The train started rolling with a moderate jolt. He's still a long way off. The sidewalks at the railway station are so crowded that he can't run fast. The acceleration of the train is gradually increasing. He is struggling to stimulate his speed. He collided with a man next to him and full cup of tea spilled on his newly bought maroon shirt. He ignored that, his only goal now is to get into the train. In the last carriage of the train, three of his friends outstretched their hands to pull him up. Only a little distance!! When he was about to miss the train, Tonmoy jumped up from his sleep. It was a terrible nightmare!!
It was half past five in the morning. The light outside has started to gleam. Usually Tonmoy doesn't wake up so early but this nightmare woke him up. He unlocked the door and set off for the roof of the one-story under construction building. His father built this house with all the earnings of life. His father is struggling to cope with the four members small family. In addition, the expenditure of his Hons tuition, everything is turning to be very arduous for his father with all the money earned in an honest way of government office job. He sat in a plastic chair positioned in the east corner of the roof. A tree has soared from the ground to the roof. He saw a snail crouching on a leaf of that tree. He just doesn't comprehend why the lagger has climbed so high. He gazed at the snail for a long time and found resemblances with his father!!
Today Tonmoy felt the beauty of the morning after many months. The sun is blushing in the eastern sky and indicating its existence. A lot of time has passed in the realm of thoughts. He did not know when Renu came from behind and stood beside him. Renu is Tonmoy's elder sister. Renu always maintains a smile on her expression. When Renu smiles, dimples are visible in her cheek which makes her look more beautiful. Looking at Renu, one cannot speculate that such a big incident had swept over her even a month ago. One month after Renu's marriage, her husband died in a horrific road accident. Even then she is able to keep a smile on her face by suppressing all the pain inside her mind. Does Renu has the common similarities like this snail? Is she trying to hide all the troubles inside with a hard covering on the outside to make all happy? Tonmoy's thoughts were cut short by Renu's call. Renu mumbled with a smile on her face—
—Let’s have a cup of tea and watch the sunrise
—Hmm
—I made tea for you with so much effort and the reward is only Hmm!!
Tonmoy looked at his sister and smiled in reply. Renu looked into Tanmoy's eyes and surprised him with below words-
—সাহস করে বাবার কাছে যা আর টাকাটা চেয়ে নে!
Friends from Tonmoy’s University will go to St. Martin after two days. Today was the last day to pay. He didn't tell anyone else in his family about his excursion with the ongoing crisis. He still wonders how his sister got the message. Tonmoy replied—
—Papa will be furious
—You plead for the money, he might give
—Papa doesn’t like traveling
—Are you scared of him, Tonmoy?
Tonmoy is really afraid of his father for some unidentified reason. Not only Tonmoy but everyone in this house is afraid of his father except Renu. But it's not like he ever hit them or shouted someone. Even after that, he knows an invisible wall has been created between him and his father. Tanmoy realizes that his father's innate personality has created a strong ring around him, much like this snail, which is very soft inside but hard from outside! But an unknown fear could never penetrated that strong wall and reach that soft region.
In this quiet and silent atmosphere of the morning, Renu and Tonmoy heard the familiar sound of his father’s walking. Yes, they both looked and saw their father coming towards them slowly. His mother is coming after his father. Surprisingly Tonmoy observed, his father handed him a bundle of money. Tonmoy became really confused about himself this time. The first surprise was from his sister and now from Papa. All in all, he feels like he's still in the fiction world. He came back to the real world when his sister shook him holding his hand—
—যা বাবাকে সালাম কর
Tonmoy did realise by this time that Renu had told his father everything. Mr. Arif, father of these innocent kids hugged Tonmoy before he could reach his feet. Tonmoy can't remember the last time when he felt so much peace inside. Tonmoy noticed his eyes were full of tears. He does not wipe away his tears because there is no shame in these tears. This is the first time he's proud to have weeping. He pulled his face from his father’s chest and saw that three people around were crying like him. It would be wrong to say that they were crying, it is tears of joy. If there was any color of tears, then maybe the color of that joy would have flowed through their eyes today.
Tonmoy is feeling very pleased now, he is now the happiest person in the world. It is not because he is able to go to the trek, it is because he is very intimate to his father now. He looked again at the snail hanging on the leaf and said to himself—
I was able to pierce this hard covering and reached that desired niche. This is the greatest accomplishment of my life and everything has been possible for my lovely sister.
He doesn’t know why today it seems that in the midst of hundreds of sorrows, their family is probably the happiest family in the world.
This is my entry of this week contest BDCommunity Presents: [A Picture Speaks a Thousand Words] [Contest] arranged by @bdcommunity
I am inviting @mustavi to participate in this contest. Thanks.