4
After a while, when Sabu lifted his face up, he noticed his big uncle was taking the far turn. If he had taken the turn, Sabu would have seen him gone.
Sabu almost ran into a bi-cycle in his deliberate attempt to pace up as soon as he saw his big uncle walk far. The man on the bi-cycle frowned at the boy, but spared him without a word.
Sabu was not in the habit of shouting from distance and it was very akin to him that he would not speak until he had come within a hand to the person he wanted to talk to. Sabu thought that the Gentlemen or the wise do not shout to speak, for any reason.
He ran and soon caught up with his big uncle.
As he was within one hand, he spoke, panting, ‘Jethu’ (the eldest brother of father, to the Bengalis), I was waiting for you’.
The big uncle stopped walking. Before he could say, Sabu spoke again, ‘can you give me a fifty-pice coin?’
‘What will you do with that?’ asked Sabu’s big uncle. As he asked, he had passed his hand down the pocket of his trouser for the coin.
‘I will buy the moon biscuit’, said Sabu.
Sabu’s big uncle placed a fifty-pice coin in his little palm. As his big uncle knew if his nephew had asked for more he would have given him more, so did Sabu. But neither Sabu would ask more nor his big uncle would give more. Both were preys to these opposing human foibles. But, both were very good to their commendable foibles. Sabu was wearing a very close fitting half-shirt the two upper buttons of which could not reach the buttonholes over his chest. His armpit was torn, though his clothes were clean. Most of the time, Sabu would be seen playing barefooted.
His big uncle knew very well that the little boys and girls of Sabu’s age would run more than they sit playing together once they were out of the houses. Their clothes were not going to last long. However, when Sabu went back happily after taking the coin from his big uncle, his big uncle kept looking behind at his nephew for a moment before he started walking again. His face was full of expressions that said vividly that he was worried about the child. Relations are something that make people feel anxious and die for each other. He had a child too, his daughter, Sabu’s cousin sister, whom he was able to bring up very well. But, being low paid and with having a bigger family, his brother was unable to bring up his child son. And, his big-uncle always regretted it, because he always wanted the kin children grow up equally.
Sabu was very happy after getting the fifty-pice coin in hand. He leaped down the road.
After some time, he was crossing back the same grocery shop. He saw the grocer Bakul deal with his customers. And, he could see, as his eyes fell upon the same big glass container, the delicious moons inside.
