Shahab: A Short Story

By Roji Abraham

Reuben is a twenty-two year old Indian software engineer who has been sent by his employer to carry out an assignment in a client company in Bangladesh. His only friend in the foreign country is Abbas, a young database administrator, who also works in the same office.

Despite the chaos, deadlines and drudgery associated with their corporate lives, the young men often make time to enjoy each other's company during lunch or dinner.

One day after work hours, when the two friends dine at an old and popular restaurant, they come across an eleven year old waiter boy - Shahab, whose enthusiasm and mannerisms instantly endear him to them.

An unlikely friendship is forged between the child and his customers, and before long, Reuben and Abbas learn that Shahab has a rare gift... a gift that makes them see the child in a new light.

** Select Reader Reviews **

“The story Shahab is the celebration of Love and kindness that we worry, is disappearing from the world at an accelerated pace. It is the story of the strong bond between two geographically and sociologically distant hearts. We often meet Shahabs in our day-to-day life but we either don’t pay attention or pretend to ignore their existence. The story reminds that we can make big changes by our small steps. I will strongly recommend not only reading the story but also taking a bit of its message along with, to make this world a better place." - Binoy (on Amazon.co.uk)

“If you like reading narratives that help you strengthen your belief in the goodness that is left in humanity, then Shahab is for you. Roji takes you to Bangladesh and in his unique style narrates an incident that took place there. He makes sure that those who read this are hooked till the end and crave for more of his writing. A perfect read over a cup of your favourite drink on a quiet evening and be prepared to be transported.” – Cherry MP (on Amazon.com)

• Language: English
• Publisher: Roji Abraham
• Release date: Aug 24, 2015
• ISBN: 9781310088667

Roji Abraham

Roji Abraham was born in the tiny, oil-rich country of Kuwait, second child to working-class immigrant parents - a machine operator at a steel plant, and a nurse, in the early 1980s.At the age of 9, he took flight along with his parents, two siblings and a few bags of old clothes and trinkets, when a certain infamous Iraqi dictator-president (who was later hanged for his war crimes), bombed and invaded the country he lived in. After an adventurous trip in which he recounts living in a refugee camp for three weeks in the middle of a scorching desert called no-man's-land (somewhere between Jordan and Iraq), sleeping in canvas tents and standing in long queues outside the Red Cross trucks that came everyday to distribute rations, he eventually returned to his native village in South India.In the years since then, he survived the after-effects of a major leg surgery, completed high school and later graduated with an Engineering degree from a college, known better then for the enviable street fighting skills of its students rather than its academic prowess.Between 2005 and 2014, he worked for a software company and travelled to and worked in half a dozen countries in Asia, Africa and Europe and indulged in their cultures and cuisines (croc meat anyone?). In between, he also completed a master's degree in business from a reputed British university and earned his first few pennies as a writer doing ghost writing of academic articles for University students during the time he was left with an empty bank account and no full-time job.Roji published his first book 'Kaleidoscopic Lives - Ensemble Narratives of the Common Man' in 2015 - a fictional collection of short stories heavily inspired by the people he had come across and various incidents from his roller-coaster life. The book has been well received for its subtle humour, strong emotions and its ability to connect with readers.

Book preview

SHAHAB

A Short Story

ROJI ABRAHAM

Copyright © 2015 by Roji Abraham

ISBN: 9781310088667

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

Aug 2015

SHAHAB

Reuben waved at the cycle rickshaw driver, and then dodged out of the way when the latter came peddling towards him in a frenzy before clutching the brakes and coming to a grinding halt in front of Reuben.

The rickshaw driver was lean, had a weather-beaten face, the texture of leather and hairy arms. He flashed a paan stained grin and asked in Bangla, Where do you want to go, brother?

Gulshan 2, Grameen Tower, Reuben replied, in English.

After haggling over the price, the young software engineer climbed awkwardly into the passenger seat.

A warm breeze brushed up against Reuben’s face and ruffled his hair. As he sat back and relaxed in the stiff passenger seat, he closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, listened to the sounds of the bustling city of Dhaka and started to think about the day that stretched ahead.

Reuben Thomas had a Bachelor’s degree in Electronics and Communication Engineering from a university in South India that had an almost unpronounceable name. He had grown up in a semi-urban town in South India and had spent most of his life following his father’s rigid directives. The young man had studied in a reputed secondary school that affluent people and wannabe middle class parents sent