Short Story || Survival

-Sorry Mr. Sumon! We’re really disappointed as we didn’t have any other alternatives. Good luck.

This was the last speech of Mr. Jasim, the owner the company, where Mr. Sumon had spent his most golden time of life as a front desk executive. It was not a small period of time scale. Six years of a life should not be a matter of joke. Hmm….. It would not be. But reality made him the fun! The real joke! It was just a ten minutes meeting….not a meeting it could be titled as conversation. Then everything was over and Mr. Sumon has been OUT!

After sudden termination of job Sumon was too astonished to speak for a while. He kept standing before the exit door of office hanging on hand the last letter from HR. HR manager Mr. Zia tried to consulate him, Sorry Sumon. Actually our company is facing serious fund crisis. About 25% of existing manpower needs to be reduced. Sorry dear. Don’t be angry on me. I am just an employee as like you…….

Perhaps Mr. Zia wanted to say something more but Sumon did not let him to complete the sentence.

-No …. Zia Bhai. I have no anger on anybody. It’s all about written in my forehead! Frustrated Sumon said.

-Now …. What do you think about future? What will you do?

-Don’t know.     

It was very true that Sumon didn’t know what he would do. He felt that his brain became jammed like ice, where no thought could flow. He was walking as if he was a blind man. His poor memory was only portraying the needy face of his family members where his brain poked him the biggest question, how can we survive now! Actually it is really pathetic for low middle class family, who depend only job, has become undone due to sudden job cut as they could not get a chance to deposit any penny with their earning after expensing regular livelihood.          

It was 12 o’clock noon.

The weather was gloomy as flowing air stopped blowing suddenly. Black cloud was covering the sky where sun was losing his shine as like as the mind of Sumon also being lost the hope of life.

Sumon stood before office building for a while.

-I have sent six years here…. Six years! Sumon left a long breath. Lot of colleagues! Lots of smile! Lots of good memories! It’s very hard for me to believe that from tomorrow I will not come here. He was thinking haphazardly and brought the last letter from HR, what he received as sudden surprise thunder buzzes without cloud in the sky, just some moments ago from pocket. He had gone though the letter several times. The last line seemed to him very much interesting, “This Company will never forget your contribution”. Hahaha! He was laughing with an absent mind and hanging the letter on hand pushing it was like a flag! Suddenly a strong wind rushed the letter from his hand & big rain drops with dust warned him as nor’wester was beginning and he would go to a safe place instantly. But Sumon did nothing but standing as he was from earlier times and watched the letter flying like a kite to an unknown destination. The density of rain drops increased slowly along with the presence of whirlpool wind that made Sumon fully wet but he could not move a single step from his previous standing position.

-Hello … Sir! What happened? Why are you getting wet? You will be caught cold! Hello….Sir.

Hearing an unknown voice Mr. Sumon came to the sense of reality and wondered to discover him wet. He saw that a rickshaw puller was standing before him.

-Sir! Come to my rickshaw! Let’s go where you want.

Sumon didn’t reply anything but observing the young voice, a rickshaw puller who was almost 20 years old and most shocking part was, that puller was a lame man who paddled his earning vehicle by his only one existing leg. Sumon looked at the sky what was full of cats & dogs rain then that seemed to make a new heart of him after bathing by rain.

-Yes! I have to go far.

Sumon responded with a confident voice.