Story chapter 2

"Ugh, not again! Still no sign of the bus!" Nabila said to herself as she crossed the street towards the bus stop. The stench of vehicle emissions, mixed with the strong odor of cigarette, wafted through the air. A street dog munched on pieces of biscuits scattered around a tea stall. These stalls, commonly known as Tong shops, were very popular among Nabila's peers. They served a special type of beverage, a brew of tea, sugar and condensed milk many of Nabila's friends enjoyed drinking after a hard day of assignments and exams.

"When will the bus arrive?" Nabila asked at the ticket counter.

"It should be around here within 30 minutes. It's caught up in the traffic." The man at the ticket counter replied as he handed Nabila her ticket.

Nabila tucked her ticket in her purse, and stood at the long line of students waiting for the bus. There were all kinds of people. Mothers held on to their toddler's hands. Elderly people had their hands occupied with grocery bags. There was a woman with a red mark coloring the parting of her hair. She also had a pair of white bangles in her hands. A few auto- rickshaws could be here and there. Nabila knew that an auto rickshaw or a taxi cab might take her home faster than a bus, but they were a lot more expensive. So she decided to wait instead.

"Nuts,... Nuts... who wants some peanuts?" Street vendors passed by, carrying boxes of peanuts, chickpeas and beans. Peanuts were quite popular everywhere around Bangladesh, so the peanut business was common among the lower-middle-class people.

Finally, Nabila caught sight of her desired bus. She waited for a few seconds till all the people got down, then she jumped up. The vehicle looked overcrowded, but that was quite natural at that time of the evening. Many people were going home from office, and the Falgun bus, as it was called, seemed more convenient over any other modes of transportation.

It took her about 30 minutes to reach home from university. She found her bed neatly made. The floor was spotless, so was the furniture. A package wrapped in silver paper lay on her pillow. She took a deep breath to take in the pleasant aroma of something being baked in the oven, though she wasn't quite sure what it was.

"Hi, Apu... had a good day on campus?" Sabiha was smiling ear to ear.

"Wow, someone sure seems happy today, what's the catch?" Nabila asked, untying her braided hair.

"See this? Math test!" Sabiha held up a paper up for her sister.

"Hey, not bad, 80 out of 100! You didn't quite nail it, but good for you." Nabila squeezed Sabiha's cheeks. Her little sister still had plump, chubby cheeks which felt nice to squeeze.

"Apu, did you turn in your Business Plan assignment? How was it?"

Nabila's blood boiled as she thought about her own assignment. She had a very disorganized group to work with; and none of them completed their part properly. Nabila had to wake up early in the morning that day just to complete it. One of her friends helped her put it together in class, and the business plan presentation had to be done with two people only, though there were six people in the group. A business plan took a lot of work, and it wasn't such an easy job for two. She wasn't sure about her grade, and that made her feel queasy inside.

"Um... well, not as good as I expected, it was okay I guess." The mosaicked floor felt freezing under her bare feet. She tapped her feet slowly, pressing on her left knee.

"Hey Apu, are you really all right?" Sabiha looked deep into her sister's eyes.

A smile brightened up Nabila's exhausted face. "Come here, kitten..." Nabila spread her arms out, wrapping her little sister into a big, bear hug.

Sabiha sank her head into her sister's chest for a few minutes. "Well, thought I'd help you out a little. So I tried to clean up a bit.

The aroma of half-baked batter became stronger now. "Whoa... me left chocolate cookies baking in the oven, Apu. Me forgot."

"Just let me get a quick shower, and I'll be in the kitchen with you."