BALI 100 KM (Book 1) ✔

Chapter 12

Whether he was or not, Inspector Sarathi's investigation will reveal soon, and as of now, he has had some respite since Balwant's(Maman) arrest. A month had passed after this incident, and he was still under the watchful eye of the police. The patrol car visited his shop at least once a day. They never made him feel uncomfortable, and for Bandu too, it was extra earnings, so he welcomed them.

Bandu's life and routine had changed since the murder case that resulted in his kidnapping. He was more precautious and would now open his business at the crack of dawn. On one such morning, when he was busy, he noticed something strange. A boy, aged 7 or 8 in dirty clothes, was standing behind a tree and watched his customers eating and drinking. There were at the most 4 or 5 people. Maybe he was there to steal and was waiting for the right opportunity, Bandu thought.

"Hey! Get out of here!" Bandu screamed at the child, who took fright and suddenly disappeared into the trees.

But after an hour, the kid was back again, scavenging the bin kept at a distance from the shop. This sight disheartened Bandu, and he decided to try a different approach.

"Hey kid, come here," Bandu called out to him softly. The boy heard him and stood still, stunned. Bandu beckoned him with a smile this time, and that did the trick.

"Are you hungry?" Bandu asked when he came near. There was only a nod indicating an eagerness to that. Bandu filled a plate with some snacks and gave it to the boy, who only looked at it longingly but wouldn't touch it.

"Take it. It is for you," Bandu insisted, forcing the plate onto the child's little hands, drawing a big curve on the innocent face. The boy ran to the milestone to sit and began to gorge on his luck. Bandu went and placed a glass of water beside him.

After stating his hunger, he began to lick the crumbs off the plate. Although it looked as if he enjoyed eating his plater, a look of remorse appeared on his face as he approached to return the plate, and Bandu wondered whether he was still hungry.

"Do you want some more?" Bandu asked, and there was a nod, this time in denial.

"Will you have some tea?" Bandu asked once again. This time the boy's face lit up, and there was a nod in 'yes'. And that drink was his savored drink, Bandu thought, seeing the sight in front of him of the boy enjoying the tiny sips and warming his hands at the same time. Then Bandu noticed how the scanty clothes covered the boy's bony body. No wonder he was feeling cold, Bandu thought.

Overwhelmed at the state of the boy, it reminded him of his younger days. He decided to do something for the boy. He spared a glance at the boy while serving the customers when he saw that after having finished his tea, the boy had made his way to the sink to clean the used glass and plates.

"Leave it," Bandu instructed, and the reply happened to be in a series of actions.

"I don't understand," Bandu conveyed, confused. The boy's actions then become more pronounced and slow. He understood two things, both of which touched his heart. One, the boy could not talk, and second, he wanted to pay for the food he ate. Bandu stood speechless for a moment and let the boy keep his pride, a value he learned at such a young age.

"Ok, stop now. You have done enough," Bandu intervened after some time and took matters into his own hands.

He tried to find out the child's whereabouts, but the conversation with the boy was far from understanding. He could make out that he lived far away, and he seemed to be wearing a uniform of some kind. Any questions regarding his family were answered in silence, prompting Bandu to backtrack. He didn't want the boy to wander alone and fall into the hands of the beggars.

"Will you work for me? I will pay you," he asked. He made a desperate last-minute offer without weighing its consequences. But its acceptance put all his immediate apprehensions regarding the boy at ease.

What man proposes and God disposes was at play in Bandu's life on the whole. He believed that it was fate that had intervened when he met the little boy, who had now become a part of his life for six months. He was christened as 'Nand' by his so-called uncle Bandu with whom the boy resided and even went to school for special children like him. These were too not planned, but he decided to follow his heart, and whenever he looked at the boy, he knew that he took the right decision.

The authorities were least inclined to act on his complaint to trace the parents, and he, on his part, remained unassertive fearing Nand to end up in an orphanage.

Nand was never forthcoming, and many times Bandu tried to root out some information from him regarding his parents. But he would become emotional and cry out, flooding Bandu's heart, thus, putting a stop to further attempts at questioning. Nand was happy as it would appear to everyone, but Bandu had seen his sad side too, and not knowing the problem ate at him all the time. It was clear that he was hiding something.