Read Online Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins - Free Book Online

food and water, but refuses to give Tai the blanket.
    For two nights I can’t sleep. I toss and turn, hating myself more than ever, worrying that Tai is cold, or sick. How could I let him shoulder the blame for something we both did? Will I ever stop being a coward?
    On the third day after dinner, Tai is released. He’s weak but still upright. I’m waiting for him as he comes around the barracks. He even manages a smile when I rush to his side. I’ve brought his other
longyi
along and help him to the river so he can bathe.
    I take his dirty clothes, go downstream a bit, and scrub them out while Tai washes himself from head to toe. Thank goodness it’s time to sleep—he looks exhausted.
    “I’m sorry, Tai,” I say when we’re finally settled in the gym. He’s shivering, even though he’s under his blanket, so I give him my blanket, too.
    “For what?” he asks. “For not getting thrown in there with me? The stink was bad enough without you adding to it. And thanks for the food, Chiko. I’d be dead if it wasn’t for you.”
    “How did you …? What was it like?”
    He’s quiet for a minute. “I could hardly breathe. Not being able to stand was the hardest. I made it only by picturing Sawati’s face.”
    “I’m sure she’s with my mother, Tai.”
    But he shakes his head, unconvinced.

18
    Tai’s body recovers quickly, but the anxiety over his sister gets even more intense. No matter how hard he tries, he can’t figure out a way to escape. Cars and trucks don’t come now that the material for the latrines has been delivered. The dense jungle cuts us off from the rest of the world better than any wall or chain-link fence. Two or three of the captain’s soldiers are on patrol at all times, showing off the new rifles only they are allowed to carry.
    The camp has a small number of expensive foreign-made assault rifles that are assigned to “trustworthy fighters for Burma.” And how does a soldier earn that label? Judging by the sections trained before ours, only a proven admirer of the captain’s can handle that kind of weapon. The rest of us never come close—we’re stuck with older, less reliable rifles made cheaply in Burma’s factories.
    Our own section is starting to divide into two groups also—a few boys who follow the captain’s elite and the rest of us who don’t. Tai is fast becoming the leader of the second group. His water buffalo maneuver and survival in solitary have earned respect.
    U-Tha-Din, too, starts giving Tai more responsibility. We recruits continue to work at finishing the latrines, and the sergeant tells him to organize us at the beginning of the day.
    “Nine of us working today,” Tai says. “The rest are helping with rifle practice.”
    “Why don’t we work in shifts?” I suggest. “Three of us can do the heavier work while three others measure, and three work with smaller tools. Then we’ll switch. That way we won’t get tired at the same time.”
    “Good idea, Chiko,” Tai says. “But we need to keep track of the shifts to make sure everybody gets a turn to rest.”
    “If I had some paper, I could set up a system,” I say.
    “Did you hear that, Sergeant?” Tai calls. “Chiko could use some paper.”
    U-Tha-Din hands me his clipboard. “Tai tells me you can write, boy,” he says. “Use this to figure out your system.
    And while you’re at it, why don’t you take a look at some of these other letters? I’m—er—much too busy to do paperwork.”
    I like the feel of the clipboard and pencil in my hands. “I can’t read and write without my glasses, sir,” I say. “The captain told me not to wear them.”
    U-Tha-Din glances around. “Do you have them?”
    “They’re in the gym.”
    “As long as you don’t wear them around the captain or any of his men, you’ll be fine. These fellows won’t say anything, right?”
    The seven boys standing with us agree, and I race to get my glasses. I’m safe for now; the captain’s soldiers are at the far