Extract from Deepak Unnikrishnan’s short story How ‘Sharjah’ Mohan Took the Men

Deepak Unnikrishnan, a lecturer at NYUAD, is the recipient of the Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing; a US$10,000 (Dh36,727) annual prize.

I have a house like this of my own, said ‘Sharjah’ Mohan, after he introduced himself to the tea sippers. It took him five years, he said. He was making so much money in Sharjah, it was crazy. Bullshit, said Krishnan Kutty – no man should make that in five years. But I did, assured ‘Sharjah’ Mohan, inviting them in for a tour of the place, smiling thanks as a tea sipper carried the dented Akai on his head.

The house, two stories, built to actual scale, was made of wax. The furnishings were also wax. The vegetables in the fridge were wax, ditto the cupboards in the bedroom, and the imported china and silverware in the kitchen. There was a wax baby in the crib, a wax scooter in the driveway, even an attached wax garage anticipating that wax car. I swear on my baby boy’s health, ‘Sharjah’ Mohan said, five years could lift your futures – companies are desperate for employees.

A woman with lice in her hair, the wife of the man who carried the TV, inquired about the logistics involved in sending a man to the Gulf. ‘Sharjah’ Mohan named a sum; a bargain, he added. He offered a discount and reassured her that he’d be helping with the paperwork. He even volunteered to accompany the husband to the Gulf, as long as everything checked out. It’s a bargain, woman with lice confirmed with her husband. A bargain, expectant mothers reminded menfolk. Bargain, sons informed parents with badly bitten nails, as crickets chirped and frogs lassoed bugs with their tongues. Bargain, ‘Sharjah’ Mohan smiled when asked about women, as shiny-eyed youth gladly poured homemade hooch.

A month later, the menfolk left. ‘Sharjah’ Mohan arranged four flat-top lorries to take them to the airport. They left with fresh passports, secured work permits, and a suitcase each. They all got haircuts, nice shoes, and kissed their lovers long and hard. They stashed their cash in secret pockets and some packed enough provisions for a month. Don’t worry, ‘Sharjah’ Mohan promised weeping relatives, they will be back in a year – fatter and richer – and in five, they’d be ready to retire.

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