Blood Money (5 page)
Li asked them, ‘What’s wrong?’
Amber got up to make room for them on the wooden bench and plumped up the cushions. ‘Come in; sit down.’ Her concern showed in her voice.
The three sisters sat in a row on the bench. Bina looked worried, Radha miserable. Sami stared at Amber’s abdomen, where she had seen the needle go in.
Bina asked, ‘Do you know anything about selling kidneys? I’m really worried about Mum.’
Amber swiftly sat down on the arm of the bench next to Bina. The poor girl, having something like that on her mind, she thought. ‘Look,’ she said, ‘we’ll see what we can find out. Hex—’
‘Already onto it,’ replied Hex. He tapped out a few commands on the keyboard. The screen reflection blinked on his face as he called up web pages, searching for information.
Fascinated, Bina and Radha went and stood behind him. For a brief while their worries were forgotten as they watched Hex use the tiny gadget to read pages from all over the world.
Hex found a site he was happy with and pointed out a paragraph to them. ‘Look, it says here.
One good kidney is enough to keep the body healthy
.’ He read from the screen. ‘
The operation to donate a kidney is a serious one but it does not shorten your life. After you have recovered you can work and participate in sports as normal
.’
One good kidney is enough to keep the body healthy
.’ He read from the screen. ‘
The operation to donate a kidney is a serious one but it does not shorten your life. After you have recovered you can work and participate in sports as normal
.’
Two more figures appeared at the door. Bina’s parents, watching and listening.
Paulo jumped to his feet. ‘Mootama, Naresh,’ he said, ‘come in.’ He offered Mootama the chair he had been sitting on.
‘We wondered where the children had gone,’ said Naresh as Mootama made herself comfortable. ‘You have information about selling kidneys?’
‘I’ve found a bit,’ said Hex.
Mootama spoke in a quiet, calm voice. ‘I know I will have to have tests. Can you tell me what they are?’
‘Hang on,’ said Hex. ‘I saw something about that.’ He hit the
BACK
key. ‘Yes, here we go.
Donors’ cells must match the recipient’s, otherwise the recipient’s body will destroy the new kidney. Living donations are usually best from people related to the recipient because the kidney is most likely to match their tissues. But it’s also possible to find matches between people who aren’t related at all
.’ He flicked to another page. ‘Ah here we are, the tests themselves. They’ll take some of your blood and mix it with some of the recipient’s blood in a test tube. If the cells kill each other, it’s not a good match. If it is a good match, the doctors will check your general health and whether your kidneys are working well. You will have X-rays and scans, but they should not be too uncomfortable.’
BACK
key. ‘Yes, here we go.
Donors’ cells must match the recipient’s, otherwise the recipient’s body will destroy the new kidney. Living donations are usually best from people related to the recipient because the kidney is most likely to match their tissues. But it’s also possible to find matches between people who aren’t related at all
.’ He flicked to another page. ‘Ah here we are, the tests themselves. They’ll take some of your blood and mix it with some of the recipient’s blood in a test tube. If the cells kill each other, it’s not a good match. If it is a good match, the doctors will check your general health and whether your kidneys are working well. You will have X-rays and scans, but they should not be too uncomfortable.’
Mootama was nodding as Hex spoke. ‘Yes, this is what I was told.’
Li was sitting nearest to Mootama. She saw the redness around her eyes; the woman had been crying.
Naresh stood behind his wife in an attempt to comfort her. But he looked lost too. ‘It is better this way. Otherwise we will have to use a moneylender. We don’t want that. You use a moneylender and you spend your life in debt; you can never pay it off.’
Was he still trying to convince himself? thought Paulo.
Mootama took up the story. ‘The moneylenders knew we would need to borrow. They kept offering us loans, but we told them to go away. So they said there was another way to make money. They sent the kidney man.’ Her voice took on a note of pride. ‘I sell my kidney, we stay out of debt. The girls get their dowries.’ She stood up. ‘Bina, Radha, Sami – these good people need to eat. Let’s leave them.’ The three children obediently rose and followed their mother to the door.
Naresh paused on the way out. ‘Thank you for finding out about it for us. The kidney man, he knows many people who have sold. Some people do it to get dowries. Some of them to get out of debt. One of them bought a car and became a taxi driver. He gave us testimonials. All of them said they were all right afterwards.’
They heard the family splashing out into the wet street.
‘I don’t know about you,’ said Li quietly, ‘but I think they all look terrified.’
Alex looked at his watch. It was indeed time to eat. He poured some water into the big pot they used for rice and put it on the kerosene stove to boil.
Paulo watched the blue flames lick against the base of the pot. ‘I’ve lost my appetite.’
Amber took charge. ‘Come on, guys, we need to keep our strength up.’ She dug a measuring cup into the sack of rice and measured out five portions. With her diabetes she couldn’t afford to delay her meal times, no matter how unhungry she felt.
‘Typical Amber,’ said Hex. ‘Always thinking about her stomach.’ But even he sounded half-hearted.
Normally Amber would have skinned him for such a comment but her head was spinning. What if she had been born here, where people had to sell parts of their bodies to give their children a proper start in life? Someone with a condition such as diabetes would never be able to afford the drugs that she took for granted. Even if you managed to get insulin, without regular check-ups and tests – which cost money – you could go blind or lose a limb. Who knows how different her life might have been?
Alex took some vegetables from the store and silently sliced them for a curry. Meanwhile Hex was looking for more material on the web. Paulo and Li watched over his shoulder.
‘This is a website for people who want donor organs. Listen.’ Hex read from the screen. ‘
I am a fifty-year-old male in dire need of a kidney. Please help me find one. I would like to live a little longer. I would pay all expenses for donor to travel to Jerusalem
.’
I am a fifty-year-old male in dire need of a kidney. Please help me find one. I would like to live a little longer. I would pay all expenses for donor to travel to Jerusalem
.’
‘
Dios
,’ said Paulo softly.
Dios
,’ said Paulo softly.
Hex flicked to a new page. ‘Here’s another.
I lost my left kidney to cancer, then the right one. For four years I have been on dialysis. The doctors have put me on the transplant list but no-one has been suitable. I am six foot five and I have to do four hours dialysis every two days. Dialysis is very painful and I cannot work or participate in normal activities. I need a new kidney as soon as possible. Donor would have to travel to me as I am too ill to go on a plane
.’ Hex looked up. ‘He’s in Texas.’
I lost my left kidney to cancer, then the right one. For four years I have been on dialysis. The doctors have put me on the transplant list but no-one has been suitable. I am six foot five and I have to do four hours dialysis every two days. Dialysis is very painful and I cannot work or participate in normal activities. I need a new kidney as soon as possible. Donor would have to travel to me as I am too ill to go on a plane
.’ Hex looked up. ‘He’s in Texas.’
Alex cut up a tomato. ‘I had no idea there were so many people needing kidney transplants.’
Hex scrolled through more web pages. His face became grimmer and grimmer. ‘There are loads of them all over the world. Hearts, lungs, livers . . . So many sick people and not enough donor organs.’
Li looked out of the window at the house next door. ‘Mootama is very brave.’
Hex’s fingers were opening more pages. ‘She might have to be braver than she thinks. It’s a serious operation. She’ll lose a rib. It’ll take her longer to recover than it’ll take the person with the new kidney.’
Alex chopped hard and fast. ‘I hope that however much Mootama is getting, it’s worth it.’
5
F
RIENDSHIP
RIENDSHIP
First thing next morning, Alpha Force headed for the building site as the sun spread pink and orange through the sky. Clouds gathered above, but they were white and benign – for now. Could they get the roof on before the weather broke?
Radha was waiting for them beside the tarpaulined walls, along with the two boys who had helped yesterday plus another brother and sister. ‘Brought you some more help,’ she said proudly.
‘That’s brilliant,’ said Alex. ‘We get one assistant each.’ He looked at the kids. ‘Who wants to help me?’ Four hands shot up, eager to be picked.
‘Radha, where’s Bina?’ asked Li.
Radha’s mouth was a tight line. ‘She has to be mother now.’
The words tumbled out of Amber’s mouth before she could stop them. ‘You mean your mother’s gone already?’
Radha nodded and turned away quickly. She was upset.
Amber regretted her tactless question. She put a hand on the girl’s shoulder. ‘If there’s anything you or Bina need, we’ll help if we can.’
Every second counted if they were to beat the rains. They ripped off the tarpaulins and got to work. Radha’s friends provided a constant supply of breeze blocks and mortar, while Alpha Force did the building. In no time the walls were finished. Just as they were laying the last blocks, Pradesh the foreman – his toothache now treated – drove up with a delivery of the next materials: timbers for the roof. All hands raced to unload the truck and sort the pieces. This was the next phase, an important step.
Pradesh showed Alpha Force how to lay out the wood and position it to make four large triangle frames. Alex went over each frame, checking the many angles before hammering the pieces together, while Paulo and Hex improvised a pulley with spare wood and a rope. Amber, Li and Pradesh assembled a frame of scaffolding around the structure.
The sky darkened and a chilly wind blew over the workers on the site. All activity stopped. Faces turned up to the threatening sky. Should they rush to cover the walls?
Hex, lashing a rope around a block, glared up at the forbidding clouds. ‘Don’t you dare. I’ve got military satellites watching you and you shouldn’t be here.’
The dark clouds passed and the sky brightened. Work resumed. Everyone chattered and laughed at the near miss. Paulo grinned at Hex. ‘That was pretty cool.’
Hex nodded. ‘Those rain clouds know who’s boss,’ he said, with mock solemnity.
After a couple more hours of furious work, the younger children were flagging. But they didn’t want to leave. Li had a good idea – she organized them to keep all the workers supplied with fresh drinking water. Labouring in the hot sun was exhausting and their water bottles were soon depleted, so the two youngest children brought them refills from the standpipe in a large jug.
Once the triangle frames were ready, Paulo and Hex took up positions at their pulley, and told Alex, Amber and Li where to tie the ropes. Pradesh gave the command and Paulo and Hex hauled for all they were worth – and the first frame rose into the air. Paulo had designed the pulley so it could pick up the load and then swing it round, like a crane. Alex, Amber and Li guided the frame into position on top of the walls. As it settled, a great cheer went up.
The first part of the roof was on the school.
The next three went up easily. Next Paulo and Hex hoisted the crossbeams into place. Then it was up onto the scaffolding to secure them – and the roof was ready for tiling the next day. As the sun slipped down, it bathed the pale wood of the newly erected roof frame in golden light. They flung the tarpaulins up to cover it for the night. It had been a very good day’s work.
Ten happy, tired youngsters gathered on the veranda of Bina’s home and tucked into a supper of rice-flour pancakes with a potato curry and mustard seeds. ‘Eat up,’ said Naresh, nodding encouragement. ‘After all your hard work, you deserve it.’
Alpha Force didn’t need telling twice. Kerosene lamps cast a warm glow like a campfire. Bina moved through the guests, collecting empty plates. The kerosene light glowed through the filmy material of her sari and sparkled off the tiny mirrors sewn into the fabric. But her face was a picture of worry, furrowed with a frown that she couldn’t shake off. Alex remembered the exotic creature in turquoise he’d seen on TV. The burdens of adulthood had made her look so much older now.
‘How was your day, Bina?’ he said as he handed her his plate.
Bina nodded. ‘OK.’
Radha, sitting next to Paulo, piped up, ‘It’s her birthday.’
Amber gave a squeal of delight. ‘Bina, is it?’
Bina looked embarrassed at the attention. ‘Yes.’
Amber had a small plaited cord of red cotton around her wrist. She took it off, reached forwards and fastened it around Bina’s arm. ‘Friendship bracelet.’
Bina smiled shyly, and put down the stack of plates she had been collecting. She turned her wrist, admiring it. ‘Thank you.’
‘It looks nice on you,’ said Amber.
Alex watched the two girls and remembered what Amber was like when he first met her: the spoilt, rich, bitter Amber who never noticed anyone else, let alone their problems. He got out his phone, switched it to camera mode and recorded the moment for posterity.
Bina and Amber jumped at the flash.
‘You rat,’ said Amber. ‘I wasn’t ready for my close-up.’ She held out her hand. ‘Let me see.’
Alex passed over the phone. Amber inspected the picture, a critical expression on her face. ‘Hmm,’ she said. She didn’t look impressed.
Bina, though, peered at the picture in wonder, her eyes enormous.
Alex grinned. ‘I’ll e-mail it to you when you get computers in the school.’
At that moment a great wind blew up, licking dust up off the road in clouds. It snatched at the girls’ saris, whipping them up around their faces and making them laugh in surprise. All the party leaped to their feet, grabbing plates, lamps and cushions. Suddenly the gathering was in chaos.
‘Inside!’ called Naresh, and they didn’t need telling twice. Bina and her sisters dashed for the door. The skies opened and tipped out their rain with a heavy, metallic roar.
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