Tasnim Uddin's ('18) Short Story from the Creative Writing Workshop Spring'15

Endless Waiting

           In any other place and on any other road, but this dear yielding country road I would have expected him. He just doesn’t belong here. His torned out pajamas and hollow t-shirt, his beaten hair style and his steady lurching made it seem like he has just been released from the fires of the Underworld. I knew him and I thought to myself that after all the bad deeds he had done throughout his life, he should not be allowed to step inside this heavenly country road. I stood from far in front of this white building, inside the road gate while the boy stood outside of the gate. As I was waiting for my ticket along with thousands of other people in white pajamas and tops, I thought of Mama. 

           “Hopefully I get to see Mama,” I said with excitement in my head. It was about sixty years ago when I last saw her. She was in the hospital, fighting against cancer. But unfortunately she didn’t make it. While I was coming out of my deep thought, I glanced back at the boy standing behind the road gate. This time I noticed a porter wearing a white suit who is yelling at the boy to go away. There is also another porter on the other side wearing a black suit, pulling the boy away from entering the country road. I kind of felt bad. But that doesn’t mean anything. He belongs on the other side of the road anyways. Two minutes later, the boy starts crying and asking for forgiveness while the porters ignore him.

           “Does he really think by doing all that drama, he can get inside and get a ticket?” I said with an annoyed tone. I been waiting in this line for about a year and I still haven’t gotten my ticket to see Mama although I have been a really good girl throughout my life. However, I guess God is just testing my patience therefore, I will not give up so easily.  I can wait thousands of more years if I have to just to see mama and get a glance of the Paradise.