A happy life ends in death

By Ananda Agalakada

Buxom Babyhami was the only girl in her family. She had two brothers whom she did not care for. Babyhami treated the brothers like dirt and never took notice of them. She felt that she was the cock of the walk being the only girl in the family and her parents gave into her every whim and fancy. Babyhami put to good use her beautiful looks and was the envy of other women in the village. She would trek to the village well and engage in gossip with other women, while all the time trying to attract the men in the village.

A sarong johnny used to follow her and was quick to make passes at her and praise her good looks but she did not give him the glad eye because she knew he was a no-do-gooder and spent his time idling. Babyhami was a smart woman. She knew what she wanted in life and was on the lookout for a reasonably wealthy, good looking man. She did not know how to get about the whole thing.

One day, while walking towards the village well which was down a long treacherous slope on her normal jaunt to hang around the well and gossip with the other women who had enough time on their hands to engage in idle gossip. A lone suitor was watching her closely and assessing the situation. He could not take his eyes off her. He was a mudalali and was of decent upbringing.

Unknown to herself, she was walking with her ample hips swaying from side to side, clad in a floral printed cloth and jacket which she always wore and with her hair tied up in a chignon. She looked sexy and beautiful.

Her suitor did not want to approach her direct. He somehow told some of the elders in his family that he was interested in marrying Babyhami. The message was duly conveyed and Babyhami was quite happy with the proposal and readily agreed to take his hand in marriage.

Grand wedding

A grand wedding followed with ample food and drink. The family and villagers attended the wedding which was a grand affair. The wedding was a once in a lifetime affair for the villagers because never before had a wedding been held in this manner.

However, Babyhami's mother Hinnihamy did not approve of the marriage but had to agree to it, because her daughter was adamant to marry the mudalali. Hinnihamy was very annoyed with her relatives for bringing the proposal and encouraging her daughter to get married. She played no part in the marriage celebrations. She attended the wedding but did not attend to any of the rituals as a mother would have done .it was Babyhami's aunt, her mother's sister who felt sorry for Babyhami and attended to all the rituals. Babyhami was ever so thankful to her aunt who spared no pains to make the marriage a success. She swore to herself that she would never live with her daughter.

Refusing to join her daughter, Hinnihamy continued to live in her humble abode. The mother and daughter thereafter had nothing to do with one another although her brothers visited her on and off.

As time went by Babyhami and her husband were growing older and there was no sign of Babyhami conceiving. Every month the mudalali would check with his wife if there was any good news but the answer was always in the negative.

Then the mudalali thought something had to be done and he took her to every doctor who was recommended to him but Babyhami still did not conceive. Then they sought divine intervention but that too came a cropper and Babyhami was sad and dejected. Somehow the couple adjusted to their fate and life went on.

The mudalali loved his wife and would shower her with many gifts and he ensured that he fed his wife well expecting her to conceive at any moment but there were no signs at all. Babyhami thought a spell had been cast on her and that was why she was not lucky enough to bear a child. This was the sad fate that befell this living couple.

Anyway nothing could be done and the couple continued to live together although they felt the constraints of being childless.

The whole village looked at the couple with a sense of foreboding. Suddenly to as if adding salt to Babyhami's wound, her husband met with an untimely death. Now Babyhami was sad and heart broken. Her love of her life was no more. Each time she thought about her husband she broke down in tears because she could not come to terms that mudalali was no more. Now she had no one to turn to.

Lonely

Babyhami was very lonely and found it difficult to live alone. Babyhami then went to her mother's house and pleaded with her to come and live with her.

Hinnihamy at first refused and rejected the offer. She said she'd rather die than live with Babyhami under the same roof. Somehow Babyhami convinced and took her to her home in Wellawaya. The mother and daughter lived together although they could not see eye to eye. Life went on for the two of them. They had a good neighbour in Thilake who would always come to the house and have a chat with the mother and daughter duo when she finished her work in the chena.

One fateful day, Thilaka came to visit her neighbours but found that the door was locked. She called out to them but there was no response. She knew that there was something amiss.

Thilaka looked all around and then raised cries. The OIC of the Wellawaya police, Vijitha Perera, Abeygunawardena and a police team rushed to the scene after receiving a tip-off from a neighbour. According to police, the mother and daughter had been raped and strangled to death.

On the instruction of ASP Nimalsiri Perera and DIG Roshan Fernando of the Sabaragamuwa Police division are conducting further investigations.