A SHOCKING DECEPTION

My family has been renting out an apartment in Dhanmondi for the past one year to an elderly lady and her two daughters. For the past few months, they have been irregular with their rent so my mother sent me there to speak to them. When I got there, the apartment door was open and I noticed a few men sitting in the living room and they asked me to wait my turn, which confused me. The tenants had never met me so I was hoping to introduce myself before there was further confusion. As the elderly lady stepped out of the room she saw me and asked me which “package” I wanted. Terribly confused now, I asked her what she was talking about and she gave me a catalogue of sorts, with pictures of young women with prices listed next to them. I realised with horror, she was running a brothel in our apartment. We took the necessary actions to remove them from the building. I wanted to share this story so that other landlords do a thorough background check before they rent to people. The most innocent faces can be deceiving.
Arafat Hossain
Uttara, Dhaka

STROLL IN THE PARK

Like every morning, I was walking in Ramna Park with my elderly uncle. After covering a few miles, I slowed down while my uncle went on with his walk. All of a sudden, I saw a man clad in a bright yellow shirt and lungi walking by casually. And that's not all – upon closer inspection, I discovered that the man was covered with snakes! Clearly, he was a snake charmer and was probably looking for work in the city. But I did not see him carrying a snake basket. Instead, he had probably decided to wear all his snakes around his neck! Was he trying to take them out for a walk, I wonder!
Siam Rahman Shuddho
BRAC University, Dhaka

SECOND CLASS?

I work at a mid-level position in a company where my supervisor and most of my colleagues are foreigners. I have always been treated with respect by everyone at my workplace. Last month, I accompanied my supervisor to an expatr-club (I will not mention which one) for a meeting, for which we arrived early. While my supervisor was invited inside (although he is not a member), to wait for our host in their air-conditioned waiting room, I was asked to wait out on the street till he arrived. Needless to say my supervisor was very embarrassed and failing to convince the manager to let me in, he waited with me on the sidewalk. Our host was equally embarrassed and I believe he placed a complaint. This incident stayed with me because for the first time in my life, I was treated as a second class citizen in my own country– something to think about.
Anonymous
Dhaka