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Sunday, 18 May 2014

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Marriage Proposals
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Government Gazette

 Short story

The henpecked husband

Jane Nona was a dominant figure in the house, henpacking her husband day in and day out. Married for 20 years, the couple had no children. Like a monarch surveying all the things within his power, corpulently built Jane Nona involved herself in everything giving little chance to her husband, a fish mudalali, to dispute or disagree with her acts of omission or commission.

Seated in a sofa in the verandah of the house with the betel tray on her lap and the spitoon by the side of the sofa, she was in a belicose mood berating her husband incessantly for her sewing machine which had broken after having been repaired recently by a mechanic. The bone of contention was that her husband had not summoned a particular mechanic whom she had wanted.

A rickety Morris Minor car entered through the gate. It was her husband. He was a bulky, moustached, bespectacled man clad in sarong and coat. The verbal diarrhoea started.

“That man is no good. I told you not to bring him. Did you listen to me? If you are a man, you must listen to what I say. Now what has happened? Do you know what has happened?” “Hamine, what are telling”, I don't understand anything.” Jineris said not knowing head or tail of what his wife was speaking.

“My sewing machine is not working again. Simon can't repair that. Only three weeks and again it broke. I told you to get a good mechanic. Did you listen?” Jane Nona berated him once again.

“Don't worry hamine, I'll call him to repair it again.”

“Ah! You're going to call Simon again? Fine thing.

Look here, you're not to bring him here again, I'll chase him away. Why don't you call Carolis? Last time also I told you to call Carolis.”

“Carolis is not here, he has gone to his village”.

“So, go to his village; should I tell you that? Aney, aney, what a brain?”

“All right hamine, don't shout for this; I'll go to his village next week.” Jineris pacified her.

“Next week? No, no, you must go tomorrow itself. Otherwise don't say I'm a bad woman.”

“I told next week because the car is not in a good condition. I thought of taking the car to the mechanic. It will take two to three days to do a good service.” Jane Nona spat red saliva into the spitoon and looked up with her mouth full of betel at Jineris.

“All right, you give the car to the mechanic and go to meet Carolis by bus.”

“Hamine, where's my tea? Very tired.”

“Your tea is in the flask. Today Kusumawathi didn't come to work and the unwashed crockery are in the kitchen sink. Drink your tea and wash them.”

Jineris mudalali kept his accounts books on a table in the sitting room. He removed his coat, put it on the peg and began to sip tea. Having finished the washing in the kitchen, he went to the bathroom to have a shower.

“Here Jine, can you hear me? My skirt and nightie are in the bathroom. You wash them and put them on the line behind the kitchen.”

While he was in the bathroom, Jane Nona took the accounts books and went through them. She was not happy, when she discovered that Jineris had given fish on credit to some people, and their loans had been outstanding for the past six months. She came across names such as Lucina, Alice, Muriel and Wimal.

Clad in a pyjama sarong and sleeveless banian, Jineris mudalali sat on a sofa and lit a cigar. Then he began to go through his accounts books. The night was silent except the pendulum of the wall clock that went on ‘tick-tock, tick-tock'. Then she noticed that the gold chain which Jineris had on his neck was missing. She became surprised.

She observed him minutely; she wanted to talk but he was buried deeply in the accounts quite unconcerned of her presence.

“What happened to your gold chain?”

Fully immersed in the accounts, Jineris was oblivious to the question.

“Here, did you hear me? “She raised her voice. “What happened to your chain?” He stopped his work and peered at his wife over the spectacles.

“What did you say?”

“I asked you where's your gold chain?” Jineris came to his sense. He looked here and there and felt his neck. “Go and check in the bathroom, it should be there.” She went to the bathroom to retrieve it but finding it not there, she became furious.

“To whom did you give your chain?”

“I didn't give it to anyone; now only I remember, the chain should be in the table drawer in the market.” “Now I understand what's happening.” She mumbled.

“Hamine, what're you telling? Don't start a quarrel now. It's eight now, shall we have dinner?”

“I told you Kusumawathi didn't come today, so I didn't cook. Go and buy two parcels.” “It's past eight, I don't think nearby shops will have rice and curry now.” “If not go to the junction, then you'll get good food packets.”

They ate their dinner silently. For the next few minutes they were silent; only the wall clock made the tick-tock sound. Jane Nona was eager to know about the names she came across in the accounts books. So she broke the ice with her question.

“Who is Luvina?” Jineris continued to eat without answering.

“Do you hear me? Who is Luvina?”

“Who is that? I don't know”. “Ah! Fine thing, you don't know anything. Don't pretend.” Jane Nona rattled on in one breath.

“So are you telling me to meet Carolis tomorrow?” He asked as if he wanted to change the topic.

“I don't want to repeat what I have told you already. Now tell me who is Luvina, I saw this name in the accounts book?”

“Ah! Lucina. She is my customer. She buys fish from me.”

“She buys fish from you? But I saw you have given fish without money.”

“No hamine, Lucina buys fish from me on credit.” Jineris explained.

“Credit? Nonesense, she has not settled the loan for the last six months. Aney: Rs.60,000 on loan. Now I know where your gold chain has gone.”

“Hamine, you can't do business without giving on credit.”

“For how many people you give fish on credit-Lucina, Alice, Muriel, Wimal. And they have not settled the money, the total amounts to Rs. 1,25,000. My father was also a fish mudalali but he never did a foolish thing like giving fish on credit.” “Hamine, don't worry, I can get the money; I know how to get the money.”

“Yes, yes, I know they'll pluck from the tree and give you the money, when you ask. Look here, I'm warning you; you have to stop this credit business.

This is why you don't have money to buy a decent car. I really don't know to how many others you have given fish on credit.”

Just then there was a tap on the front door. “Who is that?” Jane Nona raised her voice and directed her glance at Jineris. “Why can't you close the gate after coming inside? Now see, because of your carelessness someone has come to the verandah.” She went to the verandah.

“Why did you come at this time?” “Urgent hamine, I want to meet the mudalali.”

“Why? What's the matter?” She was becoming impatient.

“Tell mudalali, Muriel's husband has come.”

“All right, tell me what you want? Why did you come at this time?”

“Hamine, I came to get some money; for an emergency I'm Wimal, mudalali knows me.”

“You think mudalali is a bank to give you money at any time you want?”

Hearing the uproarious voice of Jane Nona, Jineris came.

“Why at this time, Wimal? What's the urgency?”

“Muriel is not well; she was waiting for you today. She asked me to get Rs. 2,000 from you”.Jane was listening to the conversation. She was furious and bawled out. “Muriel has to give you Rs. 60,000.

And again she is asking for money without settling the loan. You're not to give any money to this man. If you give, you'll find your mistake.”

Then she grabbed the two accounts books. Seeing the commotion in the house, Wimal left without any money.

“Hamine, don't take those books, I need them to recover the loan.”

“Don't worry, I'll take care of the loan. Tomorrow, you put the car in the garage and then go to meet Carolis. I want to see Carolis tomorrow. You hear that? Until then don't go to the fish market.”

On the following day he left home to fulfil Jane Nona's errand. On the way he dropped in at the fish market. Seeing him, Wimal came running. “Mudalali, your hamine was like an atom bomb.”

“That's how she is.” Jineris replied.

“Mudalali, you're a coward in front of her.” Muriel, Alice and Lucina who had arrived there guffawed on hearing Wimal's remark.

“Mudalali you're henpecked” Muriel said and smiled coquettishly at Jineris.

“Alice, where's my gold chain?”

“Mudalali, I mortgaged it.”

“Hamine is asking for my gold chain?”

“Mudalali, say you lost it.” Then the three women broke into peals of laughter.

Just then Jane Nona made her appearance.

Jineris was frozen with fear. She was carrying the two account books. “It's 10 in the morning and what are you doing here?”

“Hamine, I'm about to go”. Jineris fled to the car parked on the other side of the street. And Jane Nona stared at the three women resting the books on her bulky hip.

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