Happy pulled down up on the joystick and Donkey Kong jumped up onto the higher platform.
Ram pressed a series of buttons and Samus uppercutted straight into Donkey Kong, sending him off screen and ending the round.
“Thanks for bringing this over,” Happy said, as the characters reset for the next round.
“How are your new friends? Probably too cool for Smash Bros,” Ram said.
Ram had been in a mood all day, and had agreed to come over to play at Happy’s house for once. When it was usually the other way around.
“They’re cool. We got in a scrap this week with the kalay,” Happy said.
The game continued on screen and Happy started mashing buttons to summon a special good enough to take the lead.
Ram paused the game and look at Happy.
“Yeah I heard. I also heard this turbaned kid fell on his ass without getting hit or hitting a single punch,” Ram said.
“That didn’t happen. But of shit talkers,” Happy said.
“So you’re already getting into fights? I laughed when you brought this up but now I’m worried about you falling in with these low lives. Also your new home is filthy and cramped. We should play at my place next time like we always do.” Ram said.1
Mummi tutted around the kitchen making rotis. Happy was grateful she selectively turned off her limited English listening skils so she didn’t hear the blaspheming of their home. Not that he was proud, he just didn’t want his only frend to not get invited back.
“They’re cool guys actually, and they talk to girls, so that’s something they’ll benefit me with. I want to have a girlfriend this year and I want to be noticed in high school. I can introduce you to them if you want,” Happy said.
“You’re going to do their girl’s nails while they get their dicks sucked. I don’t need you to intro me to anyone bro. I can intro myself,” Ram said.
There was a knock at the door. Mummi went to open it.
“Happy, it’s a kid from school for you,” Mummi said from the doorway.
They paused the game. The only kid who’d even seen his dingy home was Ram. Who would dare come here. He feared the worst, that it was Sweety. She’d take one look at his home and tell the whole school.
Happy got up and went to the door. He thought he’d thought of the worst case scenario but he hadn’t.
At the door was Jug, waiting to get revenge.2
It had been a few days since Happy’s embarrassment at the hands of his own feet, but it had also only been a few days since Happy had betrayed Jug to Gobind and gotten him slapped in front of the Young Gunz. Now Jug stood in his doorway, eyes slighly red and pubescent wispy stubble on his chin.
“Yo kiddha, let’s get some air,” Jug said.
“Yeah one sec,” Happy said.
Happy was already in semi-decent clothes owing to Ram’s visit. He slipped on some regular flip-flops he’d upgraded to and told Ram he’d be right back. They went down the stairwell closest to 519 to the base of the building and stepped outside.
“Thanks bro, I needed someone to talk to,” Jug said.
He pulled a cigarette out of a bent pack and lit it.
“Oh really, you’re not mad,” Happy said.
“Mad about what,” Jug said.
Happy regretted his dumb mouth.
“I mean, I told Gobind about the sulla comment. I’m so sorry, I didn’t know what to do,” Happy said.
Jug shrugged.
“The man asked you point blank blaow,” Jug said, pointing a gun finger between Happy’s eyes and firing it.
“What were you gonna do, lie? Then Saad was gonna whoop your ass. I only got a slap,” Jug said.
“You’re very practical about this,” Happy said.
“Yeah bro. Like got a lot simpler for me when I understood sometimes you gotta eat the beating,” Jug said.
“Do you regret calling him that?” Happy said.
“What? Fuck no. He’s a fucking sullah. I don’t know why we hang with him. Probably cause of his brother,” Jug said.
“Who’s his brother?” Happy said.
“Moose bro. Him and Amit’s brother Billa run the Brown Blitz. They’re older bro. They do the real stuff; dealing drugs, slicing faces, fucking bitches,” Jug said.
“How did they get into that?” Happy said.
“They had it harder than us bro. NACI was full of older kalay who were dealing and killing. They had to keep up to stay ahead. I’m going to go hang with them right now, there’s a parking lot party,” Jug said.
“That’s sick,” Happy said.
“Your beebee looked pissed. You get in trouble?” Jug said.
“Nah she’s just on my case about going out. She’ll probably be looking out the window right now trying to figure out where I am,” Happy said.
“That’s wack. You can’t have your mum controlling your life, that’s pussy shit. You need to pick it up. You’re getting a rep as a wankster after you kicked Odaine and missed,” Jug said.
“Yeah it was my first time rushing someone. I’ll get better,” Happy said.
“I was wrong about you drinking. You should try it so you can get harder. I think your beebee is too on your case. You should bail on her right now and come to this hang,” Jug said.1
Happy looked down at his feet in chappals. They suddenly felt chillier thinking of being in them when the sun went down, but he couldn’t go back upstairs and leave again. If he wants to come along and meet these older guys and get closer to the gang, he had to go now.
“You ever tried a cigarette before? Toke this,” Jug said.
Happy grabbed the cigarette between his index and middle finger like he’d seen it held many times. It felt light and prone to flying away. The heat from the tip felt uneasy, knowing it would get hotter the closer it got.
“Don’t put the wet part of your lips on it, just the outside,” Jug said.
Happy put the stick to his lips and suck in the smoke. He immediately coughed it back out. More coughs came up from his belly, which had been set ablaze.
Happy and Jug walked down Mount Olive, past NACI, closed for the weekend to 777 Kipling, known at Triple 7 in the streets. They walked around to the back, where a few cars turned on in the middle of a pond of dormant ones.
Happy walked back to see a party happening live amongst the half dozen lit cars, with the trunk on one open and rap music blasting. Jug had stopped to light his fourth cigarette between they approached in earnest.
“These are the brown blitz?” Happy said.
Happy noticed Sweety’s sister talking to an older boy who was in the same circle as Amit, Frick and Frack. The boy put his arms around her in a hug, with his crossed arms settling right about her bum.. They looked to be dating.
Jug began to toke and then spoke through the hiss of his inhale.
“Yeah, that’s Billas with Amit and them. And in that car is Moose, the don dadda,” Jug said.
Happy say an older guy in shades sitting in the cockpit of a silver Honda Civic with a cute Russian looking chick sitting bitch. As Happy walked over the two symbiotic gangs noticed him and Jug, first out of apprehension and then a melting. It was the same melting that Happy had felt when he’s accidentally snuck up on Saad and Amit over the last few days. It had some to be the baseline response to his presence.
All the guys around seemed to be in the finest clothes Happy had ever seen them in. It was a cut above what they wore at school as they peacocked for the older girls. It made Happy’s slippers and sweats seem even more out of place. He looked homeless.
“There he is, the wankser,” Amit said to Billa beside him. Billa looked out from behind Preety’s pouffed hair at him, Happy was slow to make eye contact in the direction of his voice, hoping slimly that he’d hallucinated it.
“Grab him, I’ll pee on him,” Billa said, looking uninterested and engaged at the same time.
“Ew,” Preety said, before decoupling from Billa and stepping aside for boy talk.
The boys laughed.
Happy laughed as well. He formed a goofy smile on his face, thinking he could act as if what Billa said was a joke and let it evaporate. But it did no such thing.
Summoned by Billa’s dictate, Amit lumbered forward in his wide stance. His hands were on Happy before he could react.
Happy looked to Jug who was standing to the side and smoking, not showing any investment in Happy’s fate. Had he been set up?
Amit pushed Happy’s head down between his wide knees. Happy’s bare ears rubbed against the ribbed and worn denim. He felt the warmth of Frick’s drunk, thick thighs underneath. Happy put his hands on Frick’s knees an tried to push himself out but Amit squeezed his buttcheeks and tightened his vice. Then he shuffled his locked legs closer towards the gaggle of boys.
“Oh shit,” Amit said.
Happy heard the snuff of asphalt as another boy, presumably Billa, shuffled towards him in an awkward gait. Amit’s knees loosened enough for Happy’s head to pop out briefly for a side glance at who was approaching. Billa’s shuffle was explained when he saw the tip of his prick poking out of his the fly on his jeans. It was brown and wrinkled like Happy’s own.
Amit saw it too, and probably when he realized there was a chance he’d end up in the pee spray too, depending on the wind. He backed off rapidly, freeing Happy completely. Happy stumbled backwards. A stream of pee sputtered out of Billa and arced into a pool precious inches in front of Happy. Billa stopped moved so as not to walk into it himself. Realizing Happy had gotten away, he straightened up and elected to continue to empty his bladder while making eye contact with Happy.
There was laughing behind him. Happy couldn’t think of anything to do but laugh as well, trying in vain to be in on the joke. What else could he do?
A car door behind Happy opened. He turned his neck to see he was upon Moose’s Civic by accident.
“Yo, Singh, don’t mind those amlis. Come get in this car,” a voice said.
Happy turned to see a bald young slicked hair man, slightly older than the older boys, sitting in the driver’s seat with a beer in his hand. To his right was the Russian knockout with a look of confusion at the scene. Moose was was leaned over the gear shift and lap of the girl, from having pushed the passenger door open himself. Happy opened up the rear door. Before ducking inwards, he glanced around for Saad, but he was too enthralled in a conversation with some darker boys, who looked Tamil, at the far end of the parking lot to notice what had happened.
The man introduced himself as Moose, but Happy knew.
“You’re Saad’s boy right?” Moose said.
“Yeah we’re in the same homeroom,” Happy said.
“Those guys are retards. They get high as fuck and do mad embarrassments,” Moose said.
“Amits my boy,” Happy said.
“Yeah whatever you say kid. You’re a gyani bro, don’t trouble yourself with them. You see this here?” Moose pointed to his beer bottle.
Happy looked at it but it wasn’t clear there an answer he could give that would either be obvious or snarky.
“This is jair, this daru. You don’t want any of it, do you? OK good. You know what your guru Nanak said,” Moose said.
Moose started reciting gurbani, which Happy didn’t understand, but he listened and nodded slightly to make it seem like it was slightly familiar. It was surprising to hear so readily for a Muslim boy.
“How do you know Gurbani?” Happy said?
“My best bro in Pakistan was Sikh at military school,” Moose said.
“There’s Sikhs in Pakistan?” Happy said.
“Yeah kid, a few but they’re brolic. Running the military, just like in India,” Moose said.
“That’s sick,” Happy said
Out the window, Billa was back to making out with Preety in broad sight of the boys.
“His kind tried to exterminate you in India. When did you rents comer over?” Moose said.
“1985,” Happy said.
“Yeah, right after the genocide. I know our people got beef from the Mughal era but that shit was like 300 years ago. What Hindus did to yall was like 10 years around bro,” Moose said.
“I don’t know too much about the history,” Happy said.
“Well you better learn bro, the more you know about how shit went down, the more you can stop shit from happening again,” Moose said.
Happy studied Moose’s face, had a spark and took a chance.
“Is your dad’s name Danny?”
“Yeah, did you see him somewhere?” Moose said.
“No, he’s my dad’s friend. My dad’s friends call him Mikka,” Happy said.
“Shit yeah, he’s always sleeping at our place. They’re been boys for like 20 years. Shit man, that makes us brothers. But listen man you can’t be like them. You have to be a warrior for the khalsa bheer. Don’t let those amlis push you around. Billa is twisted and only stays in line because of me. They’re testing you to see if you’re buck back, or if you’ll let them fuck you. If you let them fuck you, they’ll never respect you. You need to buck back. I know you’re your dad’s only son, so you don’t have back up. It’ll be tough. You need to get one of the young ones as your bro, otherwise you’ll get decked for bucking back. But you gotta move in your own way, with the Khalsa. That’s your weapon. Mad of these guys used to tie a turban before they had to cut it when they came here. NACI used to be mad wops and they used to pull my boy’s guti and slam him into the lockers.”
There was a pause.
“So what do you do Singh?” Moose said.
“I write poetry sometimes,” Happy said.
“Oh shit that’s dope. Your holy book is all poetry isn’t it,” Moose said.
“Yeah,” Happy said, unconfidently.
The back door opened and Saad got in and hopped in the beside Happy.
“You what’s up Happy,” Saad said.
“You didn’t see your boys getting draped up by Billa?” Moose said.
“Nah man I was…” Saad said.
“You were sleeping. If he’s your boy he’s your boy, Moose said.
“Yeah we’re new friends,” Saad said.
“He tells me you’re the smartest kid he’s ever met,” Moose said to Happy
There was silence.
“Well he’s indeed a genius. You know he watches TVO, that educational shit?” Moose said.
“What?” Saad said.
“Doesn’t that girl you like smart shit?” Moose said.
“Yeah she’s an artsy type,” Saad said.
“Well then your new boy can help you write a poem for her. Poetry is the way to the heart. When I met Katherine I sang her a Boys II Men song,” Moose said.
Katherine giggled, she’d been sitting here quiet as a church mouse for ages.
“Yeah Gobind said he’s going to write out homework now,” Saad said.
Moose turned in his seat and looked directly at Happy.
“You need to take care of him. I don’t want him flunking out like me. Now, I gotta go make a pick-up. Do you want a ride, or do you want to stay here?” Moose said.
Happy looked out at the kids play-fighting and saw Jug was now in a headlock from Frack.
“Can I get a ride?” Happy said.
“Course, I know where you live,” Moose said, levering the car into reverse.