Boy Man Girl and Back

Chow Kit Chronicles, #2

A boy.
A man.
A girl. Well, sort of.

The boy is of indeterminate heritage. With a name like Arjan, the archer, he looks too light skinned to be South Indian but not sufficiently white to pass for English. He knows nothing about his parents. As a baby, he was abandoned by adults who could not look after him. He has, from then on, lived day to day, alone, in either orphanages or boys homes. And now he is on his way to his new foster home in the big city.
The man knows where he is from. China. But he doesn't look quite Chinese. His ancestors came from across the European continent. His parents match-made him with a local girl. He cannot pretend to live the life his parents live, as man and woman. He wants out. So he escapes and works his passage to Malaysia.
The girl knows exactly what she wants to be when she grows up—a girl. She desires this because she was born a boy. As a boy, he is useless at anything to do with school. He sees no future working on the family farm, growing vegetables and fruits till his father retires and he takes over. He wants out of this life. So he runs away to the big city, Kuala Lumpur.
All these three people converge at Chow Kit Road, the bustling hub of commerce, entertainment and prostitution.
The boy and the girl fall for the same man. But who will the man choose in the end?