by Chathurani Ranathunge
Ganga crumpled the last of her clothes and stuffed them inside the
travelling bag that lay on her unmade bed. Her hands shook for a moment
as they fumbled with the zipper. Drawing a shaky breath, she looked
around the room that had long been the haven she loved and cared for and
her eyes finally rested on the object of her mere existence.
Unintelligible words broke out from the far corner while tiny hands
pointed heavenwards made unsuccessful grasps on something invisible.
Ganga crossed the room in two strides and gently lifted the tiny angel
from its patched up soft pink cushions.
The little one widened her large black eyes as tears welled up in her
mother’s eyes and instead of patting her she nearly flattened her
mother’s long pointed nose with her small hands.
Holding her tight, Ganga closed the door behind her, pausing only to
glance once more at the dear place she will never see again. Stepping
out in to the dusty breeze, Ganga looked ahead with misty eyes, her face
an enigmatic mask of deep sorrow. Sympathetic gaze silently consoled her
as she made her way along the narrow lane.
 She stepped into the seedy bus halt and sat down on the same old
seat. Voices around her became distant as her thoughts drifted back to
better days. It had been a burning hot day in mid June when she sat
there, hand in hand with the person she had loved.
Oblivious to all the strange stares that greeted them, Ganga and
Prabath had giggled at their own private jokes and simply sat there as
if in a world of their own. Prabath laughed loud and continued to mock
her.
“Whatever you say, my beloved princess, but will his majesty the king
give his consent to our marriage as willingly as you say?” he asked with
a false air of gallantry.
His expression became grave as he continued. “According to your
father, I don’t have a proper job, do I?” Ganga tightened her grip and
looked straight into his eyes. “Whether it is proper or not I’ll never
leave you, and that’s a promise.”
Sound of an approaching bus shook Ganga out from her thoughts. She
quickly gathered her things and with the little one in her arms, stepped
inside with some difficulty. People crammed in as the bus moved on and
there was barely any air to breathe.
Ganga rocked the little one who was half asleep, her small vest
clinging to her damp body. The bus was moving at a snail’s pace,
stopping at every nook and corner and Ganga was thankful for the seat
offered to her by a school boy. Gazing at the passing sceneries she
could not stop her subconscious mind from gathering speed.
The bus suddenly came to a halt and Ganga could not help but remember
the scene so vividly as a wave of nostalgia swept through her. Nothing
had changed in the past four years, Ganga thought, looking at the shabby
old office that stood hidden in the shadow of its more sophisticated
counterparts. The sign next to its doorway read, Registrar’s Office.
Ganga had left her parents’ place on the day before, leaving behind
the luxuries along with her father’s continuous threats to leave nothing
for her. When she stepped inside the office on the 10th August 2004, she
knew it was indeed the first step from riches to rags but somehow she
was willing to embrace the burdens that lay ahead. Even the bustling
crowds and honking cars had sung the song of Ganga’s heart on that
special day when they had emerged from the office, hand in hand.
“Where do you want me to take you?”, Prabath asked, searching her
eyes. Ganga replied, returning his look, “Wherever you want to”. “Where
to, miss?”, the conductor was standing in front of her, tapping his pen
impatiently on the pad. Ganga managed to tell him the place with some
difficulty. Muttering something about daydreaming even in trampling
conditions, he handed her the ticket.
The little one was becoming more agitated by the minute. Ganga had to
put on a great effort to control her. She tried hard to drive her
attention elsewhere. Showing her every passing thing seemed to be the
right option and it had worked before. Out in the streets, a laughing
couple was carrying their baby who seemed to be so content. Not so long
ago, Ganga’s little one could have had the same innocent happiness.
Life had not been easier for Ganga but in the small rented house they
shared she had found heaven. Two years later their little angel
completed the family photo. Though Prabath had been away most of the
time, Ganga realized that time was flying indeed. Her life kept
revolving around the little one.
Then it was almost time for her second birthday. “Ganga...?”. It was
her neighbour Mrs. Perera’s voice that had waken her up one evening.
“There’s a call for you”. Ganga knew who it was from and in her hurry
she very nearly shoved past Mrs. Perera to get to the telephone.
“Prabath” Words were not enough to tell him how much she had missed him.
“Ganga, I’ll be back before her birthday, don’t worry. Tell me, does
she ask for me?”. Prabath had endless questions and he couldn’t hear
enough of his daughter’s naughtiness. “Tell her, I’ll be bringing that
doll I promised, will you?” When Ganga walked back beaming, it was as if
she had a sudden radiant glow about her. She had something to promise
her little one. When she gazed into the eyes of her daughter she knew
they reflected the same hope.
On the day before her birthday, Ganga was in such a happy mood that
even the gloomy weather outside couldn’t dampen her high spirits. Sound
of an approaching vehicle brought her to the window. Ganga rushed to the
door, holding the little one in her arms. She was beaming with
happiness. As the vehicle approached nearer she felt her heart skip a
beat. Finally it came to a halt. Two sturdy army officers got down and
made their way towards her.
Looking at their grim faces, Ganga’s smile vanished from her lips.
No, something was definitely not right. Suddenly the little one started
to wail. One fatherly officer came up to her and regarded her with his
kind eyes. “We are really sorry to inform you Mrs. Bandara....”
Her insides screamed aloud and her cries erupted in unison with the
little one’s. Neighbours crowded around the house. Ganga gripped her
little one as she sat on the floor. It was hours before her cries
finally subsided.
The bus staggered on to a halt and she got down. Standing in front of
the big iron gates of the house she had once called home, Ganga took a
deep breath to calm herself. She blinked back the tears that welled up
in her eyes and pushed open the gate.
Stepping inside with her daughter in her arms, she did not know what
to expect but she knew she was strong enough to challenge whatever that
might come her way, for she was a wife of a hero and the tears that
remained were indeed solid. |
