Syamantak [Short Stories]

🦋 17. Why ? 👤 [Part 1]

Pihoo had to hire some vehicle daily to reach her college, which was in other town, approximately 21 kilometers away from her home village. Mostly she used to take random taxies, but sometimes an acquaintance named Ehsaan, dropped her straight to her college. To cover less walking paths she used to prefer his taxi. He was actually very close to her family and had great respect for them. So she always felt more secured with him than others. She called him uncle.

For being more familiar, Ehsaan sometimes spared some loose changes. Whenever Pihoo tried to give him the left amount, adding previously leftover to new one, he always evaded to take it, saying - "I'll take later." Months passed like this. But she was feeling a burden of that spared money. It was bothering her.

Finally she got a chance to pay it. One day she forcefully gave him a chunk of change, to which he couldn't resist because she was with her friends that time. But the very next time Ehsaan tricked her to take alone, back to her village.

Without her knowledge he took other passengers for short distance so that he could spend rest of the path alone with her. After a while when she was left only passenger in his taxi she got afraid a little. He now started convincing her to take money back. She insisted a little but eventually gave in not to make any issue and set silently in her seat. He started conversation now to make her ease and offered her to take passenger seat next to his. But she denied saying she was fine there. She was feeling something strange in his behavior, something scary.

She inwardly was much affraid with these acts, willing just to reach home soon. When they were about to reach, he tried to move the taxi some other route to home, which was a deserted location.
He said - "It will be uncomfortable for you to be only passanger in my taxi, in public. People may gossip about us....... !!!"

It hit her badly in panic. He continued his talks but Pihoo was so much lost in her own thoughts that she couldn't hear the rest.
Pretending to be calm she said - "No uncle, it's cool. I am ok. Why people will gossip. I have no problem. ... ..."
She tried hard for him to take the same way. She started planning to jump off of the moving taxi, if it continues. But after a long arguments he suddenly changed the route to the same it was before. She relaxed and reached home scared badly.

At home she said her father about money matter hiding everything the rest. Her father called Ehsaan at home and gave him his wage saying that he was the breadwinner of his family. He might not leave his hard earned cash like this for anyone for it was everything to feed his whole family.

Now she was relaxed and had decided to avoid his taxi as much as possible. Next day she didn't see him on bus stop. She ignored. Days passed but she never saw him again. She was curious and a little worried of thinking him. Sometimes she felt his presence by seeing his taxi standing somewhere but couldn't see him.

Everything was running smoothly and she was happy until that day, when she was waiting for a taxi. As usual she saw uncle's taxi there but not to him. She was busy talking her friend when suddenly she noticed someone far away hiding himself from her. She was shocked. It was him., yes ! undoubtedly he was Ehsaan uncle, sitting in a shop hiding his face. She was totally confused. Why he was hiding from her? Was her fear right that day? Why he behaved strange that day and now what, today? Whom to ask ? what to ask ? - Thousands of questions were flooding in her mind.

Since then she noticed that whenever she was around he hid himself somewhere. And still after years, he does the same. But she can't understand, Why ?

Continued...