The Quarrel - Part I
*****
Artscope features 'The Quarrel' in
five parts from today. It is a poignant tale that captures sensitive
human frailties.
******
Dr. Gunadasa AMARASEKERA Translated by Professor
Kusuma Karunaratne
"Put that rice into my plate." Mother said while serving the rice
from my plate into hers.
"Even the outer part is not cooked. Leave alone the rest," said she
pressing a grain of rice between her fingers.
"We'll have to die of diarrhea, if we eat this stuff. Hold your
plate. Let me serve some from the bottom."
Mother served me a few spoonfuls into my plate from the bottom of the
pot. While serving, she pressed a few grains of rice with the fingers of
her left hand.
"Even that is not boiled... This witch has come here to ruin us...
Where is she?"
I could see mother's eyes burning with rage.
"Where is this wretch... It's amazing that those who ate earlier
didn't feel it... Wonder what's wrong with their palate," said she and
started serving me the curries from the pans.
"Past sins... From morning I have to shout and yell till my throat is
sore and when I come back home there's nothing even to eat or drink... I
am sure this wretch has come to ruin us."
Then she commenced stirring the gravy. She did it with the spoon held
high up, so as to make a sound.
"Just see this... Is this gravy meant for three? This should be
poured over her head... Should taste fine." Said she and put a drop of
sauce on to her palm with the coconut-shell ladle and smacked her lips
tasting it.
I saw her face bursting with rage. Her eyes were wide open and her
cheeks were red.
"Just see, it's so salty, even a dog wouldn't eat it. Come here."
Said mother, opened my hand and put a drop of sauce into my palm.
"See it doesn't taste salty."
"No I don't feel it that bad." I said having tasted the sauce and
smacking my lips loud.
"Something is wrong with your tongue as well, like that of the 'big
one'. It's amazing how anybody could eat this... Apart from curing her
gripes, can he differentiate savoury from the unsavoury?" Said mother
rather loud this time. I was scared thinking father, who was in the
adjoining room, would have heard it.
When mother asked me whether the sauce tasted bad, I lied. I did so
to prevent her scolding Lily. Since mother retuned home with me from
school she has been scolding Lily picking on everything she has laid her
hands on. I felt that even this time her chiding would end only after a
brawl with father. Last time as well as a couple of times earlier it had
ended like that. I lied to prevent my mother flaring up. Three days
earlier such a thing ended with a quarrel between father and mother.
After her siesta that day, mother scolded Lily for allowing a heap of
litter to collect in front of the kitchen. Not satisfied with the
scolding, mother beat her on the head as well as on her back. At that
time father was in the room prescribing medicines to a patient. Father
came rushing when he heard Lily's cries. Thereupon mother beat her again
and again as though she had got more annoyed.
"What on earth is this? Damn shame if the neighbours hear this." Said
father and pushed Lily on to a side.
"Shame...! Not now. It will be later." Yelled mother, bursting with
rage, as she went into the house. Father went back to his room, as
though he did not hear it, and resumed his work. The whole of that day,
mother did not talk to father. She didn't even eat that night. Even on
the following day they didn't talk to each other. After that I saw them
talking to each other only on the day Kalu Aiya came home to charm oil
for my fever.
Even a few days before that, there was a similar brawl after dinner.
That day, after dinner, Lily happened to be crying in the kitchen. I saw
her crying when she accompanied me to the toilet holding a bottle lamp.
She told me she was crying because of a gripe. I told father about it
when I returned. Mother too was in the room that time. The teachers'
quarters in which we resided had only one bedroom. Father went into the
kitchen, examined her and asked me to bring the bottle of pills which
was on the window sill. When I brought it, he took a pill out, dissolved
it in ginger juice and made her drink it. Still her gripe was not cured.
Then father went with me near the outhouse and started uprooting
Vadakaha (medicinal herb). I held the lamp while he uprooted the plants.
Father rubbed these roots on a stone, made a paste of it and applied it
on Lily's belly.
Mother, who was in the bedroom all this while, pretending not to know
anything, suddenly came into the kitchen like a flash.
"Why? Aren't you cured of that ache?" Yelled mother ferociously. "Let
me cure it, which the others have failed." she said and repeatedly
kicked Lily, who was seated on the ground.
Father pulled mother by her hand and brought her out of the kitchen.
"What an inhuman woman... There's no sympathy even to the sick." Said
father and pulled mother into the room.
"I know your sympathy." Said mother, her eyes burning with rage,
brushing her hand away from father. I was scared and stunned. I hardly
knew what happened. Father and mother went into the room and were lying
on their beds.
They were silent. Though I came into the room and stood by the table,
none of them cared to look at me. I stood by the table for a while,
closed the back door and crawled into father's bed to sleep. On such
occasions my fear and anxiety were unbearable. I watched carefully every
move of father and mother. I impatiently waited for them to talk to each
other and be intimate. How joyful it was when father and mother
commenced their conversation after long days of silence. Until such time
I lived in apprehension wondering what would happen next. It was because
of this that I made an effort this time to prevent mother flaring up. |
