Moving On

Chapter One

It is winter.. Our family has just moved on to a place more like a suburb from the city. All that noise and pollution was making life miserable. So, somehow I liked the new place. Then again, moving on could be difficult too. Making new friends, adjusting all that etc. Well, it was still easy for me as I am still on the same city and I am also studying at the same institution. I am just going to miss my local friends who were my smoking partner at the evening. I guess, I have to find new ones very soon as it is very bore some to smoke alone.

Our new apartment.. It is ok. I liked it. It is on the 2nd floor in a beautiful three storeyed building. The building is neat and clean. There are another four buildings around it. Three of them were multi-storeyed and more than three families reside in each of them. The last one was one storeyed. It is very beautiful with white paint on it. It is something that one may call "simply the best."

One afternoon I went to our roof with my pack of cigarettes. I opened it and found that there was only one left. I felt disappointed. I must have smoked the others at the campus. Well I have to be satisfied with only one on this afternoon. I light it and before I could pup it for 2nd time I heard footsteps. Hurriedly I put out the fire of the cigarette and throw it down the ground from the roof. And I discover a moment later that someone went inside to an apartment on the 3rd floor. I was feeling like a complete fool then. That is something happens when one is too conscious. I laughed at myself and then I started to loiter on the roof. I saw the surrounding buildings. I saw there were a good number of tall trees around me. Looking at those made me feel fresh. I discover there were also mango trees among them. And looking at those, evil schemes were started to come to my mind. I thought the coming summer will pass merrily when I will be stealing mangoes from those trees. But, then again, I cannot steal those on my own. I left my friends with whom I used to steal. I felt sad.

I remembered there is a grocery shop near. It is the one and only shop around here, so it has became more like a super shop to satisfy the needs of the local people. One can get almost every necessary thing that is needed for a regular day to pass. There, with the grocery items, tea, cigarettes and snacks were also available. Not only that but also sim cards for mobile phones can also be found there, and one can also recharge his/her cell phone credits from there. I was thinking of going there to buy more cigarettes. And suddenly I gazed upon that one storeyed white building which is surely to be "simply the best" building around.

I have only seen that building before from the ground level while I was outside, and from the level of our apartment floor through our balcony. All I did see before were only the beautiful white fencing of concrete, the main gate and the top portion of that building. But only looking at those it has somehow attracted me very much. I was very curious inside my mind to see its architectural beauty from a close range and also from inside.

And then as I was watching it from a higher level, I can see the inside of the fencing. The fencing covered the whole building and a little place in front of the building and that little place was more than sufficient for a round table and four chair around it. There were small green grasses on the ground and vines with some other small trees were on the corners. The architectural beauty of the building together with the beauties of the greenery around it made an artistic effect that is sure to mesmerize oneself.

Well, after being mesmerized, I remembered that I was willing to go to that shop to buy more cigarettes. Then, as I was about to leave the roof I noticed that a man, a woman and a six or seven years old little boy (probably their son) came out from that white building and sat on the chairs around the table. There, still was an empty chair and the woman was calling for someone looking through the door of that building. And after a moment, a young girl wearing a beautiful white dress came out of that building hastily, holding a tray on which there were a tea pot, four cups, spoons and a jar of sugar. She placed the tray on the table and then sat on that empty chair next to that man.

They all seemed to be in a very jolly mood, especially the young girl, she is the one who was making more conversation with everybody and while doing so she was having a hard time to keep her body still. She was as playful as a baby deer. Always laughing and cheerful, one can even forget that there are some things like sadness and pain exist in this world with just one glance at that face. I was watching them and it made me warm. I forgot I need to smoke. There even might be a smile at my face seeing her laughing like that then. It was getting darker as the evening was approaching and the family went inside finishing their tea. I was still watching those empty chairs, and after a few moments suddenly I felt like I have awoken from a deep sleep and in my sleep I had the sweetest dream of all time. I had to struggle to get back my consciousness, my own self. When I recovered I felt the need of smoking again. So at last I finally went to the shop.

I bought some cigarettes from the shop and as I was paying the price, I heard two voices whispering behind me. Though it was whispering I was pretty sure it was meant to be heard by me.

1st person," hey, this guy must be from the new family that just moved in here"

2nd person, "well it seemed so. Let's ask him"

1st person, "ok."

I heard these very clearly. They were behind me as I was paying to the shop keeper then one of them asked me, "Hey there. Are you the one who have just moved in here?"

Hearing this I turned towards them while hiding my cigarettes. I saw two boys and they were around my age. They both had smiles on their faces. I replied, "yes." He again said, "Nice to meet you. We live on the crimson colored building across yours. I am Girish Mahatma. And this is my cousin Swaresh Mahachandra." I also cordially said, " Nice to meet you too. I am Shrabon Chowdhury."