The Girl in the Gym

Made Guy

"We can't carry on as we have. We'll run out of money soon," he told his parents. He tried to make Chitra stay back but she would have none of it. Finally, the family of three began their journey to Mumbai. It was summer months and everything was dry and parched. They took a train to Ahmedabad, and then on to Mumbai. The weather was so much worse there. The air was thick with humidity, like a heavy blanket. Inaya felt cranky at not having enough to eat. Chitra barely spoke anymore. They reached Dadar station and made their way to South Bombay, where they were told they would find work. Hemnath only had a slip of paper with a number of the person who had promised them a job.

He bought some guavas with spicy masala for Chitra and Inaya and told them to wait at the station while he went out to determine what had to be done. He left them sitting on the cold seats, clutching a single bag and terror in their eyes. It was too crowded, and the stink overpowered Inaya's senses. Chitra's arms and legs ached from having to hold onto the bag and Inaya, but she dared not let either go. Her jaw hurt from clenching so hard to prevent herself from crying. I have to be strong for my family, she told herself over and over again. Sometime after three, Hemnath reappeared, looking none too happy.

He took Inaya from Chitra's arms and picked up the suitcase. "Come, I have found a place to stay. You won't like it, but there's no choice."

He told her about the man, Marutiji, who was going to give him work from tomorrow. Marutiji owned a building where he let out rooms to his workers. He led them out of the station, onto the main road. They two of them were wide-eyed with wonder. Never before had they seen such big roads and cars, and huge imposing buildings. The noise on the street was deafening. Inaya noticed the little children by the road, their faces dirt-streaked, and sun-bleached hair. They were asking the commuters for food, with no expression on their faces. They showed neither disappointment at being refused nor joy when they were given a few rupees or a bit of food. Inaya remembered feeling afraid for these children. Even when she grew older, she remembered how her heart had filled with dread at their sight.

They finally turned left into a rundown street, with dilapidated buildings that looked like they shouldn't be inhabited at all. But the place was crawling with residents. There was a running balcony on each of the four floors, and clothes and sheets were put out to dry haphazardly. The street was paved, but years of much and grime had left it permanently slush-ridden. There was a garbage heap right next to the door and the stench was nauseating. Chitra looked around with a grim face. Inaya was shocked at the amount of filth and decay. She knew her doves would never come to find her in a place like this. They trudged up the stairs to the second floor where they had been assigned a single room with a bathroom.

Hemnath had not been completely honest with his family. He led them to believe that he was some kind of intellectual job, whereas he was given employment at the docks where he had to count the sacks of grain and cardboard boxes being loaded and unloaded. Marutiji would deduct rent money from his salary. After sending a bit of money home, they would be left with a tiny amount to last the whole month. Hemnath cursed himself forever coming to the city but there was nothing to do.

Soon, they settled into a routine. Hemnath would go to work, and Chitra would take classes for the children of the chawl. She taught them as best as she could, and as a fee, she accepted money, food, ration, anything to help her house run. She wanted them to get away from the horrid chawl and go back to Udaigarh. But they couldn't go back empty-handed. Inaya learned to stay close to her mother and not wander too far. She always felt like she was being watched, and it fuelled her anxiety.

The first month passed by extremely slowly, each day bringing more tiredness. Still, the couple tried to make their home cheerful for Inaya. They all missed their home on the mountain, but the pain was too raw to talk about just yet. Weeks turned into months, and months added up to a year. Inaya had turned six, and they still had not saved enough money to leave.

Hemnath had other things to worry about as well. The man he was working for turned out to be a crook who was, in turn, working for a bigger criminal. These people were involved in the smuggling of electronic items from the middle east, and they sold it on the black market in Mumbai. The boxes that had been smuggled were marked with a tiny black rose. Hemnath resolved to turn a blind eye to this since he could not afford to be jobless. But one day, when he was counting the boxes, he noticed one of them was open. He indicated to his supervisor who hurriedly sealed it shut. But Hemnath had already seen something that he should not have. He had seen a tiny gun nestled between the packages, poking out just a little bit. His ears started ringing, and he couldn't breathe. He forced himself to calm down and act normally. If anyone knew that he saw the gun, they would kill him for sure.

What have I got myself into? I am a man of learning and I've been reduced to working for criminals, he thought despairingly. This incident preyed on his mind day and night until he could finally bear it no more. They would have to leave the city in stealth. He would send Inaya and Chitra ahead, under the pretext of visiting Udaigarh and his parents. And then he too would sneak away before anyone got wind of anything.

But before he could properly formulate this plan, terrible news reached them. Hemnath's mother had passed away in her sleep, and his father had died shortly after, presumably of shock. They were heartbroken and inconsolable. Chitra demanded they leave right away. "If we are to be helpless and poor, I'd rather be that in the shadow of our former home than here. We are fading away and soon Inaya will forget who we are," she said, bringing out her pendant. Hemnath agreed. They left all their stuff and just packed one bag of clothes along with some money and left in the middle of the night.