The Black Australian -Chapter 20

Maya

(part 2)

by Sunil GOVINNAGE

Siri went for a jog in the university grounds and came home tired. Although he was ravenous, he did not feel like having his usual "two minutes noodles" or leftovers for dinner. He showered quickly, changed and drove towards Fremantle, but ended up in Cottesloe instead. He decided to dine at one of the Thai Restaurants and parked the car near Napoleon Street. As soon as Siri got out, however, he saw a striking neon sign:

Maya - Indian Restaurant

Authentic Indian Food

He walked into the restaurant as if pulled by some magnetic force. A tall, thin young waitress ushered him in.

"Good evening Sir. A table for one?"

"Well can you see anyone else with me? Yes, just for one person, as always!" Siri said sarcastically.

"Here's the menu. We've an entree special today. Would you like to try it out?"

"Can you explain to me about each of these items on the menu in Hindi?"

"I'm sorry Sir, I can't speak Hindi. I'm learning, but it's a slow process. It's not part of the profession that I'm training to be. There's no requirement for us to learn Hindi. I'm sorry."

"What are you training to be?"

"A psychologist! Where do you come from in India? Bombay, New Delhi?"

"Why not keep guessing? A good diagnosis question to trace back the ethnic roots of a potential patient! Anyway, I'm hungry. Could I please have a large Mango Lassi?"

Being a Tuesday, the narrow street outside the restaurant was rather empty and through the windows, Siri saw a neon light in front of the restaurant:

Bob's Shoes - No frills

This time a young man appeared with the drink Siri ordered. "Sir, may I take your order?"

"Two portions of plain nan bread. Tandoori chicken, a small dish. And um...umm, yes, Lamb Korma, a small portion please."

The ceiling was covered with a large cotton cloth with a nice pattern. There were three large batik paintings covering one wall portraying two bare-breasted women. The paintings reminded Siri of the Sigiri frescoes in Sri Lanka.

- The batik artist's inspiration would have come from the Ajantha frescoes where one finds similar images belonged to another era in another country.

Siri looked at the paintings of bare breasted women displayed near the staircase to the upper floor of the restaurant. Unlike the famous Mona Lisa, the batik women were not glaring at him.

An innocent looking father entered with his three young children.

- No wife and the mother!

They were accompanied to the upstairs. The eldest boy was pointing out his finger towards the Batik women and said something to his father.

- What happened to the mother? Late shift? Studying at Uni, an evening course? Deserted him and gone with another man? Where is she?

The food arrived quickly, brought by another young waiter. He smiled and said: "Sir, enjoy your dinner."

After about ten to fifteen minutes he came with a cold-water decanter and asked how the food was. "Tell your chef that I give him nine out of ten!" Siri said.

"Are you from India, Sir?"

"No, mate, I'm a Perth boy. In fact, a Crawley-Subiaco boy!"

"Oh, I go to Uni there."

"UWA? What do you study?"

"I studied engineering last year and gave up. Now I study languages. Indonesian and French. I want to be a teacher."

"Why did you give up engineering?"

"I couldn't see myself working as a civil engineer and building towers or bridges. I'm happy as I am. I love languages."

"A good decision. I'm a lapsed civil engineer, and an unhappy one! I wish I had the same opportunities as you got!"

"You have to do what your heart wants you to do! You must follow your dreams," the waiter responded philosophically and took the empty dishes away.

- What a good thing to follow dreams! How can one follow his or her destiny? Can one change their destiny? What would have happened to me, if I studied Sinhala language at Uni instead of engineering? I'd have been a good schoolteacher, happily married and living with my family in a village somewhere in Sri Lanka!

After wondering about his past and present for a few minutes, Siri went to the counter to pay his bill. He looked for the waiter who had served him and the other one - the budding psychologist - who ushered him in. They were not to be seen.

"How much is this?" Siri, who did not want to take out his reading glasses, asked the person at the counter.

"Thirty-six dollars, Sir."

Siri handed over forty dollars and said, "Keep the balance for your service till. The service was really good."

He walked into the semi dark street. There was dryness in the air. It was going to be another hot summer evening in Perth.

Siri looked at the neon light in front of the restaurant.

Bob's Shoe's - No frills

The neon lights were inviting him, but the shop was closed.

Siri wondered whether he could buy a pair of shoes with no frills, so that he could use some exotic magical powers to go back into the past and change the path of his life. Perhaps just like the young waiter, the lapsed engineering student who was following his dreams and learning languages at the university.

The remaining two weeks before Maya's returned to work, things at the office moved slowly, just like some of the old computers in Siri's office.

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Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction. Names, places, characters and incidents either are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.