The alarm rang loud and clear. The time was 0430 AM. Raju realised it was time to wake up. There was a general buzz around the house. His parents were up already. Raju was moving away. To a new place, a new home and a new school.

The box was packed already and after a tearful hug, Raju and his father started to walk towards the bus stop. Raju was thinking of the one important task to accomplish before the bus arrives. That was to collect his new school uniform from the tailor. Luckily the shop was next to the bus stop and the tailor had promised to open it just for Raju. Why this had to be a last minute affair? What if the tailor forgot about it? What if his alarm did not ring? So many questions made Raju’s heart flutter.

Raju and his father reached the bus stop at 0545 AM. The bus was due shortly. As they approached, Raju heaved a sigh of relief as the tailor was opening his shop. The shutters to the shop had multiple wooden panels with a huge pad lock! The tailor was sneaking into the shop through the opening from a single panel. Out came a brown paper bag containing two sets of uniform. There was no time for a trial or rework. And no time to think about what could go wrong.

From the corner of his eye, Raju could spot the bus approaching from a distance. Painted in bright yellow and red, the bus screeched to a halt. No one else was at the bus stop. Raju and his father took the seats next to the driver. “It is always exciting to have a front view”, thought Raju.

Raju’s interim destination was a good two hours and 1000 meters downhill. Raju watched the driver swing the bus around and expertly change gears as he took another U turn. The driver seemed calm, while Raju was pressing an imaginary break to slow down the bus. Once in a while the driver would glance at Raju, with a wry smile, perhaps thinking what kind of a bus driver Raju will make! As time passed, Raju became more at ease and slowly dosed off. A violent shake of his shoulder woke him up. “Get up, we have reached”, said his father.

Raju’s destination was the house of his father’s friend, Mohan. Mohan and his family were moving to the big city. And he had offered to take Raju along in his car. A short walk from the bus stop, they were at his house. Raju quickly enquired about the way to the bathroom, the winding roads had kicked up a storm in his stomach. There was a knock on the door, “How long will you take? It is time to leave!”. Raju finished up, washed his face and came out to discover that the tour party was waiting. There was Mohan Uncle, his wife and their daughter. Raju guessed that the daughter was about his age. No formal introduction was offered, but the second leg of the journey was about to begin.

The boot was open and it was already full. The luggage box was deposited and the precious brown paper bag was kept on top (or rather shoved into a gap!). With the boot tightly shut, they were ready to roll. Raju’s father was dropped off at the bus station, for him to catch a bus back uphill to be back home. A wave of hand from the window, was Raju’s way of saying good bye. “See you soon”, Raju muttered as his father’s figure became smaller as the car moved ahead to the main road. Raju was now with a bunch of strangers, whom he had just met.

Within five minutes the car stopped at a School, with an adjoining Church. A sister came out, and blessed the girl. “We are going to miss you! Take care of yourself and do well in your studies”. She got a bouquet as a present. Words were exchanged, eyes became wet. A shake of hands, a kiss on the forehead and then the car was on the move again!

The car was a small one. Mohan uncle’s wife was in the front with him. The girl and Raju were in the back. The time was approximately 930 AM. The final destination was about 200 kms away. It was a six to seven hour journey. Raju was handed some biscuits and a cake to munch on. It was his breakfast. A volley of questions came his way from the girl’s mother :

• Who do you want to become?
• Do you know anyone in the big city?
• How much marks did you score in your last exam?
• What is your favourite subject?
• What do you like to eat?

Raju ducked a few, and answered the others. Raju was not sure whether he was coherent. Muffled sound with the mouth being full, further modulated by the wind through the open windows clearly did not help. To Raju’s relief the volley stopped. But they continued being served around in the front seat. Raju grabbed the chance and closed his eyes and dosed off again.

A violet shove on the shoulders woke up Raju. This time it was the girl. Raju was leaning on her shoulders in his sleep and that made her uncomfortable. The look on her eyes said it all. Raju moved a bit further towards the door. His heavenly sleep now fully disturbed, he watched the coconut groves as they swept by. His stomach was grumbling again, this time a hunger grumble. “Should I ask Aunty for some more goodies?”, he wondered. He was afraid of the volley and so decided to keep quiet. Luckily, Uncle’s stomach also started to grumble and he announced, “We will stop in another 20 minutes. We all will eat something”.

The restaurant was small. But, they had a family room. They got a table with four chairs. Raju ordered a Dosa, while Uncle and Aunty preferred a full meal. The girl was undecided. She probably did not want to be a copy cat, but in the end decided that she will also have a Dosa. Stomach now laid to rest, the party walked out of the restaurant. Outside Raju spotted this guy selling all sort of goodies. A row of large glass jars had Parry’s Chocolate with the green wrapper, Lemon drops, Peanut Candy, Lollipop, and Nankattai. Uncle looked at Raju, as if inviting him to have a go. Raju said, “I would have two Parry’s chocolate and two peanut candies”. The girl scoffed at the idea of eating from the road side and perhaps Raju’s taste. She will have none of it.

Before getting back in the car Raju asked Uncle to open the boot. The brown paper bag was still there, resting quietly in the crevice at the top. Back in the car, Uncle announced that they were about three hours away from the final destination. He was in a chatty mood for a change, probably wanting to stay awake after the heavy meal. Aunty was quiet and started to dose off. Raju heaved a sigh of relief. As if one cue, the girl also started to dose off. Raju was wide awake, munching on the peanut candy. Uncle was now whistling, in anticipation of the arrival into the big city. Suddenly, Raju felt a head flop on his shoulder. The girl was fast asleep with Raju’s shoulder as support! Time for tit for tat? Raju decided to be chivalrous. He thought “Let the girl sleep for a bit more. Sleep is good.”

Traffic increased as the car reached the outskirts of the big city. Uncle braked suddenly, as an old man walked carelessly on the road. Aunty woke up and so did the girl. “How much more to go?”, asked the Girl, still sleepy but now determined to be awake to see the sights of the town. Raju’s feelings were mixed. Soon, he will be parting ways with the family. He will be alone again, but this time with a new set of guardian angels. He wondered, “Can this journey go on for a bit more?”

Thoughts were broken as the car pulled up in front of a house. Everyone got down and the boot was opened to unload the luggage. Raju was relieved to see his brown paper bag. Aunty wished Raju luck and the girl waved good bye. Uncle invited Raju to come to the front seat. The destination was only five minutes away.

In no time, the car was in front of the house where Raju would be staying. Uncle unloaded Raju’s box and Raju once again clutched the brown paper bag. He was now handed over to his local guardians in the new town. Raju waved good bye to Uncle. Mohan promised to visit Raju often and wished him luck. Raju was lost in thought as the car moved away, “I have my brown paper bag and I have now new friends. It is not a strange place anymore”.