Boys without Names (22 page)

“Did you see the flash?” someone asks.

“That was just—”

“Quiet,” the inspector cuts Scar off. There is not a sound. I start thumping my hand on the floor. Others also must have gotten their hands free, too, because their thumping joins mine.

“They are here! Move those bundles out,” Inspector booms.
“Now.”

“But sir—” Scar whines.

The man roars again like a lion. “Stay out of my way!”

Before we know it, the bags disappear. The policeman unties our legs and arms and we pull the cloth from our mouths before climbing down. There are four men in police uniforms, but one has three stars and a red-and-blue-striped ribbon at the outer edge of the shoulder straps. He must be the inspector. As he watches us line up, the vein in his temple pulsates.

“You kept these children upstairs as your slaves!” the inspector shouts.

“I, I am—”

He points at Sahil. “Look at him! You have starved him. And him,” he points to GC. “He is so hunched over. You must have made him work like a donkey.”

“I fed them and I never beat—”

“Sir, look at this.” One of the policemen picks up the rubber tube. Scar's words die in his throat.

The inspector walks up to Scar. “You will pay for all your cruelty many times over. I will personally make sure of that.”

Then the inspector turns to us. “Don't be afraid, children. No one can hurt you.” When he looks down at our chapped hands, his face becomes hard again, and his eyes turn steely.

“I'll bring the children,” he says to one of the policemen. He points to Scar. “I'll deal with him later.” The policeman takes out handcuffs.

So far I have avoided looking straight at Scar. I feel that if our eyes meet, the nightmare will be repeated. But now I know he can't do anything and I glance at him. He has covered his face with his hands, but the police move his arms behind his back and handcuffs him. Scar's face is ashen—the color of a polluted city cloud. Perspiration rolls down his forehead, and the scar on his cheek is scrunched up. It reminds me of the day I came. But today his scar is puckered because he is panicked.

My friends are also looking at Scar. But it is GC's gray eyes that have darkened and speak most clearly. With his look GC is spitting, hitting, and punching Scar. His eyes tell of our pain, hunger, and aches. I wonder if Scar understands how much he has hurt us and how much we hate him. Maybe he does, because he averts his eyes from GC's gaze and looks down at the stone floor.

The inspector holds his hand out to Amar. “Come. Let's go.” He wipes the tears from Amar's face and softly says, “I am here to take care of you.” Then the inspector takes my hand and I extend my other hand to Sahil and we all walk out together. We don't look back.

Once outside I breathe in deeply.

“Who is Gopal?” the inspector asks.

“I am.”

“You were brave to ask for help.”

“Thank you, Inspector,” I say. Then I blurt the words I have been longing to say. “Can I go home now? My family is in Mumbai and I know where they live.”

“Yes, yes,” he says.

It is so hard to be calm!

The inspector puts his hand on my shoulder. “It is time for you to say good-bye to your friends so you can go home with one of the policemen. We will take care of your friends until we find their families,” he says.

“What if you can't find someone's family, or one of them is all alone?”

“We will look after them. I promise.”

“When will I be able to see them again?”

“It is difficult to say, son. But I will try to arrange something.” The inspector moves away a few steps.

The six of us make a circle. I don't know what to say.

Amar holds on to my arm. “You can't go. You have to be with us because we are a family.”

“We'll always be a family,” GC says. “Let go of Gopal.”

I pull out the flashlight from my pocket and press it into Amar's hand. “Keep this. You'll need new batteries, but once you have them it will be like I am with you.”

Sahil steps forward, puts his hand in his pocket, and
pulls out a string. It is the string from the sweets box. “There are six beads on here. Remember us.”

“I'll never forget you.”

“I-I am not a good friend,” Roshan says.

I wrap my arm around his shoulders. “Yes, you are.”

“No-no. Sca-Scar made me tell about yo-your family. He held the scissors to my neck and said if I didn't talk he would hurt me. So-so-sorry.” More tears stream down his face.

I glance at GC and Barish. They both must have known it was Roshan who had told Scar about the twins, but they kept quiet to protect Roshan and me. “Don't worry now. We are all safe from Scar,” I say to Roshan.

He pulls out a piece of newspaper from his pocket. There are pressed
nimba
leaves between the folded papers. “I kept this in my jute sack to remember my family,” he says, and hands me one of the leaves. I tuck it into my pocket with the beaded string.

“You don't want to forget this,” Barish says. He hands me a bundle. It is my raincoat.

“When did you get that?”

“I grabbed it before I climbed down.”

“Thanks,” I say.

Now GC and I turn to each other. “Gopal, I want to tell you…my name is Kabir.”

I am too stunned to say anything.

“Is that your real name?” Barish asks.

“That's the name my grandmother gave me, but once
she died I didn't allow anyone to call me by that name. I should have told you my name a long time ago.” GC squeezes my shoulder. “Call me Kabir.”

“Kabir.”

“Kabir,” the others repeat after me.

Starting with Kabir, I give each of them a hug. In the dark I can't see my friends' faces clearly, but my cheeks are wet with our tears mixed together.

Amar gives me one more hug. “Gopal, come visit us soon.”

“I will,” I can barely whisper.

The inspector clears his throat.

It is time to go.

T
he inspector takes my friends in his car and one of the policemen and I go to Jama's house in a taxi.

It is the day after Diwali, and the lights twinkle in windows and galleries. The mood is festive and it fills me with joy. The darkness has ended and I am free! My friends are free! It won't be long before the inspector sends Barish, Amar, and Roshan home. It might take a while to find Sahil's relatives, though. I hope all of the boys get back to their families. What will Kabir do? He doesn't have anyone. If Kabir lives in Mumbai I can see him. I will ask Aai if he can visit us. I know she will say yes.

Just like I thought of Aai, Baba, Naren, Sita, and Jama when I was making frames, I will think of Kabir, Roshan, Barish, Sahil, and Amar when I am back with my family. Six of us had come together, and now I am not with
them. I take out the string with six beads and finger each of them. I pray to keep my friends safe and happy. Even though we will miss one another, I can't wait to go home and be with my family.

After a long cab ride we get off at the corner by Chachaji's shop. It is past nine o'clock and the shop is closed. I want to run down the street to Jama's house. I hold on to my raincoat and walk as fast as I can without breaking into a run. The policeman looks at me sideways and keeps up with me.

When I get close to Jama's my heart starts banging, my knees tremble, and my eyes tear up. The door is open and light from inside spills out. “Is this your home?” the policeman asks.

“Yes,” I reply.

“Go,” he says, gently stepping to the side. I rush in. Naren and Sita are lying on a mattress wide awake. Aai is sitting on the sofa, talking to Jama and an old man. I am stunned for a moment. It is Baba!

“Aai, Baba!” I cry as I run toward them.

“Gopal?” Aai opens her arms toward me.

“Our Gopal!” Baba is trembling, a shrunken, thinner version of himself, but his eyes come alive as he embraces me. Naren and Sita jump up and hug my legs, bouncing and shouting “Gopal! Gopal!” Jama wipes tears from his eyes. We are all sobbing, laughing, hugging.

I take a breath and let their familiar scents soothe me. “Aai, Baba,” I whisper.

“Yes, Gopal,” they whisper back. The way they call me by my name fills me with such joy that I can't reply.

I don't want to ask Baba where he was and I don't want them to ask me about where I have been. Not tonight.

Amar: Dimpled Chin

Barish: Thick Fingers

Kabir: GC (short for Gray Cloud)

Roshan: Night Chatterer

Sahil: Rocking Boy

Aaa jao
(Hindi): “Come on,” “Come over”

Aai
(Marathi): mother

Accha
(Hindi): okay, all right

Anamik
(Sanskrit): without names

Baba
(Marathi): father

Bahin
(multiple languages): sister

Bajra
(multiple languages): barley-sized grayish grain

Bakra
(multiple languages): goat

Bakshish
(multiple languages): bonus, tip

Bakvas bandh kero
(Hindi): “Stop babbling,” “Stop talking nonsense”

Bambaiya Hindi
: Hindi dialect spoken in Mumbai; it includes a mixture of words from Marathi, Gujarati, Tamil, English, Konkani, and other languages.

Besan
(multiple languages): chickpea flour

Bhai
(multiple languages): brother

Bhaji
(Marathi): fresh vegetable as well as cooked curried vegetable

Bilkul bakvas
(Bambaiya Hindi): absolute or total nonsense

Bindaas
(Bambaiya Hindi): carefree

Bindi
(multiple languages): a dot many women wear on their foreheads in India

Bor
(multiple languages): a small, tropical, berrylike fruit

Chachaji
(Hindi): respected uncle; also used for elderly unrelated male

Chai
(multiple languages): Indian-style tea with milk, sugar, and spices

Chala
(Marathi): “Come,” “Let's go”

Chamcha
(Bambaiya Hindi, slang): sidekick

Chinch
(Marathi): tamarind; the fruit pulp has a very sour taste and is used in cooking and making sauces and chutneys

Chota
(Hindi): small, young

Chote muh, badi baat mat ker
(Bambaiya Hindi): “Don't talk big with (your) small mouth”

Dal
(multiple languages): lentil soup

Desh
(multiple languages): home country

Dhanteras
(multiple languages): a holiday two days before the festival of Diwali; it is considered an auspicious day

Dhotar
(Marathi): a long piece of cloth worn by men; it is wrapped around the waist and legs and tied at the waist

Diwali
(multiple languages): Hindu festival of lights that falls in October and is celebrated all over India

Dudhi bhaji
(Marathi): curried squash

Faltu
(Bambaiya Hindi): useless

Ganpati bappa morya, pudcha varshi laukar ya
(Marathi): “Hail Lord Ganesha, return again soon next year” a chant heard at the festival of Ganesha or Ganpati

Ghee
(Multiple languages): clarified butter

Gorus-chinch
(Marathi): a variety of tamarind with a sweeter taste than regular tamarind

Gundas
(Hindi): thugs, bad people

Hamare baap ka bridge thodi hai?
(Bambaiya Hindi): “Does the bridge belong to our fathers or what?”

Ho
(Marathi): yes

Kahani
(Hindi): story

Kal kere so aaj kare, aaj kare so abb
(Hindi): “Do today what you plan to do tomorrow, do now what you plan to do today”

Kal-bal
(Hindi): chatter

Kali Chaudash
: the day before Diwali; it is considered the day of ghosts, goblins, and other spirits

Kanpatti
(Bambaiya Hindi, slang): punishment

Khajoor
(Bambaiya Hindi, slang): stupid

Khissa-khali
(Bambaiya Hindi): literally, “empty pockets”

Kurta-pajamas
(Hindi): men's long shirt and pants

Laddus
(multiple languages): a dessert consisting of deep-fried balls of sugary dough

Ladki
(Hindi): girl

Maa
(Hindi): mother

Maha nagari
(Sanskrit, multiple languages): big city

Mamu
(Bambaiya Hindi, slang): stupid

Mayavati nagari
(Sanskrit, multiple languages): illusionary city

Meri billi mujko meow?
(Hindi): “Is my own cat going against me?”

Mi jato
(Marathi): “I'm going”

Mumbaikar
(Bambaiya Hindi): one who lives in Mumbai

Murga
(multiple languages): chicken

Nalla
(Hindi): stream

Namashkar bahin
(multiple languages): “Greetings, sister”

Nimba
(Marathi, Sanskrit): also called
kadunimb
, a tropical tree that has many medicinal uses

Navratna
(multiple languages): nine jewels, the nine influential and wise people of the Mogul King Akbar's court

Oai ladka
(Hindi): “Hey, boy”

Oui maa
(Hindi, exclamation of surprise): “Oh mother!”

Oulta
(Hindi): upside-down

Pakka
(Hindi): real, for sure

Pakora
(multiple languages): a kind of fritter containing potatoes, onions, and other vegetables; dipped in chickpea flour and deep-fried

Pav
(multiple languages): bread

Pav-bhaji
(multiple languages): bread with spicy vegetable

Pipul tree
(Ficus religiosa): fig tree

Roti
(multiple languages): flat Indian bread

Sacch na?
(Hindi): “Right?”

Samazne
(Marathi): understand

Sambhalun ja
(Marathi): go carefully or be careful

Samman
(Marathi): honor, self-pride

Shabash
(Hindi): well done, great job

Shahanshah
(Hindi): king of kings

Sudarshan
(Sanskrit): an Ayurvedic medicine to bring fever down

Suna
(Hindi): “Tell us”

Tea se jyada nai kitali garam hai
(Bambaiya Hindi, slang): someone who thinks he is smarter than he is

Tera baap
(Hindi, slang): your father (used as an insult here)

Thahro
: (Hindi, Marathi): “Wait”

Tu bakvas bandh ker
(Bambaiya Hindi): “Stop talking nonsense”

Tum acchi kahani sunate ho
(Hindi): “You tell good stories”

Tumhi Marathi bolta ka?
(Marathi): “Do you speak Marathi?”

Wah!
(Hindi): “Wow!”

Xhun se laafa
(Bambaiya Hindi): a hard slap

Yaar
(Hindi): buddy, dear friend, pal