Every Breath You Take

Cartoon: Rakib

Whenever you close your door for a moment to yourself, you'll find us by your side. We may or may not knock but come on what's there to hide – we are like family. It's because we are so considerate, so caring, we never want to leave you alone. If you don't want people with you every single minute, every moment of your life, then there's something seriously wrong with you. The problem lies with you, my friend. Not us. We are the good Samaritans.
Space. That's what's at the root of all your problems. We live in Bangladesh, for heaven's sake! If you can't find space in the whole of our calm, peaceful, beautiful country, how can you expect to find it at your home or in a café?
Why close your door? It only makes the caring neighbour more adamant to enter your room. 'Open the door, open the door, Open the door.’
'What happened?'
'My son threw up all over your table. I can't sit there anymore. Can you take care of that while I sit in your bedroom and browse through your saree collection?'
'Um. . . no?'
'Oh bhabi, you need to be more social. Just relax. Why don't you clean up that mess and go to the parlour? I can choose your outfit for you.”
'Um. . . no?'
'Don't be shy, bhabi. I'll help. Ooooohhhh! This is such a beautiful sari! Such pretty fabric. Pity, the colour is not right for you. Why don't you let me wear it one day?
'Um. . . no?'
'Thank you, bhabi. I am actually doing you a favour by taking this sari off your hands. What would you do with it, anyway? Now, let's take a look at your jewellery collection.'
We don't want to intrude on your space. God forbid, no! How can we when we don't even understand what that means? Privacy – how do you pronounce that? Do you mean that you don't want us to drop by at your place whenever we feel like it? Why can't we look over your shoulders to check your messages? What's wrong in going through your inbox? Are you hiding something? If you are, we have the right to know what it is. If you aren't, what then is the problem?