After walking for a while, I saw many food hotels and restaurants ahead.

In a hurry, I entered one of the restaurants.

After washing my hands and face properly, I sat at a table and started looking at the menu card.

Everything seemed quite expensive.

A normal rice and lentil porridge cost 80 taka, and two flatbreads were 40 taka.

But I was very hungry.

So I ordered four flatbreads, a portion of vegetable curry, and a poached egg.

After a short while, the food arrived.

Without wasting any time, I started eating quickly.

I was so hungry that it felt like I could finish everything.

I hadn’t eaten since noon the previous day.

So it felt like my hunger was even greater.

The flatbreads went well with the vegetable curry.

I also noticed small pieces of meat in the curry, which made the taste even better.

After finishing quickly, I went to the washroom, washed my hands, and had just sat down when the waiter brought the bill.

Seeing the bill made my head spin.

I had spent 200 taka on just four small items.

The vegetable curry alone cost 100 taka—never had I seen such expensive vegetables, not even at home.

But what could I do?

I was hungry, so I finished it all.

Now, I had to pay the bill.

After paying and leaving the restaurant, I started thinking about what to do next.

It was 11:30.

After thinking for a while, I decided to explore Chattogram city and see what it looked like.

I started walking again.

But as I walked, I realized the city couldn’t be that close.

I would have to ask someone.

But whom?

I didn’t know anyone here.

And I couldn’t really talk to anyone freely.

What should I do, what should I do?

If friends were here, I wouldn’t have to worry so much.

No, I couldn’t think like that.

I had to handle this on my own, using my own wits.

So what could I do now?

I decided to go to a small shop, buy something, and ask for directions to the city while paying.

I saw a shop in the distance.

I hurried toward it.

The shop owner was an elderly man.

Good—people like him usually answer kindly.

Inside the shop, I couldn’t decide what to buy.

Then I remembered I didn’t have water, so I took a bottle and went to the counter.

I asked the uncle,

“How much is this?”

“30 taka.”

“Okay, uncle, how can I go to the city from here? I mean, I want to go to the shopping mall.”

He said,

“You go straight from here and take a left.

You’ll see a bus station.

Get on the bus and tell them you want to go to the city; they’ll drop you near the shopping mall.

It’s about an eight-minute walk to the bus station from here.”

“Thank you, uncle. You’ve helped me a lot.”

“Oh, what help!

It’s our duty.

If someone doesn’t know the way, we just show the correct route.”

“Alright, thank you, uncle.”

I paid him and left.

On the way, he said, “Come again to the shop.”

What a kind man.

That’s why elderly people usually give directions or help when you ask them something.

I started walking quickly and reached the bus station.

The uncle had said, “A bus comes here every 20 minutes.”

It took me six minutes to reach here.

I thought the bus would arrive shortly.

Before I could stand there for long, the bus arrived.

I got on and said, “I want to go to the shopping mall.”

Paying 50 taka, I sat down and moved toward the window.

The bus started moving.