FRACTURE

I was supposed to attend my physics class this afternoon at 3:00 PM, but that never ended up happening. I left home wearing the same outfit I usually wear before going to class, but I wasn’t going there anyway.

Yesterday, my friend Zahin messaged me, asking if I had any free time to go out. He clearly knows that I sometimes have the time, but not the freedom. He wanted to go to Bashundhara Shopping Complex because he needed to buy an iPhone for one of his cousins. He didn’t want to go alone, so he asked me to come with him.

It’s funny because he said, “I was afraid someone would kidnap me, that’s why I brought you.” I replied, “What if they kidnap us both?!” Knowing that I do home workouts, he laughed and said, “You have big biceps—you can just punch them!"

I tried not to agree so many times. I had no money in my wallet, no nice shoes or clothes, and I knew I wouldn’t get permission anyway. Eventually, I decided that I would leave home around 2:30 PM, meet him below his apartment, and then we would both go to Bashundhara... bunking my physics class.

It’s already very rare for me to go out by myself, let alone with friends.

I told him he didn’t have to spend money on me, but he said, “Thinking only about money isn’t worth it in every situation. Besides, even if you don’t come, I’ll still have to spend almost the same amount of money."

Back in school, he spent a lot on me, and I probably took advantage of his kindness—not because I wanted to, but because I had to. Every day after school, he would take me home in a rickshaw, pay the fare himself, and never let me contribute, saying it would cost the same whether I was there or not. He would also buy snacks and never let me pay.

Looking back now, I realize what a genuinely good person he is—not because he spent money on me, but because of how kind and thoughtful he has always been. He never once made me feel guilty and never even asked if I wanted to pay. Most of the time, I didn’t even have any money with me, so I couldn’t have paid even if I wanted to.

After we left, we took the metro. We waited for sixteen minutes... only to get on the wrong train. It wasn’t that we didn’t know the route—we were just talking, laughing, and being careless. After such a long time without hanging out together, we naturally slipped back into the same funny conversations we used to have during our school days. We got off at the next station and finally boarded the correct train.

Two guys, a few years older than us, were waiting for him at the shopping mall. The four of us took the elevator to the eighth floor, and found a nice place to sit and discuss about the phone. One of them showed us the iPhone and Zahin carefully checked whether everything was working properly.

I noticed he had made a checklist in his notes app, testing each feature one by one and marking them as complete. It was actually pretty smart. After finding nothing wrong with the phone, he called his father and completed the payment.

By then, I was already late for home, but we decided to walk around for a while. We spent our time taking pictures, looking for good spots, and then taking even more pictures.

When it was finally time to leave, we got back on the metro. We were supposed to get off at Agargaon, but instead we got off one station early near the beautiful area around Jiya Uddan so we could spend a little more time together and take a few more pictures.

After an entire evening of enjoying each other’s company, his father called and told him he was nearby and would pick us up. So, we headed home in his car.

I didn’t want to call my mom, but somehow I ended up doing it anyway. At least she knew I was with my friend Zahin and that everything was fine.

After I got home, nothing special happened—nothing was really supposed to. I came inside, rested for a while, and borrowed my mom’s phone for a bit.

Then everything went back to normal.

Getting questioned about everything I did from the moment I woke up until the end of the day, hearing about how I didn’t study a single thing, and being reminded of my failures is probably one of the most ordinary events in my home. Comparing me with others and bringing up my previous exam results—how badly I performed and how I couldn’t become the first—is something I have become the most familiar with.

After spending an entire evening away, laughing, taking pictures, and feeling free for a little while, I was back in the same place again.