Shantaram полностью

‘Where is Letitia?’ Didier asked.

‘She’s down the platform, yaar. She’s buying a cold drink. See her there, just past the chai shop?’

‘Ah, yes. And she knows nothing of the plan?’

‘Not a fuckin’ thing, man. I’m so nervous that it’s not going to work, yaar. And what if she gets killed, Didier? It won’t be a good look for us, man, if my proposal kills her!’

‘Killing her would definitely be a bad start,’ I mused.

‘Don’t worry. It will be okay’ Didier soothed, although he mopped his brow with a scented handkerchief as his eyes searched the empty tracks for an approaching train. ‘It will work. You must have faith.’

‘That’s what they said at Jonesville, yaar.’

‘What do you want me to do, Vikram?’ I asked, hoping to calm him down.

‘Okay’ he replied, puffing as if he’d just run up a flight of steps. ‘Okay. First, Lettie has to stand just here, facing you. Just like I’m standing now.’

‘U-huh.’

‘It has to be right here. Exactly here. We’ve checked it out a hundred fuckin’ times, man, and it has to be just here. Have you got that?’

‘I… think so. You’re saying that she has to stand just -’

‘Here!’

‘Here?’ I teased him.

‘Fuck, man, this is serious!’

‘Okay! Take it easy. You want me to make Lettie stand here.’

‘Yeah. Here. And your job is to get her to put the blindfold on.’

‘The… blindfold?’

‘Yeah. She’s got to wear a blindfold, Lin. It won’t work without it. And she has to leave it on, even when it gets very scary.’

‘Scary…’

‘Yeah. That’s your job. Just convince her to put the blindfold on, when we give you the signal, and then convince her to keep it on, yaar, even if she’s screaming a bit.’

‘Screaming…’

‘Yeah. We thought about a gag, but we decided, you know, a gag might be a bit counter-fuckin’-productive, yaar, because she might freak out a bit, with a gag. And she’s going to freak out enough as it is, without using a fuckin’ gag on her.’

‘A… gag…’

‘Yeah. Okay, here she comes! Get ready for the signal.’

‘Hello, Lin, you fat bastard,’ Lettie said, giving me a kiss on the cheek. ‘You’re really beefing out, aren’t you, son?’

‘You look good, too,’ I replied, smiling at the pleasure of seeing her.

‘So, what’s this all about then?’ she asked. ‘It looks like the gang’s all here.’

‘You don’t know?’ I shrugged.

‘No, of course I don’t. Vikram just told me we were meeting you and Didier-hullo, Didier-and here we all are. What’s up?’

The train from Churchgate Station came into view, approaching us at a steady pace. Vikram gave me the signal, opening his eyes as widely as the muscles would allow, and shaking his head. I put my hands on Lettie’s shoulders, gently turning her until she stood as Vikram had requested, with her back to the tracks.

‘Do you trust me, Lettie?’ I asked.

She smiled up at me.

‘A bit,’ she replied.

‘Okay,’ I nodded. ‘Well, I want you to do something. It’s gonna sound strange, I know, but if you don’t do it, you’ll never know how much Vikram loves you-how much we all love you. It’s a surprise that we figured out for you. It’s about love…’

The train slowed behind her as it entered the station. Her eyes were gleaming. A smile flickered and faded on her open lips. She was intrigued and excited. Vikram and Didier were gesturing wildly, behind her back, for me to hurry. The train stopped with a wheezy creak of metal triumph.

‘So, here it is-you have to put a blindfold on, and you have to promise us not to look until we tell you.’

‘Is that it?’

‘Well, yeah,’ I shrugged.

She looked at me. She stared. She smiled into my eyes. She raised her eyebrows, and turned down the corners of her mouth as she considered it. Then she nodded.

‘Okay’ she laughed. ‘Let’s do it.’

Vikram leapt forward with the blindfold and tied it on, asking her if it was too tight. He guided her a step or two backwards, toward the train, and then told her to raise her arms over her head.

‘Raise my arms? What, like this? If you tickle me, Vikram, you’ll pay!’

Some men appeared at the edge of the roofline on the train carriage. They’d been lying on the roof of the train. They leaned over, and seized Lettie’s raised arms, lifting her slight frame effortlessly onto the roof with them. Lettie shrieked, but the piercing sound was lost in the shrill of the train guard’s whistle. The train began to move.

‘Come on!’ Vikram shouted to me, climbing up the outside of the carriage to join her.

I glanced at Didier.

‘No, my friend!’ he shouted. ‘This is not for me. You go! Hurry!’

I jogged along beside the train, and clambered up the outside of the carriage to the roof. There were a dozen men or more on the roof. Some of them were musicians. Sitting together, they cradled tablas, cymbals, flutes, and tambourines in their laps. Further along the dusty roof was a second group. Lettie sat in the middle of them. She still wore the blindfold. Men held her at the shoulders-one on each arm, and two from behind-to keep her safe. Vikram knelt in front of her. I heard his pleading as I crept along the roof toward them at a crouch.

‘I promise you, Lettie. It really is a great surprise.’