The Mango Heist

The day was hot and sticky and with a hint of hot air blowing in from the south, and it promised to become even brutally hot before cooling down in the evening.

Bhan stood in the middle of a huge crowd of kids, sweat dripping from his forehead, while the noise from the crowd sounded strangely muted in his ears. The hot air blew once again and Bhan tried to peep over the crowd and look for Saba and see whether she was watching him. He could not spot her. He pulled his mind back on the task in front of him. They were on a lunch break, and he had challenged Sabu to a game of marbles. Sabu was the biggest bully their class. He also had a really big, green and red marble, that his elder brother got form from the city and everybody who took the game seriously wanted desperately to win it. And today Bhan was desperate to win it for Saba.

Bhan knew Saba since he was born. They were neighbors, their families were close and their backyard was separated just by bamboo sticks stuck to the ground. It was more like an acknowledgement of property line and less of an actual fence. They were born just 3 months apart and had been friends and trouble makers since they could crawl. Chandu joined their merry band in the first grade.

Summer was a popular season for mangoes, and some of the best and juiciest variety grew in the gardens of Sabri Amma. She was really unpopular in the village due to her taciturn nature. She was old, unpleasant and always ready to beat kids with thick sticks who dared to steal her precious mangos. She always roped in her husband and youngest son to be on guard duty, but they were not that vigilant. The son slacked most of the time and her husband would rather sit and smoke than chase kids.

Two weeks back, just before the start of the school after summer break, Bhan & Chandu decided to sneak into Sabri Amma’s house and flick some juicy mangoes. They needed a look out and convinced a reluctant Saba to accompany them. They were almost successful, but while exiting the premise, Chandu’s leg got caught on some roots, and he exclaimed loudly as he fell face forward, alerting everyone around to their presence. Sabri Amma’s son, who was sleeping, got up with a start and grabbed poor Saba who was closest to him. While reaching down to help Chandu, he called out to Saba to run, but Sabri Amma’s son had a tight grip on her arms and was now trying to reach Bhan too.

Bhan helped Chandu up and they half hopped half ran towards the back exit. Bhan’s plan was to help Chandu out and come back for Saba, but Chandu was so freaked out that he insisted that they ran all the way up to the river to make sure they were not caught and Bhan helped him as his ankle was getting swelled up by the minute.

They sat at the bank of the river to catch their breath. While Bhan wanted to go back and help Saba, Chandu kept on saying that there was no point as she was caught red handed.

After an hour, both of them slowly made their way back to their houses. When he reached home, he immediately went to the backyard to call on Saba, but stopped on this track when he saw her standing with her hand in the air and tears rolling down her face. She was clearly being punished by her parents for stealing.

Bhan called out to her, but she did not turn her face. He called out once again but she ignored him. “Bhan, let her be! She is being punished for stealing and rightly so. I am surprised you were not caught with her.”

Bhan quickly said, “but I was fishing in the river with Chandu!” As soon as he said those words, he turned to look at Saba, who was shooting daggers at him.

“That’s a surprise. Since you were not dragged here by Sabri Amma, I suppose I will have to believe you. Go wash yourself before dinner” said Bhan’s mother.

After the incident, Saba refused to speak with Bhan and she actively started avoiding him. This had left him very anxious and the guilt was eating at him. It was the worse 2 weeks of his life.

And then yesterday, he had overheard Saba telling how she wished to win the big green and red marble from Sabu, but that oaf refused to play with girls.

As soon as he heard this, he knew what he had to do. He had to win the marble and present it to Saba. That would make her forgive him!

So today, here he was, sweat rolling down his muddy face as he concentrated on knocking the big marble from the center of the circle. If it rolls out of the circle, the marble was his. Saba would forgive him and he might get beaten up Sabu. If it does not roll out, he gets beaten up by Sabu for nothing. “Get on with it Bhan! We don’t have all day”, Sabu growled from the opposite end of the circle. Bhan ignored him, took another breath, closed his left eye and took aim. The clank of marble on marble sounded like gun shot as the crowd had gone silent in anticipation as soon as they saw Bhan taking aim. The big marble bounced a little bit and rolled lazily towards the edge of the circle. Bhan held his breath, but then he let out a huge sigh of relief as the marble rolled outside the circle and stopped just a couple of centimetres’ away from the outer edge.

The onlookers roared in appreciation and Bhan joyfully picked up his prize. As he straightened with the marble in his hand, he met Sabu’s eyes. “You're dead,” he muttered.

Bhan knew what was coming for him, but he just gave Sabu a weak smile and tore away from the crowd.

Bhan ran all over the school ground looking for Saba and finally found her sitting under a tree with one of her friends pouring over a textbook.

Bhan ran over to her. The friend looked up as he approached them, but Saba ignored him as usual and kept her eye on the book. He placed the marble on his palm and extended it under her nose. This was she could not ignore it.

She looked up. Bhan grinned, but Saba did not look amused.

“What is this?” she asked, annoyed.

“I heard you wanted this big marble. So, I won it for you. Can we go back to being friends now?”

“It is wrong to eavesdrop on people”, she said.

“But…but” spluttered Bhan. Before he could say something, Saba got up, came face to face with him and said, “besides, I did not ask you to win it for me”, she said. “And, I do not want to be friends with a coward and an unreliable and ungrateful person” she added. She picked up her bag and started walking towards the classroom. “But I won this fair and square! I challenged Sabu even though I knew the consequences of doing so!” Bhan called out to Saba as she was walking away. He was almost to tears.

She turned and said, “Don’t kid yourself. You challenged him to show-off and besides everyone knows Chandu and Sabu are good friends. No one is going to get beaten up. You should have done the right thing and confessed that it was your and Chandu’s plan to steel, not mine.”

The verbal barrage was too much for Bhan and he recoiled back slightly.

Just then the bell rang to signal end of Lunch break. Saba’s friend pulled her arm and both of them turned to walk back to the classroom. Bhan followed them.

He went inside the class and sat on his bench. His bench mate was, Chandu and he was currently not speaking with Bhan. In the morning when Bhan has told Chandu about his plan, he had not reacted the way Bhan had hoped. Instead, he had angrily told Bhan not to do anything that would dwindle their chance to be a part of Sabu’s friend circle. “You know how hard I have been working since last year to make Sabu like us and accept us?”, Chandu had said in exasperation. “Chandu, you have been his errand boy and nothing more. Why do you need him?” asked Bhan. “Well, if you have to ask, then you don’t know me friend”, Chandu said.

“What? What do you mean and why are you saying ‘friend’ in that sarcastic and mean tone? Bhan asked Chandu.

Chandu merely said, “If you go ahead with your plan, I will no longer be your friend. And you are going to get beaten up by Sabu, you know that right?” Chandu had then proceeded to ignore Bhan all morning. He could not believe how Chandu was acting. He thought they were closer than this.

Bhan looked at Chandu as the classes began post lunch. He called his name, but Chandu continued to ignore him. The benches and Bench mates were assigned for the whole year, so Bhan wondered how long Chandu was planning on ignoring him.

When the school session ended, Chandu hurriedly stuffed his bag and ran out of the classroom. Bhan looked at his retreating figure sadly.

Bhan was walking back home slowly. He now had no friends and lot of new enemies. But more than that, what Saba had said to him had struck a chord. He really ought to tell their parents that it was his and Chandu’s plan to steal from Sabri Amma and Saba was unjustly punished. Bhan and Chandu shared the bigger part of the blame, not Saba.

As Bhan was crossing a small bridge across the river, Sabu and his gang suddenly appeared at the end of the bridge. Bhan instinctively turned to run back, but few of his friends and Chandu were blocking the other end too.

Though Bhan had expected to be cornered by Sabu, he had not expected to be confronted in open. That is why he had avoided inner lanes and taken a more open and longer path to home. But if Chandu was helping them, then he knew what would Bhan do.

Instead of turning back, he walked to the end of the bridge where Sabu was standing. He did not want them to corner him at the center of the bridge, lest they get the bright Idea of throwing him over the bridge and into the river. The current in the middle was generally strong and even though Bhan was an excellent swimmer, he did not want to take any chances.

As Bhan approached Sabu, Chandu and others also joined them and formed a small ring around Sabu and him. Bhan turned to Chandu and said in angrily, “So you sell out your friend to be a part of the Stink Squad?”

Chandu just narrowed his eyes, but Bhan felt a punch to the side of his stomach. “Ooff”, Chandu exclaimed. Before he could see who punched him, he felt another one land on his face and his stomach.

Bhan was doubling over in pain when someone yanked his school bag from his shoulder and emptied the content on the ground next to him.

“Where is my marble?” Asked Sabu.

“Sold it!” Bhan said groaning in pain.

“Sold it? I don’t believe you” Sabu said.

“I swear. I sold it to a 10th Grader.”

Bhan was still on ground, but from the silence he could gauge that Sabu was having silent conversation with Chandu. After a minute or so Sabu said, “Who did you sell it to?”

Bhan was getting back on his feet, but one Sabu’s cronies pushed him down. “I cannot tell you; I will get beaten up by them.”

“Well, you tell me or you are going to go back home as a pulp”, Sabu said as he raised his hands to hit him again.

Bhan raise in hand to shield himself and quickly said, “I will give you the money. I will give all the money that I am going to be paid tomorrow. I promise.”

Sabu stopped, his hand hanging in the air.

Bhan took a chance and looked up and said, “I am getting paid 30 rupees. I will give you all of it.”

Sabu exchanged looks with his cronies and then looked down at Bhan and said in a threatening voice, “have 75 rupees ready by the end of the lunch break. Otherwise, I will break your leg.”

The whole gang then dispersed, leaving Bhan on the ground amidst his notebook and stationery all scattered around him. He watched Chandu leave with Sabu and felt angry. He was no longer sad. Just angry at Chandu and angry at himself for believing Chandu was his friend.

As he gathered his stuff, he was glad he had the foresight to hide the marble inside his school desk. There was a small gap on the underside of the desk and Bhan had wrapped the marble in his handkerchief and shoved it there. He knew the attack from Sabu was coming, but he had not expected Chandu to be a part of it.

As he got home, he ran to the bathroom to washup as he did not want his mother to see how muddy he was. As for the bruises, he will just have to say he got hurt playing football and roll with it.

After dinner that night, he walked up to his parents to confesses about the debacle that happened 2 weeks back. They were sitting in the veranda with Saba’s parents and grandparent, enjoying the cool night and smoking. This was their nightly activity.

Their reaction to the confession was something that Bhan expected. Though they did not raise their hands (they never did), he was grounded for 2 months and was on chicken and cattle feed duty for the same period.

Also, Saba’s parents had paid 500 rupees to Sabri Amma in lieu of the mangoes stollen. Since he and Chandu were also present, they each will have to reimburse 200 rupees to Saba’s Parents. His parent were going to talk to Chandu’s parents about it tomorrow. Bhan sighed. Chandu is not going to be happy, he thought. As for the money, he knew he had north of 400 rupees saved in his piggy bank. He had been saving since he was 5 years. So that was sorted.

Next day, on the way to school, Bhan spotted Saba walking ahead of him with her friend. He ran and caught up with them. “I confessed everything to our parents yesterday night. I also got beaten up and Chandu and I are no longer friends. He is with Sabu now” Bhan pratted the information.

“Good, Good and I don’t care” Saba said and continued her chat with her friend.

“Look here, you wanted me own up, I did. I know you did not want me to win the marble for you, but I wanted to win it so that I can give it you. I know how much you wanted it. I am trying to apologise here” Bhan said in a desperate and a shaky voice. He was close to tears, but did not want to show it.

Saba looked at him. She looked at his eyes. Her expression softened a little. “You are almost there. There is one more thing you have to do” saying so she turned and walked to the school with her friend.

Bhan stood still for a couple of minutes. Confused. What did she mean? What more did he have to do? He slowly started walking towards the school. He was so engrossed in his thought that he bumped into a guy walking from the opposite side. “Watch it kid” the guy said. “Sorry” Bhan said automatically. The guy just nodded and continued on his path.

Something about the encounter struck Bhan and he once again started running to catch up with Saba. He caught up with her just outside the school. “I” Bhan paused to catch his breath, “I am sorry” he finally managed to mutter. He then doubled over catching a stich on his side.

He then heard a wonderful laughter over his noisy grasp for breath.

He looked up at Saba. She was laughing alright, but not at him but at the fact that, in all the cascade of his attempts to apologies, he had never actually said that he was sorry. He had finally caught on.

He grinned at her. Her friend rolled her eyes, but Bhan ignored her. Saba smiled at him and they started walking in to the school.

“I really mean it”, he said to her. “I know” she said. Bhan looked at her as they were walking and saw her smile. He felt a weight lift from his shoulder. The air felt cooler and the atmosphere in general felt happy. He felt happy. As they got near their class, Saba said teasingly, “so where is my marble?” Bhan was caught off-guard for a second, but then he just laughed, leaned closer to her and said, “I will give it to you during lunch break. But please hid it for few weeks as I told Sabu that I sold it to a 10th Grader.”

Saba laughed and said, “you and your convoluted plans!” They both walked in the class laughing.

All was well with the world and Bhan did not care any more about Chandu and his betrayal or about Sabu any more.