11.4.10

Cry for Help


I was going home with my husband when I suddenly heard a man crying out for someone to help him. I could feel the great pain he must have been enduring and the urgency of his message. I did not understand his language, but still I could understand his message clearly. Yes, it was scary, I gazed at the building that was being knocked down by some Bangladeshi men without taking any safety precautions for sure.

People rushed out from the shops and some men even stopped their bikes and motorcycles, left them on the road and ran to help the man who was screaming for help. A huge wall has fallen and a man was trapped beneath it. Some people pulled out their mobile phones and called the police and others even alerted the ambulance.

With everyone’s help, he was finally freed from the huge brick wall which had mercilessly fallen upon him and they carried him to the road. People gathered around, some in the hope to see the damage, others trying to help the poor injured man. He was bleeding and was unconscious, since the ambulance would take a while, a man offered to take him to the hospital in his lorry.

My husband and I were standing a bit far away and then continued our journey towards home soon after he was taken to the hospital. I wonder what happened to him and whether recovered. I guess I’ll never know but I don’t think I would ever forget his cry for help.

8.4.10

Special Day for Mom


‘Rise and shine sleepy head’ said my dad in a cheerful voice. As soon as I opened my eyes I remembered about our special plans for the day. I quickly jumped out the bed and dashed towards the bathroom. My dad reminded me to be quite and tiptoed into the kitchen.

I dressed quickly and joined him in the kitchen to help him prepare the special breakfast. Last night we went for shopping and our fridge was well stocked. We made coffee, an omelet and some sandwiches and carried everything in a tray. I followed my dad, proudly holding the bouquet of flowers and her special present.
We entered the room smiling like maniacs and screamed ‘happy mother’s day’. My mom looked so happy and was saying thank you over and over. I gave her a big hug and handed our present to her. We picked her favorite flower, orchids which she carefully placed on the night stand and opened the present like an eager little girl, opening her birthday present.

My mom looked so elated when she saw the gold necklace with the heart shaped locket. Inside my dad has inserted our picture and we love you was engraved on the cover. We could tell that she really liked our present because she wanted to wear it instantly and kept on admiring it.
As she had her breakfast, we told her about our plan for the day. Since it was mom’s special day, we were going to take over her duties and let her rest. She seemed to be thrilled by the idea but looked at us and said, ‘are you sure?’ ‘Of course’ my dad and I chorused together.

Since it was a Friday and my dad and I had to go for the Friday prayer, we quickly rushed back into the kitchen to prepare lunch. After sometime mom came into the kitchen with a worried frown on her face. ‘Are you sure about this, she said nervously. ‘Of course’, we exclaimed. ‘We have meticulously planned everything, don’t worry’, my dad added with a melodramatic expression for emphasis. She still looked doubtful and lingered at the door so we decided that she could give us company while we cooked.

My mom was very impressed to see me chop the vegetables even though I took twice the time she would have taken to chop one kilogram of carrots to chop a single carrot. Finally our cooking mission was over by eleven thirty. So we quickly went to take a bath and go to the mosque, warning mom not to lay the table.
After finishing the scrumptious lunch that we have cooked, we watched Heyanmbo together as usual. ‘I had no idea that I could cook like that’, my dad confessed after sometime. I thought I saw a secret smile spreading over my mom’s face and she said, ‘I think you should take over the kitchen from now on’. My dad quickly stood up and ran for the door, mopping his face furiously and silently begging mom not do so. Of course he was joking and we laughed and teased each other.

As usual, we went for a walk in the afternoon and went to Olive Garden for dinner. We had pizzas and milkshake. By the time we came home we were so tired that we wanted to sleep. But then we realized that we forgot to do the laundry and even clean the house. We were so tired after preparing breakfast and lunch we completely forgot about the other chores that mom used to accomplish by noon.

I realized how energetic my mom was and I my heart over flowed with gratitude and love for her. I was even more grateful for everything she has been doing for me now that I could understand to some extent how hard she worked. It’s amazing how she always had time for me whenever I needed her. I was even more mesmerized by the fact that she could juggle everything and accomplish all the tasks without much difficulty. I’m so proud of my mother and me my dad were glad to hear from mom that she really enjoyed her special day.

Before going to sleep I wished my mother happy mother day one last time and went to bed. As I slowly drifted into dream land, I started planning what my mother and I could do for father’s day to surprise my dad.