Valentine's day! Differently!

Spring afternoon! Sky came putting an azure saree on to take part in the romancing! Seemed flirtatious enough to coax the loners like me! Sitting at a corner of the TSC, I was watching people enjoying their precious time!

And lamenting being alone! Alone, alone all alone among the sea of jutis (couples) and such a day, it was!

Near me was sitting a bare footed boy of barely seven years old with a faded red plastic basket in hand! His peculiar green eyes seemed confused-what was going on all around! I was trying to feel better by redirecting my attention from the couples! So I peeped into the red basket. There were few roses! Colours of the withered flowers became indiscernible. Seemed were not saleable ever!

I asked him what was the matter! After struggling to get the meaning what he said, it was like this, he collected those from Shahbag wholesale flower market after failing to buy the costly good ones! But probably no one dared to care his dear by giving those in fear of …

I was feeling deserted by my friends as everyone was busy today, I tried to carry on talking to him... not for any purpose but to feel better. But I could not understand him much!

Then did something crazy! I gave him a 100 TK note from my cold pocket! No; I was not in a mood of philanthropy! Possibly out of desperation to do something, I did so.

Anyway, getting the note the boy rushed to the nearby footpath just on the opposite side of TSC not looking at me even for once!

I became confused for being crazy! Haven’t got the tuition money yet but pocket was on the verge of freezing! Anyway I went behind him and caught him giving a poor derelict women the note with a wide smile!

I felt curious to talk to her! She seemed talking in a dialect most likely from the northern part of the country! She told me ( what I understood), she came to Dhaka to find her husband who was a day laborer and missing for three months! She found him at the corridor of Dhaka Medical who was languishing there becoming invalid caused by an accident while working at a construction site. I noticed, though derelict in appearance an apparently strange glow of satisfaction was on her face!

I couldn’t resist the temptation to ask her do you still love your invalid husband? She became confused! Then I asked her why she didn’t leave him as he couldn’t provide her anymore!

Well! Now she said something but what I understood a sudden rush of blood on her worn out brown face! In fact she couldn’t- her coyness was telling…

She now makes jasmine garland for the flower lovers or THE lovers and sell those through her boy to support the family! But she couldn’t buy any as the price was so high today!

I had to leave them as I was to attend my tuition job. I started for it and thinking about my foolishness!