Story from Mesfakus Salahin

The Honesty

The Chander Gare ( one kind of roof opened van)  with eleven young men has just stopped. The place is crowded. Many vehicles from the opposite side come and stop here for Sometimes . Different kinds of shops are busy with their customers. Some children are uttering different words to attract the customers to sell their handicrafts, fruits and foods. Among them a boy with unbrushed hair but innocent and with deep eyes of near about eleven comes to Chander Gare to sell bananas. His two hands are full with fresh and big bananas. He says:

– Sir, please buy my bananas. These are fresh and testy. These are also medicine free.
One of the eleven young gentlemen says
– How do you know all these things. Have you eaten any of them?
The boy is laughing half with two lips and says with sweet sound
-Sir, these bananas are from my banana tree.
Who knows well about these more than me?
You can take without any confusion.
-Who will give guarantee about your story?


-Guarantee? Guarantee has no guaranty but look at my eyes.  These eyes do not misguide you. My mother does not teach me to tell a lie.
If I tell you lie my trees will die and Nature will take revenge.
– You are more mature than your age.
-I don’t understand what you are saying.
– What is the price of your banana?
-8 taka per piece, but one pair is 15 taka.
– ok. Give us 11 pieces.
– Sir, that will be difficult for me to calculate.
– We are eleven and we need eleven pieces.


Don’t worry. I shall give you 8 taka per piece. Give us the best eleven pieces.
– Here you are, Sir.
-Thank you. Take your money.

The Chander Gare starts to move very fastly.
The boy counts the money. It is one hundred taka. He is in a fix. He wants to return the excess money but the Chander Gare is out of his sight. He is thinking what to do. He shares the incident with his friend, Alex. Alex says
-Jon, you have nothing to do. You are not responsible. Keep the excess money to you.


Jon says
– I do not agree with you. I want to return the excess  money.
– It is impossible. But I have another idea.
Jon asks Alex
– What is it? Please tell me.
– You can give the excess money to a beggar. I think it will be better.
Jon says with high voice
– I have got an idea.
Alex comes to him and asks


– What is it?
-I have to go. Time is very short.
– Where do you want to go?
– I want to go to the next and final stoppage. I think I shall get him there.
– That will be impossible.
-Pray for me.
Jon starts his journey by a bus.  All the vehicles stop in the next stoppage.  This place is border area between two countries. People of two countries come and go from here. So they have to stay for some formalities of the offices. After maintaining the formalities they can cross the border.

Jon reaches the place but it is too late.  He sees the eleven young men but they are far away. They have just crossed the border. They are walking. 
Jon says with high sound,
-Sir, please take your money. I am here only to return your money. I do not want to take your money.
The eleven stars shine brightly. One of them looks back. He becomes surprise to see Alex.  He stops for a while and says
– You have come here to back money. We are happy to see you here. We praise your honesty. We do not want to take money from a boy like you. We are pleased upon you.


-I have come here to back your money. Please take your money. I don’t want to take excess money. My mother has taught me not to taka extra money from any customer.
-We have not enough time to come back and you can not cross the border. So keep the money.
-No, I don’t. I am very poor but not beggar. I need money but I do not need money of others. Please forgive me.
-We have no option.
Alex collects a stone. He  binds the money with the stone and throws the stone to the eleven young men. The stone crosses the boundary and it floats in the air of honesty.
Alex sees the stone where he see the face of his mother.