Sighing, Megh hit herself on the head and said, 'Shame on you, Megh, shame on you, what are you thinking? Does anyone have a crush on their cousin brother? Even if he was good and well-behaved, it might have been acceptable, but can someone so serious, ill-tempered, and with a Hitler-like nature be someone's crush? A boy who can raise his hand on a 10-year-old girl, whatever else he may be, cannot be my crush.' Just thinking this made Megh's chest well up with pain.
To compose herself, she picked up her mobile and called Bonna, her closest friend. The call was answered on the first ring.
Bonna: Assalamu Alaikum, how are you, baby?
Megh: Walaikum Assalam, Alhamdulillah, I am fine, how are you?
Bonna: Is there any special reason for remembering me suddenly? Your broken phone is about to shut down any moment.
Megh, in an angry tone, almost roared... "Why didn't you come to coaching today? You missed something amazing..."
Bonna: Tell me, friend, what did I miss?
Megh: If I tell you now, you won't get the same feeling, silly.
Bonna: Oh baby, just tell me. Tomorrow is Friday, coaching is closed, we'll see each other again on Sunday, I won't be able to wait until then. Please tell me.
Megh: I have an iPhone 13 pro max in my hand right now.
Bonna didn't believe Megh at all, she laughed it off and said, Tell me something else now.
'You're going to buy a 14 pro max in a bit, you who was given a half-broken phone by her brother for use, which shuts down a hundred times a day, and she has an iPhone in her hand. Did you wake up from a dream?'
Megh's cheerful mood suddenly soured, she said in an offended tone, 'Abir Vai is coming from abroad tomorrow, he is bringing it for me.'
Bonna: Ah, that's why you didn't say. Otherwise, the brother you have would never buy you a phone in this life, even if your father wanted to give you one, he would smash it. Wait, wait, who is this Abir Vai? The one who hit you when you were little, him?
Megh replied with a darkened face, 'Yes, my cousin brother.'
Bonna: Then how did he become so fond of you?
Megh: I don't know. Listen, let me tell you something.
Bonna: Yes, tell me.
Megh: Actually, seeing Abir Vai yesterday evening, I had a minor shock.
Bonna: Meaning?
Megh: What a handsome face, his standing style, his look, and his messy hair made my heart feel chaotic. I think I have a crush on him.
Puffing her cheeks and sighing, Bonna composed herself and said in a serious tone, 'Are you alright, Megh? For so many years you've been saying this person ruined your childhood, and now, just stepping into adolescence, you're crushing on this person? People change colors, they change for no reason, I had only heard this saying until now, but seeing you today, it feels 100% true. Otherwise, you're casually talking about someone you considered an enemy for so many years, bravo Megh, bravo.'
Sensing Megh's silence, Bonna started talking again, 'This is no big deal, baby, you just saw him suddenly, that's why he seemed astonishingly handsome, just shake it out of your head and you'll see everything will be fine. We promised each other, didn't we, that if one of us goes astray, the other will handle it? Did you forget?'
Megh's changed expression was clear. Suddenly composing herself, she asked abruptly,
'Am I not beautiful? Am I not worthy of being someone's crush?'
Bonna was slightly taken aback by Megh's sudden question, then she just laughed for a few minutes. She said in a normal tone... 'Of course you are beautiful, and worthy of being crushed on, but whether you can be a guy's crush, I doubt. You could be the crush of the streets, the trees, faded walls, even cows and goats.'
Megh, fuming with anger, cut the call and thought, 'Nowadays, even when you want comfort, people make fun.'
Although the reason for Bonna's laughter was very normal. Tanvir and everyone at home had always kept a close eye on Megh; she studied in a girls' school from 6th to 10th grade, then a girls' college. Oh, her life was like a barren desert, nowhere was there anyone (meaning no boys around). The family car would be outside the school and college, home to school, school to home. If she didn't see any boys, how could she have a crush! Since gaining consciousness, Megh has attended maybe 2-3 cousins' weddings. What they call attending weddings just for the sake of it. Out of fear of Tanvir, Megh would sit in a corner of the wedding house. Her brother's strict rule was she couldn't leave the room, even more so when the groom's party arrived. Food would be sent inside for her, Tanvir himself would feed his sister as he wished. Then after the wedding, he would leave with his mother and sister. She could never dance, sing at a Gaye Holud (henna ceremony), or even apply henna. Due to this pain, Megh doesn't go to anyone's wedding anymore. Tanvir probably feels relieved about this. If anyone hears about Megh's black and white life, not just Bonna, but everyone in the world will laugh. Her life has become a bay leaf (bitter/frustrating). Sometimes she wonders if being born in this house was really necessary...!!!
Bonna called back several times, but Megh didn't answer the call due to her life's frustrations. What's the point of showing anger to a friend...! Life is what it is, one has to accept it.
Bonna also has to pay the price of being Megh's best friend. Along with Megh, Tanvir keeps an eye on Bonna too. The saying goes, "Bad company can even make iron float" (meaning bad company influences badly), if the company is bad, Megh will also become bad, so he always puts people behind Bonna. Not just Bonna, Megh has 2 other friends, one is Pakhi and the other is Maya. Tanvir keeps an eye on them too. Protecting his sister from all sides seems to be his first and main job.
★★★★
Abir had been sleeping since the afternoon. His sleep broke at 7 pm with Adi's call (assuming it's a name). Abir's father and Megh's father were sitting downstairs, they had quickly come from the office upon hearing about Abir buying a bike. Abir woke up, splashed water on his face, wiped his face somehow with a towel, and immediately left the room. He knew his father very well; if he didn't appear immediately upon being called, a commotion would start at home. The effects of sleep were clearly visible on Abir's face. He was walking quickly. Suddenly, Megh came running out of her room with messy hair, her steps unsteady. To avoid a collision, he quickly controlled himself and looked with fiery eyes at her, then his thick eyebrows relaxed immediately, he stared intently.
For a moment, Abir's mind froze, his gaze was intense, his breath became heavy as he suddenly stopped walking, his eyes fell upon a young woman dressed in black, he looked at her from head to toe, in the black dress she looked like an Apsara, her messy hair had crossed her waist, looking at her hair, it seemed to be referring to Jibanananda Das's Banalata Sen,
"Her hair, the dark night of Bidisha from times long past."
Megh's small body trembled as she stopped quickly, her gaze fell on the chest of the six-foot-tall man, Megh looked up at the man's face, Megh was looking at Abir's eyes with astonished eyes, not blinking even once, Abir didn't notice the water dripping from his messy hair onto his white t-shirt from the splashes of water on his face.
Abir stood still for a few seconds, then suddenly regained his fierce demeanor and walked briskly towards the stairs, he paused upon hearing a young woman's soft voice from behind but didn't feel the need to look back.
Megh said in a frightened voice, 'Thank you Abir Vai'.
Who knows if Abir heard or not, he stood for a moment and then, as usual, went downstairs in a busy manner.
Megh stood fixed at the door, her hands and feet trembling violently, Megh felt like the whole world was spinning. For some reason, the girl couldn't find the strength to stand, she quickly leaned against the wall to control herself. After so many years, Megh looked into Abir's eyes, her insides jolted with fear repeatedly, Megh's soul was drying up.
★★★★
The two brothers were sitting on the sofa, the women of the house were busy in the kitchen but their eyes were on them, who knows what would happen.
Ali Akbar Khan, maintaining his seriousness, asked with a roar, "You bought a bike, did you?"
At this, the young woman upstairs regained her senses, she became somewhat normal, took two steps forward, stood by the balcony, and looked down, her father and 'Boro Abbbu' (Abir's father) were sitting on the sofa below, Abir was standing straight a little distance away with his arms folded.
'Yes,' Abir replied expressionlessly.
'But why?' his father roared again.
'I wanted to buy a bike, so I bought one,'
'Don't you know buying or riding a bike is forbidden in this house?' This time the question was asked by Chachchu Mojammel Khan.
'Yes, I know, there's no point being anxious about what happened 20/30 years ago, if something bad is written in fate, it will come even if I travel across seven seas. That will happen whether I stay at home or travel by car.'
'Will you two brothers just do as you please?' Ali Akbar Khan asked in an angry tone.
'If buying a bike means doing as I please, then I am sorry, Abbbu. On this matter, I will listen to my heart.'
'We have 3 cars of our own, we bought so many cars for you,' Mojammel Khan said in a gentle tone.
'It's your wish to travel by car, so you bought cars. I don't like traveling by car, so I bought a bike, what's the big deal about it, Chachchu. If your interrogation regarding the bike is over, I have something important to tell you.' Abir said these words looking at his father.
The women of the house, who had been in the kitchen all this time, could not stay any longer, they all rushed to the drawing-room. Megh was looking at Abir with a sharp gaze. In this house, she had never heard anyone speak loudly and talk back like this in so many years. Whatever temper Tanvir Vai had shown, it was all directed at Megh, he never dared to talk back to 'Boro Abbbu' or her own father. Abir Vai has been here for 2 days, and today he is telling his father his wishes to his face, now Megh thinks he is something even bigger than Hitler. Megh was trying to listen carefully to the rest of the conversation.
Abir: Abbbu, Chachchu, I have been thinking for a long time about starting my own company. If you permit, I will start the work.
It was as if the sky had fallen on the heads of both Mojammel Khan and Ali Akbar Khan. They had educated their son abroad for so many years, expecting him to take over the family business when he returned to the country, and the boy is thinking of starting his own company as soon as he sets foot in the country.
Mojammel Khan said in a worried tone, We thought you would carry forward the family business.
Before Abir could say anything, Ali Akbar Khan spoke up, 'Alright, you have studied and returned, we will certainly give importance to your opinion, we have no objection to your new company, but I have a condition, you will be the CEO of our company, tomorrow is Friday, the office is closed, so you will go to the office on Saturday, you will be officially given the CEO position. Then, if you can manage our office and start your new company and establish it, we have no objection. Best of luck my boy.'
It seemed Abir knew beforehand something like this would happen, so no change was visible in him.
Saying only this much, Abir's father got up from the sofa and started walking towards his room, he stopped after a few steps and said to Abir in a choked voice,
'We won't be here forever to manage the company, you will have to take responsibility, if you can't, tell your beloved brother Tanvir to leave politics and come into business, then you can keep opening your own company as you wish.'
Abir clenched his jaw, looked at his father, and said,
'Tanvir will do politics, there's no need to put business in his head, I will come to the office on Saturday. I can manage everything by myself. Please free Tanvir, let him do his politics as he likes. Just as I have accepted your condition, you must also accept a condition of mine, that is, I will work as I please, when and where I need to, I will finish my work and leave, no one can stop me in any way then. If needed, I will finish work from both offices and return home at 12 AM or 2 AM, or even not return, you should not worry about this.'
Abir spoke these words in one breath and left the house quickly without looking anywhere.
Ali Akbar Khan stood for a few moments, said nothing, and walked towards his room.
There was pin-drop silence in the house. Mojammel Khan was sitting on the sofa, nearby were three women (likely mothers/aunts) looking at each other repeatedly, they had full faith in Abir but the problem was that while managing the outside world, the boy might neglect himself, that was their concern.
While the people downstairs showed signs of worry, Megh was enjoying a kind of entertainment standing upstairs. The person whose 'Boro Abbbu's' word was law, today someone had come to challenge him. What conditions the father and son were setting. Megh found it funny thinking about such father, such son. Suddenly, the smile disappeared and the girl's face became heavy, and she started whispering, "He's a Hitler himself, and he's encouraging my brother to become a big goon. My life was a bay leaf because of my brother for so many years, now another one has appeared. My fate is bad."
The situation wasn't right to go downstairs now, so muttering, she was about to enter her room when her eyes fell on Abir Vai's room. With a stack of disappointment, Megh entered her room.
Megh had moved upstairs from the ground floor thinking she would get a lot of freedom staying in a separate room away from her parents, there was no worry as Abir Vai was abroad. But 15 days after Megh came, Tanvir also moved into the room next to Megh's with his belongings. Tanvir's room is right after going up the stairs. He mainly came to this room to guard his sister. Whenever Tanvir is in the room, he keeps his room door open, Megh walks up and down slowly thinking of her brother even if she wants to run up the stairs. Currently, Megh's situation is dire because she has Abir Vai's room on one side and Tanvir Vai's on the other. The room after Tanvir's is being prepared for Meem, Meem will also stay upstairs after a few days but what good is that! It is doubtful if she can even reach Meem's room past her brothers.
★★★★
It was past 10 pm, everyone had finished eating and gone to their rooms. Abir hadn't returned yet. Maliha Khan (Abir's mother) was sitting on the sofa waiting for her son. After 10-15 minutes, Abir and Tanvir entered the house, Abir was slightly angry seeing his mother sitting there.
'Ammu, please don't stay up waiting for me like this at night, I will eat by myself.'
'When you get a wife, I won't wait for you anymore,' Maliha Khan replied suddenly.
Tanvir laughed loudly hearing his 'Boro Ammu'. Abir turned his head and looked at Tanvir, Tanvir immediately stopped laughing, he was laughing silently.
Tanvir has always been timid by nature, however tough he might appear outside, in front of his father, uncle, and brother, he was like a wet cat. Until now, no matter what work he had, the boy would come home by 8-9 pm and sit down to eat with everyone. But with Abir's return, the boy's time schedule has changed a bit.