Who’s money for whom?

Malathi Perera

Normally on Sundays the Galle Face Green is filled with merrymakers. On such a beautiful Sunday evening, under the rosy rays of twilight, Menaka, her husband and the three children decided spend time at the Galle Face Green to get away from the monotonous life. It was amusing to see wave after wave splashing on the rocks whilst tasting an ice cream or the hot hot Kottu from Martin’s corner.

The family was on a mat, watching the waves and counting the number of stars up on the sky. Shriyan, the eldest son, made a kite. Menaka’s husband, Sunil, helped children hold the thread tight, as the blowing was too strenuous for the kite go up.

As usual there were ice-cream vans and gram sellers. Anyone would love having Achcharu, momentarily forgetting its bacterial germs. Menaka found it uncomfortable to sit for long hours on ground, and started heading towards the car. She kept the door open to inhale the salty breeze, which fanned and disheveled her. Children were still sending the kites with her husband. Menaka was watching them active.

Menaka opened the door after a few minutes, and a man of about 80 years approached the car begging. Sunil had previously warned her not to even look at the people, as there are many thieves. But she felt like offering this man a 10-rupee note. While she was fishing for money, the man initiated a Christian prayer. Being a Christian, Menaka was impressed by this act and thought of giving him 50 rupees.

Then it was the man’s turn to broach a conversation – in good English.

“I am not beggar, lady, but I am made a beggar.”

“How come?”

“I was brought up by a family at the age of six in Kandy. I called them Hamu and Nona. They had three children younger than me. Of course they attended to Colombo schools and I was sent to a Pirivena. I studied up to grade five and was stopped going to school. I was made to work at home.”

He paused a little. Menaka saw a tear rolling from his eyes.

“I had to take children to school. I had to take them for music, swimming and many other activities. They said they had opened a bank account in my name and would deposit money. But I had never seen that account. I had a room of my own and a small pocket radio of my own. Whatever I wanted to do they allowed. Then, as Nona was falling ill, I started cooking for them. I felt it was my own home. I did whatever possible to keep the house tidy, garden well maintained and also I could play the piano a little!”

He smiled. Menaka was dumbfounded.

“So…?”

She opened the car door and stood up leaning on to the car to listen to this interesting story.

“Later I found the family was in financial difficulties as Hamu retired. So I pulled on my work and they fed me well. One by one the children got married. Two went abroad with their husbands, chuti mahattaya married and stayed at home. His wife, Sriyani, didn’t like me very much. I used to hear her complaining about me to chuti mahattaya. They had special food but I was not given. I did not mind.

I was in my sixties. They wanted me to do gardening and much more tedious work which I could not do. Even Hamu was helpless, when others harassed me. I knew Hamu was trying to defend me, but he could not talk on behalf or in support of me. I was left in a world of mine alone.”

Just then Menaka’s daughter came crying: “Ammi, aiyya does not give me the kite.”

She had to argue with Sunil to allow the girl also to hold the thread. As soon she took it, she could not hold it tight. It swung away and they lost hold of the kite. Then Menaka told Sunil to take them near to the border of the sea to watch the waves closer.

The man was waiting for Menaka. She returned to the old man with two achcharu packets and offered him one. He reluctantly took and ate a few pieces of pineapple and offered it back to a beggar boy. Menaka inquired what his name was. In reply he said Noel Senevirantne.

“Hamu put his surname to me,” he said and showed the birth certificate which was brown in colour.

After a pause, looking at the smiling moon, he started continuing.

“Then one night I overheard they were quarrelling over me. Chuti mahattaya and hamu put me in the car. I was to undergo an operation for eye pressure, yet they put me in the car went a long way. They pushed me in a bus halt and went away. I did not have a cent in my hand. Only the Birth Certificate which I had time to retrieve from my drawer and a few photographs.” Menaka asked why he did not inform the Police.

“I can’t ever do such a thing. I love that family. I walked up to Colombo and I got my meals at churches and temples. I slept wherever I felt comfortable.”

A few weeks later, Menaka had to travel to Kandy alone in a bus. But she could not find the house the old man had described. It had been demolished to clear the path to the widened road. She was not the one to give in so easily. She inquired about the place from many people. A hotel owner had the answer in favour of Menaka.

There had been a Seneviratne family about ten years back, but now they live in a housing scheme in Kandy.

Menaka managed to find the block Seneviratne lived. She was amazed to see an unclean dirty small flat. She had inquisitively asked the neighbours how the family getting on.

“Aiyo Nona the most miserable family in the flat. From morning till evening the old couple quarrels and the children are ‘kuddas’.”

That was enough for Menaka.

She for a while thought of the Bible verse: ‘What shall you sow, so shall you reap,’

She reached Kandy to buy some books for the children. As the school examinations were close by she was involved with the education of the three children and forgot the whole episode.

One morning she heard the postman ringing his bell and Alice came running to her saying that there is a small parcel and has to sign and take over. As Alice does not know how to write, Menaka had to go to the gate to sign and accept the parcel.

Before going to the gate she was a bit reluctant to accept a parcel as she had never ever received parcels from post. Yet she signed and took the parcel and little bit fear she opened it. It was a savings book and the name was A N R Seneviratne. She was puzzled. Then she read the attached note.

“Give this to Harrison Seneviratne, 16/4 H Housing Scheme, Malwatte Road, Kandy.”

She opened the book and was dazed, there was Three Hundred Thousand collected to be withdrawn by Harrison.

She was feeling very uncomfortable and faintish, “who’s money for whom?” then faintly the old man’s face came to her mind. That was about five years back.

As the children were in school, she called Alice quickly took the car keys and drove fast as possible to Galle Face in search of the old man, as she could not find the face, casually asked a saruvath seller, whether they knew this particular man of aged 80s.

Without looking at her, the man replied that an old man was seen at the bus halt dead and the Police took over the body.

With the book in hand Menaka saw the evening twilight, beyond the horizon, sun sinking deeper and deeper, reminiscing the conversation of the old man had with her. Suddenly her lips whispered unawares: “May he Rest in Peace”.

She tried to keep her mind balanced and decided to carry out her duty: to hand over the savings book to the man whom the old man requested.