***
The shrill sound of the alarm clock rose Vijay out of a light sleep, and he reached quickly to turn it off. He glanced at Lakshminarayanan, who was curled into a ball and sleeping soundly, undisturbed by the alarm's racket. Vijay sat up slowly, stretched, and headed to the bathroom. When he had finished nearly half an hour later, Lakshminarayanan was still asleep. Vijay thought he must have jet lag, and decided to let him rest awhile longer. As quietly as he could, he folded his blanket and put it back on top of his bags, then went to the kitchen and started making tea.
The sound of running water as Vijay was washing out the teapot finally roused Lakshminarayanan. He saw that Vijay had already put his bed away and was dressed, and his heart skipped a beat.
"Am I late? I am so sorry!" he said, jumping up from his makeshift bed and stumbling, his feet caught in the blanket.
"No, no. Calm down. You're not late. We still have half an hour to go. I am just making tea for us," Vijay answered.
"Oh, great! Just give me ten minutes. I will be ready," Lakshminarayanan said while hurrying towards the bathroom.
Lakshminarayanan took a quick shower, and when he came out of the bathroom, he saw that Vijay had already folded his blanket and placed it on top of his bags.
"Hey! Thank you very much, Vijay. I really appreciate it."
"No problems. Tea is ready," Vijay replied.
"Just give me two minutes for praying," Lakshminarayanan said as he took the goddess Lakshmi's statue from his bag, sat on the floor in front of the window, and began his morning prayers.
Vijay picked up his laptop and put it in his backpack. Once he was sure that Lakshminarayanan was done with his prayers, he turned to him. "Do you like Parle-G?" Vijay asked.
"Who does not? It is my favorite!" Lakshminarayanan answered while placing the statue on the window platform.
"Okay, great. Then here is your tea and some Parle-G," Vijay said, as he offered a cup of green tea and a small, yellow-red packet of biscuits to Lakshminarayanan.
"Where do you get Parle-G here?"
"There are a lot of Indian grocery stores around this area. You know, the same places where you'll shop for all of your fancy ingredients for our meals," Vijay playfully chided. Lakshminarayanan blushed, and Vijay continued. "And Parle-G biscuits are really cheap and they're good for breakfast. So I buy plenty of those." When they finished their tea and biscuits, they placed their cups in the sink. Lakshminarayanan was about to start washing but Vijay stopped him.
"We'll wash them later. We have to go now, or we'll be late."
Lakshminarayanan threw some clothes on, grabbed his backpack, and stepped outside the house with Vijay. They locked the door and started walking towards the subway.
"Did you bring your passport, visa, and stuff?" Vijay asked.
"Yeah! Yeah! It is in my backpack," Lakshminarayanan answered.
"Good. Today, your first stop should be the Office of International Students. They'll take care of all your immigration procedures," Vijay told his roommate.
"Okay, but where is that?"
"I'll take you there," Vijay answered. "They'll also give you a tour of the school."
"Oh! Good," Lakshminarayanan smiled. They walked few more blocks before turning onto the street where a sign identified the location of the subway stop.
"My Metrocard is out of money, so we're going to need to buy an unlimited one. We'll share it, and we'll split the cost later. It will be cheaper for both of us," Vijay said.
"Sure," Lakshminarayanan nodded. Vijay approached what appeared to be a vending machine, punched some keys on the keypad, swiped his debit card, and received a new yellow Metrocard.
"Okay. Today, you go ahead and swipe it first," Vijay said, while keeping the receipt in his pocket.
Lakshminarayanan took the card and swiped it in the turnstile. The metal bar locked, and a message was displayed on the screen: "Please swipe again."
"The other way," Vijay told him.
"Oh, sorry," Lakshminarayanan said. He flipped the card, swiped again, and this time the metal wheel rotated easily, clicking as he walked through. For some reason, the fact that the card worked made him happy.
"Now give me the card without showing it to anyone. Always make sure that there are no cops around," Vijay said.
Lakshminarayanan looked around, and seeing no one, handed the card to Vijay quickly. Vijay swiped it and directed Lakshminarayanan's attention to the turnstile's display. "See. What does it say?" he asked.
"Just used," Lucky replied.
"After 10 minutes or so, it will work again. So we wait," Vijay said.
"Okay. No problem."
"If we need to go to school at different times, then we can come together to the subway. One person will swipe, give the Metrocard to other person, and then leave. When you are coming back from the school, email me or come to my lab. I will come with you to the subway. You swipe, and then give me the card back. I will do the same if you need to stay at school longer," Vijay explained.
"Okay," Lucky nodded.
"Now don't just stand here waiting on me, it will look suspicious," Vijay said.
Lucky wandered off, looking at the posters on the walls that advertised movies and stores and men's cologne. There were garbage bins that were chained to concrete columns, and one of them was overflowing, but in general, Lakshminarayanan was surprised that the subway was as clean as it was. And he hadn't seen any rats yet, so that was a good sign. After a few minutes, he headed back to the turnstiles, where Vijay was pretending not to loiter.
"I think it will work now," Vijay said, swiping the card. It did, and they both started walking towards the subway platform. "There are always lots of signs everywhere. So make sure you read them carefully and then catch the right trains."
They waited in silence for a few minutes, and then heard the sound of an approaching train. The car was somewhat crowded, but they found seats, and thirty minutes later, they reached the university. When they came out of the subway, Lakshminarayanan stopped abruptly at the sight of so many tall, shiny buildings. A low whistle escaped from his lips.
"Do you see that blue flag? That's our building," Vijay said, gesturing with his hand.
"Wow! It is quite tall," Lakshminarayanan said, his eyes still focused on the tops of the buildings. There were more than a few students hanging around outside. Some of them were in groups, smoking or enjoying coffee from the nearby Starbucks, while others sat apart from the others, deeply engrossed in large textbooks. Lakshminarayanan would have been happy to stand there for an hour, just observing everyone, but Vijay wasted no time. He pulled at Lakshminarayanan's elbow, leading him up the steps and to the security desk just inside the front doors. Vijay swiped a blue identification card, and addressed the security guard, motioning at Lakshminarayanan. "He's a new student," Vijay explained.
"Do you have your admit letter, sir?" the guard asked.
Lakshminarayanan took out a letter from a thick folder of documents in his backpack. "Yes, sir. Here it is, sir." The guard looked at the letter, and began to write Lakshminarayanan's name, letter by letter, on an entry pass.
"How do you pronounce your name, sir?" the guard inquired.
"My name is Lakshminarayanan Durgalakshminath," Lakshminarayanan replied with a confident smile.
The guard paused, his blue eyes looking up through furry eyebrows, first at Lakshminarayanan, then at Vijay, then back to Lakshminarayanan, and finally back to the badge he was writing on. He sighed, and Vijay shrugged apologetically.
"Uh huh. Okay, Mr. Lackshmee-er-, um, sorry, Luckshminner?huh." The guard sighed again, deeper this time. It was going to be a long day, but he smiled affably. "Look, young man. Please don't take any offense, but that's one heck of a name you got yourself there. I don't mean any disrespect, because I know a man's name means everything, but the fact is, people here need to be able to call you something other than 'Lackshminerary Yanni Durka Somethin
g-or-Other.'
Vijay chuckled involuntarily, and quickly tried to cover his indiscretion with a pretend cough.
"Oh, no offense taken, sir," Lakshminarayanan replied. "You mean like a nickname? But I would not know what to call myself if not Lakshminarayanan Durgalakshminath. Do you have suggestion?"
"Well, a lot of our Chinese students give themselves American names when they come here. What's your friend's name?" replied the guard, pointing at Vijay.
"Vijay," Lakshminarayanan replied, looking at his friend and back to the guard.
"Nice. Two syllables. Just like the alphabet: V and J. You should pick something that's short and simple like that. Does your name have any significance in your language?"
"Oh, of course!" Lakshminarayanan replied. "Lakshmi is the Hindu goddess of wealth, prosperity and fortune, and I have come to this great country to study and work hard so that I can bring great prosperity back to my family in India."
"Well, then! It sounds like you are the talisman of your family, the rabbit's foot, the four-leaf clover, the lucky charm, so to speak," the guard beamed. He paused, wrinkling his brow. "Are you magically delicious?"
Confused, Lakshminarayanan looked at Vijay, who now had his back turned, trying without success to stifle his laughter. Even in his short time in the U.S., Vijay had seen enough American commercials on the TVs in the university lounges to understand the reference the guard was making. Lakshminarayanan was on the short side, and Vijay couldn't help but to picture his Indian face on the body of the Lucky Charm's little redheaded leprechaun while the catchy tune played in his head: "Frosted Lucky Charms, they're magically delicious!"
Lakshminarayanan had no idea what his friend found so funny, so he turned back to the guard. "I am sorry, sir, but I do not understand the question. I am magically what?"
Vijay laughed even harder.
"Wait, that's it!" the guard said, snapping his fingers. "Mr. Lackshminerary Yanni Durka Something-or-Other, you are your family's lucky charm, so why don't we call you 'Lucky' for short?"
Lakshminarayanan turned the name over in his mind for a few seconds. "Lucky," he said, observing how the syllables felt as they rolled over his tongue. "Lucky." He looked at Vijay, who through his tears was still able to nod in approval. "It's a lot easier, and it takes much less time to say. Think of all the extra time we'll have to study if I don't have to say your name all the time," Vijay said, cracking up again.
The security guard tore up the pass he'd been writing on. "Your name didn't fit anyway," he grinned, as he began to write on a new card in bold characters. "'Lucky' it is. After registering for classes, you should go to the facilities department, and they'll give you a permanent ID card. They'll have to use your real name, but that's okay. We know what to call you now, don't we? Have a good day, and all the best to you, son." The guard winked at him and handed back his admission letter.
"I will help 'Lucky' with all that," Vijay said, smiling at his friend. Lucky nodded his head, put the letter back in the folder that he was still carrying, and extended his hand to the guard in thanks.
As they walked off, Lucky turned to Vijay. "Are you sure Lucky is a good name? You are not making fun of me?"
"No, I'm not making fun of you. Okay, I'm making fun a little bit, but it's not really about you. I'll explain it someday. But I think Lucky is a great name," Vijay replied.
They continued down the winding hallways towards the Office of International Students. Along the way, Vijay pointed out the cafeteria, the student lounge, and the gym. Lucky felt like he had entered a completely different reality. Compared to his government school in India, this American university was a blatant and glorious display of affluence. But as much admiration as he had for his new school, it paled in comparison to his admiration for all of the white girls in shorts, unabashedly flaunting so much of their skin.
"Hey! Vijay. How are you?" one of the blonde girls in shorts said loudly.
"Hey, Anna!" Vijay replied and waived at her.
Vijay looked at Lucky. "Hey, my magically delicious friend, stop staring."
"She is pretty," Lucky replied, oblivious to Vijay's reference of the guard's joke, and unable to take his eyes off her.
Vijay smiled. "I will introduce you to her later."
Lucky shook his head vigorously, trying to clear his mind. "No! I mean, no thank you. I want to study hard. I do not want any distractions."
"Uh huh. Okay," Vijay smiled.
"But," Lucky contemplated, "if she is your friend?I do not want to appear rude. So I suppose I should offer to be her friend as well," Lucky said, while turning back to look at Anna.
"Of course. It's the gentlemanly thing to do," Vijay replied with a smirk. Lucky blushed hard.
"That's the Office of International Students," Vijay pointed. "Go there and tell them that you are a new student, and they'll explain all the procedures to you. I have to go to the lab now."
"No problem. I will manage," Lucky replied.
"Ask your new friend Anna for help if you get lost," Vijay said as he winked at Lucky. Lucky glared at him. "Just kidding! If you run into any problems, come and see me in my lab?it's RH515." Vijay checked his watch and ran towards the elevator.
"Okay," Lucky said, waiving at Vijay before turning and walking into the International Student Office.
Thirty minutes later, Lucky had completed the required immigration paperwork, and he spent some time wandering the halls, trying to familiarize himself with the building's layout. He then attended the New Graduate Student Orientation, which was held in one the building's main auditoriums. The presentation was fairly generic, covering topics such as health insurance, student clubs, and counseling services. The last speaker was the graduate academic dean, who discussed the regulations for registration and grading, and outlined the academic progress expectations for graduate students. Nothing was complicated, but Lucky thought there were a lot of rules, and he was concerned about remembering everything.
After the orientation ended, Lucky went to see Vijay's lab. He stood outside the room marked RH515, but the doors had a combination lock and he couldn't enter. There were glass windows in the thick wooden doors, and Lucky could see the board inside that read "Thermal Laboratory." He stood outside for a few minutes, staring through the glass at all the equipment. He was impressed that his friend knew how to work all of this complicated machinery. Finally he caught sight of Vijay, and waived to get his attention. Vijay came towards him and opened the heavy doors.
"Hey! How did it go?" Vijay asked.
"I did everything with my immigration paperwork, but I should go see my adviser for registration," Lucky replied. "I went to his office, but he is having the lunch."
"Okay. Then we should also go for lunch," Vijay told Lucky.
"No. I am not hungry," Lucky said.
"Lucky, I can hear your stomach growling from here. Let's go," Vijay smiled and patted Lucky on the back. Vijay and Lucky left the building and headed towards town, a few blocks away from the university. They entered a restaurant that advertised ninety-nine cent pizza, and Vijay ordered two slices. Lucky tried to take money out of his pocket to pay for it, but Vijay held up his hand.
"Let me pay now. Next time, you pay. This is the cheapest food you can get around here," he said, handing a slice to Lucky. "It may not be enough. But when you're hungry, something is better than nothing."
"Well, I am used to being hungry and not eating for days," Lucky replied as he tore into the pizza.
"Do you need soda?" Vijay asked.
"No. I will drink water at university," Lucky replied.
Vijay had taken a couple of bites of the pizza before pausing to study it. "Let's add some pepper and garlic powder," he suggested. "That should add some calories to the food."
Lucky laughed. They were so hungry that they quickly finished the thin slices and started walking back towards the university, their stomachs still growling.
<
br /> "Have you seen these many tall buildings before?" Vijay asked, hoping that Lucky was sufficiently excited about being in the city. He wasn't sure why he wanted Lucky to feel that way; perhaps he still felt guilty about misleading him about the apartment, and now he felt personally responsible for ensuring that Lucky was impressed by something in America.
"No, I have not. The city is very clean and beautiful. The air is so fresh! But none of these things matter to me. I did not leave my family for tall buildings and clean air. I am away from my family only so that I can make a lot of fortune for them," Lucky replied. Thoughts of his family and the pressure he was under to succeed made him anxious, and his stomach rolled. "How should I approach my adviser?" Lucky asked Vijay, changing the subject.
"Nothing special. Just tell him that you're a new student and show him your admit letter. He'll tell you which classes you should take in the first semester. If you agree to his choices, then he'll complete the registration procedures for you so you don't have to run to the registrar's office," Vijay replied. "He'll also print your class schedule for you. Just take that to the facilities department, and they'll give you your new ID card. And then you're all set. People are nice and helpful here, and everything has a nice process."
"What about an on-campus job?" Lucky asked.
"Hmm?you can definitely ask him. He'll guide you," Vijay answered, but with a strange hesitancy in his voice that Lucky couldn't help but to notice.
"Thanks for your help, Vijay," Lucky said as they reached the campus and went in two different directions.
Lucky headed towards the administrative offices of the Department of Management to meet his adviser, Dr. Arnold Kerber. When he opened the door to the office suite, he noticed that the place was quite busy. An older Caucasian woman sat behind a reception desk, typing on a desktop computer. There didn't seem to be any discernible line of waiting students, so Lucky walked straight up to her desk. After standing in front of her for several minutes without being acknowledged, he gathered his courage and cleared his throat.
"Excuse me, madam. My name is Lakshminarayanan Durgalakshminath. I am a new student and I would like to meet with Dr. Kerber," Lucky said.
"Do you have your admit letter?" the woman asked without looking up from her monitor.
"Yes, ma'am. Here it is," Lucky replied as he handed her the letter.
"Take a seat in the waiting area. I'll call you in five minutes," she said, placing his letter on her desk without even glancing at it. Lucky nodded and sat down in a chair, squeezing both hands together as if he was freezing.
Lucky wasn't cold, but he was anxious, particularly after the way the receptionist had treated him, as though his presence was distasteful, bothersome, and distracting, even though he was pretty sure that greeting students was the main point of her employment. His legs bounced up and down in nervous anxiety as he thought about how to represent himself.
In a few moments, the dismissive receptionist received a call. She picked up the phone and looked at the letter on her desk, trying in vain to pronounce Lucky's name to the person on the other end of the line. Lucky jumped up, and trying to be helpful, replied in too loud of a voice. "Please, you can call me Lucky!"
The woman frowned, looked back at the letter, and then hung up the phone. For several long minutes, she focused her attention on her computer while Lucky stood awkwardly, not knowing what to do. Finally he decided to sit back down, and just as he did, the receptionist shouted at him.
"Hey, whatever your name is. You can go to room number two," she snapped, as she held his letter out to him. Lucky jumped up, grabbed the letter, and bobbed his head left to right, muttering to himself about "give respect, get respect." Apparently this woman was not aware of the rule.
Lucky knocked on the door to Room 2. "Come on in!" the voice from the other side called out. Lucky opened the door, and was greeted by the sight of an older man in his late fifties, sitting in an expensive looking leather chair behind a large, mahogany brown desk that reflected the sunlight coming through the large windows that dominated one side of the office.
"How can I help you?" Dr. Arnold Kerber asked.
"I am a new student and I want to register for the classes," Lucky replied.
"Have a seat. Can I see your admit letter?"
"Yes. Here it is." Lucky said, still standing.
"Sit down, son. And how do you pronounce your name?" Dr. Kerber asked while reading the letter.
"Lakshminarayanan Durgalakshminath" Lucky replied as he sat at the edge of the seat in front of Dr. Kerber's desk.
"Good! Short and simple," Dr. Kerber laughed. "Do you go by any other name?"
"No, I?uh, actually yes, sir, yes I do!" Lucky suddenly remembered. He was happy that the security guard had been so helpful, so that maybe now he could please his adviser. "It's Lucky, sir."
"Hmm, Lucky. So, Lucky, we gave you full tuition remission. Can I see your transcripts?" Dr. Kerber asked.
Lucky took his transcripts out of a folder and handed them to Dr. Kerber. After a long and silent five minutes, Dr. Kerber looked up. "It seems that you did very well in your undergraduate studies."
"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir," Lucky nodded.
"Good. So do you have any preferences for classes?"
"No, sir. I will take whatever you recommend, sir," Lucky replied with confidence.
"Okay, good then. No special requests, no complaints. You're making my job very easy," Dr. Kerber said as he typed some information into his computer.
"I will do well in any subject, sir. I just want to finish my studies as soon as possible and get a good job, sir," Lucky replied.
"Okay. Then I will recommend that you take these three core classes this semester," Kerber replied. "They are mandatory for your program, and the professors teaching these classes this semester are very well-known in the field."
Lucky nodded, and his adviser continued. "These classes are little bit difficult, but if you do well, it will look good on your transcript and help you get a good summer internship."
Lucky sat up straighter in his chair at the mention of internships. "Okay, absolutely, no problem, sir. Thank you, sir," Lucky replied.
"What does your schedule look like? Do you have any preferences for morning or evening classes?" Dr. Kerber asked.
"No. Sir. My family is in India. I do not have anything to do, sir."
Dr. Kerber hit a few buttons on his keyboard and Lucky heard the printer start up. "All right!" Dr. Kerber replied, grabbing two warm sheets of paper from the printer and handing one of them to Lucky. "This is your schedule. You have all evening classes, and they begin next week. You don't have to worry about your tuition, because it's all covered by the university."
"Yes sir, okay, sir," Lucky replied.
"So if you're satisfied with this schedule, just sign here and you're good to go," Dr. Kerber said. Lucky signed, and his adviser kept that copy while handing the other sheet to Lucky for his reference. "Do you have any other questions for me?"
"Just one small request, sir," Lucky replied. "Can I get an on-campus job, sir? I will do anything, sir. I do not have money to cover my expenses, sir," Lucky blurted out in rapid succession before Kerber could say no.
"Well, Lucky, I am sure that you're a very hardworking, sincere, intelligent, and deserving student. But it's against our departmental policy to allow international students without a master's degree to work on-campus until at least their second semester," Dr. Kerber replied. "This is a highly competitive and difficult graduate program. We want our students to focus on their studies, at least during the first semester, until they acclimate to the new culture and education system."
"But sir, I do not have money to support myself. And my family is very poor. Sir, please, I beg of you. Sir, if you give me this chance, I will not forget your help ever in my life. Sir, please sir. My family depends on me. I respect the policy, but if you could please just give me excepti
on, I would not let you down, sir." Lucky hated to beg like this, but he was desperate. Even if he could survive off the paper-thin dough covered with greasy cheese that Americans called pizza, he had no money to pay for it, or for anything else for that matter. Certainly he'd have no money to send home to his family.
"I am sorry, Lucky, but I can't help you in this matter," Dr. Kerber said. He hesitated as he saw the pained expression on Lucky's face, and tried to offer him some hope. "I assure you that if you do well this semester, I will guarantee that you get an on-campus job next semester."
Lucky nodded. "Yes, sir, thank you, sir. But if I could just?"
"I'm sorry, but I have a meeting," Dr. Kerber said, cutting him off. "You will have to leave now." He stood up from his chair and grabbed his suit jacket off the hook on the coatrack.
Reluctantly, Lucky stood to leave. "Thank you for your time, sir."
"You are very welcome," Dr. Kerber replied, extending his hand to Lucky. Lucky shook his hand with both of his own, thanking him again for his assistance. Exiting Dr. Kerber's office, Lucky made a point of saying goodbye to the surly receptionist, and quickly headed down the hall to the nearest restroom. He chose a stall farthest from the door, flipped the lock, and sat down on the toilet seat. Tears erupted and flowed down his reddened face, but he made no sound as he held his head in his hands. What was he going to do now? How could he possibly survive in this country without any money? He didn't know anyone except Vijay, and he'd only met him the day before. Lucky sat for some time, unable to stop control his tears. He'd come so far, and he couldn't give up so easily. He looked at the registration paper in his hand and remembered that he was supposed to go to the facilities department to get an ID card. Lucky stood up, opened the stall door and walked up to the sink. What would his mother think of this behavior? He was supposed to be the man in the family, and here he was, crying like a little girl. Turning on the faucet, he cupped his hands and splashed water on his face repeatedly, rubbing vigorously and slicking back his hair with water. He grabbed some paper towels and wiped his face, tucked his shirt neatly into his pants, and looked into the mirror. A tired and dejected face stared back at him, but Lucky took a few deep breaths, turned on his heel, and left the bathroom. There was still business to take care of, so he went to facilities and received his ID card, and then decided to meet Vijay.
Getting back on the elevator, he pressed "5" to get to Vijay's lab. He looked through the glass windows, but didn't see anyone, so he knocked. Nothing. He knocked again, louder this time, and suddenly a girl with blonde hair appeared and opened the door. It was Anna.
Lucky stuttered in surprise. "I?I?I am looking for Vijay."
Anna smiled. "What's your name?" she asked.
"Lakshminarayanan," Lucky answered.
"What?" she asked again.
"It's okay, he's my friend," Vijay said as he approached the door. Anna smiled again at Lucky and walked away. Lucky titled his head and stretched his neck like a turtle poking its head out of its shell as he watched Anna disappear into a smaller room off the main lab.
"Helloooo," Vijay laughed, sticking his head in Lucky's line of sight and trying to get his attention.
"Oh! Oh! I wanted to talk to you," Lucky said.
Vijay stepped out of the lab with Lucky, letting the door close behind him. "What happened?"
"I talked to my adviser," Lucky answered.
"Good. So how did it go?" Vijay asked.
"I finished registration," Lucky said, showing Vijay his new ID card.
"Nice. I'm getting ready to go home," Vijay said. "Are you done with everything you need to do?"
"Yes," Lucky nodded his head.
"Okay, give me a minute. Let me grab my bag," Vijay said as he keyed the combination into the lock and went back into the lab. After few minutes, the door opened again. "Bye, Anna. See you tomorrow," Vijay called out over his shoulder.
"Bye," Lucky said in a soft voice, thinking Vijay didn't notice. Vijay pretended not to, but grinned at Lucky when he wasn't looking. They headed towards the subway, Lucky walking slowly, his head bowed. He seemed upset, and Vijay wanted to lift his spirits. "It's a beautiful day," Vijay offered.
"Not for me," Lucky replied.
"Why? You talked to Anna today. You should be happy," Vijay replied, trying to get Lucky to smile. But even the mention of Anna's name didn't change the dour expression on Lucky's face.
"My adviser said that I cannot work on campus," Lucky answered.
"Why not?" Vijay asked.
"My department does not allow international students to work on campus in the first semester. They think foreign students should focus on studies only because of the new culture and new education system," Lucky explained, paraphrasing his conversation with Dr. Kerber.
"Hmm?" Vijay replied, listening to Lucky's troubles. They reached the subway station and Vijay swiped his card, telling Lucky to enter first. Lucky went through the turnstile, and Vijay waited. Lucky looked around, and then gave the card to Vijay. "Can I ask one question?"
"Sure," Vijay replied.
"How did they allow you to work on-campus?" Lucky asked.
"Well, I'm a PhD student here. So I am working towards my thesis. Technically, it's not considered a job," Vijay answered. "Before I pass my qualifier, they pay me a small stipend for my research work to cover my living expenses. So my situation is completely different than yours."
"Ahh! Okay, I understand," Lucky nodded. "So now what can I do? I do not have money at all to survive. I need to work. Otherwise, I will have to go back." Lucky looked at Vijay dejectedly. "Actually, I do not even have money enough for that," Lucky shook his head.
Vijay hummed, which was his habit when he was thinking but didn't have anything to say, or wasn't yet ready to speak.
After a few more minutes, Vijay swiped the card and entered the subway. The first train to arrive was the C train. "This train is local and doesn't go to Rockaway Boulevard. We should always take the A train for home," Vijay explained.
"Okay, but what can I do about the job, Vijay?" Lucky asked again, unable to focus on anything but his current financial crisis.
"I don't know. Let's discuss it at home," Vijay answered, craning his head down the track to look for the train.
"Do you know why my name is Lakshminarayanan Durgalakshminath?" Lucky asked.
"Just what you told the guard," Vijay replied.
"Oh, yes, I forgot. That was most of my story. When I was born, my parents thought that I would bring lot of lakshmi and bring to end the never-ending poverty of my family. They thought if they included 'Lakshmi' in my name, not just once, but twice, I would bring them lot of fortune. But that never happened. So, when my younger sister was born, they named her Padmalakshmi. But they were always worried about paying dowry for her marriage. Now, they are hoping that I will make enough money to pay for it," Lucky concluded, depression falling over his features again like a dark rain cloud.
"It's okay. Everything will be fine," Vijay said. The A train arrived and they boarded, capturing the window seats.
"I pray to Goddess Lakshmi every morning. Most days I would not eat, but I never forget to pray to the goddess," Lucky said while Vijay stared at the tunnel walls streaking by. "But so far, my life is full of struggles and no money. You know, the memories of my life begin with working in the firecracker factories. Instead of toys, I played with sulfur powder. My father, my mother, and I?we used to get up and go to work in the factory. After spending every day working there for whole month, we used to make enough money to pay the rent for the small hut. We would sit outside the temple, waiting for free food or leftover food," Lucky confessed, his eyes beginning to fill with tears as he talked about his past.
Vijay kept listening, humming during Lucky's pauses. He didn't try to stop him from talking, because he knew that Lucky's confessions were not about feeling sorry for himself, but about his belief that he was failing his famil
y. It was about not living up to expectations that were set for him before he was even born, and that was a terrible burden to have to bear alone. Vijay wanted him to reveal everything, and he just kept listening carefully to everything Lucky shared.
"You know," Lucky continued, "We used to have so many fires in those factories. So many people would die, or get injured, and most of them became disabled if they worked long enough. Just imagine?you are covered with sulfur powder and you are caught in the fire. What would happen to your body? I have seen people with literally no skin on their body. And those bastard rich people never helped any of those workers. In fact, most of the fires were not reported. My father has asthma, but he still works in factory. Most of my friends died from tuberculosis, malnutrition, lung disease and other terrible things. Young girls work there from childhood to save money for their own dowry. My little sister was actually born in factory, in the middle of the black powder, because my mom could not afford to quit working, even when she was pregnant."
"Seriously?" Vijay was surprised by Lucky's story.
"I do not know where I was born," Lucky commented.
"So how did you reach here?" Vijay asked.
"Because of my sister. She was born with respiratory disorder. She could not survive in that factory, and she used to cry a lot when she was there, so I took care of her. Instead of taking her to factory, I used to go with her to the free education program that gave us free food. That is how I started my school," Lucky explained.
"Great!" Vijay exclaimed. "Well, not great that your sister was sick when she was born, but great that you and she were able to escape the factory because of it." Vijay gave Lucky a little nod of encouragement to continue.
"Whoever used to do well in the class, that person used to get barf gola or cotton candy every time, everyday. It is so hot in the south, so my sister used to love that gola. Have you had it? It is like shaved ice. Anyway, I had a deal with my sister. If she keeps quiet and does not cry, I will get her the gola," Lucky said, a wistful smile on his face as he remembered one of the few bright spots in his childhood.
"Every time, I used to pay so much attention to the teacher, only for that gola. Very quickly, the head of that education program realized my potential. So he used to send me to various interstate-interschool competitions. I used to win most of those competitions, and the school would get trophies and I used to get the prize money. Can you imagine? Money, without getting that poisonous powder in your body? I loved it," Lucky said.
"So I continued to study?mainly for money and free food. Finally, I received some big state and national scholarships to complete my bachelor's degree. Then, one day, I met the representative of this university. He was there to recruit students and promote the university. He was very impressed with my achievements, and told me that I could make a lot of money in the U.S. He also offered me full scholarship, so I came here," Lucky said.
"So you didn't ask the recruiter about an on-campus job before you applied?" Vijay asked.
"No. I did not know anything about immigration rules, regulations, and all these restrictions. There was no one in my family or in my town to guide me. I was just excited about making lot of money and getting full scholarship. I also got the scholarship that covered the cost of my air ticket. So, I just applied. I got admitted and then I came here," Lucky explained.
"Hmm. The next stop is ours," Vijay replied, looking out the window. They got off the train and began walking towards home.
"So what can I do about a job, Vijay?" Lucky implored his friend again.
"Let's go home, make some tea, relax, refresh ourselves, and then think about it," Vijay suggested. Lucky kept walking with his head down.
"So, you talked to Anna? How is she? What did you talk about?" Vijay tried to distract Lucky.
"She could not pronounce my name. She is very beautiful. She wears very short clothes, though. Do you think she gets cold?" Lucky asked, and both of them laughed.
"I don't know, but I'll tell her tomorrow that you are very worried about her getting cold," Vijay offered.
"No, no. Kidding, kidding! Do not say anything," Lucky said. They continued to walk, but the Anna distraction seemed to be working. "Does she have boyfriends?" Lucky asked, hoping the question sounded casual and conversation-like, and not too inquisitive.
"How do I know? I just met her a week before. But I can get that information if you want me to," Vijay said.
"Oh! No. It is not that important," Lucky said, waiving his hand dismissively.
"Maybe you should ask her," Vijay suggested.
"Oh, yeah. Definitely!!" Lucky said sarcastically, "She cannot even say my name."
Once they reached home, Lucky offered to make chai. "Okay, sure," Vijay replied. "But I don't think we have milk."
"It is okay with me. What about you?" Lucky asked.
"Yeah. That's fine. I'll get milk tomorrow," Vijay answered. Lucky boiled the chai powder and added some sugar while Vijay took out another two packets of Parle-G biscuits. Lucky poured the chai into cups and both of them sat down on the bare floor. "When are your classes starting?" Vijay asked.
"Next week. Yours?" Lucky answered.
"Mine, too," Vijay replied. "So?about the job," Vijay began.
"Yes, tell me, please Vijay!" Lucky was eager to hear his advice.
"The Office of International Students must have told you that we are only allowed to work on-campus and only for twenty hours a week," Vijay said.
"Right," Lucky replied.
"Well, my professor only pays me five hundred dollars a month, which is really nothing in New York City. Even after sharing the rent and utilities with you and paying for the Metrocard, I hardly have any money for food or anything else," Vijay said.
"Oh! You cannot make it on five hundred dollars? Then what will happen to me, Vijay?" So far, this conversation was only adding to Lucky's anxiety.
"Well, I also work for an Indian person in Manhattan," Vijay continued.
"That is illegal?" Lucky asked.
"Yes, definitely. But if you do your job quietly without causing any problems, no one will give you any trouble, including the cops. Just don't get caught doing anything wrong," Vijay explained.
"I understand. What do you do?" Lucky asked.
"I distribute flyers in front of the New York Stock Exchange," Vijay answered.
"Oh, you must be standing in the cold for almost whole day. Your hands must freeze, right?" Lucky asked.
"Yeah, but I'm used to it now, and I only work two or three days a week to make some extra money," Vijay explained.
"And you also have to spend time in the lab," Lucky mentioned.
"Yes! I always keep that as my top priority," Vijay added.
"Good, Vijay. You are working really hard. Your mother should be extremely proud of you," Lucky patted his friend on the arm.
Vijay shook his head at Lucky. "She doesn't know anything about this. I told her that the university gave me nice accommodations, pays me nicely, and everything. Otherwise she'll get worried and she would never allow me to be here," Vijay explained.
"Yes, I am sure that you are right," Lucky agreed.
"Tomorrow, I have to go for work there anyway. So, if you want to do the same kind of job, I can talk to my Indian boss and maybe he will have something for you. Maybe he'll ask you to do the same job on the days I don't work."
"Oh! Definitely! I have done dirtier jobs than that, and if you are doing it, why not me?" Lucky said. "I really appreciate it, Vijay. Thank you very much for everything you are doing for me. I will never forget your help." Lucky had tears in his eyes for the second time today.
"No problems. We will go there tomorrow." Vijay put his hand on Lucky's shoulder, and then they both went back to finishing their chai.
Namaste New York: A Novel Page 6