To Take out the Trash

tw: domestic violence

This story is about someone who, despite taking out the trash many times before, does so one morning with his heart rate high. 

Chennai city is famous for so many things. Filter Coffee, cricket teams, asking ‘Can I?’ instead of ‘May I?’, beach-side romance, cinema fandom unity, the list is endless. 

Negatively, of course, it is famous for its slums, roadside spittles, illiteracy, child labour, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. But the entirety of the South Indian state of Tamilnadu, of which Chennai is the capital, is famous for its chaotic solid waste management. 

There are garbage bins with the necessary segregation labels, but you either find them filled with the wrong kind of trash, or you find the trash everywhere but the bins themselves. 

Some heroes create awareness among the people, and rarely they care. But all of them retain the right to complain about the dumps of garbage left uncleared. 

Say, the government takes charge of waste management, they say, ‘These government chaps do shabby work and scrap the rest of the money. Some private organization must take over and do something about this!’

When the process is privatized… Well, you guessed it. 

The entire population is divided into exact halves, namely, the ones who don’t give a damn who rules, and the others who are politically passionate enough for both the halves. 

When the state assembly election arrives, the politically passionate fellows go out to vote. Each district has constituencies, and each constituency has a separate winning representative. Together these representatives, called MLAs, choose between the Chief Minister candidates. The CM, along with the MLAs, discusses and decides for the entire state. 

The MLAs make whatever change legally possible in their own constituency. 

Months before the election, the entire city will shine, because that’s when the MLAs need the favour of the people. One such MLA was Shivan, from the Velachery Constituency. 

Shivan was campaigning passionately in a slum area. The people clap in these meetings, because in the end, when the bribes are given out, the loudest clapper gets extra. 

But Mathi, the least caring for all this hotchpotch, stood at the back, leaning against the wall of a hut, listening to all the empty promises of the cunning politician with disgust. 

“The stench of this place is revolting. Yes, I won the election last time, but we are the opposition party, not the ruling ones. And the ruling party members must do something about this place, don’t you think?”

The crowd roared inharmoniously, “YES!!”

“As much as I make efforts, the ruling party… They are not in the least considerate about you…” Shivan let out some crocodile tears. 

The crowd drenched in sympathy for the man who claimed that he tried to help. “

“But I don’t care anymore, my friends! You are all my brothers and sisters, and I must help you out of this situation, no matter the cost. We are installing garbage bins at every nook and corner of this area, and giving out free garbage bags to each and every one of you! Promise me that your vote belongs to us, and this entire slum will become a hub of posh bungalows!”

Thunderous applause followed, but Mathi snorted before walking back home. He knew that five years later, the same idiot would come back, begging and bribing for votes, changing his speech at the minimum level. 

The election arrived. Mathi remained home. Shivan won the elections. Velachery saw pompous celebrations with firecrackers and sweets with Shivan leading it. Two days later, the world was back to square one, and nobody could care less.

A month later, when Mathi was asleep, came a knock on his door. Expletives adorned his lips as he opened the door. Outside stood a familiar man who Mathi never wished to see, a pawnbroker by the name Sakthi. 

To both Mathi and Sakthi, the other was always the ‘10,000 Rupees’. 

Years back, when he was alive, Mathi’s father borrowed a sum of 10,000 rupees from Sakthi to arrange for Mathi’s marriage. On the occasion, however, the bride ran away because she was forced into wedlock. Due to the sudden tragedy, Mathi’s father was now dead, and Sakthi came every month, sticking out his hand for the amount. 

“Haven’t I paid you enough?”

Sakthi shook his head. “You still have 3,000 to pay besides the interest.”

“Don’t you have anyone else to bother in the early morning?”

“You’re just the first of them. At least ten others in this slum have borrowed money from me.”

“My situation is tight.”

“Your situation is always tight, you mongrel!”

“That’s not my mistake. I was sick for a week, in between came the auto drivers’ strike. The only proper wage day was on election day. The following two days were filled with celebrating crowds, and everybody was afraid to get out of their houses.” Mathi drove an auto-rickshaw for a living. 

“But you could have worked on all those days, don’t you think?”

“But I didn’t, and that’s that!”

“You swines, if you can’t even pay back, why do you borrow?”

“Who do you call swines?” Mathi’s voice was hostile. 

“You and your swine father, that’s who!”

Mathi caught the collar of the pawnbroker. “You dare talk about my father again, trust me, your survival instincts won’t kick in before I murder you.”

Sakthi smiled. It got on Mathi’s nerves. Mathi barely controlled his anger when he let go of the collar.

“Come on in. Let me see if I’ve got any money.”

Once Sakthi walked in, Mathi shut the door and bolted it. “There are many robbers in this area. Should they get to know where I keep my money, I won’t be left with any.”

Mathi walked to the corner of the room where he kept a cupboard made of wood. Inside he had his uniform.

“Do you need the money immediately? I don’t seem to have any money in hand. Maybe some change in my uniform…”

“I need to pay back a few debts. So, I need some money immediately.”

Mathi searched his pockets. “I don’t have anything.”

“You might have saved something up, no? Give me some of that.”

Hesitantly, Mathi opened a rusty locker in the cupboard. “I am telling you, I need this money. I will give you a thousand rupees. And I can earn that much in a month. Hmm…”

Mathi turned back to hand Sakthi a thousand rupees. But Sakthi had a knife in his hands. “Sorry, Mathi. I am desperate.”

Sakthi sliced at Mathi’s neck. Mathi pulled back, missing the blade by hair’s length. 

“MLA Shivan is threatening that he will kill me if I don’t pay his debts! GAH!” Sakthi cried as he slashed once more.

His reflexes kicking in, Mathi sidestepped and kicked Sakthi’s shin. Sakthi fell face forward, dropping the dagger. In a momentum, Mathi picked it up and slit Sakthi’s throat. 

It took him less than a second to realize what he had done. It was cold-blooded murder. Mathi’s knees collapsed, and he sat on the ground. 

‘It was a reflex. It was a mistake. It was self-defence…’ consoled Mathi. 

‘But it isn’t. He spoke about Father. That’s why I murdered him. I’ve murdered him.’

‘He did try to kill me, didn’t he?’

‘But what proof do I have? The police will arrest me. They will produce me in court. What will I say to them?’

‘What if the police don’t even know that I am the murderer?’

‘But they will investigate. They will come here for sure. He has come here, hasn’t he?’

‘But he mentioned Shivan. Shivan is threatening Sakthi. What if…’

Mathi cut Sakthi part by part. He took out one of the garbage bags Shivan had given. He stuffed Sakthi into the bag and walked out.

As he walked to the farthest garbage can from his home, the one closest to Shivan’s home, which was right outside the slum area, he thought through. 

‘Sakthi left his home early in the morning. He didn’t have family, and only his security guard saw him leaving home. Sakthi went to MLA Shivan’s house. Shivan bribed his security guards into telling the police that they never saw Sakthi. Sakthi, who owed Shivan a lot of money, delayed too much. Sakthi was murdered by Shivan. Sakthi’s body was disposed of in the garbage bin nearest his house, installed by Shivan himself.’

All along, Mathi checked if there were any security cameras. Safely enough, he reached the trash can. 

‘Later on, either the body will go unnoticed, or will be reported to the police. Usually, the stench of the garbage bin will not allow it to show. Even otherwise, the one to who Sakthi was indebted was Shivan, and Shivan would be the main suspect. The case would go on forever. No evidence. No witnesses.’

Mathi dropped the bag, identical to all the other bags in the bin. 

But suddenly, Mathi’s heart rate rose. The knife! The knife had his fingerprints. 

In fact, the knife was still in his hands. Mathi opened his palm. He smiled. The thousand rupees he held in hand had covered the hilt of the knife entirely, and his fingerprints wouldn’t be present. 

He dropped the knife too, in the trash bin. As he walked home, an old man in his street saw him. “Where are you going?”

“Home. I just had to take out the trash.”

“These new trash bins are of no use. They overfill quite soon. We need a powerful private organization to take over the process.”

Mathi smiled ruefully.