In Sehrawardy park, youngsters play love games all day long. Exhausted in the evening, they return home. This time they need hot tea and hot coffee - One for the road. I'm walking around with a flask and saying in a serious voice - "Hot tea! Hot coffee!"
Selling well. Seeing the demand is high, I have also increased the price. Tea five takas, coffee ten takas.
"Who? Isn’t that Himu? Ai Himu!"
I looked around. Mr. Eldest Khalu (Eldest Uncle). [Note: Khalu means husband of the eldest aunt/khala, who is the eldest sister of mother.]
He is wearing a tracksuit. Sneakers. Half towel on the shoulder. He is running to reduce diabetes. He wipes his face with a towel as soon as sweat accumulates on his face. "Himu, what are you (tumi) doing?" [Tumi = standard you.]
"Selling hot tea, hot coffee."
Mr. Khalu raised his eyes to his forehead and said, "Say-what!"
I said with a smile, "I went down to independent business. Wanna have a cup?"
"Are you really selling tea and coffee?"
"Hm."
"Nothing is impossible for you. Everything is possible. There's sugar in tea?"
" Yup."
"Is there too much sugar?"
"Prepared standard tea-coffee. Everything depends on the amount. Price refund if not liked."
"How much does it cost?"
"Tea five, coffee ten."
"Who will drink tea and coffee at such a high price?"
" Everyone is drinking it."
Mr. Khalu walked towards the bench and said, "Let's have a cup of tea. I will see you selling tea here. It wasn’t even in my Wildest Imagination. "
"Had you (apni) fun meeting me here?" [Apni= superior you to address seniors.]
"Hey, your tea is pretty good."
"Thank you."
"She would not believe it if I told your aunt about this incident."
"It's only natural to not believe it."
"Do you have a cigarette? There is no fun in drinking tea without cigarettes."
"No cigarettes. Should I bring it?"
"Bring it. Keep cigarettes with you when selling tea & coffee."
"Not a bad idea. Shall I bring one cigarette or an entire packet?"
"One. Smoking at home is strictly forbidden. When I smoke a cigarette, your aunt shouts like Karens. The older she gets, the more unbearable she becomes."
Mr. Khalu got annoyed and spat. I went looking for cigarettes.
The evening has long since passed. However, the light in the sky is still faintly visible. Darkness is all around. Mr. Khalu is comfortably drinking the third cup of tea and the second cigarette. He seems happy. We are sitting on the park bench.
"Himu, even though your tea contains too much sugar, it's still good."
"Thank you."
"I need to tell you one thing. Your aunt must not know that I met you here in Sehrawardy park."
"What happens if she knows?"
"Yes, there are problems. Whenever she hears about me being in this place, blood ascends to your aunt's head."
Himu wears a yellow panjabi that does not have a pocket and lives a mostly nomadic life. He walks barefoot on the streets of Dhaka without a certain destination. Himu walks around with not much to do, barefoot, in a city that actively despises people like him. Never being able to hold down a job in his life, Himu does not quite fit into this city that celebrates obedience.
He does not have a job and, therefore, no source of income. He prefers the life of a beggar than that of a hard worker, often praising begging. However, Himu walks endlessly–using no form of transportation. The wanderer is decidedly eccentric and unorthodox in outlook.
He has a cult following for his spiritual power of predicting future events of anyone, including those of police officer, beggar, neighbor, relatives and tea stall proprietor. Most of the time he indifferently speaks unpleasant truth about the person with whom he talks.
Author: Humayun Ahmed (c)
Translator: Fenir Roy (Roy Nishan) (c)
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