Goal: Stop it Conflict: Fight Disaster: Cops come
Happy banged on the door with authority.
“Police?” Jagpreet called.
“It’s Happy,” Happy said.
“Go away, your uncle’s gone mad!” Happy said.
“Uncle?”
Happy was calling him just as much as he was asking for correction. Neither call was answered. Happy pulled out the key tied to a showlace that Minder put around his neck. He’d given it to him in case he got locked out. Now he was locked in.
Happy opened the door.
“Stay out!” Jagpreet said, now clearly emanating from the back bedroom.
Happy looked ahead and could see that the mirror he’d grown up looking at was smashed on the floor. In the shards of glass lay a kitchen knife, with drips of blood around it. It was less bloody and more messy.
Happy tensed up and looked into the living room. Minder Uncle sat on the large couch looking ahead, but now he looked at Happy.
“What’s going on?” Happy said.
“Your auntie said I should sit here or else I’d get in trouble,” Minder said.
“What’s going on with the knife?” Happy said.
“She made a ruckus and went on the room. I’m just supposed to sit here,” Minder said.
“Happy!” Sweety said.
“Police! Hands up!” a voice from the door came.
Happy’s hands shot up instinctively and he translated for Minder to do the same.
The cops came in swiftly, patted Happy down while Jagpreet came out of the bedroom.
“Not him, he’s a kid. It’s my husband in the living room. He started waving the knife around and sliced me,” Jagpreet said.
She was holding the outside of her forearm with a chunni tied around it loosely. Her left eye was also beginning to show the beginnings of a black-eye puff.
The cops started cuffing Minder.
“What are you doing? Aren’t you going to investigate?” Happy said.
“This is a domestic call. We need to arrest the man by protocal,” the cop said.
“How could you? He’s simple,” Happy called to Jagpreet.
“He hurt me,” Jagpreet said. She was holding the cordless phone and, if Happy listened closely, he could hear the reassuring instructions on the line about what to do next.
The voice was Babbu’s.