Mrs Peiris’ Last Will

Sachitra Mahendra

The thunder and lightning are quite unusual for a morning. It is what usually happens towards evening and prolongs till night. The de Mel family had just started their breakfast.

They were halfway through when the telephone rang.

Their unspoken custom was not to answer the phone while having the lunch. It not only disrupts the meal, but also a good peaceful moment of family unity. De Mel senior first looked at his wife, Mrs de Mel, and then at his son, Indivara. He fell into a thought. The phone was buzzing incessantly.

“I think I should answer the phone.”

Usually Mrs de Mel would object any such move. But she gave a silent nod this time. Excusing so, de Mel almost ran to the phone. And again his voice came, a little louder.

“Punyavanthi on line.”

It sounded premonition, not only for Mrs de Mel, but for the whole family. A stoical immobility already settled over her face. Punyavanthi had to rush to Sri Lanka as her mother was in her critical stages. It was a vacation full of obligations. And they all would have waited for this news to dawn.

That Mrs Peiris would die any moment.

And she died, as fate would suggest. She lived well over 90 years, and was suffering quite a lot. There would not have been a better option. Punyavanthi chose Mrs de Mel as the first outsider to break the news. You would have expected a brief silence between two, or may be for Mrs de Mel to get shocked. But nothing of that sort happened.

Mrs de Mel naturally lost the best neighbour she ever had. Twenty years her senior Mrs Peries would be the first one she turns to at any time of trouble. She would be her consultant. She would be the one who provides masons, plumbers and so on. And when her husband had to take his tuk tuk out of Colombo for more than a day, having her close by was enough consolation.

“Punyavanthi said they are not going to have a funeral.”

“Why?” Are they nuts, was what de Mel father and son literally wanted to ask. But this is not the moment for such speech.

“Mrs Peiris had instructed not to have a funeral in her last will.”

“Last will?”

“Yes. She had got a last will done, it seems. She had done the funeral rites while she was alive. She had instructed not to show the body to anyone. She wants it to be handed over to Ayurveda Department within the shortest time possible.”

Was she that revolutionary when she was alive, Indivara tried to recall. Mrs Peiris is someone you can call ‘lady’ without any qualms. She was a miniature version of Mother Theresa, only now Indivara could muse, walking along paths of recollections. He walked alone, remembering what he had seen and heard elders say.

When de Mel senior was jobless, she bought him a tuk tuk. And they are what they are today, thanks to what Mrs Peiris did. De Mel can now feed a family of five because the lady laid a strong foundation. He never forgot it.

She was a counsellor to all issues her young boarders had. Her diplomatic grace among neighbours never ceased. She never responded negatively when someone needy came. But hardly anyone could fool her too. She was seasoned for such tricks. May be her experience as a teacher would have counted a lot. Her life was seamless, yes, in a way.

Mrs Canagasabey was waiting for de Mel to come out of Mrs Peiris’ room to have a word or two with her. But the lady was exhausted by the sickness. She had given some instructions to de Mel, and she wanted to relax. She had lost all her strength, pleading for breath, when Mrs Canagasabey made her entry. So she did not speak a word with her close neighbour.

Mrs Canagasabey had reasons to get hurt.

She had kept company whenever Mrs Peiris was alone.

She always cared for this neighbour. She had done a lot. And now she is ignoring her. Her heart’s ache stood against reasoning. So she could not help blasting her one-time alley. Mrs Peiris did not respond even then.

“I’m sorry madam. She blasted you because of me.”

Describing this, Mr de Mel had no words to elaborate the lady’s feeble smile. The lady spoke words slowly.

“She is right, de Mel. She doesn’t know I was tired.”

“But Madam, I heard her telling you to go for Nano cab, and avoid my tuk tuk.”

“She had lost her temper, de Mel. I’m sure she didn’t mean it. She didn’t know I was tired. Don’t think bad of her.”

The lady had wonderful children.

They looked after every need of her. One took charge of her servants’ fees. One was in charge of her health. Another settled the tuk tuk charges. And no child wanted to meddle with her pension and the income she earned from the boarders. But she had many things to do with her wealth.

She never forgot to give presents to her friends. She would never forget Indivara’s birthday. Indivara did not miss a single birthday gift. “How do you remember my birthday every year?”

“I have written it down on my diary.”

“Do you look at your diary so often?”

For that question, she just smiled. Indivara did not dig further.

That was so for Indivara’s brother and sister too. She gets the wind of them coming to Colombo somehow and makes that a chance to gift something sweet.

“Mother wanted me to see you aunty, first thing when I get here. But surprisingly you came to visit us.” Mrs de Mel hears Punyavanthi’s voice.

Whenever Mrs de Mel would cook something special – say Dosai or Pittu – she never forgets to send Mrs Peiris’ portion.

When they came to know Ayurveda staff is on a strike, they were on the fence as to what to do. The body has to be given in the right time, if it has to be. But there was no one to accept it, since no one liked to go against the strike.

Luck was in her side. She didn’t have much time to suffer. Indivara remembered how she suffered during her last stages.

Her children made sure there are attendants to nurse her all the time in addition to the servant.

The ambulance would arrive every evening to give her oxygen.

Voices retreat. Now it’s time to wish her good luck.

In secret Indivara did not wish her to attain Nibbana or to rest in peace. He knew for sure she will have a great rebirth.