Flower Power Short Story

 I was stuck in traffic in front of Sonargaon hotel, when I saw a very sweet-looking girl selling flowers on the street. I stopped her and bought a flower from her, giving her a tk.20 note, the flower was only tk.4 so she ran off to get the change while she was returning the traffic started moving and my driver had no choice but move forward. I figured my money had gone with the wind. However as I looked back, I saw the girl running after us. My driver stopped near the curb and she ran up to my window and handed me the change. I was so touched. It is amazing how even when faced with poverty, some people can still remain honest, while privileged people often tend to be dishonest and greedy. Just a thought..

An Ordeal

Last week I experienced an ordeal which I was always wary about when I ventured into the streets. I was going to my office from Kazir Dewry to Agrabad by rickshaw and the traffic was moving but slow. My rickshaw was passing a bus, when I felt something wet drop on my arm. I looked at it and screeched. Some uncouth person from the bus had spit out of the window and the bomb landed on me! I was so revolted at the sight I felt like cutting off my arm. I had to go back home for a shower and was inevitably late for work. I never understood the habit of Bangladeshis spitting in all directions every five minutes.

 Bargaining

Bargaining is truly an art. I realized how much of an art it was once when I went to new market with my friend one day to buy some clothes for him. A lady was there with her teenage son, who was looking somewhat self conscious and also a little embarrassed. At first we could not figure out the reason behind the boy’s wary glances all around, after a little while we have no doubts as to why he was feeling like that. We guessed that the boy was leaving for college soon and that was the reason behind the buying spree. The lady was going around from one shop to another and asking prices of almost every clothing article there was. After the shopkeeper said the price, the woman looked clearly shocked, no matter how reasonable it was. And she didn’t stop there. She went a further step and asked the shopkeeper if he would give the item for quarter of the price. The shopkeeper looked extremely irritated and said a big no. This continued for a while and in vain. Nothing seemed to satisfy the woman and the poor boy seemed to grow more timid at every shout his mom gave to the shopkeepers. A small crowd had also started gathering around to watch her. It was enough for us. We decided to leave the scene immediately.

Broken Heart

I am a 17-year old boy. I am going to take my O level exams in 2019. I have been studying at a coaching centre for some time now. I have many friends there, both male and female. From among those girls there is one girl, Susmita that I have fallen in love with. I don’t know how she feels about me but I want to tell her about my feelings. My problem is that I am shorter than she is. But without her I won’t be able to succeed in life. Please tell me how can get my confidence back.

Great Confusion

I am a 29-year old man and I have completed my post graduation in mathematics. I have a female friend who has also completed her post graduation in economics. She is a very good friend of mine. She has a younger sister who is a 2^nd year student at university. She is very pretty. A few months ago we fell in love with each other. We had decided to get married. But the problem is that recently I came to know that my friend is also very much in love with me and wants to marry me at any rate. But I have always thought of her as just a good friend and I do not feel anything else for her. I just want her younger sister. Will this be unfair? Please advise me on what I should do?

At a loss!

I am a final year BCom student I adore a girl that I used to know in school. I could not tell her about my love when we were in school. Afterwards I wrote to her saying that I idolized her and I would marry her after I got established. She responded positively and since then we have been writing to each other .It has been approximately three years since that and now we live far away from each other and hardly ever meet. Still I adore her so deeply that I feel that she is beside me all the time. But now she is old enough to get married and I am still in no position to marry her. But it will be very difficult for me to live without her. Please tell me what I should do.

Darkness Conundrum

I am a twelve- year old girl. Recently I have joined in a new school after studying in Sylhet . I think that I am very ugly. I have big teeth and I am very dark and fat. That is the reason that the girls in my class don’t like to make friends with me. I feel very lonely at school and also very upset when I see others talking and laughing.  Sometimes I see girls pointing at me and giggling. I cry every night before going to bed because of these things. I hate going to school for that. I don’t even feel like studying.  I think the teachers hate me too. My mother tells me to go and make friends but I am scared of the girls. What can I do?

Personal Affair

Bothered

I am a 19 year old man and I have started getting into trouble with everyone. I tend to get into fights with everyone. This is not an exception for girls. When they say something stupid I always get angry and it gets unpleasant. So I am not making any progress with girls. Every ones I like I drive away. So tell me, should I try to be more understanding and control my impulses just to keep a pleasant atmosphere? I mean, I can never be hypocritical and my frankness always leads to unpleasantness. Please tell me how should I behave, this is really bothering me.

Marriage Conundrum

I am 30 year-old woman. I got married three years ago and I have a pretty good relationship with my husband ever since. My husband’s brother is 2 years older than him and married my best friend. My friend and I were very excited we had a double marriage at the same place and were looking forward to some really happy times after our marriage. But my mother in law from the very start made it a point that she didn’t approve of either the two marriages. My husband’s family is well established and as such they have a lot of help around the house. The week after we were married my mother in law fired all of the hands except the driver and the guard because she stated that since the daughter-in-laws are home they wouldn’t need any work done by strangers in the house. Neither of our husbands obviously agreed to this and the hands were called back. But that was just the beginning. Every day she finds new complaint for one of us. Since my father-in-law is not alive we cannot even leave her in a house alone and live separately. She emotionally drained us completely. Please tell us what we can do.

Troubled

I am a  25- year-old girl and have been brought up by my parents who have had a very troubled marriage. I don’t want to go into the details of how it was for me, I can just say that I was badly affected and started to hate them. Since I didn’t have anyone to go to I started taking drugs with some friends of mine when I was only sixteen. I have also been in and out of relationships during this time. I have been to rehab many times and I guess I am okay now. I am going out with a guy now who is a year older than I am. He is very nice and witty , but the problem is that whenever I try to talk about my past he stops me and says that he doesn’t want to know about it. But I can’t really go on with him unless I openly talk about what I have been through. The life I had still troubles me now, I have nightmares from time to time. I feel very frustrated when he won’t listen to me about this and frankly I really just need to get it all out of me. Please tell me what should I do, I have very few friends, and none of my relatives like our family.

Helpless

I am a 26- year-old man studying in IBA on a part time basis. I got married two years ago with a woman I was having a relationship with. Many people said that I made a mistake by getting married because my father-in-law and other relatives of my wife did not accept our relationship. My parents also pushed me to away from them because I married without their consent. Now I am living with my wife away from my parents. I am passing my days in misery because my beloved wife is not happy with my income. She does not particularly like the fact that I am still studying. But to be an MBA is my only ambition. If I want to engage all my time to earning money, I can, but my desire to be an MBA will go in vain.  What should I do? Should I quit my studies? Please help me.

Betrayed

I am a 17- year-old girl and have just finished my A-levels in January of this year. Before I appeared for my exams , my parents promised me that I would be able to go to abroad for my higher studies  if I did my A-levels . I even appeared for my SAT and TOEFL and managed to achieve quite good scores. Now after I have finished my exams they are telling me that I am not mature enough to go and study abroad and I should dismiss such thoughts and think about getting into a good university here. When I asked them about their earlier promise they say that I can go abroad to do my masters. I feel totally betrayed and do not wish to study in any universities here. I have promised to do very badly in all the entry exams they make me give here, but that is not going to solve my problem. Tell me what should  I do?

 Puzzled

I am a 16 years old. I have been going out with a boy who is twenty years old for the past six months. My boyfriend, John had an affair with a girl before going out with me. When I asked him about her he assured me that their relationship didn’t mean anything to him and he loved me with all his heart. On his birthday last month, he was presented with a large bouquet from his ex-girl friend. When I asked him about it, he said I shouldn’t be worried about such things because he didn’t love her anymore. But a few days ago one of my friends saw him with her going somewhere on a rickshaw. When I asked him what was going on, he said since she was a classmate he was just accompanying her to a place they were invited to. I don’t want to lose him because I love him very much but at this rate I don’t think I can hold on to him much longer. What can I do?

Frustrated

I am a nineteen years old and have been married for a year under some pressure from my parents because some goons in my neighbourhood were disturbing me. But now I find life extremely difficult to handle. My sister-in-laws are always picking on me about everything I do. They will find a mistake at every opportunity and my husband is mostly at his office and thinks that it is my fault that I cannot communicate with them. I have even heard them complaining about me to other people behind my back. Sometimes I feel like killing myself. All this pressure is very difficult to bear. I have tried really hard to please them but they just cannot stand me. It seems that they had chosen one of their friends to marry my husband to, but he chose me and that is my sin. What can I do in these circumstances?