BooksBarbecue
Back Passage West
Chapters (59)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Epigraph
  4. Cast of Characters
  5. Part One
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. Letters
  14. Part Two
  15. 8
  16. 9
  17. 10
  18. 11
  19. 12
  20. 13
  21. 14
  22. 15
  23. 16
  24. 17
  25. Letters
  26. Part Three
  27. 18
  28. 19
  29. 20
  30. 21
  31. 22
  32. 23
  33. Letters
  34. Part Four
  35. 24
  36. 25
  37. 26
  38. 27
  39. 28
  40. Letters
  41. Part Five
  42. 29
  43. 30
  44. 31
  45. 32
  46. 33
  47. 34
  48. 35
  49. 36
  50. 37
  51. 38
  52. 39
  53. 40
  54. 41
  55. Epilogue
  56. Acknowledgments
  57. About the Author
  58. Also by Rishi Reddi
  59. About the Publisher

My esteemed Jivan Chacha-ji:

My greetings to everyone. Please let Karak Chacha know, it is as he said to me before I left. I must watch my back here. Two days ago, in the line for mess a big Anglo fellow, a boy with a scar on his arm from an old knife fight—his name is Riker—shoved me to the side. “Get out of my way,” he said, “and let a real man pass.” I am not a small person, you know that. But this man is so large that he could look even you, Chacha-ji, straight in the eyes. Harry and my regular group had already eaten and left. Perhaps that is why this fellow thought that he could intimidate me. That is the sort of man he is—once I heard him mocking the Italians, who are small in stature and also sit together amongst themselves as we do. Another time I heard him speaking against the Jews, also the Irish.

He took hold of me by my shirt and shoved me aside, and not one of the bystanders came to help me. This affected me very much. I cannot lie to you. It reminded me of what you said by the cantaloupe field the night before I left. When he shoved me I felt so humiliated that I lay with my back on the floor, looking up at all of the other boys. When I stood up, they all turned back to their line, their lunches, their stupid talk. How can it be that not one of them would help me? I thought that I should do the proper thing and take the affair to my commanding officer. Then I remembered something that you said, Chacha-ji: Never stand behind a horse or in front of an official. Both will kick you.

I went to that fellow, Riker, and challenged him to a wrestling match. We held the match outdoors in the marching grounds. Harry organized everything. Please tell Karak Chacha that all his years of wrestling instruction were not in vain. With everyone looking on, Hindustanees and Japanese and Italians and Americans too—I pinned that Riker using Karak Chacha’s techniques. The others were cheering like mad! What a feeling that was!

It has been more than a week since this battle and that Riker has not bothered me again. And others look at me differently now. Some of the American boys even invited me to come with them to have some fun in town. I think I am the first Hindu boy they have asked.

There are twenty-six Hindustanees who are here now. I know them all like brothers and there is a great feeling of camaraderie between us.

Yours,

Jeetu

Camp Lewis, Washington

3 December 1917

Esteemed Jivan Chacha-ji: