
Getting down few steps behind the boy Osman stood still suddenly. Now the light coming through the window combing the disorderly hair of the boy is rolling down to his neck. While sounds of Osman’s footstep stopped the boy looked behind standing. Now light’s up to his cheek. In his eyes red clear lines move restelessly.While looking at Osman from the height of about 7/8 steps a pair of red eyes laden with lights seem to be big.
Osman says, ‘You go.I’m coming after a little while.’
The boy stands for a while. Now window-light’s on his neck, on the collar of shirt. This time he got down without looking back .Osman thought that the boy’s sad pair of eyes would be seen once again.
On taking much of paste on the toothbrush Osman pees while brushing teeth after going to one corner on the roof. On coming home he washes face sitting at the other side of the roof after pouring water from the pitcher into the glass. He has to do the act of washing face little bit slowly and steadily as it would have chance to vomit while gargling quickly. On the very roof Osman completes peeing and washing face.
The house owner has no consent in neither of the acts. It’s a must to go down to have a bath. ‘Gowsol ajam shoe factoy’of the house owner is in the groundfloor.There are 8/10 persons in the factory. Three of the latrines in a row are often occupied by them. So Osman evacuates either in the office or in the cinema or in the mosque. For bathing throughout one side of the damp cemented yard there is a very large aquariam,this is called house. But on taking a look at that he feels like getting cold, it gets almost unusual in having a bath.
Gani’s been living in this house for about two and half years. The home is hopeless!
(to be continued)