The long argument continued, and it was already 10 PM. One by one, the members of the Mirza family went to their respective rooms. Samriddh stood firmly in the drawing room. He held Zara by the legs, looking at her with sorrowful eyes, calling her name softly, “Samih.”
Samriddh snapped out of his thoughts. Now, it wasn’t about family honor or disputes, but about Zara. He couldn’t let the future of such a young child be ruined.
He softened and knelt, pulling Zara into his arms. Zara’s face was angry, her eyes large and round like marbles. Samriddh felt a wave of emotion when he noticed her thick black hair, which reminded him of his grandmother’s thick, dark hair. He remembered playing with her hair while sitting in his grandmother’s lap.
“Are you scared, Zara?” Samriddh asked gently.
Zara moved closer and pressed herself into Samriddh’s chest. She was a little girl who had run away from the torture of her uncle and aunt to an unfamiliar, unknown teenager. She already sensed that no one in the house liked her.
Samriddh gently ran his hand over her head, reassuring her, “Don’t be afraid, Zara. I am here.”
Zara stared at him for a while with her large eyes.
“What are you looking at?” Samriddh asked.
“You are very good,” Zara said.
Samriddh smiled softly. “Come, let’s eat. It’s already late.”
Zara was very hungry, so without hesitation, she took Samriddh’s hand and went to the dining room. The chair was too high for her to reach, and when Samriddh saw her pouting face, he smiled and lifted her onto the chair.
There was no food on the table. Samriddh opened the fridge but found it empty. Since the death of Sarwar, Afroza had been very upset, and for now, the housework had fallen to Samriddh’s aunt, Nazma Begum. She always measured the rice carefully, and there was never enough rice for an unexpected guest. Afroza had become irritated and didn’t want to assign cooking duties to Nazma. Today, when Samriddh wasn’t at home, she didn’t take any rice for him. Samriddh sighed deeply. He had only fed Zara some bread and banana. Could this really satisfy her hunger?
Samriddh took out some eggs from the fridge. When he went to get rice, he found that the rice container was missing. Several kitchen drawers were locked. Nazma Begum was always like this. Samriddh clenched his fist in anger. He was furious at her, but looking at Zara’s thin face, he wanted to cry.
“Samriddh Bhaiya?”
The sudden call of Noumi made him turn around in surprise. “You! Are you still awake?”
Noumi, with a cautious look, glanced around and said, “I brought the keys. Here you go.”
Samriddh looked at the girl. Noumi, about 14 or 15 years old, with a dark complexion and a sweet face, seemed completely different from her uncle and aunt.
“Will you get in trouble if they know?” Samriddh asked.
“They won’t say anything. And if they catch me, I’ll just say I was getting coffee. My exams are coming up, so they won’t suspect me.”
Samriddh’s eyes filled with gratitude for her.
“Are you going to cook?”
Samriddh nodded. Noumi tucked the key into her scarf and, taking the eggs from Samriddh, said, “Cooking isn’t for boys, it’s for girls. You sit, I’ll cook.”
Samriddh, a bit taken aback, said, “I can do it. Why does it have to be a girl’s job? If girls can be independent, why can’t boys?”
Noumi smiled, “Sorry. Alright, you go get some rice and wash it. The little one must be hungry by now.”
Samriddh was surprised. “You’re talking about Zara?”
“Yes,” Noumi replied as she worked.
The weight that had been on Samriddh’s heart about Zara was lifted. He needed someone trustworthy to look after her in his absence.
“Noumi?”
“Yes?”
“When I’m not home, will you take care of Zara? I really don’t know where to keep her. You know how the family is…”
“Who is she, Bhaiya?”
Samriddh couldn’t answer. Whether he didn’t want to or just couldn’t explain, he didn’t know. Noumi smiled and said, “Alright, tell me later. I don’t have a sister. Let her be my little sister. At least I’ll have a companion, what do you think?”
Samriddh smiled, feeling relieved. “You do what you think is best.”
The two of them cooked together, and Zara had dozed off on the table. Samriddh felt terrible for her.
“Zara?”
Zara woke up and Samriddh placed the food in front of her. Noumi sat next to her. Zara looked at Noumi with strange eyes, then shrank back in fear. Both Samriddh and Noumi were startled.
“What’s wrong, Zara? Why are you scared?”
Zara raised her finger toward Noumi and whispered in fear, “K-Koli Apu?”
“Koli! Who’s Koli?” Samriddh asked.
It suddenly dawned on Samriddh that Zara’s aunt used to refer to her uncle as “Koli’s father.”
Zara suddenly burst into tears, crying, “K-Koli Apu will kill me.”
Now Samriddh understood everything. He was filled with rage and disgust. How could people be so wicked? They had twisted even children’s minds.
“Zara, that’s not Koli. Look properly,” Samriddh said reassuringly.
Zara seemed to find comfort in his words. She then looked at Noumi, who smiled sweetly and said, “I’m Noumi. What about you?”
“Nimmi…Nimmi!”
Noumi laughed softly at Zara’s mispronunciation of her name, and Samriddh chuckled, “Don’t be sad, Zara. My name has been shortened to Sami too.”
Zara seemed to feel more at ease, and both Samriddh and Noumi laughed. Samriddh then placed more food on Zara’s plate. However, she couldn’t eat. As soon as the food touched her hand, she screamed in pain. Both Samriddh and Noumi were startled.
Samriddh quickly held Zara’s hand and looked at it.
“What happened?”
Zara had burned her hand. While cooking, she had been sitting too close to the stove and had accidentally touched the hot surface. Her aunt had scolded her and then, in anger, had burned her hand on the stove.
“How did this happen?” Samriddh asked.
“Auntie,” Zara whispered.
Anger rose in Samriddh’s chest. Who should he be angry with? He was also partly to blame.
“I’ll get some medicine,” he said, standing up. Noumi quickly left and returned with the medicine. Samriddh carefully cleaned Zara’s hand and started feeding her.
Zara’s eyes were still filled with tears. Samriddh gently wiped them away.
Noumi was astonished to see Samriddh taking such good care of Zara. She had never seen him this caring before. The boy who had always been the apple of his parents’ eye, who prioritized his own desires and enjoyed the good things in life, was now suffering for an unknown little girl’s pain.
“Did you bring the medicine?” Samriddh asked.
“Yes. Should I apply it?” Noumi asked.
“No, let me do it.”
Noumi silently handed Samriddh the medicine, and Samriddh applied it gently to Zara’s hand. “It will sting a little, but don’t be afraid. If you don’t cry, I’ll get you some chocolates tomorrow.”
Zara, remembering how much she liked the chocolates Samriddh had bought for her earlier, agreed without hesitation.
Samriddh sighed in relief as the medicine was applied. “Noumi, will you keep Zara with you, please?”
“Yes, yes. No problem. Zara, come with me,” Noumi said.
“Zara, you’ll stay with Nimmi Apu, okay? Don’t be afraid, I’m nearby. Go ahead.”
Zara was still afraid, but Noumi’s kind smile reassured her, and her fear melted away.
Noumi happily said, “Come, let’s go to my room. We’ll watch cartoons like Tom & Jerry.”
Zara understood and nodded in agreement.
The next morning, Samriddh woke up early. He had spent the entire night thinking about Zara, and besides, he hadn’t attended any classes since his admission to university. After his father’s illness and death, along with everything else going on, attending classes just hadn’t been possible.
Meanwhile, Barisha had called him multiple times. He hadn’t been able to talk to her either. The last time they met was on the day his father passed away, when all their friends had come to visit.
“Breakfast is ready! Everyone come and eat!” Samriddh called out as he reached Noumi’s room. He needed to check on Zara. When he knocked on the door, Noumi opened it, yawning.
“You?” Samriddh asked.
“Zara?” Noumi asked.
“She’s still asleep. Last night we watched all the cartoons—Tom & Jerry, Ogilvy, and Honey Bunny.”
Samriddh ruffled her hair and smiled, “Good job. You have exams soon. Go wake Zara up now. Otherwise, your mom will stop making breakfast.”
“I’m coming. You go ahead.”
As Samriddh turned to leave, Noumi called out to him, “Bhaiya, wait.”
“What is it?” he asked.
“Zara doesn’t have any proper clothes. She’s still wearing the same dirty ones. I gave her Tajer’s t-shirt and pants to wear, but if Auntie finds out, she might scold me.”
Samriddh paused, deep in thought. He hadn’t even noticed Zara’s clothes before. She needed new clothes, and more importantly, he needed to get her enrolled in school. He would teach her, make her self-reliant.
“Alright, after breakfast, let’s go shopping for her.”
“I’ll come too!” Noumi added.
“Not just for her, for Barisha Apu too, right?” Samriddh smiled.
Noumi burst out laughing. “Of course! But only Barisha Apu, okay?”
“Not for your kid?” Samriddh teased.
Noumi giggled loudly, closing the door behind her. Samriddh smiled to himself. He remembered how Barisha had joined their school in the middle of high school, and although they had fought initially, they had become close friends before their exams, eventually developing a romantic relationship. They had even gotten into the same university together.
Samriddh had always been a straightforward boy, never hiding anything. But with Zara, things were different. He would ensure her future, and once everything settled, he and Barisha would focus on their careers and then get married when the time was right.
