“the little brown monkey” because he danced to Binti-Ma’am’s bidding.
“There will be trouble from this,” Pran threatened.
He didn’t say that the worst trouble would be for him. His ma was the brothel-keeper but they both worked for another man. Nishikar-Sir, the owner of our brothel, was the overlord of our world. Some say he owned twenty brothels in Kamathipura. We rarely saw him. The arrival of his black Mercedes was an event greeted with equal measures of awe and dread. Stories of his temper were exceeded only by those of his violence. He wouldn’t let the loss of one of his most valuable girls go unpunished. As the enforcer in our home, Pran would be held accountable. I felt a shiver of anticipation and hoped I was around when the confrontation took place.
“Look what you’ve done to her face,” said Ma, gesturing to Deepa-Auntie, who was lying on the floor quietly moaning. “How is it going to help you to damage the girl who is now your top earner?” Ma must have been really frightened for Deepa-Auntie. Otherwise she’d never have admitted Deepa-Auntie was more desired than herself.
“Clean her up and get her back to work,” Pran snarled. “Everyone meets their quota tonight.” He turned on his heel and disappeared down the ladder.
Ma and I rushed to Deepa-Auntie, who was struggling to sit up.
“Help her wash,” ordered Ma.
“But what happened to Lali-didi?” I asked.
“Who can say?” said Ma, but a look passed between her and Deepa-Auntie. “The girl wouldn’t have lasted much longer. We’re well rid of her.”
Deepa-Auntie leaned heavily on me as I got her to her feet and over to the ladder. I went down ahead of her and was relieved to find Shami exactly where I’d left him, sitting against the wall near the bottom rung. Deepa-Auntie moved slowly. She was favoring one foot and hunched over, cradling her chest. I hoped nothing was broken. I helped her hobble to the washroom.
As soon as the door was closed she quickly filled me in on the basics. “The customer I was with had really come to rescue Lali. He’s fallen in love with her and agreed to help her escape. She’s going to live with him now.”
“Did Ma help?” I was incredulous.
“Your ma planned the whole thing, Noor-baby. Lali wasn’t strong enough for this life.”
I helped her wash as quickly as I could but her pain was extreme. She must have had cracked ribs at the very least. I begged her to let me take her to a hospital but she refused. Her fear of Pran was far greater than her fear of a rib puncturing her lungs. It was more than an hour later before Shami and I were on our way again.
Standing outside the café, waiting for Parvati, I felt spent. The nervous energy that had seen me through the last hour had left me feeling hollow and weak. I just wanted to sleep but I didn’t want to bed down without Parvati. Pran’s recent viciousness was still vivid in my mind. The streets felt even more dangerous than usual. Without Parvati’s reassuring bravado I felt exposed and vulnerable. I tried to think where she might have gone. We’d recently found a quiet spot behind the train station but I’d checked there before I came to the café. There was no sign of her.
“What do you think, Shami?” I looked down at Shami, who was sitting on the pavement at my feet. He was too little to have an opinion but his presence comforted me. “Where’s Parvati? Should we try the bridge?”
“I want Par-di,” said Shami.
“Me too,” I said.
I hitched him up on my hip. His arms circled my neck and he rested his head against my chest. It didn’t make sense to me that she’d go back to the shantytown where we were attacked, but it was the only place, other than our own street, where I knew she had friends. I was on the point of setting off when I heard a noise that froze me in place.
“Did you hear that, Shami?”
He cocked his head, his face scrunched with the effort of listening.
“Paru,” he confirmed.
It certainly sounded like someone calling my name, but the sound was so faint it might have been buzzing from the fluorescent streetlamp above us.
“Noor,” called the voice again. That time it was unmistakable.
I looked past the café to the narrow alley that separated it from the pawnshop next door. I wanted to run but my legs had gained twenty