Sunburnt Home - an Australian-Sri Lankan novel

Chapter 5: Finding a house

By Sunil GOVINNAGE

On his second day in Perth, Jayadeva travelled looking for a house to rent. He visited a suburb called Subiaco by bus to visit an agency providing information on houses for rent and found the place in Rokeby Road without difficulty. He was a bit nervous and looked at the signage assuming he had to explore another new world like a navigator in a deep ocean without a compass. He explored the place cautiously and climbed up the stairs to the office on the second floor and saw a receptionist talking on the phone. She saw Jayadeva and directed him to a chair using sign language.

As soon after the receptionist finished her telephone conversation Jayadeva said: "I came to rent a house!" The receptionist looked up at Jayadeva and made a special effort to understand his Sri Lankan accent. When Jayadeva mentioned that he had come as a professional migrant to Australia and stated his occupation, the woman showed an interest to help him like a gold miner finding a new work hand.

"We have a data base of houses listed in Perth suburbs. We will give you a list of houses that you may be interested in renting. Do you have a preference for a suburb and how much are you willing to pay?"

"I don't know the rates here! We just arrived in Perth. Everything is new to me!" Jayadeva explained nervously.

"Do you have a large family?"

Jayadeva explained his circumstances cautiously.

"You'd better rent a unit with two rooms closer to the City. It may cost you around a hundred, perhaps one hundred and fifty maximum per week," the receptionist advised Jayadeva as she is familiar with his affairs.

She showed him a list of available houses and units in a few suburbs. Jayadeva's eyes caught the reference to a three bedroom house listed only for eighty dollars per week.

"Where's this house?"

"Oh, that's in Balga! I don't think that you would like to move over to that suburb!" She laughed. That's where the city Aboriginal people live, mostly!"

"Oh, the Australian Aborigines! I thought they live in remote areas."

"No, they are all over now and moving out from the Bush because they can earn social security easily in cities! We normally don't rent our houses to them! They mainly live in government housing estates or in places like Balga and Girraween"

"What is the suburb closer to the University?"

"You mean the UWA?"

"Yes." Jayadeva nodded.

"Nedlands?"

"Yes, Nedlands. Yes, a friend of mine told me to rent a house in Nedlands. Can you find one for us there?"

"That's a good suburb, but houses are expensive in Nedlands. Well, there are inexpensive housing units in Nedlands too because there are lot of overseas students living there. Nedlands is not a bad choice! I forgot to tell you that you have to pay a fee for our services. Fifty dollars! It's just a one-off payment."

"That's okay."

"We'll give you more lists for up to six weeks, or until you find a place before then." She paused and then said: "Do you know that there are other fees when you rent a house in Australia?"

"I thought there's only the rent and electricity bill!"

"Oh no! There are letting fees; that is two weeks rent for the real estate agent. Then you have to pay a bond of two weeks rent. The bond money will be refunded depending on the condition of the house when you leave, and of course two weeks rent in advance. We also need good local references."

Jayadeva was confused, but he paid fifty dollars and obtained the list of houses and units in a few suburbs. He walked out of the building and looked for a bus stop to return to their hotel in Hay Street.

It was raining heavily again, and he had to run for shelter as he had come on this journey unprepared.

"Oh, you got wet! You should have at least taken my umbrella," Malini exclaimed upon his return.

"It's a lady's umbrella! We must buy a few leather jackets and an umbrella for me."

"I wonder whether you know that leather jackets are very expensive in Australia; I mean the brand new ones. But we can look for some cheap ones in 'op shops'!"

"What's an 'op shop'?"

"Oh, that's where you buy second hand clothes and things like that."

-- How does she know all these things without moving a step outside the hotel?

Jayadeva didn't want to get into an argument on leather coats and he quietly dried his hair and asked for a cup of tea. He didn't want to catch a cold.

-- It would have been great if there were some hot 'kottamalli' [1] to drink.

"Mrs. Weerasuriya rang while you were out. She has found a house for us! She wanted you to give her a call and take the Bus No 202 to Claremont at 2:00pm from St George's Terrace today to see this place. She said she is busy but could meet you at the corner of Broadway and Princess Road in Nedlands at 2 o clock."

Jayadeva rang Mrs Weerasuriya and got more information and directions.

Mrs Weerasuriya had parked her car next to the bus stop near the Broadway shopping centre and was waiting for Jayadeva. She drove towards the hill road heading east on the Princess Road and then turned right onto Wahroonga Road.

"This is a very good area," she explained. "There is a kindergarten at Melvista Road and the bus services are not bad either. We live about half a mile away on Viking Road in Dalkeith."

It was a duplex house. The place looked a run-down house. The uncut grass around the place had shot up nearly six inches. Jayadeva was worried whether there would be snakes living in the grass.

The housing agent arrived at 2:30pm sharp, and unlocked the house for Jayadeva. Inside, it was warm and conditions were not so bad. The house was not large but there were three bedrooms and two toilets.

"The house is usually rented to university students but the owner decided not to do that anymore, so it's been vacant for two months. That's why the grass has grown, but otherwise this is not a bad place!" The property manager said.

"How much is the rent?"

"One twenty."

"One hundred and twenty dollars!" Jayadeva repeated the rent for confirmation, and then said, "I'll take it."

"How long do you want the house for?" The housing agent asked rudely.

"Maybe for three months!" Jayadeva said as he was unsure how long they would stay in Perth.

"No, you have to rent this place for at least six months and sign a contract," The agent replied in an authoritative voice. Mrs Weerasuriya intervened:

"Didn't I tell you when I telephoned that they have just arrived in Perth?" and she continued, "We know them from Sri Lanka. They are decent people and professionals, an engineer and a doctor! I have also spoken to another agent and we may go and see that place, so he could have a choice. We'll come back to you either today or tomorrow."

"Well, I can't keep the house for you. If you are interested, then you must lodge an application. I need time to process it and check references. Has he got references?" The agent continued, unmoved by Mrs Weerasuriya's words.

"Yes, of course. We'll give them a reference, No Worries!" Mrs Weerasuriya wanted to support Jayadeva.

After the housing agent left Mrs Weerasuriya said, "She is a character. A bit bossy woman, no! I don't think she has dealt with Asians before. Anyway, what do you think of this place?"

"This is not a home but we need to find a house to live. How long are we going to live in a hotel room?" Jayadeva looked at the grass and continued: "This's a place to live, temporarily! I'll rent it. Thanks for all your support!"

"You're right. This is not a home, but you need to start somewhere! The rent is not that high either and closer to all the amenities. There is a Charlie Carters shopping centre at the end of the road," she said pointing out to the end of Wahroonga Road.

"What is Charlie Carters?" Jayadeva enquired innocently.

'Oh, it is one of the local super markets!"

"Alright! Replied Jayadeva and continued, "I only paid one hundred and fifty rupees for a five room bungalow in Mahaweli!" Jayadeva smiled.

"Don't compare the Sri Lankan situation with Australia! You must compare apples with apples. This is Australia and things are not cheap here. The labour costs are very high."

"Oh I realised that when I bought a cup of tea at the airport after we arrived!" Replied Jayadeva and laughed.

He told Mrs Weerasuriya of his morning trip to a housing agent in Subiaco and asked whether it was okay to rent a house in a place like Balga.

"Are you mad? Who will live in Balga? That's for poor people and for helpless Aboriginals! You are decent people and professionals. In Australia what matters is finding a good location.

When you buy a house one day, it's nothing but the location and location!" Mrs Weerasuriya emphasised. Have you forgotten the Budda's words: 'Patirupa desavaso ca Pubbe ca katapuññata', reminding him a line from the Buddhist Managala Sutta indicating the importance of 'living in a suitable locality and the good deeds done in the past.

"Did they charge you money to give you the listing of houses?"

"Yes."

"How much?"

"Fifty dollars."

"Oh, what a waste of money? If you don't move out how much have you got to pay for the hotel?"

"Hundred and twenty dollars per day!"

"That's very expensive!"

"There is a nicer and a bigger house in Riley Street, but they are demolishing it in three months. You can't move from one house to another with small kids."

"I think we will rent this place for six months, Mrs Weerasuriya!"

"It's your decision!"

"But if we can't find a place today or tomorrow, then we have to pay more money for the hotel from day after tomorrow."

"Yes, that's true."

"Let's go and sign this application form, Mrs Weerasuriya. I want to start somewhere. Sunitha didn't touch any soil since we arrived in Perth. She is already watching too much TV. We used to go out for walks together every afternoon in Sri Lanka. This place is not bad for evening walks either. How far to the ocean from here, Mrs Weerasuriya?"

"Perhaps about ten to fifteen minutes drive! I'll show you the sea when we go to handover this application."

"I think we'd better move over to this house tomorrow."

"Then let's go and sort out the application now. She said they need at least twenty four hours to process it."

"Where's this office?"

"It's in Swanbourne."

"How far to Swanbourne?"

"About ten minutes drive."

"Yes, let's go then."

Jayadeva filled out the application form and handed it back to the agent. Mrs Weerasuriya instructed Jayadeva to give the details of their Dalkeith home as the current residential address instead of the hotel. Jayadeva was surprised by her kindness.

-- What would have been our plight in Perth without her help? It was Malini's idea to contact them in the first instance. She is a practical woman always!

"I'll show you the Indian Ocean," Mrs Weerasuriya said as they walked out from the real estate agent's office. There's a beach in Swanbourne, but it's famous for nude bathers! I'll drive through Cottesloe, so you can see the sea!"

The sea was calm like a sleeping child. The sky was covered with layers of thick dark clouds that looked like a large black blanket. As the sea waves reached the shore ending their long journey, Jayadeva wondered whether the unknown sea waves had come all the way from Sri Lanka to Cottesloe beach looking for him like messengers bringing a series of letters from his mother, relatives and friends back home.

*******************

The following day, Mrs Weerasuriya called and informed that the housing agent wanted him to come over to sign the contract. She had requested either cash or a cheque. Half an hour later Mrs Weerasuriya was at the hotel picking them up. It was after midday when they finished with the paperwork and Mrs Weerasuriya suggested driving to the new house as neither Malini nor Sunitha had seen the house.

The weather has changed and the clouds have disappeared. The burning sun was greeting them like a nomad in a wasteland. The warm weather was the dominant feature on that day.

"We will stop for a while at the beach on the way, so that Sunitha can have a glimpse of the sea," Jayadeva said.

'Oh it's a very hot today like a summer day. Perth weather could be unpredictable! Poor child will burn her skin if she goes to the seashore now!" Mrs Weerasuriya warned about the unpredictable weather patterns of Perth.

"I think it's not for Sunitha, her father wants to see the Mute Sea," Malini said and giggled.

"Yes, after living in Kekirawa for years, I have always looked forward to living by the sea. I grew up in Kalutara but not by the sea. When I went to the school, I saw the sea every day," Jayadeva explained his association with the sea.

"Oh, you are a sea person then?"

"Yes, of course. I'm from an island!"

"Australia is an island too!" Mrs Weerasuriya laughed.

"But Australia is called an 'Island Continent,' isn't it?" Jayadeva questioned.

Jayadewa and Malini were surprised to see the pristine beach at Cottesloe. Having seen shanties and little shacks built by poor people who lived on a long stretch of the coastal belt in and around the western and south western beaches in Sri Lanka, they were pleasantly surprised to learn how clean and safe Australian beaches were as a place of recreation and relaxation for everyone.

After spending a few minutes at the beach they drove back to Nedlands.

"This's not a bad place. I would have preferred a home, but this is better than living in a hotel room," Malini said.

"Amma, this is a small house. Look! Grass is all over," Sunitha said sadly in Sinhala.

"Don't worry Duwa, someone will cut the grass for us. We'll move into a bigger house soon. We'll buy our own house Putha, with a separate room for you." Jayadeva reassured her.

On Thursday afternoon they moved their few belongings to the new house with the help of Mrs Weerasuriya. They didn't have any furniture or beds to sleep on in the rented house. In the evening Mrs Weerasuriya brought a few pieces of furniture, cutlery and several blankets, and pillows to help them to sleep on the floor. She also had brought them two small electrical heaters.

That day, they began their new life in Perth. In the evening, they all slept on the floor in one room.

It was a cold night and the heavy showers covered the earth. The small electric heater radiated energy throughout the night. Whenever Jayadeva woke up to the harsher sounds of the rain outside, he saw the red light of the heater glowing like danger signals he used to see on the road during his night travels in Sri Lanka.

The following day, Mrs Weerasuriya found them a transportable bed and two mattresses through her contacts. On the weekend, Douglas and his son brought a few more chairs, several more blankets and an old sofa chair. Malini converted the plastic outdoor table they received into a dinner table with an exotic table cloth she had brought from Sri Lanka. The housing agent also made arrangements for the lawn to be mowed. By Saturday, the house looked a bit more habitable.

Jayadeva started unpacking their bags. He kept the small wangediya and miris-gala on the floor near the kitchen table. Sunitha repeatedly complained for not having a TV.

"I have brought a few Sinhala books, Duwa. Look at this one." He showed her a copy of Madol Duwa, the famous Sri Lankan Children's novel by Martin Wickramasinghe. The book told a story of two boys setting out on their own and finding a new place to live on an island. He read her a chapter one from Madol Duwa that night.

After Sunitha slept, Jayadeva read another chapter from the book describing how the protagonists travelled to an unknown island called Madol Duwa in southern Sri Lanka and how their mission was made easier because of the support and provisions provided by a friendly farmer. He thought of Mrs Weerasuriya and the Kirklands' help in their journey similar to the assistance provided to Upali Giniwelle by Maha Gama Rala in Madol Duwa.

--There are good people all over the world. But there is no substitute for Mrs Weerasuriya's kindness. She didn't have a clue who we are and here she is looking after us as her own relatives.

Footnotes:

[1] Kottamalli - The Sinhala word for coriander

For feedback and readers' response: [email protected]

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