Blood Money Read Online Free PDF Page B

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 .’
    ‘ 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.’
    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
    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