A memorable moment.

 This picture was taken in our living room. In Bangladesh, our parents rented an apartment before moving to their own. Our landlord was the brother of the famous Bangladeshi comedian Saifuddin. The landlord was a lawyer. We had a very good relationship with them. When my brother was born, the couple came to our house (where we had moved) to congratulate our parents. They were very happy that our parents finally had a son after four daughters.

This picture was taken before our brother was born. From left to right: Boro Khalu (maternal uncle), holding his granddaughter Moumita; then Lizi Apa (cousin and Moumita's mother); then me (the happiest person in this picture); then our maternal grandfather; my younger sister Sonia; and older sister Sharmin. My mom (I had to cover her because she is now wearing a hijab/headscarf) is standing behind the sofa, holding our youngest sister, Shekha.

In this picture, two people are no longer here: my uncle and grandfather.

The wall picture was bought from Saudi Arabia. The curtain is also from Saudi Arabia. Someone gifted this cloth to my younger sister Sonia when she was born. The chair where my uncle is sitting was the first piece of furniture my parents bought when they started their new life.

It was one of our sisters' birthdays. I don't remember which one.

Biography 316: Dola Apa was talking about...

 One day, my Boro Khalu (uncle), Boro Khala (aunt), and Dola Apa (cousin) came to visit our house at noon. We had lunch together. During that time, I heard Dola Apa had some medical issues; I didn't know exactly what those were.

After lunch, everybody was enjoying tea at our dining table. Suddenly, Dola apa said, "I know what my disease is. You guys think I don't know about it, that is wrong." The way she said it made me smile. I looked at the uncle's face; he had a poker face. Couldn't guess what was going on. Nobody said anything to Dola apa. Uncle just said, "I see." Someone changed the topic, so nobody said anything more about it.

Later, I heard she had a tumour on her leg, which was cancer. She died in the hospital. Uncle is also no longer with us. Now, I understand how painful that moment was.

I asked my older sister if she knew about the cancer. My sister said, as far as she knew, she didn't.