 The incompatibles
by Bandara Samarakoon
Rani was sitting under the porch
looking towards the road. Roy hadn’t yet turned up after work. Usually
he was home by that time, but not this particular day. Rani didn’t have
a proper idea; nor had she any serious concerns either. Only that she
felt she was missing him for that little while. She loved him very much,
and he returned it without reservation.
 A bus sped down the road and came to a sudden halt at the bus-stop.
Stirred up was a cloud of dust which engulfed the bus in return and then
thinned away in a moment. Roy got down from the bus, but he still kept
looking back for someone else to follow. Dusk was setting. Not very
clear were the things. A woman got down, too, middle-aged and wearing
saree mother type, with a small bag in hand. She joined Roy the next
moment.
Rani became uneasy. An irritating idea sprang up in her mind. ‘Yes,
it’s she; Roy’s mother...,’ her mother-in-law. Rani rose to her feet,
unknown to herself. ‘Why in the world he’s bringing her again?’ Rani
stepped back; and hid herself behind the door.
Next, she saw them both start to proceed the hundred yards to home.
Rani felt as if she was sweating. A couple of seconds passed in aimless
contemplation. Then she ran inside; hurried to the kitchen like in a
dream. She scampered back to the living room; and next, scurried to the
bedroom. In the meantime her hands became busy picking up things they
had possessed recently, and hiding them. She shuttled from room to room,
with a touch here, and a touch there.
‘This’, ‘that’ and ‘that, too’ caught her eye. She wanted to hide
everything that seemed valuable and added a posh look to the interior.
‘Why of all he required mother back at home?’ She was the last thing
Rani wanted around. Mother had been living with them a couple of times
before. The past experiences were so bitter. She was not to Rani’s
liking. Her tart remarks, stubbornness and jealousy made Rani implore
Roy to send her back once and for all.
‘No. She shouldn’t see these things. She’d burst with jealousy.’ A
blender-mixer, a table-clock, a wall-hanging and some brass ornaments
were among the things that soon went underground. Rani shoved them
anywhere where they wouldn’t be seen. ‘Why Roy’s doing this to me? Last
time he promised he’d never bring her again!’ In the hurry Rani happened
to kick the tea-poy in the middle of the room and stumbled over it. A
vase fell down and rolled over the floor making a metallic noise.
Luckily Rani had not hurt herself. ‘Oh, God, is he trying to tease me
now?’ She got up lamely. ‘Or else, is she coming on her own will? Okay,
come then! I’ll face any damn situation!’
 There were many valuable things still at their ideal postings that
she wanted to conceal but couldn’t for their size and weight or
fixedness. ‘Oh, my, that hateful woman didn’t even like to see us
sitting together.’ Rani removed the expensive sheet from their bed. In
the sudden act, her pet kitty in slumber on bed, was violently thrown
up, and upon gaining foot-hold on the ground it stared at her in angry
bewilderment; and then lazily moved away mewing, ‘nonsense!’ Rani heard
their footsteps on the compound. She froze, spellbound.
“Darling, where’re you?” called Roy entering through the front door.
‘No response; unusual.’ He was proceeding in. His steady tread, rhythmic
on the tiled floor, was coming closer.
“Raneeeh!”
She couldn’t resist any further; and came out from behind the bedroom
door. Their eyes met just for a fraction of a moment. He might have
noticed the plaint on her face, but he looked as if to have more
important business before a “Whaz-a-matter, dear?”
“Hey, come darling, there’s a surprise for you!” Roy turned back and
led Rani by her hand. The woman had stopped at the entrance. “A maid to
assist you,” he introduced the woman. Her face became clearly visible
opposite the verandah light which Roy had just put on.
‘Oh, it’s not she; not my mother-in-law, thanks God!,’ Rani felt
comfortable from inside. The woman was smiling sweetly. And Rani, too,
tried to force a smile from a corner of her mouth. Yet... yet for a
sudden twist of emotion she only felt her lips wriggle in an awkward
manner; and she thought in worry; ‘That smile is too admirable!’ ‘Then
Rani saw the woman’s figure gradually gaining a larger-than-life
proportion against the background of thickening darkness outdoors.
—END—
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