‘She’ll understand all of it before long,’ Neeta said. ‘She’s a smart one. We’ll probably both be working for her one day.’
I opened it up.
Some pages had tea stains. Most pages had handwritten notes scribbled in pen in the margins and lines underneath some sentences.
In the middle of the book were pages made out of clear plastic. They had drawings of the human body on them that could be flipped back to show the bones, then the organs, then even more organs. And almost every paper page had pictures on it.
‘Why are you giving me this?’
‘This book is yours to keep,’ Dr. Indra said. ‘You don’t have to do anything for it. That’s what a present is. It’s giving something and not wanting anything back. I’m giving it to you because I like you.’
Like the pizza I gave the woman at the mall, I thought. And the blanket from the Metropole Hotel. And the soap I gave away. And all the other things I had borrowed in Kolkata, then passed along to someone else.
‘I’ll just borrow it,’ I said. ‘And when I know everything in it, I’ll pass it to someone else who needs to know.’
‘Then pass this along, too. Let me give you a hug.’ Dr. Indra reached out and put her arms around me.
I wasn’t sure what she was doing. I wasn’t afraid, because I knew she wouldn’t hurt me, but the hug was strange. I had never had one before. I could feel our hearts beating together.
‘Merry Christmas, Valli,’ she said, and then she left.
Bells started to ring.
All the women who were able to get out of bed gathered around the window. They pulled open the inside glass and pushed out the shutters so the sound could come through clearly.
I joined them there.
From all over Kolkata, I heard the sounds of bells.
‘It’s Christmas,’ someone said. ‘It’s midnight. Merry Christmas, everyone!’
Usha pushed her trolley into the ward.
‘Who would like a special treat to celebrate the holiday?’
‘Is that ice cream?’ Mrs. Das asked. ‘I haven’t had ice cream since I was a child.’
‘Maybe that’s what’s wrong with her,’ Neeta mumbled. ‘Come on, Valli. Mrs. Das may be greedy as well as grumpy. We don’t want her eating our share.’
But I stayed at the window, looking out into the night.
I knew there were people out there who were not getting ice cream that night. They were sleeping where I had slept. They were cold, or scared, or hungry or sick.
I thought again of the woman who was not my aunt, and wondered if she or her children had ever tasted ice cream.
Maybe, one day, I could take them some.
‘Why am I so lucky?’ I asked the night.
‘Valli, are you all right?’ Usha came to stand beside me.
And then I was hugging her. And it felt just as good as hugging the doctor.
One of the patients held out the last dish of ice cream.
‘Hurry up, Valli,’ she said. ‘We’re waiting for you.’
I had friends, I thought. And they were waiting for me. How about that? The fortune teller was right.
I went to get my ice cream.
I could hardly wait to see what would happen to me next.
Author’s Note
Leprosy is caused by a bacterium that destroys the nerves in the cooler parts of the human body, especially in the hands, feet, skin and eyes. It can begin to show itself as white or discolored patches on the skin. If it remains untreated, it starts to take feeling out of hands and feet. People become unable to feel pain, and they can’t tell when they become injured. Their injuries lead to infection and permanent damage.
Leprosy is one of the oldest recorded diseases in human history. Because of its ability to disfigure, it is a disease that has been much feared and misunderstood. In many communities, people with leprosy are still cast out of mainstream society because the community doesn’t understand that leprosy is hard to get and can be cured.
The world is making progress. Real efforts are being made so people can be diagnosed, treated and restart their lives with the proper supports so that they don’t become injured again. But there is still a long way to go.
Leprosy is primarily a disease of poverty, spread by close contact in countries where large numbers of people live together in small rooms or houses. People living in poverty work much harder than people with financial security, and they don’t have the ability to take time off to heal, so they often become reinjured. Folks with disabilities in poor countries have few resources, and the country’s infrastructure is not set up to help them. Add the stigma of leprosy to that disability, and daily life can become very difficult.
Still, the world is getting closer and closer to wiping out leprosy. The generation of young people who are reading this book may well be the ones to finally make leprosy history.
The royalties from this book are being donated to:
The Leprosy Mission of Canada
100 Mural Street, Suite 100
Richmond Hill, Ontario L4B 1J3
905-886-2887
www.leprosy.ca info@leprosy.ca
Glossary
bhaji – vegetable fritter
Bollywood – Indian film industry, based in Mumbai, which used to be called Bombay
buffalo – water buffalo, common in Asia
bullock – a male buffalo; also used as an insult
bustee – a neighborhood of makeshift houses for people living in poverty
channa – chickpeas
dal – porridge made from lentils, peas or chickpeas
desi-daru – homemade liquor
dosa – a type of pancake
dupatta – a long scarf
Durga-puja – a Hindu religious festival
ghat – steps leading down to water
Hindi – one of India’s official languages
Kali – a Hindu goddess
Kolkata – the capital city in West Bengal, India; used to be called Calcutta
kurta – a long, loose shirt
lungi – a garment that wraps around the waist; worn by men
namaste – Hindu greeting, said with palms together and pointed upward
paisa – Indian currency; one rupee equals one hundred paisas
pakora – a deep-fried snack, generally made with vegetables dipped in batter
paratha – fried flatbread
rickshaw – a cart pulled by humans either on foot or on a bicycle
roti – round flatbread
rupee – Indian currency; there are approximately 40 rupees to the dollar
salwar kameez – long shirt worn over trousers
samosa – pastry with meat or vegetable filling
Sanskrit – an ancient language of India, still used today
sari – long piece of cloth draped over the body
tuk-tuk – three-wheeled vehicle
About the author
Deborah Ellis says her books reflect ‘the heroism of people around the world who are struggling for decent lives, and how they try to remain kind in spite of it’. Whether she is writing about families living under Taliban rule in Afghanistan, street children in Pakistan, the coca protests in Bolivia, or the lives of military children, she is, as Kirkus attests, ‘an important voice of moral and social conscience’.
She is best known for her B
readwinner Trilogy, set in Afghanistan and Pakistan – a series that has been published in seventeen countries, with more than one million dollars in royalties donated to Canadian Women for Women in
Afghanistan and Street Kids International.
Also by Deborah ELLIS
Parvana
Parvana’s Journey
Shauzia
Looking for X
A Company of Fools
The Heaven Shop
Diego, run!
Diego’s Pride
Three Wishes: Palestinian and Israeli children speak out
Children of War
Off to War
No Safe Place
Have you read these extraordinary
bestsellers by Deborah Ellis?
There are many types
of battle in Afghanistan