Little Things

Eimear sat at the little café table, her head in her hands and she cried unashamedly. She was at the train station in Agra, 200 kilometers south of Delhi and thousands of kilometers from her home in Ireland. Her bag had just been snatched and it contained her passport, plane tickets and the train ticket she had just bought. She had no more money and she was now deeply upset as she realized the precarious position she was in. If she couldn't do something in the next few hours she could be in serious trouble, possibly marooned on the other side of the world.

She had spotted a policeman and approached him hopefully but he said there was nothing he could do with a shrug of his head and arms raised in a helpless gesture. He was a short, heavyset man of middling years with a bushy, greying moustache and by his uncaring attitude he was probably just looking forward to early retirement. He did say that finding a thief who had vanished into the throng 20 minutes ago would be very difficult and finding him in just a few hours would also be extremely unlikely and would have been a waste of police time. After all, Agra had a population bigger than Dublin. It was at this point that Eimear had sat down at the table and been overcome with a rising panic and the frightening feeling of abandonment. What could she do?

At this moment she felt a small tugging on her sleeve. She wiped her red, wet eyes and looked to her left. A small boy of about nine looked at her with concern etched on his face. She recognized him suddenly; it was Simiran or Simi as he was called. When she had flown into India a month ago and passed this station on her way south, she had seen him begging at the entrance. He looked so small and forlorn that she decided on a whim that she would make his day a bit better. She walked over to the shop, bought an apple, a big bag of sweets and then put 300 rupees or about five euros at the bottom of the bag which she hoped would be a nice surprise for him.

She had approached the boy that day and introduced herself. Simi was surprised that someone, especially an adult, had stopped to talk to him and seemed to treat him as a person and not a nuisance. He told her his name and then he asked her where she was from and why was her hair red and that he had never seen hair that colour before, it was like fire. Eimear had said with a smile that where she came from some people had hair this colour although it was still uncommon. She gave him the apple and sweets and said she had to go but that it was nice talking to him. Simi thanked her and said he would try and find Ireland on the map. He wished her well on her journey around India, said goodbye and they shook hands.

That was four weeks ago now and she had had a wonderful time traveling around this mysterious, vast country seeing the sites and occasionally going off the beaten track to see a local shrine or beauty spot or just being invited for an open air meal with some of the villagers she had met. This ancient culture had enchanted her and she would have liked to have seen more but time was against her. Now, as she sat at the café in the train station there was a bitter aftertaste to the end of her eastern adventure that she had dreamed about since she was in college. All this went through her mind as she looked at Simiran's face.

'Are you ok?' he asked, genuinely concerned for this lady who had be so nice to him.

Not wanting to trouble a child with her problems she just said 'Oh I'm fine, Simi, I just lost something, that's all.'

'I don't think you're fine, Eimear. What's wrong, maybe I can help?'

Something sincere and even mature in his voice told her she shouldn't fob him off and, after all, maybe he could help.

'My bag was stolen about 20 minutes ago. It had my passport, plane tickets and the train ticket I had just bought. If I don't get them back by this evening I won't be able to return home.'

A lot to put on a child of nine but rather than being surprised or coming up with obvious solutions that wouldn't work he calmly asked, after a moment's thought, 'Did you get a look at the thief - his age, his clothes, etc?'

Realising with a measure of disbelief that Simi was asking the kind of question that the policeman should have asked, she replied,

'Yes, he was tall, about early 20's I would say, and wore a blue addidas tracksuit with black runners.'

Simi looked away and seemed to be considering what to do. He then turned to Eimear and said,

'My father may be able to help you; he is an important man in this city.'

'Really?' replied Eimear 'Is he an official of some sort?'

Simi smiled, the first small ray of joy in this whole debacle, and replied 'No, he's not an official but he may be of more help to you than an official in this case. How long have we got to find your documents?'

Eimear looked at her watch and said 'It's 3.20 now - I would need to be on the 7.30 train to Deli at the latest to make the 10.00 pm flight to London.'

Simi looked at her and said, 'We may be able to help get you home, Eimear, there is time.' She was unable to see how he proposed to do this but it was worth a chance.

Simi then took her through a maze of streets and eventually they entered a medium-sized restaurant with some rooms at the back. He led her down a dark corridor to an office at the end and then knocked on the door. A man's clear voice said 'Come in.' and Simi indicated they should go in together. He opened the door and they walked into an office that was a bit disorganized with a lot of stuff in it. A middle aged man of average build sat at a desk looking at some papers. He was slim and well-dressed and clearly busy at that moment. He had jet black hair which was combed straight back giving it a sleek look. When he looked up he was evidently surprised and then, smiling, said 'Is this the Irish woman you told me about, Simi?'

'Yes, father, this is Eimear.'

Simi's father stood up and came around the table extending his hands towards Eimear in a warm greeting.

'Ms. Eimear, with your red hair I thought it might be you - that is rare here. My name is Davi and my son has told me about the kindness you showed him a month ago. We have both so wanted to thank you. Do you know that most people ignore him and that the few who throw some coins at him barely acknowledge him? Some have even stepped over him like he was a discarded coat or old piece of furniture. But you gave him some food, some money - as much as he would make in a week normally and, most importantly, you gave him some time and talked to him like he was a person. You may not have known but you treated him better than any stranger has in his young life.'

Eimear accepted his kind words to her but something was wrong here. This man ran a business, presumably this restaurant, and yet his nine year old son had to beg for most of the day - for Simi's sake she had to get to the bottom of this mystery and for now she forgot her own troubles. She faced his father and asked,

'Mr. Davi, why does your son beg in the street while you work in an office?'

'I assure Ms. Eimear, Simi is ok and well looked after. He is safe. Beyond that I can tell you no more. You'll just have to trust me. Now…' he said, quickly raising his arm towards the door, 'I will have one of my men prepare you something to eat, it's the least I can do.'

Eimear was not happy with this but just said 'Ok'. She was hungry and had no money so she thought she might as well. Concern for Simi still nagged at her though. She was shown to the main dining room which was empty and dark. It must be closed today for some reason. The lights were put on and she was placed at a table in the middle. She chose a chicken korma from the menu and was told it wouldn't take long so she just waited. She noticed the odd person coming in now and then and they looked shabby, they were obviously beggars too.

'What kind of place was this really?' she thought to herself. Was it some kind of front for some group, maybe an illegal one? One or two of the people she saw looked like thieves and one had a small knife. She was now more determined than previously to find out what was going on before she left. She had no children of her own and was quite concerned for this little boy who had been so nice and had tried to help her.

Her meal was finished now and Davi came in by himself.

'Was everything to your satisfaction?' he enquired.

'Yes, it was fine,' replied Eimear, 'but I'm not leaving until you tell me what you do here and that Simi is really ok,' she continued in a steely tone. 'You seem to a reasonable man, Davi and respectable but things just don't add up. Some men passed through who looked like beggars or worse but maybe you have an explanation. I'm not going to tell anyone, I've too many other things to worry about and I'm leaving this country anyway although it might be a lot more difficult than I expected…'

Davi didn't understand the last remark but could see she was more determined now and would not let it go. He felt he could trust this woman though and it might help her to know. He sat down at the table opposite her with a sigh and began speaking.

'Ms. Eimear you have already worked out some of truth, I think. You were so kind to my son so maybe you do deserve to hear the full story when you're also so determined to know but you must not tell anyone else what I tell you, ok?'

'I promise' was Eimear's simple answer and she listened, a bit intrigued as to what he would say, wondering if it would indeed be a good explanation.

'That's good enough for me' he said and then continued, 'you're right, I am more than a business man. I am also the head of an organization in this city called the 'Guild of Thieves'. It is part of the underworld of this city which involves other crime as well. The police know of me but not my identity - all they know of me is that I run a restaurant, one of many in Agra. In one sense they would like to stand where you are now but they also know that corruption is a reality in every city, some more than others, and so far we haven't created a crime-free Utopia anywhere and it is unlikely we ever will. It is also the way the poor who are mostly forgotten survive and even idealists would accept that this theft, etc is not condonable but is understandable when you see the city from our point of view. If your family is starving and you steal some bread, have you done serious wrong? Of course it is not always that simple but you see my point, I hope. I could send Simi to a fancy private school and he is a bright boy but I want him to learn about life from the streets up first, the way I did. Maybe when he is older he will sit at this desk but that is not what I want for him. I see 15 year-olds who have been in private schools for ten years and many seem lazy, spoilt or cynical or even all three. Some are idealistic and optimistic to be fair but you can't trade idealism on the streets of Agra even if it valuable sometimes and it is only that when you have the right measure of it - too much or too little is useless; few achieve the right balance. No, I want my son to be a realist first and he will learn that surviving on the streets in his youth and he can do whatever he wants after that and I honestly hope that is something law abiding and profitable. But he will, throughout his life, be self-sufficient and I won't have to worry about him. Isn't this the goal that every parent wants to reach with their children?'

While Eimear pondered this argument and saw some merit in it she momentarily forgot her own predicament. Simi had come in for the end of it and just remained at the door while his father finished. The boy realized that, though interesting for Eimear, they had gone off on a tangent and that valuable time was being wasted discussing the nature of society and parenthood. He stepped forward and said,

'Father, I did not bring Eimear here to introduce you two. She actually has a very urgent problem that you might be able to help with.'

'Oh really,' said Davi, 'If I can help in any way I will, sorry for prattling on.'

Simi then outlined the situation and when he was finished Davi immediately picked up the phone and spoke rapidly to someone in the local dialect. Simi looked at Eimear after listening to the conversation for awhile and said there was a good chance they would have her documents in time. Davi put down the receiver and told her the same.

'Why didn't one of you mention this earlier? I thought Simi was just eager to show me the kind Irish woman who was so good to him. I must go out for awhile and see what I can do. I'll be back soon.'

'Ok, dad, Eimear and I can talk for an hour or two. I'll show her some of the local markets.'

'Fine, Simi but don't be too late. Eimear has a train to catch and I have to find those papers.'

Eimear and Simi saw some of the city near the restaurant that afternoon and had a great chat. Simi was a good guide and amusing about some spots. Eimear almost forgot about her problem which still wasn't resolved yet. Simi remembered the time and they were back just after six. Then at 6.50, Davi entered the restaurant and beckoned to Eimear to follow him. He led her down the dark corridor to the office and when she entered she saw the thief from the train station in one chair looking distinctly uncomfortable. She noticed he had a gold filling in one of his front teeth and wondered how she had missed that. But for now the important thing was that her passport and tickets were on the table. She went over to retrieve them and looked around for her bag. The young man in the blue tracksuit leaned down and picked up the bag which was at the side of the desk. He handed it to her and in broken English said 'I …sorry'.

After what Davi said about how the poor survived in this city Eimear genuinely felt no ill-will towards this man. In his eyes she saw that he wanted to say more and explain the way Davi had, perhaps, but he could not. Eimear just touched him gently on the arm and said 'It's ok.' and smiled reassuringly. He seemed surprised but also relaxed a little. Clearly he did not expect this. Then Davi, who was standing at the door nodded to him and he got up and walked to the door. At the door he stopped and faced Eimear and said 'Thank you.' Then he turned and left. Eimear wasn't sure but guessed from his discomfort that if she had been upset and angry then he might have received some punishment. On the other hand, maybe not. How was he to know that on this particular day he had robbed the wrong person, someone connected to the boss? It was one in a million really and Eimear, he and Davi knew that.

Davi then said to Eimear that there was a rickshaw waiting outside that would take her to the station in time for the train and that she should leave straightaway. Eimear nodded then and looked down at the figure of Simiran who looked like he was losing his new best friend.

'Don't worry, Simi, I'll be back to this city. Next year, I hope. There is something I could do for you and the other children.'

'Really?' replied Simiran perking up, 'What? Please, tell me, Ms. Eimear.'

'I think this city could do with a school for underprivileged children. I'm a teacher and might be able to organize something, something small for a start.'

'Cool.' replied Simi, 'I've always wanted to learn about the world and I know a little from the library books I get out.'

Eimear looked at Simi's father and said,

'It's true, Davi, that Simi has learned lessons on the street that he could not learn in school but he is clearly a bright boy and he could complement life in the street with some formal teaching - reading, writing and numeracy to begin with then history, geography, art, science, etc. What do you think? Because you and your son have saved me from an uncertain fate today I will gladly spend the next twelve months working on it. Is there room for a school in your organization?'

Davi stroked his chin and began to muse aloud, 'I've been thinking about something like this for a year or so now but don't have the time to work on it and I'm not a teacher anyway. Even if you only taught the basics to twenty pupils under ten that would be a start, that would be wonderful in fact. I could build a prefab for you to hold classes in and I'm sure we could provide some supplies such as books and writing materials. They would still work the streets but they could do that in the morning and attend classes for a few hours in the afternoon. Would you really do this, Eimear? I would insist on paying you, of course.'

'Davi, as long as I have a roof over my head, enough food and some pocket money, that would be enough for me. This wouldn't be done for the money, I just want to make a difference in these children's lives - I can't solve the world's problems on my own but I can change my own life and the lives of those in my area of influence and, as of today, that's could be you here in Agra. Might even be a great way for me to teach and work abroad.
Certainly different and I've wanted something like that for awhile now.'

'Well, Eimear, if you leave some contact details we can discuss this idea more. Here, write your email address on this menu.' And he gave her a menu and pen. Eimear quickly wrote out her email address and then Davi said 'Ok, now you really must go.'

'Ok,' Eimear said and then looked at Simiran, 'I'll be back before you know it, Simi, be good and next year I'll open your mind.'

Simi smiled back but couldn't hide his sadness, 'I'll write too, Eimear and you write back, Ok?'

'Ok, Simi, bye, bye.'

She got into the rickshaw and it took off down the road towards the station and home.

Eimear reflected on her day and on this country which had given the world the idea of Karma which she had experienced now in a very real way herself. An act of kindness to a small boy had possibly saved her life and was now leading to the founding of a school. Christians would say she was reaping ten times what she sowed but however you look at it, it is clear that little things do mean a lot.