Journey - Part 5 of the Short Story Series "Missing"

           It was the 18th day. There was a rally near the Sandhya theater. Some people were carrying big cameras. I figured out them to be media. Some people held the broomsticks with their hands. Then I looked at the posters and figured out that they were profiling local politician as part of Swach Bharat campaign. I was beaten up for picking up less plastic last week. They did not have an iota portion of my brain to understand what would have been the case behind the less plastic pickups.

            There was a girl looking at me with a suspicion. Her looks kind of straight and were daunting. I was looking pretty abused and torn. My clothes were very bad. There was mud all over me. I was the poor soul who either got sympathy or got ill-treated. But her looks were very different. As if she was hunting for someone. I ignored her out of avoidance. The sister with me dragged into the middle of the Swach Bharat mess and pinched me and started her extortion from the campaigners. She got her pockets filled. Good day for her I guess. I did not have any hard feelings for her. She was just doing what she was trained to do. She took up begging just to be alive. 

       She got more than she wanted.  So she spent that little extra money on a cool drink and a cigarette. Yes a cigarette!!  Most of them smoke irrespective of gender. This made me think. I came to the terms that we Indians just blow things out of proportion and we must let people live the way they want. While she was savoring on her drink and cigarette, that little girl who was staring at me, dragged me by my hand and kept running.

          For a moment, I was dumbstruck. I did not know what was happening and what would happen. She kept running through the gully which again diverged into more small streets. It was not a slum -  not the slum I knew. I saw small concrete houses.I saw autowalas cleaning their autos. She suddenly took me into a house. The hall was dark. There was a light from the kitchen. She pulled me there. A lady was cooking food. She was the girl's mother. 

         The girl told her mother to give some sweets to me and kept repeating did not he look like my brother. At the moment, I understood all those stares were to confirm that I was her brother. But I was not. Her mother with teary eyes told her that her brother was no more. We heard someone entering the house. My heart pounded fast. I was frightened at the chance of getting caught by that bleeds mafia. I started to scream and ran to hide behind the mother. It was the girl's father. All the three tried talking me to understand why I was so afraid of people. Her father understood that something is wrong with me He asked his wife to bathe me. I got a nice bath which was scarce till then. She put her son's clothes on me. I looked into the mirror. Though I was not close to what I used to look, the bath and clothes put a smile on me. 

          The little girl's father made me eat some food. I was vert happy though I had my fears. He took out the poster which I had in my previous dirty pants. He asked me whether I was the one on the poster?  Not speaking for these many days did hamper my voice. I did not know a way to tell them. But the girl was clever. She got me a book to write. I wrote 'Yes'. He took his mobile and called the number on the poster. My father picked up the phone. My father and the uncle talked at length and they finally decided that the uncle will take me to Hyderabad. The time was 5:30 PM. The uncle and I quickly rushed to the catch the train at 6:30 PM. It was sad that I did not get time to say a proper goodbye to the little girl who helped me. We sat in the general compartment as we did not have time to buy tickets.

       This brings me back to the first part of my story. I am sitting by the window and the uncle beside me clinging to my arm. I am anxious and observant. I do not want to be missed again.We reached Koduru Station. It is a small station. Something unique caught my eyes. I saw the tattoo. The same tattoo of the guy in the whites. He was wandering with the other 2 big guys. I saw his face this time. It is now the most hated face of my life!!! How will I ever reach Hyderabad?