The Girl Who Carried the Sun

Twenty Two

* Eche - Sister in Manipuri

Twenty-Two
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In an isolated corner of the village, by a dusty road at the foot of the forest slope, Amir sat on a low bamboo stool by the fire as his mother bent and blew into it. Clouds of smoke and ashes puffed up to blind the boy’s eyes and choke him. He pressed his palms over his eyes, hid his face between his knees, and coughed. His mother told him to move aside, so he turned his back to the fire and waited. Sunrays peeped into the house through holes in the unpainted, rundown mud walls in hopes of offering some light into the house only to be blocked by films of smoke and ashes.

Suddenly, Amir lifted his head to a familiar noise coming down the road. When he heard it give off a loud honk, he darted out of the house and waited by the door. As it came into sight, the noise grew, and Lo and behold! There were his friends and Sir Pavei in the driver’s seat coming to pick him up for school.

"Amir! Amir!" they called.

"I'm not coming today!" he shouted from the door.

Pavei leaned forward against the steering well and asked through the window, "What's the matter? Why aren't you coming?"

"My ama is sick."

Amir's mother appeared beside him, never looking better. Even from afar, Pavei could see she barely had flesh on her bones. Her eyes were too deep, her posture too frail.

"Amir won't be coming today, Sir Pavei," she explained in a tremulous voice, "I couldn't get up in time to prepare his breakfast since I'm not feeling too good this morning. I've only just started the fire. You go ahead. Amir will come tomorrow."

"Alright. No problem, Amir," Pavei replied, "I'll come back tomorrow. You stay home today and take care of your mummy."

The boy nodded with a smile. He had been quite worried about missing a day of school.

Pavei returned with the kids the next morning and Amir still couldn't go to school. His ama looked even weaker than the last. Then, Pavei informed Daniel about it when he drove back to school. He was himself unsure why he had to bother Daniel about it but Amir was their student, his mother was sick, they had no relatives to ask help from, and for Pavei, his big brother always seemed to have a solution.

"How weak is she?" Daniel asked.

"She's always been quite thin but she hasn't looked this bad."

"I'll pass by after school."

That put Pavei at peace. He had been sorry he couldn't think of anything he could do to help.

Daniel, always the last to leave school, locked his office after everyone had left and drove home to Lily who stayed behind preparing lunch. He found her still busy in the kitchen washing the utensils and tidying up the counter.

"Are you back, Sir Daniel?" Lily called from the kitchen the moment she heard his footsteps come through the front door.

Daniel instantly felt a smile grow on his lips as he came into the kitchen. "I am back. How's cooking?"

"Just fantastic. I had nothing to worry about since you left that." She laughed, feeling funny now as she motion her chin toward the refrigerator where Daniel had pasted the morning's recipes in detail.

Softly chuckling with her, Daniel moved toward the counter and opened the lid of the curry pot. A smoke of steam immediately warmed his face and he smelled it. He took a long breath of its aroma and smiled, "Hmm. This is going to be the best dal ever, I swear."