Once upon a long, long time ago. World War II had just ended then. The economic progress was creeping up in the country and people were expanding their businesses as much as they could. Raiman's father is what people generically term such personnel as Big Businessmen.
A huge chunk of his each year gets spent abroad for business purposes. Raiman is a first grader whose days are tangled with schoolwork while his mother spends her days mostly roaming around with her clique. Their family home accommodates at least three to four housemaids and a butler. However, they do not live in a rich neighborhood despite of their own affluence. Which is why Raiman is never allowed to play or hang out with the local kids. His afternoon play times usually go by being home jailed.
The new telephone line had arrived at Raiman's house for a while now. The phone never ceases to amaze him. This device has a twisty wire sticking out of it and you need to speak into the part that juts out.
As soon as you put it to your ear, a sweet female voice dutifully asks, "Hello, number please?" to which he has to opt for a name or number. The sweet lady then promptly connects you to your desired number. Within moments you get to chat with whoever you want. Mom has forbidden him to touch the device. She says that it will be ruined if you touch it too much or the wrong way and Dad will not be able to connect with them anymore.
It has been raining since morning today. The weather has been acting weird for a few days now. This presented Raiman the ever elusive opportunity to skip school today. However, this has gotten Raiman rather sad than happy. School occupies his lonely days and gives him the company of friends. At home, he is surrounded mostly by a band of servants. On this particular day, even Mom is not home.
She left announcing to be back by early evening. His afternoon went by with his coloring pencils. He draws beautiful human figures. He believes that the ratio among his human nose, eyes, ears, attire and expressions are quite well perceived. However, others, such as- his friends, Mom and aunties, do not seem to get whose pictures he draws. He gets very surprised. Like, the other day when he drew his father. Spectacles on, black shoes and a pipe jutting out of the mouth- all signature appearances of his beloved father.
But everybody kept on saying, "Wow! What a wonderful picture! You draw so well! What is this, by the way?" How is that even a valid question? Do I really draw that bad? Raiman muses on his own. Today he aims to draw a picture of a scenic village. He has never set eyes on any village in his life, yet today he will draw one. He starts off with some random scribbles on a page, finally moving on to his task with coloring pencils.
He picks up the green pencil to find that it needs sharpening. He calls out to their family chef, "Jahangir Uncle, Jahangir Uncle, would you please cut this pencil for me…?" After calling for a while when he got no response, he went looking for others in the house. A houseful of servants and no one seems to be around at this moment. Maid Maksuda is sleeping soundly. She is sick. The guy called Sanjay is one elusive employee. He seems to vanish from the house the moment Mom steps out. He roams around outside God-knows-where! There is one other housekeeper, but he cannot recall his name.
Since no one was to be found, Raiman started looking for a blade himself. He even found an old one. He has never sharpened any pencil in this method before. But he is maturing, it is not like he would never try things that he ever has not. So with the blunt green pencil in one hand and an old blade in the other, he gets to work. After trying hard for a while he manages to somewhat sharpen the pencil's head.In fear of getting caught with this blade in his hands, Raiman goes to put it back where he found it.
He had found the blade in a drawer beside the kitchen. The mess happened while putting it back in that drawer. While extracting his hand from the drawer he flayed off a bit of elbow skin on the splints sticking out of a corner. The cut was not deep. But it was enough to scare him a lot. What will he say to Mommy? The sting seems to be escalating gradually, too. "Jahangir Uncle, Jahangir Uncle, where are you? I have been calling you for so long! I cut my hand, come fast!" he shouted to more silence.
Panicked, Raiman started pacing around aimlessly. At that moment his eyes fell on the new telephone. Thinking something, he ran towards the phone. As soon as he picked up the receiver and put it to his ear, someone asked from the other side, "Hello, number please." He gets a tad startled. But promptly he asked, "My hand got cut, what should I do now?"
The other end on the phone fell silent. After a few seconds Raiman asked again, "The cut stings, please tell me, what should I do?"
What seemed like after ages a response floated through the twisty wires, "Are you home alone?"
"No, no… there is people here. Maid Maksuda is sleeping, she is very sick. I can't find Jahangir Uncle in the kitchen or anywhere. The others seem to be out, as well."
"Neither of your parents are home?"
"Uh-uh! Dad is abroad, Mom is out and won't be back before late evening and my hand stings really bad! Please tell me what to do!"
"How did you cut your hand? Are you bleeding?"
"No, there is no bleeding but it stings a lot. Owww, it feels like it's gonna bleed soon. Got the cut on a drawer corner."
"Okay, do one thing, go to the bathroom and slowly wash off the cut spot. It will sting some more at first but eventually, you will be alright."
"Okay, okay, I know this. I will hang up now." Blurts out Raiman, "If Mom asks please do not tell her, she'll be hella mad!" he puts down the receiver without waiting for a response from the other end.
He goes to the bathroom after that, fetches some water from the bucket and starts to slowly clean the wounded spot. At the first touch of water he screamed out loud, however, he ended up realizing that it is not as bad as he thought it would be. After wiping himself dry he goes to the telephone again. And just like before someone asked nicely, "Hello, number please?"
"Hello, my hand hurts less. Thank you so much!" said Raiman.
"Oh, really? That's wonderful!"
"Yeah, listen, remember not to tell mom, okay?"
"Okay, I won't tell. On one condition, though," chimes up the beautiful voice on the other end.
"Condition?" a surprised Raiman asks, "What condition?"
"No, first promise me that you will agree to my condition. Then I will not tell on you to Mom!"
"Okay, I promise," Raiman answers timidly.
"My condition is that you will never mess around again and study hard, okay?"
"Okay," Raiman agrees even though he does not really like the condition.
"Okay. Hey, I never got to know your name?"
"I am Raiman. What's your name?"
A small, clever smirk floats in from the other end, "I don't have a name. Okay, Raiman, you be good now, I am hanging up."
"Hey, wait, wait," Raiman says quickly, "Will you be my friend? I don't have any friends here!"
"Friend?" another small chuckle floats in.
"No you have to become my friend? Or else I won't hang up!"
"Okay, okay, I am your friend from now on. Now hang up, okay?"
"Okay, okay! I'm hanging up now! Ta ta!" Raiman gets really happy. He puts the receiver down with a big smile on his face.
Gradually, Raiman manages to become good friends with the voice on the other end of the telephone. Every day after coming home from school, he finds some time to pick up the receiver. As soon as he hears 'Hello, number please?' he starts asking all the questions in the world.
"Hello, there are cockroaches under my study table! What should I do?"
"Hello, my hand slipped in the shower and the bathing soap went down the drain pipe. What to do?"
"Hello, when I draw human figures no one can tell! What should I do? Do I really draw that bad?"
"Hello, when can I shave like my Dad?"
Thousand queries like these come to Raiman every day. He does not feel the absence of a friend anymore. He has an amazing friend. This friend talks and laughs so beautifully!
Few years pass by like this. Raiman slowly matures. His parents start discussing boarding school options. Suddenly one day, all arrangements of sending him off to some boarding school seems to be done! Out of embarrassment in front of his parents and time crisis, he fails to say goodbye to his friend on the telephone.
Days flow by, months turn and eventually, years start to glide by too. Raiman's parents have bought a new house. He did not stay in the house for long after boarding school ended. His parents sent him abroad for higher studies. Time keeps on turning like tide as it was meant to.
(Ten years later)
Raiman is visiting his home country now. His new bride is with him. He plans to visit their old house after spending some time with his parents. He wants to show his new bride his childhood home.
The old house is still the same. Only the outer paint of the building looks faded. Their caretaker looks after this house now. Sometimes Raiman's parents come over to spend the weekend. Looking at the house and all surrounding details. He ushers in his wife and their small luggage.
"How are you, Uncle?" Raiman asked the old caretaker. Without waiting for a reply he walks straight into the house. As if he is searching for something.
The table with the old telephone on it seemed to appear in his sight quite suddenly. He stopped on his tracks when he saw it. Silently he stared at the ancient phone for a while. Very slowly he picks up the receiver and puts it to his ears. Eyes closed, he waited for a familiar response from the other end.
"Hello, number please." Floats in from the other end.
His eyes flew open with a start at hearing the voice. No, this is not his friend's voice that he has been searching for. He will know that voice anywhere in the world. This is someone else. He thought something for a while and suddenly ended up asking,
"The handle of my luggage broke, what should I do?"
The other end fell silent for a few moments. Raiman asked again,
"My luggage handle broke, please tell me what to do?"
This time the voice floats in broken and distressed, "Is this Raiman?"
Raiman's eyes lit up at hearing this. "Yes, yes, I am Raiman. I used to call here when I was a kid and a friend of mine used to answer! Is she there, can you please pass the phone to her?" He blurts out in one breath. "And how do you know my name?"
This time the heartbreaking sound of weeping floats in. "The one you speak of was my colleague Shuborna! She passed away last year!"
"What do you mean she passed away? Please, pass the phone to her!" Raiman pleads with a wavering voice.
"Shuborna told me all about you. She waited for your calls all these years. In the end, she lost her mind." The lady on the other end kept on sobbing, "But she always used to say, Raiman will come one day. And here is Raiman today. He is here!"
He cannot hold the receiver anymore. It falls. Then his knees give away and he falls to the carpet on the floor.
Yasir Monon is an author and translator
-Yasir Monon
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