The Tiffin (6 page)

THE DOOR SQUEAKED, DISTURBING THE stagnant air in the dark room.

Kunal dragged himself up from the depths of sleep, trying to shake off the heavy stupor that pulled at him. He attempted to sit up. Pain ripped through him. He lay still, sweating, afraid to move a muscle.

“Kunal,” came an urgent whisper.

It was Mrs. Seth.
Did she want a turn at bashing him up, too?
Kunal tried to scrunch lower into the bed.Tears leaked out of the corners of his eyes and he hated himself for being so weak. And so stupid.

Mrs Seth closed the door quietly behind her and switched on the light. She sat on his bed and stared at him. Kunal was relieved to see she did not look angry, only anxious.

“You have to leave tonight,” she said.

Kunal's body ached just at the thought of sitting up, let alone running away. Every breath brought a fresh wave of fiery pain. “I don't understand. Sethji is letting me go?”

Mrs. Seth closed her eyes. When she opened them again they were soft, and filled with deep anguish. “He's selling you to Abdulla. He wants to make an example of you so that no waiter will ever be tempted to steal from him again. They'll finalize the deal tonight. Everyone wins,” she whispered, “except you.”

“No!” said Kunal. He struggled to sit up.The effort almost made him pass out. “No,” he repeated weakly. “Please don't let him, Mrs. Seth ... I'm sorry ... so very sorry ... I'll never steal again.”

“I won't let him,” said Mrs. Seth. She clasped his hands in hers. “Don't you worry.”

It was her tone more than her words that were his undoing. She had never spoken to him with such tenderness. Huge, ragged sobs burst out of him. He could barely breathe.

Mrs. Seth hugged him tight. He cried harder.

“I wish Sethji had killed me,” Kunal gasped. “I don't want to be a beggar. I don't want to be mutilated by Abdulla. I wish I was dead.”

Mrs. Seth hugged him tighter. “You stupid boy,” she said, her voice cracking. “This is not your fault. If only I hadn't agreed to help your mother, your life might have been so very different.”

Kunal froze. With a huge effort he clamped down on the sobs, pulled away, and stared at her. She was staring at him, too, her face deathly pale. He opened his mouth but no words came out. Mrs. Seth stood up but Kunal reached out and pulled her down again.

“You knew my mother?”

Her face turned whiter. “No.”

“You're lying! You just said you did.”

“I have to make arrangements to get you out of here. We have very little time.”

“Please, Mrs. Seth. Just tell me the truth.” His face crumpled and he dropped his head in her lap. “I'm not an orphan after all? I have family?”

She gripped his shoulder and pushed him away. “Be strong, Kunal.This world is not kind to the weak-hearted.”

Kunal raised his head. “Easy for you to say.You have everything, and yet you won't allow me a little bit of happiness? Tell me where she is.”

Mrs. Seth did not answer. She stood up quickly and went to the door.This time Kunal did not stop her.Anger had replaced the horror from a few moments ago.

“Liar,” he said softly. “You lied when you said I was an orphan. You've lied to me all my life.”

Mrs. Seth whirled around, her face red. “So what if I did? I did it for your own good. I'm sick of this mess. And it all started with your mother when she lied to me. She's the liar, not me.”

“How so?” asked Kunal.

“I have to go,” repeated Mrs. Seth. She paused, looked back. “When you didn't return to the dhaba after the delivery last evening I was sure you had run away.You had, hadn't you?”

Kunal knew the answer was on his face.

“Why did you come back, Kunal? Why didn't you just stay away? You've made matters worse.”

“I came for what was owed to me,” said Kunal. “I needed the money to survive.” He was trembling so much he had to hug himself to stop the shaking. “But if I hadn't, I would never have known that I have family, that I'm not an orphan.The beating was worth it! Please tell me where she is. I'll go away and never trouble you again.”

Kunal swung his feet to the floor and almost toppled over.

“Stay there!” snapped Mrs. Seth. She made him lie down again. “You're in no condition to walk. But there are only two hours to closing. Sethji is meeting Abdulla after the customers have gone. He'll hand you over with all the waiters watching. No one, not even I, can stop him then.” She bit her trembling lip. “After that, there's no hope ... none it all.” The last words were so soft, it was almost as if she were speaking to herself.

“I'll go to Vinayak's,” said Kunal. “That's where I ran away to, earlier.”

Mrs. Seth hurried to the door. “You'd better go back there immediately. I'll call Vinayak to come get you.Talk to no one about this.”

“And my mother?”

“Forget about her. She's forgotten about you.”

“But why?” asked Kunal, his heart and head aching ferociously. “Why did she just leave me with you?”

“I don't know,” said Mrs. Seth. “All I can say is that your future lies with Vinayak. I will do everything I can to get you out safely. Don't expect anything else from me.”

And before Kunal could say another word she was gone. The room spun gently around him. Kunal closed his eyes and his hand sought out the green bangle tucked under the edge of his mattress. His fingertips moved over its smooth surface, one thought pulsing within him: he had family. He belonged to someone.

“KUNAL, WAKE UP.”

Someone was shaking him. He opened his eyes — the room was dark.

Terror flooded him. Was Abdulla here already?

“Who ... who is it?” he said.

“It's me, Kunal.You don't have to worry.”

He recognized the voice now. “Vinayakji?”

The room was coming into focus, illuminated by the dim glow from the streetlights.

“Yes.Where did you go to last night?” said Vinayak. He sat down on the bed and ran a shaky hand through his hair. “I was worried when I woke up this morning and found you gone. It's Saturday, so I had no reason to come here. If I had, it would have made Sethji suspicious. All day I've thought about you, wondering what to do when I heard from Mrs. Seth.” The words tumbled out of him in short, jerky phrases. “Is this how you treat a friend?”

“I'm sorry,” whispered Kunal, “but when you mentioned that a person needed money to survive, I realized I didn't have any. I didn't want to be a burden on you, so —”

Vinayak shook his head. “So you put yourself in danger again? Do you think so little of me?”

Kunal swallowed the lump in his throat. He couldn't trust himself to speak.

“We have to get you out of here immediately. Mrs. Seth told me about Abdulla.”

Kunal sat up immediately. The world tilted, then righted itself. “I just need to go to the bathroom and then we can leave.”

“Hurry,” said Vinayak. “I'll pack your things.”

Kunal gritted his teeth as he walked to the bathroom. It was like walking on a live wire. He splashed his face with cool water, gargled, and spat out the ugly taste of blood that coated his tongue. Mrs. Seth knew who his mother was, probably knew where she lived. If he left now, he would never find out. But if he didn't leave now, Abdulla would maim him for life. The boy without legs slid into his mind. By tomorrow he might be traversing some road in Bombay on a wheeled platform too. Kunal retched into the basin.

When he returned,Vinayak was pacing the room, bundle in hand. “Ready? Let's go.”

Kunal glanced out the window. Streetlights kept the deep darkness at bay. His eyes searched for the red rag on the tv antenna. Found it.The rag fluttered once, then fell limp. He'd go with Vinayak, but he would find a way to come back and ask Mrs. Seth for his mother's address.

The door to his room opened. Kunal involuntarily moved closer to Vinayak, the bruises on his body flaring with pain.

Mrs. Seth walked into the room. Kunal's heart leaped. Maybe she'd changed her mind.

“Here's what you came for, Kunal,” said Mrs. Seth. “I couldn't take too much or Sethji would have noticed, but it'll help till you get on your own feet.” She thrust a wad of notes into his hands. “May Lord Ganesh remove every obstacle from your path.And Vinayak, you're a good man.Thank you.”

Vinayak nodded.

Kunal stared at the notes uncomprehendingly. He knew she was taking a huge risk for him and he should thank her but at the moment his only thought was about his mother, and finding out her name.

“I'm taking this bangle too,” said Kunal. He held up the green bangle and then tucked it quickly into his pocket. “I hope you don't mind. It's the only thing I have left that belonged to my mother.” He hoped he had injected enough bitterness and sadness in his voice to shame her into telling him what he wanted to know.

Mrs. Seth stared at him for a moment. “It's not your mother's — it's mine. But you can have it.”

Kunal's heart shrivelled inside his chest. It was Mrs. Seth who had told him the bangle was once his mother's. Another lie. The one thing that had comforted him during his darkest moments hadn't been real.The one thing that had stopped him from fleeing the dhaba, and earned him the worst beating of his life, had not been worth the trouble.

“We're wasting time,” said Vinayak. “Whatever it is you need to know can wait. Right now we have to move.”

Kunal grasped Mrs. Seth's arm. “You have to tell me —”

Mrs. Seth shook his hand off. “Stop it, Kunal! Sethji is in a murderous mood. All the waiters and the kitchen staff have heard about the incident and they're laughing at him. There are only a couple of customers left in the dhaba and Abdulla could very well get here early. Follow me.”

Vinayak pushed Kunal towards the door.There was nothing to do but leave. They tiptoed across the corridor and Kunal shot a glance at the dining room below. The whirring fan and the edges of the grimy tables came into view. One of the waiters was mopping the floor and the antiseptic smell of phenyl wafted up to him. Muted voices came from the kitchen. Then they were past and into the Seths' bedroom. Mrs. Seth unlocked a black door on the far side of the room.

“This leads straight to the alley. Be quick. Good luck, and don't come back,” she said, almost pushing Kunal out. They stepped through the door and the bolt shot back into place. They descended the dark staircase.

“What was all that about?” said Vinayak as they hurried towards the bright lights at the mouth of the alley.

“I'm sorry, Vinayakji. I don't feel like talking right now,” said Kunal. “I'll explain later.” Each step became harder to take because he knew he was deliberately walking away from the truth, from the one chance at having a real family.

He stopped abruptly.

“I can't leave!” said Kunal.“I have to do this now,Vinayakji. I may never get another chance.” He ran back, ignoring the pain that shimmied up and down his spine.

“Come back, you idiot!” yelled Vinayak. “It's not safe!”

Kunal didn't even slow down. He raced up the steps to the black door and hammered on it with both fists.

The door flew open a few seconds later and there was Mrs. Seth, white-faced and trembling. “Are you mad?” Her hand shook and the piece of paper in her hand fluttered. “Did you not hear a word I said?”

“I must know about my mother,” said Kunal. “I'm not leaving till you tell me. I can't.”

“Why won't you just leave it alone, Kunal?” said Mrs. Seth in a choked whisper. “Haven't you suffered enough? The truth will only hurt you more.”

“I don't care,” he said. “I'd rather be miserable knowing the truth than live a lie for the rest of my life.”

They both heard the thump of footsteps climbing the stairs. Mrs. Seth looked ready to faint. She clutched her heart, took a deep breath, and thrust the paper she was holding at him. “Here's the letter your mother wrote when she left you at my doorstep. I never heard from her again.Though I tried hard to track her down, it was futile. All I could find out was that she was still in Bombay.”

Kunal took the letter from her and scanned it. It was signed
Anahita
. There was no last name, no address. He crammed it into his pocket.The footsteps had reached the top of the steps. It could be no other than Sethji.

“Her full name?” said Kunal. “Do you know where I can find her?”

“Anahita Patel. Someone told me she was a financial analyst downtown.There are thousands of A. Patels in the phonebook so I didn't even bother. Please go!”

Kunal lunged forward and hugged Mrs. Seth tight. She hugged him back.

The door flew open. Sethji's bulk filled the entrance. He bellowed with rage, stomping towards them. “Gurpreet, what the hell are you doing? And what is this thief doing in our room? I'll teach this boy a lesson he'll remember for the rest of his life.”

“No!” said Mrs. Seth, shielding Kunal. “I won't let you.”

“In that case, you need the first lesson, you wretched woman.” Sethji's face was terrifying as he advanced on them, tugging at his moustache viciously.

Mrs. Seth turned around, pushed Kunal out the door and slammed it in his face. Her scream echoed through the thin wood.Then there was silence.

As Kunal walked alongside Vinayak in the darkness, he knew he would never forget Mrs. Seth's last words to him. Or her scream.

chapter eight

My dear Gurpreet,

 

I'm in trouble and I need your help. I'm leaving my son, Kunal, with you so that I can look for his father, Anurag. I used to pack his tiffin lunch. We got to know each other well and I fell in love. He loved me too, I know he did. But when I sent a note in his tiffin to tell him I was pregnant, I never heard back. I don't know what happened.

Of course, I was in such a panic when he didn't reply that I broke down. Mother suspected something was wrong and forced me to tell her what it was.Then she went completely mad.Took me to Panchgani, where I had the baby. Mother doesn't believe in abortions and thank God for it, because I know something happened which prevented my sweet Anurag from answering my letter. That day my regular dabbawalla was ill and a substitute was delivering the dabbas. Maybe he lost the tiffin.

So here I am, back in Bombay. Mother is intent on dropping Kunal off at an orphanage, but I won't allow it. I'll track Anurag down and we'll be a family again.

Please look after my darling Kunal. It's only for a week, but it'll give us a chance to be a family. I know I'm assuming a lot, Gurpreet, but I also know a good friend like you will not deny me this chance to find happiness.

One week is all I'm asking for and then he'll be off your hands. I'll be in your debt forever. Tell Kunal I love him.

 

You take care,
Anahita