I live in a chawl in Mumbai. Some of my school friends live in my colony. I have several tuition friends too. After our tuition classes, we all play cricket in our colony. Arjun is my tuition friend. He lives in a high rise and is the only boy who has a proper bat and stumps. He studies in an ICSE school which is far away. The rest of us study in a state board school. But I am better than him in Maths and Science.
I don’t really have any problems with Arjun. But I don’t like it when he acts smart. One weekend he refused to come out and play with us. He pretended to be busy with his project. But we all knew he wanted to play cricket too. He finally agreed to play with us but insisted that we all carry the bat and stumps. He just put on his cap and walked with us.
Deep, Kaushik and I didn’t like his attitude but we wanted to play so we did what he told us. I want Deep to be my best friend. But I think Kaushik is Deep’s best friend. I have no other best friend. So I pretend that Deep is my best friend. But Deep gets angry when I tell others that he is my best friend.
Today, it was my turn to buy the ball. I had to pester my Ma all through the weekend for it. My Ma is a tailor. I know my parents work hard and we are not very rich. So my Ma spends money very carefully. But I was happy when she let me buy a ball.
We made teams. Arjun and I were in one team and Deep and Kaushik in the other. Arjun never buys a ball. He says he brings his bat and stumps so we have to buy the ball by turns. He always gets the first chance to bat too. We can’t play cricket without his bat or stumps so we agree to everything that Arjun says.
Arjun always bats first. He then demands that we give him a second chance when he gets out because we play with his bat and his ball. Sometimes, none of us gets a chance to bat. But it is better than not playing any game at all. So we just keep quiet.
Today, Arjun said I could bat first because I had promised to help him with his Maths project. I was overjoyed. We had to play carefully. If the ball went over the wall on our left, Archana aunty’s maid would never return it to us. Archana aunty was always busy talking on the phone or watching TV. If we complained to her about her maid or asked her for our ball – she would ask us to go and play somewhere else so that we did not disturb her.
There is no other space in our colony. Cars and scooters are parked outside all the buildings. The space outside our chawl alone is empty because none of us is rich enough to buy cars.
A new aunty had moved into the house in the building next to our chawl. We had not yet met that aunty. Arjun had broken a window in that house while batting during the summer vacation. Luckily the house had been empty at that time. So no one had noticed what he had done. The new aunty had replaced the glass when she moved in last week.
I held the bat in my hands and looked at the ball. The bat was really smooth and light to hold. I watched Deep swing the ball towards me. I raised the bat and “Smack” it rose in the air and landed on the bike that was parked at the end of the street. That was four runs. I made 4 more runs in that over.
Now Kaushik started bowling. He wanted to get me out so that he could get a chance to bat. I was not going to give him that chance. I swung the bat and…..the ball rose in the air and “Crash…..” it landed on the new aunty’s window. We could all see the hole in her window. The glass had not shattered completely. There were huge cracks on it but.
Deep and Kaushik started yelling at me. I had ruined the game. Arjun hurriedly came over. We yanked out the stumps and ran to the next street with the bat in our hands. We sat in the corner next to the Saibaba temple and caught our breath. Arjun was angry with me too. He was waiting to bat after me. But we did not want to get caught. We did not know much about the new aunty. She may just go and complain to our parents or take away our bat.
All these aunties were really weird. We could never trust them. I scowled at Deep and Kaushik and Arjun too. They had lost several balls too. They had even broken the rearview mirrors of a couple of bikes last week. But they had forgotten about it.
I told Deep and Kaushik about it. I was getting angry too. I had been playing so well. I just wished I had played the stroke at the right angle. I would have scored a four at least. Now there was no game at all. I looked at Arjun. I could not control myself. He had let me bat for the first time. Usually, he never got out and all I got was fielding. Sometimes Deep would team up with me and allow me to bowl. But usually Deep and Kaushik paired up.
I said, “You too broke that window last month. Just because it is your bat, it does not mean you are always right or you should bat first always. All of us should enjoy the game and all of us should play fairly.” I looked at Deep and said, “The teams should be divided fairly too. Just because you like Kaushik, it does not mean you team up with him all the time. You both never give me a chance to bowl and Arjun never gives me a chance to bat. Why should I play with you? I am nobody’s friend so no one gives me a fair chance.
And I think I should go and apologize to that new aunty. My Ma says we should never run away from our mistakes. I am going to that aunty and I am going to say sorry to her. You can all do what you want. I am not going to play with you from now on.”
I walked out of the corner. I did not even look at the Sai Baba idol. I went back to my chawl and waited outside. I did not know what to do. I was really upset with all my friends. They were not even my friends. They just wanted someone to pick up the ball while they batted and bowled like experts. Let them find another person to do all that for them.
I waited for a while outside my building because I did not know what to do. Just then I saw the new aunty switch on the light on her balcony. She was looking at her broken window. She gestured towards me and called me.
I held my breath and walked up to her. “Aunty, I was playing cricket with my friends. I broke this window while batting. I’m sorry aunty!” The new aunty looked at me for some time and said, “That’s very brave of you. I saw you all running away. So I thought you would lie to me. Where are your friends? Why are they not with you?”
I looked at the new aunty and said, “You mean you are not going to complain to my Ma or Pa? You are not angry with me?”
The new aunty looked at me and said, “Why should I complain to your parents? You accepted your mistake, didn’t you? You were playing a game and all of you were a part of it. Yet you are the only one who is apologizing. Here now. Take your ball. Just be a little more careful. Don’t swing the ball so high up from now on. Okay?”
I looked at the new aunty and nodded. I could not talk. I was shocked. I turned around to see if Ma was looking for me. I was surprised to see Arjun, Deep and Kaushik standing near my house. They saw me outside the new aunty’s house and came over slowly.
She looked at all of them and said, “Aaah! Your friends have come. You boys have such fun each evening. I miss my son. He lives in a hostel now. He would play cricket like you every day too. He loved his bat a lot too. But a bat is a bat and should be used to play cricket and games should be played fairly – is what I always told my boy. I tell you the same thing now. Just don’t swing it so high up next time. Okay? Now go off and finish that game of yours. Let me know which team won!”
I nodded at our new aunty. Arjun, Deep and Kaushik came closer to me and said, “Sorry buddy.” I just shrugged, smiled tritely and said, “Come, let’s play cricket…..”