“Elli, it’s just a song. This is how it is, in the kingdom of the poor.”
“I guess,” she says, “I was thinking of my mother too. In her bad times she didn’t know what was going on, but she had sane moments too. She must have known her case was hopeless.”
“You learned to play the piano for her.”
“That’s right. I learned all her favourite pieces, they’re still all I know, really. The other night I was sitting here, trying to think what my own favourites were, I couldn’t think of one.”
“Elli, I think you are very lonely.”
She says nothing, but nods.
“Pandit Somraj, it’s a pity you didn’t get on, he is a decent man, plus he is fascinated by music. You should try to get to know him.”
“How can I, when he is boycotting me?” Now she’s dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief.
I should have taken that moment to tell her that it is not Somraj who is doing the boycotting, that he has in fact all along spoken out against it, but for some reason my lying mouth stays shut.
“Now, how have you been?” she asks, and the chance has gone. Long I spent, that day, talking to Elli doctress. Down below her staff closed up the clinic and left. All kinds of things she told me, about her town, her family, her parents. Eyes, you shall hear this from her own mouth soon, so I’ll not spoil it. Plus she said that the very next day she would take an X-ray of my back. It’s dark by the time we finish talking.
As I step out of the clinic, ready to head home to Ma Franci, there arrives the moment I’ve been dreading. Pandit Somraj is standing outside his door. “Animal, please spare me a minute.”
No escape, now I am fucking for it.
“Yes, sir?”
“Were you there to hear her playing?” he asks.
“I was. Plus I played myself. I made a song.”
“Very good. How did you do it?”
“Elli doctress taught me. Sir, she showed me how to put my hands on the piano, and press the keys to make sa re ga etc. Also, in her music re is called re, which is the same as in ours, she was very pleased by this.”
“Was she now?” The way he says this, I’m thinking now he’ll get furious, but instead of shouting at me, catching my ear or landing a kick to the arse, he just puts his hand on my shoulder and says in a friendly tone, “Son, we have all missed you.”
“Me, sir?”
“You, sir. My daughter was worried.”
“Sir, no need for worry.” Oh happy, happy. Pandit Somraj has forgiven me, plus called me son plus Nisha cares about me.
“You had other business to attend, no doubt.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Nothing to do with frogs, I suppose?” His face is stern as ever, but his shoulders give a twitch, on this day of surprises not only have I seen Pandit Somraj smile, but now I realise that he is doing his best not to laugh.
“Fully not frogs, sir.”
“Goodnight, Animal.”
“Sir, goodnight.”
“The kingdom of the poor, I want you to take me there.”
It’s the day after the petition. Despite promises, not one of those who signed yesterday have turned up to the clinic. I’ve come for my X-ray, expecting to find quite a few others, but apart from me and Jara the place is empty.
Elli says she has decided to take matters into her own hands. “If the poor won’t come to me then I will go to them. I will confront them in their own houses, I’ll rouse out the sick and ask them straight, ‘Will you die listening to rubbish, or will you let me help you?’”
“Well, I don’t know,” says I, thrilled by this tirade. “Seems nothing’s changed. People still think they must avoid.”
“You’re here, aren’t you?”
“I do as I please. Maybe I’m jamisponding on you.”
“Jamisponding?” When she realises what this means Elli starts laughing, after she has finished laughing she says, “Come on, let’s get these X-rays done, then can we go?”
“Of course, we can go.” Must be that I hesitated for she’s sensed something is wrong. “What’s up? Don’t care to be seen with me?”
“It’s not that.” I get on well with Elli doctress, plus because of my back I don’t want to upset her, but a principle is a principle.
“First there’s something we must agree.”
This principle, it’s one of Chunaram’s, in fact his only principle, since no others does he have. Elli seems not very sharp on the uptake so I’ve to explain.
“There’s a question of the fee.”
“What?!”
“For this type of work I always get a fee.”
“A fee?” she says again, as if she has not heard me right.
“Fifty rupees. Nothing it’s, to an auto-riding superstar like you.”
“Animal, you’re amazing, you really are.” Shaking her head, she’s. “Do you actually have a conscience?”
Well, conscience I don’t believe in, if I was given one I’d hand the fucking thing straight back. “Elli, this is my business. For showing foreigners round I always get a fee.”
“I thought we were friends,” she says, looking kind of hurt.
“What has that got to do with it?”
“Friends don’t charge each other for favours.”
“We are friends,” says I, “but not equal friends.”
“Crap. Of course we’re equal.”
“No, we’re not. You are rich and I am poor.”
“What has that to do with friendship?” She’s led me through to the room where’s the X-ray mashin. “Come on, you’re joking.”
“Elli, someone like you needs a lot of money. How could I go about with you? I can’t even afford to stand you a Coca-Cola. You know how much I spend in one day? Guess.”
She thinks then says, “Forty rupees.”
“Forty?” I’ve laughed till I’ve choked, held up some fingers.
“Four?”
“Yes, four.”
“That’s ten cents US. No one can live on that, not even in Khaufpur. Move a little to your left.” While talking she’s positioning me against the X-ray mashin. A little this way, a bit that.
“You’re right. No one can, but I do. Know how? I walk everywhere, four legs, leff-rye-leff-rye, no autos for me. All morning I’m roaming around doing my work. Two rupees I’ll spend on chai. Lunch I eat at Pandit Somraj’s place, no cost. Every afternoon I’ll show up at Chunaram’s. One rupee’s for a samosa, one more for a chai.”
“How about we make a deal? You do this for me just as I am doing this,” she waves at the X-ray mashin, “for you.”
“Elli, you may choose to work for nothing, but why does that also have to be my choice?”
She’s thought about this. “You said our friendship was not equal, well I am giving you something, you can give me something, each of us gives freely, not because we have to, but because we want to. This makes us equal.”
“Elli, this equality leaves me broke.” Got to stop her cheapskatery, so I jerk my chin at Jara, who’s lying near Elli’s feet, panting, with a dog smile on her face. “Why’s the dog allowed in, Elli? So desperate you’re for patients, you even took me.”
“Goddamn!” she shouts. “Hold still. Take a deep breath and shut the fuck up! One…two…three…”
When the X-ray is done she says to me, “Now you listen to me. I’ll do what I can for you because I want to. I’m a doctor, that’s what I do. But I’m damned if I’ll pay you to take me around. So make up your mind. Will you do it, or won’t you?”
So I’ve thought about this, then called to the dog. “Come on, let’s go.”
We get to the door of the room. Elli’s still standing by the X-ray mashin, looking really sad.