Devolution

Joshua was still at school when he received the call from his cousin, Jeremiah. If he had not sounded so frightened and frantic, Joshua might not have offered his help. Jeremiah was the proverbial black sheep in the family. Hard to control as a child, continually in trouble for poor behavior through school, and seemingly lacking in common sense or any ambition. Joshua moved in with Jeremiah and his parents, Elsie and Arn after his own parents died when he was twelve and just about to start high school. He had always found him funny, and he supposed the strength of their friendship was the way Jeremiah counterbalanced his own much more serious nature. Although he hesitated to help because he didn’t really want to get involved, in the end familial obligation proved irresistible.

One thought led to another as thoughts often do, and Joshua began to think about obligation and the price he and his mum and dad had paid for the overwhelming call of duty. They were missionaries in Western Russia, working as teachers in a poverty stricken village called Soblansk, to support themselves while they went about their real task of evangelizing the largely illiterate population. It was a two year commitment during which they felt it would be better to have Joshua with them.

The village chief was a godless megalomaniac who opposed the education of his people especially the young men for fear their increased knowledge would threaten his hegemony. The state administrator was a reformer, educated in Mumbai, and had the ear of the Russian President. It was at his insistence that the village chief grudgingly accepted foreigners in his fiefdom.

Joshua’s parents were warned by friends about the potential dangers of their trip but they felt sure God wanted them to go. Naively, Joshua thought it sounded like a great adventure and therefore must have been God’s will for his family.

The villagers were very friendly and gregarious so Joshua made friends easily, as did his parents who quickly gained the respect of the locals by dressing in their clothes and eating their food. Having had a crash course in the local Russian dialect before they left home proved beneficial as the villagers were impressed enough to open themselves to these outsiders and their foreign ideas.

Joshua walked slowly to the school office glowing with the pleasant memories of the early days of his family’s time in Soblansk. He learned later that this initial period was called the honeymoon period, and it was only years later that he digested the significance of it.

Four months after they arrived, the village chief summoned his parents for a meeting. The call came in the middle of class on a Tuesday morning. Requests for them to be allowed to meet with the chief after school were abruptly denied, and their hesitation raised the ire of the two policemen who had been sent to collect them. The children were left alone in the classroom until home time at two thirty when they dismissed themselves. Talking among themselves and laughing, no one, not even Joshua understood what was going on. They failed to realize the seriousness of the situation. It was the last time any of them saw their teachers.

Inside the office, Joshua was unable to stop hot tears rolling down his cheeks. When he said he needed to go home early because of family business, no questions were asked and he was given a pass out. His grief was not over Jeremiah for whom he was leaving, but for his parents murdered by a jealous tyrant.

Having himself excused from school for the remainder of the day was easy. He had wanted to leave with Ted and Veena but not because he thought he could comfort them but because he was feeling gutted by what had happened as well. Now with Jeremiah’s call for help he was distracted from his shock although finding some way to go and rescue Jeremiah from what sounded like a dangerous situation would be difficult and hazardous. Imminent peril had not frightened off his parents nor would it deter him. Duty called.

Maybe, reasoned Joshua, Ted and Veena could use the diversion as well. Or was that completely insensitive? He wasn’t sure but decided he definitely needed some help and although the timing couldn’t have been worse, he knew he simply had to contact them. What were friends for? With his uncle, Jeremiah’s dad in China on business what choice did he have but to help Jeremiah? He simply could not do it alone.

Joshua called Ted first, then Veena and explained to them the situation, as little of it as he knew. They both wanted to help and although they felt they probably should stay with their mothers, Joshua’s urgency and the fact that others had arrived in both households to comfort and grieve together, settled the question for them. Arranging a time and place to meet with them both, Joshua got inside his orange RV and keyed the security code for Jeremiah’s tracker into his navigation system.

His transport may have been a 1970’s style Holden Monaro which still had an ethanol fuel tank, (even though you couldn’t buy any sort of fossil fuel) but the equipment inside was state of the art and Jeremiah’s position appeared on the heads up display almost immediately.

Joshua knew better than to try calling his cousin although he desperately wanted to know if he was all right. The tracker would remain active whether the carrier was alive or not. He’s tough and very fast, he should be okay. I hope he’s okay. God protect him.

Ted and Veena were waiting at the public transport terminal on Queen Elizabeth Drive. Unfortunately so were hundreds of other people; genuine commuters. Forcing his way between shuttles, Joshua nosed the RV right into the terminal and blasted his horn a few times. His friends had already seen him and were making their way towards the car through the crowd when Joshua noticed someone watching them. Others in the crowd had glanced at him, only vaguely interested with his antics, but this person was really focusing on them. Or was it just paranoia? Lowering the window, Joshua shouted not knowing whether they would be able to hear him or not.

‘Come on!’ he yelled. ‘Come on’

They were only fifty meters from the curb so why hadn’t they reached it yet. Why was it taking such a long time to cover such a short distance? ‘Come on!’ he shouted again, slamming his hand down on the horn repeatedly, drawing more and more attention to himself. Then he realized he was panicking. God help me! A final glance at the watcher as Ted and Veena made it to the side of his vehicle and he opened the door and let them in, revealed he was still there but had not moved at all. Was he real?

‘Did you see that guy in the dark blue overalls?’

Blank looks. ‘He was watching us,’ said Joshua, ‘I’m sure of it.’

‘I didn’t see anyone,’ said Veena.

‘No one in particular,’ agreed 3. ‘I mean did you see how packed the terminal was?’

‘Can you tell us what’s going on now, Josh?’

Joshua was completely unnerved and unable to say anything of any sense to his friends in answer to their questions until after they had left the terminal.

Irritated by the silence, Veena asked again, ‘Josh? What’s going on?’

‘It’s Jeremiah. I’m following the tracker.’

‘What tracker?’

‘On the screen. We’re using F9. You know F9?’

‘No,’ said 3 giving Veena a concerned look.

‘We’ll be there soon.’

Hunched forward in his seat, Joshua gripped the steering wheel as if he would fall to his death if he let go.

’Veena asked, ‘Why are you driving? Is the autodrive broken?’

Joshua ignored the question.

‘Joshua,’ persisted Veena, ‘What’s wrong?’

‘You’re going to get booked for speeding,’ said 3. ‘Slow down a bit.’

Suddenly turning around, Joshua fired an accusing look at his friends, and said, ‘Did you hear what I said? My cousin Jeremiah is in trouble. I asked you to help me, so just help me by shutting up!’

Veena held up her hand. ‘Okay, okay, but watch the road, will you.’

She and 3 exchanged a quick glance which said they both wondered if they had climbed aboard someone else’s RV. This behavior was so un-Joshua

‘Neither of you noticed that guy at the terminal watching us?’

‘No. We told you.’ They hadn’t seen anyone, not that they knew what they were looking for.

Returning his attention to the screen, Joshua continued to drive aggressively although he began to slow down a little as they approached the entertainment precinct in Anderi East.

‘We’re getting close now. Keep your eyes open. We should be able to see him soon. Do you remember what he looks like? My cousin? Do you remember or not?’

Veena and 3 both nodded as they scanned the crowded streets outside the window. It had been a long time and Veena wasn’t sure if she would remember him, but she didn’t want to discourage Joshua or agitate him further.

‘Short, wiry guy?’ asked 3.

Joshua stopped the car, and said, ‘He wears a beard now. A thin beard.’

All three scanned the sidewalks intently and silently for a few minutes as Joshua drove slowly, without seeing anyone even a bit like him, until finally.

‘Is that him? On my side. Just passing the medical center.’

‘Yes.’

Several loud horn blasts behind him forced Joshua to continue.

Keeping half an eye on the road, he watched his cousin weave his way through the crowd. Occasionally glancing over his shoulder, he would stumble into someone or tumble into something. Unsure of what to do next, Joshua continued to follow Jeremiah as he rounded the next corner, hoping he might catch a glimpse of his cousin’s vehicle during one of his furtive back glances.

‘Do you want me to jump out and bring him to us?’ suggested Veena.

‘I can’t stop anywhere.’

‘That didn’t bother you at the transport terminal,’ said 3. ‘It won’t be for long.’

When Joshua failed to respond, 3 raised his voice. ‘What are you going to do, Joshua?’

‘Stop here’ ordered Veena, and before 3 could offer his help, she was out of the door and pushing her way across the human stream towards Jeremiah. She grabbed his arm and called his name but he resisted, not knowing her, he struggled to get away.

‘I’m here with Joshua,’ said Veena noting the panic in his eyes. ‘Come on this way. We’re here to help you. Do you want to run forever?’

As they jostled their way back to the side of the road, Jeremiah asked, ‘Did you see anyone following me?’

‘There are thousands of people on this street. I don’t even know what the men who were chasing you look like.’

‘Yeah, of course. I guess I shook them. I don’t know. I hope so.’

The Monaro’s door opened as they approached and Veena pushed Jeremiah inside and took a quick look around to see if anyone was paying any attention to them, before climbing in after him.

‘Go Josh. Go!’

‘You all right, Jer?’

‘Thank God you came, Josh. I couldn’t shake those guys. They must have chased me all over the city. I’m stuffed.’

Extending a hand of greeting first to Veena and then to 3, Jeremiah introduced himself, apparently forgetting previous encounters, and said to Joshua. ‘Interesting mix of friends you’ve got here, cous.’

Hiding his annoyance, Joshua replied, ‘Maybe you missed something in the introductions. What’s wrong with your memory? This is Veena Singh, daughter of Senator Harish Singh and 3-11-15, son of Senator 1-11-15. You’ve met them before.’

‘Man, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize,’ said Jeremiah before falling into a suspicious silence. ‘It’s been a while I guess,’ he mumbled.

‘Where do you want to go?’

‘Your place would be good, Josh. If that’s okay?’

‘Yeah, but are you going to tell me what’s going on? The truth I mean.’

Jeremiah sat forward in his seat. ‘That hurts. I’ve never lied to you have I?’

‘Don’t call them lies if it makes you feel better. Call it downplaying or overstating or even manipulating the truth for the sake of...for whatever reason. It’s a commodity you’ve never been very faithful with.’

‘Let me out here then,’ said Jeremiah, throwing his hands up in disgust. ‘Sorry to bother you cousin. Holier than thou Joshua. Let me out. I’m probably far enough away from them by now.’

‘Pull your head in, Jer. You don’t like using the truth and you don’t like hearing it, but we’re still family and I’m going to help you. I came for you, didn’t I? Just tell me what those men who were chasing you wanted you for. What are you involved in?’

In the silence that followed, Joshua checked his friends in the rear view mirror, who had sat quietly through the exchange. He wanted an explanation not only for himself but for them also. After all they had taken a risk to come with him although any immediate danger seemed to have passed. They weren’t being followed and as they left the confines of Mumbai Central city limits, Joshua began to breathe easier and relax.

Curiosity still gnawed at his mind, he needed to know what Jeremiah was involved in. If men were really trying to kill him then it was most likely very serious business indeed. Far beyond any of the childhood pranks he had pulled and frequently got Joshua mixed up in.

‘I can’t tell you,’ said Jeremiah finally. ‘I really can’t tell you. Just let me out here and I’ll leave you guys alone. I don’t want to get you into any more trouble.’

Joshua refused and they drove on. After a long period of silence, he said, ‘Can we at least agree to go to the police together?’

‘No way!’ said Jeremiah. Still agitated and sweating, his odor and attitude filled the car with unpleasantness. ‘The police can’t be trusted.’

‘If we can’t trust the police, then we really are stuffed,’ said 3. He was desperate to try and gain consensus, frightened by the implications of what he was getting involved with and the more he heard the less he wanted to hear. He knew too much already. Obligation to his friend had gotten him in this far and he knew of the three of them, not including Jeremiah who had already made his feelings obvious, he was most likely to take charge here and make sure, if at all possible that they played it safe and legal. There was no way 3 was going to break the law for the sake of this character Jeremiah. Engaging in criminal activity was obviously a preferred pastime of his but 3 had no desire to sign up to his hijinks.

‘We’ll be okay,’ insisted Jeremiah as he put his hand on 3’s shoulder.

3 flinched.

‘What’s this guy’s problem, Josh? What are you doing mixed up with Newtonians anyway? You know what they are saying?’

‘Shut up now, Jer. He’s here isn’t here: helping me to help you. He’s my friend.’

‘What’s his problem then?’

Bursts of invisible energy zipped around them as their emotions rumbled and groaned beneath the surface of the forced peaceableness on their faces.

Joshua remained calm as he drove out of Andheri East and along the eastern freeway towards their hometown. ‘You’re getting into some serious crap here, Jer. And you don’t seem very willing to answer our questions to ease our minds. 3’s dad and Veena’s dad were both murdered today but instead of offering them comfort and support, I drag them out into wild misadventure, because you call to tell me someone’s trying to kill you. This is what trying to be a friend and savior to everyone gets you. What the hell is going on? My world’s spinning out of control and now you’re being secretive and slagging off my friends.’

With that tirade gushing from his mouth, Joshua felt he could no longer contain his emotions so he pulled his Monaro off the road and come to a screeching fishtailing stop in the safety lane. Turning his head to look directly at his cousin he said, ‘Tell me why I shouldn’t just dump you here and leave you to sort out your own mess? No doubt there’s only you to blame anyway.’

‘Take it easy, cousin.’

3 said, ‘Let’s keep moving Joshua.’

Veena, silent and preoccupied the whole time since they picked Jeremiah up, agreed they should continue. Obviously reluctant at first, Joshua eventually nodded his assent, took a few deep breaths, checked his rear view mirror then moved back out on to the freeway.

Joshua asked for his cousin’s forgiveness for his outburst.

‘Don’t worry about,’ he replied. ‘I pushed you. I’m sorry too.’

The conversation eventually lightened to the point where the four of them were able to laugh a little and temporarily forget their troubles. Although each laugh was piggybacking some guilt, it was a great relief for all of them to be able to speak foolishly especially on a day which had been without doubt the worst in their short lives. For a brief moment in time they escaped into levity.