Mr. Sookhoo and the Carol singers by Shiva Naipaul
Mr. Sookhoo, was a short fat man with a round belly and a bushy black moustache. He drove the only truck in the village. He carried anything people would pay him to carry: furniture, sand, gravel.
He also took the schoolchildren to excursions when the headmaster would ask him.
Mr. Sookhoo was very happy with his life and the fact that he was his own boss.
One day Mrs. Sookhoo was tired of watching her husband, sitting around in his rocking chair for two days, doing nothing but playing with his toothpick. He was asked and paid to deliver gravel to Port of Spain for Mr. Ali but didn’t seem to care about this very much. ‘Ali could go to hell’ he said. ‘So you been wondering what I been doing these past days, eh? All you could see was me rocking, but there was something else I was doing, something invisible…I was thinking’.
‘Thinking??’ Mrs. Sookhoo looked worried ‘Be careful man, I m sure it’s not good for you, I still think you should deliver the gravel to Mr. Ali’.
Mr. Sookhoo stared fiercely at her and asked how many days it was until Christmas.
Mrs. Sookhoo had heard on the radio there were twenty- seven days left. ‘Twenty –seven shopping days, Christmas is coming and the geese is getting fat’
Mr. Sookhoo said with a big smile on his face, he wanted to make a lot of money before Boxing Day.
Mr. Sookhoo went on to explain his master plan. He would have the children of the local school sing Christmas carols for money. He would divide the children in groups of five and have them ask a dollar or so for each song. ‘you going to land in jail, Sookhoo’ but Mr. Sookhoo was not worried about that, he was very sure of his plan, people loved to hear little children sing.
Mr. Sookhoo also didn’t worry about being a Hindu ‘Who will know that in Port of Spain, there are hundreds of Christians out there that look just like me, like Reverend Hari Lal Singh’ Besides he didn’t feel like he was doing anything wrong, he believed that the charities that had children singing carols every year, kept all the money to themselves anyway. ‘Charity’ Mr. Sookhoo spat disdainfully’ and then went inside the house to change into his best suit. He walked the half –mile to the village school with a quick firm step.
The headmaster, Mr. Archibald, looked suspiciously when he saw Mr. Sookhoo. He knew that he was always overcharged by him for the school excursions. The headmaster didn’t have any idea what Mr. Sookhoo wanted from him, but he found out very quickly as he came straight to the point.
‘They asking me to organize a charity, it is the Deaf, Dumb and Blind Institute, they want me to help organize a little carol singing for them’ Mr. Archibald, didn’t know this kind of charity existed and he didn’t really believe that a man like Mr. Sookhoo would be asked to organize something like a charity. ‘Not that I want to be rude, but to be frank….’ but Mr. Sookhoo, interrupted him with a gallant smile and said ‘I’m not offended, Head. I know that my life up until now that is- hasn’t been exactly perfect. Like most men I have my faults.. and it might sound funny, coming from a man like me but I think I finally see the light’.
‘What light?’ the headmaster asked
‘Head! How you mean, “what light?” that don’t sound nice coming from a man like you, a man of education’ .
The headmaster was a little flattered, but explained to Mr. Sookhoo why he had trouble believing that the Deaf, Dumb and Blind Institute would ask a man like Mr. Sookhoo to organize a charity. Mr. Sookhoo then explained that he was asked because he could provide transport and added ‘don’t think I is the only one I only in charge of one area, you understand. This is a big operation they have plan’. Mr. Archibald nodded and wanted to know what it was that Mr. Sookhoo needed from him. Mr. Sookhoo explained his plan, he needed the head to teach the pupils to sing a few Christmas carols and he was going to drive them to Port of Spain , he would even pay for the gasoline himself. The head was very surprised and said: ’Your generosity is overwhelming’.
It took Mr. Archibald a week to teach the pupils a repertoire of six songs. Mr. Sookhoo would go and listen to the children practice every afternoon and encourage them. The first time they drove to Port of Spain was a happy occasion. Mr. Sookhoo polished his truck and picked the kids up, they looked like angles so freshly washed and dressed in white.
They drove to a richer suburb of the city and he parked his truck in a narrow side-street. Then he divided the children in groups of five, he gave them instructions never to mention his name to anyone. When a small earnest boy asked why, he told him it was because he was just a modest man.
The children were to say that they were collecting money for the Deaf, Dumb and Blind Institute a new charity that just opened up. He told then to try and get a dollar for each song they sing, as soon as they were paid they should stop singing, since there was no point in singing more after that.
That day was very successful and everybody gave the children at least a dollar, in total Mr. Sookhoo collected forty dollars. When the earnest boy wanted to ask a question, Mr. Sookhoo said ‘later sonny, later’.
When Mr. Sookhoo came home that evening he proudly showed his wife the money, saying that he made the money with the brains God gave him. Mrs. Sookhoo looked at the money and said ‘Some people call this embezzling and the bound to find out sooner or later’ Mr. Sookhoo didn’t listen to his wife and decided to start earlier tomorrow and finish later.
The next day the choirs were not as cheerful as the day before, but they did what they were supposed to do without complaining. That night Mr. Sookhoo made fifty dollars, which made him very happy. ‘organization was all it needed’ he said to himself. When the earnest boy wanted to ask a question again, Mr. Sookhoo again said ‘Later, sonny later..’.
For a week Mr. Sookhoo was very successful, he made over three hundred dollars and there were still many shopping days to go. Mr. Sookhoo’s eyes glittered but his wife warned him again ‘You going to end up in jail’ then he just laughed and continued counting his money.
Early one morning Mr. Archibald came to talk to Mr. Sookhoo, he wanted to know how things were going. Mr. Sookhoo explained that it was going well considering the circumstances, he said that rich people were very tight with their money. Then Mr. Archibald asked if Mr. Sookhoo knew Horace, he explained to him that it was the earnest thin little boy. Horace said that Mr. Sookhoo was making them work very hard en collected a lot of money for it. ‘I always thought he was a trouble maker ’ said Mr. Sookhoo. Mr. Archibald didn’t agree, Horace was one of his smartest pupils. Mr. Sookhoo was not impressed ‘ they is the worst kind’ he replied while he spat on the rose-bush.
Mr. Archibald cleared his throat and asked Mr. Sookhoo if he was really being honest with him and if the charity really existed. Mr. Sookhoo acted very offended ‘Head, how can you say a thing like that to me? A man of your education’ and when he saw that Mr. Archibald still had doubts he said ‘Honest to God, Head. I really see the light’. Since Mr. Archibald wanted to believe Mr. Sookhoo, he relaxed and took his word for it. He told Mr. Sookhoo that since the children were working so hard every day, the Institute probably wouldn’t mind if he bought the children a sweet drink and an ice-cream every day after work. Mr. Sookhoo promised to do so.
That night after work he bought the children a Coca-cola each, but when he was ready to leave, Horace reminded him of the ice-cream they were supposed to get. Mr. Sookhoo told them there was no place they could buy ice-cream there. Horace insisted that there was a place as he had seen people walking around with ice-cream before. When Mr. Sookhoo got angry, Horace told him that he thought he was cheating, that he believed he kept all the money for himself. Mr. Sookhoo then got even angrier and had to resist himself from slapping Horace ‘you little sonofabitch’ he said to him. He wanted to leave Horace and let him find his own way home, but the choir did not seem to agree.
The next day Mr. Archibald had a visitor, the man was looking for schools who were willing to let their pupils sing for his charity. Mr. Archibald told the man that the children in his school were already booked for this year working for the Deaf, Dumb and Blind Institute a new thing that has just opened up. After a long silence the man told Mr. Archibald that he thought this was very strange, because he himself worked for a charity called the Blind Institute and he had a list of accredited charities with him. Mr. Archibald then realized that he was being cheated.
Since Trinidad was a small island in a small world, Mr. Ali one day saw a group of children walking towards him he lost his temper. He didn’t want the children to sing, the choir went silent they had never been welcomed in such a bad way before. Mr. Ali asked the children who sent them and the children told him that it was the Deaf, Dumb and Blind Institute a new thing that just opened up. Mr. Ali didn’t believe them and asked for identification. Mr. Ali was so threatening that the children got scared and told him that Mr. Sookhoo sent them.
When Mr. Ali heard that he asked them if Mr. Sookhoo was a man with a moustache and a big belly that drove a truck, the children nodded. They told him that his truck was parked down the street and that Mr. Sookhoo was waiting for them there.
Mr. Ali then asked if this Deaf, Dumb and Blind Institute really existed and Horace said that Mr. Sookhoo made it all up. Mr. Ali got so angry that he asked the children to take him to Mr. Sookhoo.
Mr. Sookhoo was sitting in his truck looking at his watch, in his lap he had a notebook with his calculations. He didn’t understand, when he heard the children’s voices, it was much too early for them to come back. When he looked into the mirror he stiffened.
‘Mr. Sookhoo! I so glad I manage to catch up with you at last. I been longing to have a chat with you’ Mr. Ali said. Mr. Sookhoo then dropped his toothpick out the widow en started the engine of his truck trying to get away. ‘Don’t think you getting away this time, Mr. Sookhoo’. The children screamed after him, but Mr. Sookhoo left them.
‘Woman bring your clothes quick I think we have to go away from here for a while’ he said to his wife when he came home but found they had visitors. Two large policemen came strolling casually through the sitting-room door.
Mr. Sookhoo tried to act surprised and asked why they were here but when Mr. Archibald appeared he knew that his game was over. Still he acted surprised ‘Why head, you here too and I see you bring a friend with you as well’. During this whole time Mrs. Sookhoo was crying,
Mr. Sookhoo ignored her. Mr. Archibald told Mr. Sookhoo he knew that he had deceived in a most terrible way and how he believed that he had really seen the light. Mr. Archibald had tears in his eyes. The police officer then said, that Mr. Sookhoo was going to see a lot of lights in jail and started to write in his notebook. The sergeant then introduced Mr. Harris, from the Blind Institute and asked Mr. Harris to show them his card. Mr. Sookhoo refused to look at the card saying that he didn’t believe in any of these charities and that the all kept their money to themselves. Mr. Harris blushed and explained that he was only paid a salary for the work he does, since he still needed to make a living and couldn’t live out of air.
A car stopped outside the gate and out came Mr. Ali completely out of breath. ‘I come for the all that money I pay you to deliver my gravel’. ‘the plot thickens’ the sergeant said and wanted to hear the whole story. Suddenly Horace started tugging at Mr. Archibald’s trousers, saying that Mr. Sookhoo had not bought them ice-cream as he had promised and called him a sonafabitch. ‘Don’t worry Horace, Mr. Sookhoo is going to get what he deservers’ said Mr. Archibald patting Horace. ‘I think you should expel that boy from your school Head he’s a born sonafabitch’ said Mr. Sookhoo spitting on the rose-bush. The sergeant closed his notebook and told Mr. Sookhoo that he was going to take him to the station, sandwiched between two policemen he was escorted to the waiting car.
Mr. Sookhoo smiled at his wife. The car drove off and Mr. Archibald said to Horace ’The lord is just, isn’t he Horace??’ putting his arm around the boy. ‘Yes’ said Horace grinning, thinking about the ice-cream Mr. Archibald had promised to buy him.
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