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| Sunday, 19 September 2004 |
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Features |  |
| News Business Features Editorial
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Life with William : He plays surrogate father William became the proud father of two beautiful baby chicks when two of Hen's eggs hatched on William's sixty ninth birthday.
In preparation for the new arrivals, William, together with his four friends Pancha, Dias, Piyasena and Simon began building a hen house in our back garden. "Unge amma vage, kukul patawuta gasvala nidiyanna baha' unlike their mother, the baby chicks can't sleep on trees", they told me as I went outside to see how their work was progressing. Using pieces of planks they also fortified it against unwelcome intruders like the pole cats (kalaweddas) which were constant visitors to our garden. In spite of these elaborate preparations there was no sign of the arrival of our tiny `guests' until William came rushing full speed to the house last Saturday, shouting that Hen had given birth to two live chickens. We rushed to the garden where Hen emerged from under a bush shaking out her feathers and looking down with pride at her two chickens who lay contentedly on the nest she had made. They were beautiful! I could see William bursting with pride as though he was their real father. Indeed from the moment they were born William decided to be their surrogate father. "Since they have no father I will have to be their father", he told me quite seriously, as he gently carried them to his newly built hen house and laid them down on the straw floor." Don't you worry. I will look after you with my own life", (Mage jeevithaya ekka umbe patawu aaraksha karanawa") he assured Hen who was observing him hawk-eyed and clucking loudly when the chickens were put inside the cage. Since it was his birthday as well, I decided that a joint celebration was in order. So I baked William one of my best butter cakes decorating it (at his insistence) with two yellow baby chicks, could share it with his friends. William, sent invitations to all his friends living down Vipulasena Mawatha and allowed them to have a sneak view of the chickens before they went back home. That whole week, William was in his gayest mood, as he went about his usual household chores. When he finished, he would run to the hen house to take a peep at his new babies and then sit on the kitchen step cuddled up with Hen assuring her repeatedly that he would look after her offspring with his life "mage jeevithaya ekka". My night sleep is often broken by the soft droning of "Sleep baby sleep," or " Go to sleep my baby" sung in English, On other days it is "Doi doi nelawemu, bai bai nelawemu", or " onna babo athinniya" sung in harmony by William and his four friends to the two chickens they have jointly adopted. Meanwhile the surrogate father of two has just begun compiling his first baby book. When Man Friday is not in the kitchen, I can be sure he is sitting near the hen house busy jotting down notes on the first steps taken by the two chicks; the first food they ate and the first time they stepped out of their cage on their own. He is also composing his own lullabies for baby chicks which is confident will be a sell out among all chick lovers." Me sindu potha unu kavum vage vikineyi" (these books will sell like hot cakes"), he says confidently. I agree. After all who can resist the spell of a love song? |
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We had been expecting the arrival of the baby chicks for some time
since hen took to disappearing for long periods from her usual hiding
places. When I asked William about her mysterious disappearances his reply
was, "Kikili dan rakinawa. Samaharawita apata kukul patawu hambawe
tika kalayakin" She is now nesting. We will soon have some baby
chicks".
