Ravi the Unknown Prince Read Online Free PDF Page A

“InshaAllah.” I was getting the hang of the Arabic words and their meaning.
    After I fed my chickens and ducks, and collected the eggs, I went to sleep and did not wake up until the next morning.
    That day I went looking for my two school friends, a black boy named James and Ramnarine, a Hindu like me. They both lived in the next village.
    When I called on them they were willing to help me to do the fencing of my loved ones.
    After we had finished the fence work, we picked coconuts and sat under the wild berry trees drinking the water and eating the flesh of the coconut.
    When Ramnarine asked, why only now I had decided to mark each grave and put some fencing around them.
    I told them that I was leaving for America and that I had no one here or anything to keep me hanging on.
    The ones I loved had left me a long time ago; eight years on and no relatives came to look for me, and that was the reason I decided to leave while I was still young.
    My two friends understood, we all started school together and the two of them went on to High School, and were now looking for work, with their qualifications, where as I was leaving my home-land to better myself.
    I told them that I was going to miss them, but I would call on them before I left the country.
    When we left the grave yard, I felt sad and lonely. If one of my relatives had survived with me I would not have thought of leaving, but stayed behind and taken care of the other survivor.
    That night I dreamt my parents; they were both standing together, and were the same ages when they had passed away and had not aged at all.
    I was talking to them but got no response, I realised that the dead cannot reply back, or tell the dreamer anything.
    I woke up frightened, I never dreamt of my parents before; and why only now? I visited them whenever I could, but had never once seen them in a dream.
    The following day, I took my text books and notes and went to the Baccus’s house as arranged for 4pm.
    I rode my bicycle and got there on time, Asma was waiting in the kitchen area downstairs.
    They had placed a table and two chairs for me to teach her, and where her mother would be around doing her cooking and domestic chores.
    Girls were well protected, especially Muslim and Hindu young ladies from the ages of puberty until they were married.
    They greeted me on arrival; I did not see uncle Ismael or his son, Harun. I asked Maymun and she told me that they had gone to check on the cows in the field and should be home soon.
    She gave me a cold drink, as I sat down with my text books; and Asma with her note pad.
    I started from the beginning of my text book and explained to her, and then gave her some simple arithmetic to do. Once she got the hang of it I increased her work.
    When her mother left the kitchen area to go into the garden at the back of the house, she grabbed my hand and took the pencil I was using.
    “Why did you do that?” I asked, and I took the pencil from her.
    “Did any girl ever tell you how handsome you are?” she remarked.
    “Stop it, before I told your mother what you just said and leave,” I answered.
    “You don’t like girls,” she asked.
    “Did I say that?” I replied.
    “Please don’t say anything to my mum,” she pleaded.
    “Then don’t do it again. I said I am here to teach you and nothing else,” I told her.
    Her parents were helping me out of the Country, and she was going to jeopardise everything for me.
    If Ismael and Maymun saw me getting too friendly with their daughter they might changed their minds to take me along with them.
    My only opportunity would end before it began, if I was not careful with this bossy girl.
    I had to work out a strategy not to be in the same room with her. I would be spending three hours every Monday and Wednesday giving her lessons, until she took her Maths examinations.
    I gave her some home-work before I left. When I returned for the Monday session I would correct her work, and give her another set of work to