The breach

Jeannette CABRAAL

It was the period of the ‘nonagathe'- the inauspicious period immediately preceding the Sinhala/Tamil New Year. An aura of calm expectation prevailed, as work had come to a standstill as a culmination to the old year. The roads were almost deserted except for an occasional vehicle.

Maithree was all set to celebrate the New Year on the morrow. Everything was in readiness. The house was cleaned and spruced up. The oil cakes prepared by Asilin, the adept oil-cake maker in the area were all packed away in readiness. It was a short period of time when she could indulge in the wasteful luxury of non-activity; something she was not accustomed to, as she was usually submerged in her diurnal chores.

It was afternoon. She relaxed on her bed and calm, soft, sleep was just descending on her, when the irritating ring of the door bell jarred on her nerves.

Muttering under her breath as to the insensitivity of a caller at this time, she made for the door and on opening it, stood staring for a few minutes at the slovenly saree -clad figure and the trim pretty youthful figure of a girl. As recognition dawned on her she still stood stock-still staring in disbelief.

“Maithree!” the woman said sadly in a familiar voice from the past, tears welling up in her eyes and flowing down sallow cheeks.

“Sena died this afternoon in hospital.”

Conjointly the young girl too wept. Maithri still dazed requested them to take a seat and asked the cause but nothing registered.

“He died presumably of a sudden heart attack while he was warded at the hospital. We are just proceeding to the hospital. We came with our next door neighbours in their car. We can't keep them waiting specially with the festival on.”And they departed.

“Who was it?” her husband Gune's voice pierced her state of surprise.

She went in and lay down on the bed. “It was akka!” she exclaimed.

“Sena Aiya has died” “Akka?” he too echoed in disbelief as their thoughts traced common ground into an over-ten-year past.

A misunderstanding the cause of which she could hardly remember but trivial and petty she could vouch. But Maithree herself was one who was very decided in her opinions and expressed them unflinchingly.

It was one such opinion perhaps expressed frankly that had hurt her sister deeply; for she had risen quickly saying “Good bye Maithree! Thanks for all the help rendered. I will not darken your steps again” and she had kept to her word.

Maithree was too proud to make an attempt to repair the breach. Each clung to her pride. They had gone their own ways; making discreet inquiries about each other from relatives and friends and avoiding encounters until it was too late to repair the damage. Festivals had come and gone but visits were terminated. They had lost touch completely.

Akka's son Sahan had got married. Maithree had heard of the impending marriage from a third party and had been anticipating a visit and an invitation which had not been forthcoming.

And then one day Sahan himself had walked in extending an invitation to his homecoming excusing his mother's attitude and requesting her to forget everything and attend. But Maithree's pride persisted. How could she attend when it was not her sister who extended the invitation and so the grudge too persisted. And now after a 12-year gap she had come to inform her of a death. She who had been a total stranger all these years. Why didn't she come to inform her of the glad news of the marriage? Why only the sad news? And in the midst of the festival at that! What a foreboding! On the threshold of the festival! But on the other hand could she ignore this intimation? That would be callous!! Contradictory thoughts crossed and recrossed her mind but a saner and a more humane view prevailed.

“Gune, don't you think we should go over and see what we could do?”

“What could we do? You said the neighbours were helping them. And with the New Year tomorrow. Let's go later when the body is brought and for the funeral. After all we have not maintained any contact for the past ten or twelve years.”

“No Gune, that won't be nice. What won't those neighbours think of us? Sena Aiya must have retired some time ago. She must be finding it difficult.”

“Difficult? With a son in the Middle East? She must be getting the shekels alright. Ok, if you really insist, but I see no point.”

“And Gune, let's take some money. You never know what the position is.”
Gune gave her a steady look, noncommittally but complied.
When they reached the hospital, the body could not be released until the morrow.

They met them at the undertaker's where they were placing the order, the neighbours having advanced the money. Maithree stole a glance at Gune. The neighbours were rather anxious about the New Year. It was hardly a time to be shunting from a hospital mortuary to an undertaker's and they quietly left leaving Gune and Maithree to take over and do the needful; for the two women were helpless.

Much red tape had to be gone through before the body could be released as it was sudden death. Early on New Year's day the akka and the daughter arrived in mourning clothes to set about the funeral arrangements.

Having plied them with the festive fare she had already prepared, she just managed to prepare a little rice and a ‘Hath Maluwa’ -her traditional curry for the New Year- for her own children before they set out. Maithree and Gune had to shoulder the burden of all the arrangements.

Superstitious thoughts crossed Maithree's mind. What a way to spend a New Year! What would the New Year hold for her, having begun on such an inauspicious footing!

Over and over again she thought how her sister was only the harbinger of bad tidings on an auspicious day and had ignored her for the good.

“Maithree!” her akka had said after everything was completed satisfactorily.

“Sahan has said that he will come round to thank you personally when he arrives next month.”

But she did not return. Maithree had heard that Sahan had come. It was close upon a year since the events and she had not heard from them. But that year far from the forebodings she had about the inauspicious beginning proved to be a most fortunate and prosperous year for the family.