“The days of that week were not going well, my parents were arguing together a lot in that week’s each and every day but I didn’t know why they were doing that. I heard that my father was angry and his wish to send me to work instead of study to save a labor’s payment. I didn’t know why my father wants me to make a labor while I am good boy in school and making good results too. Hearing that I became worried about my study and I started counting days to be a labor in my father’s working place.
After some day with my mother I was coming from my school holding the new books in my hand that I have been given free of charge from the school. Suddenly than my father came and stopped us in the middle of the road. He snatched my books and throws them away. He told me to go with him in his working place which is a rickshaw garage to work with him. He said “you are a son of a day labor and you do not have to study but learn how to make money”. Hearing this I became afraid and started to follow him.
The whole day I worked in my father’s garage and returned home being so tired. Before sleeping I started to think how I can continue my study. There was a lot of option to choose but I picked to run away from my house. After this I silently get up from my bed and went outside with some clothes and two pieces of biscuits. I went to the railway station and saw a train just arrived which was heading to Dhaka the capital of Bangladesh. Without any thought I rushed and board on that train. In the train I was thinking and think how I can survive in that mega city, but there was no idea.
After arriving in Dhaka I was at a loose seeing that the environment was not the same and the crowd was huge. That time only two things were in my mind, one is how can I survive and two is how can I continue my study. I sat down in a footpath making a sad expression on my face. That time some boys with age were came to me and sat down beside me. One of them asked me, “hey bro what are you up to? Why you sat down in our sitting place?” I replied “I don’t know where I have to go how to survive in this big city”. Hearing this one of their group said, “Chill brother chill!! If you want to live join with us, work, eat and enjoy!!” I told them I don’t want to live only but study also. They all started to laugh and said “If you want to study than go to hell and if want to live and work join us”. There I had two options, either Live or Study. I started to judge myself which one is important to me right now. If I choose study I will get no work and will die but if I choose to work I will live and can hope for study.
So I wish to remain with those guys and work with them. That day I passed my times remaining in a lonely footpath with other street boys. I was so tired that I went to sleep so early that what was happened to others I didn’t noticed. The next day I wake up at 7:00am and saw none of the boys awake. I pinched one of those to make him awake but no re-action!! They were in deep sleep that it feels like they all are dead. Being waited until 12:30am I felt hungry and after a little search I found two biscuits in my bag that I have brought from my house. At 2.00pm all the boys wake up and started to smoke. I was surprised to see that making my eyeball double in size! Seeing my expression one of them told “You want us to share our breakfast with you?” I answered negative. Again he said “take it. It is another rule if you want to remain with us.” Getting the three inch paper made stick with fire on its tail I was a little bit nervous. But I forced my mind to make a smoke from it and that was the beginning.
My work was to collect scrap papers from roadside and garbage bin and sell them to a small shop near a slam beside the railway station. I collected a sack of papers and went to sell those with other boys. Everyone got 120 taka with was fixed for all. I was quite happy to have my first earning of my life in my hand but suddenly it has gone thinking that it’s not the way that I wanted to earn. The day was passing fast and as the sun was going to the west and the world was turning into dark fear was coming into my mind. I didn’t know why that feeling was inside me but I was feeling very lonely and poor inside.
The sun has gone and the moon was shining fully. The moon reminded me a story told by our class teacher about a girl who made her dream true just wishing to the moon that she wants. I looked at the moon and tell him to give me some light that can help me to find the way to study. The dinner time arrived and I noticed that two boys of my group were absent and others were worried about them as they went to bring some valuable thing. I asked them what was happened and they told me not to interrupt in their issue. Right before the beginning of dinner that two boys came having something in their hand, but they tried to hide it from me and joined with us for the dinner.
Having dinner we all sat down on the footpath making a circle. Those two boys brought out that packed and started to make something. I carefully try to follow what they were doing. One opened a plastic bag and another one putted some powder in that. One of them then started, he putted his nose and mouth inside the bag, leaved his breath and take that back and said “awesome” than he passed it to another one. Like this the packet came to me travelling a half dozen hand and now it was my turn to do the same that everyone did.
I was curious about what I am going to take but I didn’t ask them any question as I had an interest to feel the “awesome” thing. I kept my nose and mouth into that packet, leaved my breath and took it back. Doing this I felt asleep and laid down keeping my eyes off for a while. Opening my eyes again I saw the big moon in sky still remained there.
The shine was brighter than before. I silently told the moon to give me the shine that can help me to hope for study. I told him I didn’t want to be a street boy passing days doing this kind of jobs. I never wanted to be a street boy from a good boy. I never wished to convince myself as a good street boy. I wished if I could study again to remove the word ‘street’ from my life. Suddenly than I felt asleep and spared my hand to my next one taking the plastic bag I did the same thing I did before and said “awesome”……”
