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Too fast too furious She was low on the salaami front since she and her family hadn't gone home for this Eid. There were few uncles and aunties here in Dhaka. But all in all, that might have been a good thing. Her little nephews and nieces would have chewed her up. Maybe parents were right after all; growing up really isn't all it's hyped up to be. Maisha, Nusrat and her went to Mövenpick. They had got out of the house together [“we're taking a rickshaw, mum”] and then joined up with their boyfriends, all of whom had cars. Sazia got into Nafis's car and looked sideways and felt as if she should jump out again. Nafis had spiked his hair. He had decided that the occasion, and his cool new black panjabi, called for spikes. When asked about it, Sazia lied through her teeth and told him it looked marvelous. Nafis had grinned and Sazia had to fight down a laugh. He looked like the devil himself. Mövenpick had been packed. There was no space inside so they had to buy ice-cream cups and eat it in the car. 150 taka for two scoops?! She felt like a fool. You could get a litre of igloo for that. 'Sweet heart, come on it's Eid,' was Nafis's reply when she told him this. Then some guy started playing music in his car. The bass was making the ground shake. That got Nafis worked up and he started using his 12 inch woofers. Sazia thought the car would fall apart. 'Guys,' she grumbled, 'why do they have to show off so much.' She kept hearing P.O.D.'s 'Youth of the Nation' over and over in her mind. All the songs in her mp3 player couldn't get it out of her head. She watched Mojammel Bhai swerve around a couple of rickshaws with skill as he tried to avoid a signal. He was just a fraction too late. The jams of Dhaka were back. She took the earphone out. 'How was your Eid, Mojammel Bhai,' she asked her driver. He showed his neat rows of white teeth in the rearview mirror. 'It was great. Your bhabi was wearing this really nice saree and I put flowers in her bun. Uff! Ja lagtasilona ore! She thought I was nuts. She can be so shy! We hired a rickshaw and traveled around our town [he was from Netrokona]. It was amazing. Best day of my life.' 'She must have looked great,' Sazia said, smiling at the threads of ecstasy that radiated from Mojammel. 'Yeah, she's beautiful,' Mojammel sighed. 'You don't get girls like that in Dhaka. She's natural.' 'Er…what do you mean?' 'Ei dekhen dhakaiya maiyagula,' he nodded at the girl sitting on a rickshaw beside their car, 'they all pluck their eyebrows and colour their hair and wear all that make-up. They look like plashtik.' Sazia felt a little self-conscious. She plucks her eyebrows. 'What's wrong with wanting to look better?' Mojammel looked at her in the rearview mirror. He smiled, 'Afnar kota koitesina Afa. You do it with style. One can barely tell that you pluck your eyebrows. And there is nothing wrong with wanting to look good. I can't make you understand. Wait, let me give you an example.' 'Apne Suchitra Sener cinema dekhsen? No? The sahib I used to work for before, was a big fan of old Bangla movies. But his wife only watched hindi serials in the bedroom and the son only watched English in his room. So he used to drag me down to sit next to him and watch the movies. There were many nice ones, Shilpi, Harano Shur, Agontuk. The last one wasn't Suchitra's but it's a great movie. Soyttojit Ray [Satyajit Ray] na kar jani! Sahib norom diler manush asilo. He used to cry almost everytime. Even I got a little steamy eyed sometimes.' 'Back then, people went crazy for Suchitra Sen. They still go crazy for her. Ahare, bechari! She's in the hospital and the reporters won't leave her alone. They should let her be and let us remember her as she was.' 'The point is, people were mad about her. Forget Suchitra Sen, people went mad about amagor Kobori. You compare them with todays Aishwarya and you tell me who is better. They didn't have much make up on. You'll say, one doesn't need make up for black and white. That's stupid. And if that really is the case, then look at the heroine from Agontuk [her name is Mamata Shankar].' 'Ashole hoise ki Afa, bujjchen, people don't realize they are much better off with what they have got. People look at plashtik, but everyone prefers wooden furniture.' The jam was loose. Sazia thought about that Mojammel Bhai had said. Deciding to ignore the apparent sexism in the last comment, she felt he had a point. Is he right? Has her generation tried so hard to break free and fly that they have launched themselves into outer space and managed to alienate their true self? 'When I was wondering in the desert, I was searching for the truth I heard a choir of angels calling out my name' Sazia stared out at the darkening sky and Iron maiden sang Rainmaker. 'Mojammel Bhai, ektu Rifles' squarer dike cholen to,' she felt she needed a change of tune. By Kazim Ibn Sadique People come, people go  “Take my hand”, she said. With a flummoxed expression he said, “What?” “I want to be with you, I love you.” Keeping the nature a witness, Anila gave him the happiest moment of his life, yet she was forlorn. She knew she did not love him…the way he did. The sun graced the earth with its fresh beam of light. The beams danced gaily over the lush green trees as laughter flew upon the gentle breeze fluttering like a joyful spirit. She knew she was happy, yet his presence was not enough. She was jealous of him. She could make him happy just with a smile, but he could not make her happy with anything he did. She knew he tried; he tried hard and knew nobody could love her more than he did. Yet she could not love him the way he did. As days passed, she became more and more fond of him. She loved the way he talked, the way he did little silly things, and the way he told her that he loved her. At the same time she hated his insecurity and the fact how much he needed her. Anila knew one day she would love him as much as he did. She wanted to feel how good it felt when she was with someone she wanted badly to be with. She wanted her heartbeat to rise when he saw him; she wanted to get goosebumps whenever she thought of him. Yet it never happened. She could not believe she was doing this to him. She felt as if he was committing the biggest sin of her life. She knew this would break him into pieces, yet she did this. She wanted her the way they were before. It was not possible anymore. With one last look at his damp eyes emanating the eternal agony, she said, 'I am sorry'… Anila started spending her days with guilt and the feeling of a loss. She knew it would end, and she knew he would be okay. Her trust in him was the only thing that helped her live. Every morning she would wake up with no greeting from him. She missed him, but it was for their own good. If life was a poem, it would go in its peaceful rhythm. If life was a movie, there would always be happy endings...but if life was reality it would have been something like this... The day was rainy and cold and the smell of the soil brought back memories that were no longer a part of her life. The drizzling rain was clinging to her specs. Suddenly a familiar face came into her view. She could see the dark eyes had lost its glow, the smile had become lifeless and the heart was broken. She was sorry for everything, she truly was. She cared for him, and so she had to vanish from his life. As he crossed the lane and went away, she felt a trickle of tear going down her cheeks and hoped that one day, he would understand… By Raida Kifait Spongebob Squarepants Quotes  “(Singing) Cha-ching, cha-ching, cha-chingeree, money, money, how I love thee.” -Eugene Krabs “Spongebob: All you have to do is let go of the dime. “Spongebob: Don't you just love opposite day? “Don't worry Spongebob! Patrick's on the case! The truth will be revealed!” -Patrick Star “Help! I'm drowning, I have butt cramps, I want ice cream and now its dark!” -Patrick Star $1149.08?! That's a penny short!! Nooo!!” -Eugene Krabs “This is the last straw. I would rather rip out my brain stem, run to the nearest 4 way intersection and skip rope with it than continue to live where I do now!” -Squidward Tentacles “Mr. Krabs: Patrick, you're fired! “Evil Man Ray: This is your ID, its says you are Patrick Star, correct? Patrick: Yeah Evil Man Ray: So, I found your ID in this wallet, which means this must be YOUR wallet. Patrick: Makes sense to me Evil Man Ray: Then take it. Patrick: But its not my wallet!” “Patrick:Liar liar plants for hire! SpongeBob:Its pants on fire Patrick. Patrick:Yeah well you would know,liar.” “Squidward: Oh, why must every 11 minutes of my life be filled with misery? Why?! Spongebob: Don't worry Squidward. It could be worse. Patrick: Yeah, you could be bald and have a big nose.” “Patrick:Well,Mr. Krabs Is Just A Big Dummy! SpongeBob:But Mr Krabs.... Patrick:(shouts) Do You Wanna Listen To A Big Dummy Or Do Ya Wanna Listen To Me?” “Patrick: Spongebob! SPONGEBOB! Spongebob: Patrick's in trouble. Patrick: Spongebob! SPONGEBOB! SPONGEBOB!!!!!!! Spongebob: What is it, buddy?! Patrick: Could you rub my tummy?” “Customer: Is this the Krusty krab? Patrick: No, this is Patrick. Customer: Is this the Krusty Krab? Patrick: No, this is Patrick! Customer: Is this the Krusty Krab? Patrick: NO THIS IS PATRICK!!...I'm not a krusty krab. Spongebob: Uh, Patrick, that's the name of this restaurant. Patrick: Huh? Oh, fish paste!” -Patrick Star Compiled by Raida Kifait Reza |
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SAZIA leaned her head back. The bright glare of the afternoon sun was strong against her eyes. The car's AC was turned off; the day wasn't as hot as it looked. The wind was whipping her face through the lowered window. She closed her eyes as James Brown, the Godfather of Soul, sang, 'I feel good' in her ears. She didn't feel good at all. It had been a tiring class. But coming at the end of a rather dismal Eid, it wasn't much of a surprise.