Chapter 14 (Part I):

The Black Australian :

The Explorer

by Sunil Govinnage

Siri considered summer weekends as precious no commitments to work, or goals to achieve. Especially now, the weekends offered him the opportunity to soar around Perth like a bird in flight; a chance to stop thinking about the pain and anger caused by Rajini's departure.

Siri's life became harder at work after Daryl's move to Melbourne. Despite Daryl's recommendations, the company promoted another person called Gordon Grant, a Scotsman with a heavy accent, as the head of the computing section. Gordon used to work in the Finance Branch and had been voicing the opinion that the computer services had cost the company a lot of money. He presented a report to the management stating that he could reduce the cost by contracting out the routine services. Gordon's report had made a big impression among the Board members, but Siri did not want to say or write anything against it. When Gordon assumed his duties as the head of computing, the first thing he did was to ask Siri to move his office from one with a view over the Swan River to a small and gloomy office, with no windows.

One Saturday morning Siri woke up around seven and went for a stroll around the footpath near the Swan River and enjoyed the sunrise over the City of Perth. He thought of the bright sunlight he used to enjoy in his old office. On his way home, Siri saw a TransPerth bus heading west, towards Fremantle.

Siri left home again without having his breakfast, just after eight-thirty, leaving his car behind as he planned to stroll through the City of Fremantle. Siri wanted to cross the road in front of his house to catch a bus to Fremantle but had to wait for a while to cross the Mounts Bay Road due to heavy traffic. However, he was unsure whether to go west or east as he had no specific goal in mind. When a bus arrived to East Perth, instead of going towards the coastal town of Fremantle in the far west, he got on board and sat near a young couple whose child was asking questions about the Swan River.

"Daddy, what's that big pool? Can we swim there?"

"It's not a pool, dear. It's the Swan River!"

"I thought a river is something that flows."

"Yes, this one flows too, but we can't see the water flowing, as it is very calm today."

Siri listened attentively to the little child's inquiring mind.

How good to have an inquiring mind and a family! If I had a family, I'd pass knowledge on to my children and explain the little things that may end up as stepping stones to the secrets of the Universe.

The bus moved swiftly like a ferry on the Swan River. Siri sat and enjoyed watching the skyline of the city awaiting his arrival. The sun crawled slowly over the skyline, stretching up to the Darling Range, which he saw as a large silk veil.

He got off the bus near London Court on St George's Terrace and walked behind the young couple and their child. He followed the family through the narrow courtyard that linked the Terrace and the Hay Street Mall until they disappeared into a shop. As he felt hungry, Siri stopped at a cafe nearby and ordered breakfast.

"Would you like to have our special continental breakfast?" a young woman who came with a menu asked him politely.

"I would like to have my indigenous breakfast, but as you can't offer my kind of tucker, I'll have your special!" Siri said jokingly, pretending to be an Aborigine and placing his Akubra hat on the table. By "tucker", Siri meant his favourite Sri Lankan breakfast of Appa and Indi-Appa. The woman, however, was embarrassed and apologetic.

Siri wiped his plate clean, ordered a coffee and finished with a cold glass of water. Stuffing the receipt in his wallet, he stepped back into the Hay Street shopping mall. It was still empty. The weekend bargain hunters had not yet arrived. Most of the shops were still closed, but people were beginning to gather one by one, two by two, and in small groups.

Siri heard a melody floating down from the middle of the Mall. He walked towards Williams Street following the music and found a man playing a small unusual string instrument. He realised it was a traditional Chinese piece played on something similar to a Mandolin. There were several CDs and audio-cassettes for sale. Siri bought a CD entitled Far Away. After all, it was the melody that had attracted him in the first instance.

He turned aimlessly onto Barrack Street and waited near a bus stop. The TransPerth CAT [1] stopped and Siri got on board. The bus circumnavigated the city like a group of pilgrims being guided around Ruwan Weli Stupa. [2] When the bus stopped at each and every halting place, Siri tried to recall how he used to circumnavigate the pagoda with his parents, offering flowers to each and every Devala [3] on the way.

When the bus finally completed one of its routes, Siri got off, near the railway station. He followed the crowd and crossed the road. There were a few trains waiting to leave the station. He heard an announcement:

"The train on platform number seven will leave for Fremantle in five minutes, stopping at all stations."

Siri quickly bought a ticket from the vending machine and boarded the train. It travelled through Leederville, Subiaco, Daglish and Shenton Park, stopping at Karrakatta. He looked towards his left and saw the Karrakatta cemetery. He started counting the tombstones but the train moved forward, leaving behind the resting places of many who would have loved and lost many times.

It was not until the train passed Mosman Park that there were signs of the river and the sea. The train slowed down as it came to the Fremantle station, sluggishly ending one of its journeys, like a runner after a race. Siri disembarked and walked to the exit. Despite the poorly planned expansion of the city, Siri liked Fremantle because it preserved its character, including the cappuccino strip, the port, a private university and the weekend markets. The city represented a good mix of old and new buildings. He walked towards South Terrace where the string of cafes formed the cappuccino strip. The coffee shops and cafes sat like jewels on a necklace. The people who sat quietly went through the menu like potential buyers trying to buy only one gem from an expensive necklace.

Siri strolled by watching grim faces and entered the First Edition bookshop. He wanted to join other book lovers and browse through the fine selection available in this book haven. He browsed through each pile of books like an archaeologist trying to comprehend unknown eternal truths through the fossils of a newly discovered site. He looked through the fiction section and saw two copies of Razor's Edge. He bought one copy as he wanted to read about the life of the protagonist, Larry, and his journeys both in the east and west.

He walked through the Fremantle Markets. He crossed at the traffic lights and walked towards Fremantle Hospital, which loomed like a stack of large cardboard boxes reaching for the sky.

It was just after ten-thirty. Siri continued walking along South Terrace which always reminded him of the old Dutch houses in the narrow streets of Galle Fort in Sri Lanka.

The sun was starting to siphon its steam at its peak and Siri looked for shade, a place where he could sit and relax. Outside a paint shop there was a hand-written sign advertising coffee and cake.

A paint shop selling coffee and cakes! Must be a strange place...

Siri entered the shop and approached a middle aged woman mixing paint.

'Do you sell coffee here?'

"Yes, we do! Please go through, Liz will take your order", she said pointing to a young woman. Siri was directed to the backyard where there was old furniture arranged under a partially built gazebo. There was a certain charm to the place. Three young women were sitting at a larger table sipping coffee while their children played in the sand pit nearby.

Siri finished his first cup and ordered another. A young man rode his bicycle up from the side alley. He was handsome. His energetic face reminded Siri of a German monk he once met at a Buddhist monastery in the hills. The young man ordered and looked for a place to sit. One of the women offered a place with them. He rejected her offer politely and approached Siri.

"Hello, do you mind my sitting here? It's a gorgeous day, isn't it? How are you? I'm Gary! the young man with an olive complexion shook hands with Siri. The sun's rays touched his long red hair, drawn back in a ponytail.

"May I ask which part of the world you come from?" Gary asked politely. It was not like the interrogations Siri had been subjected to on many occasions from strangers.

Siri smiled and replied: "Have a guess."

"India?"

"Um, nope!"

"Nepal?"

"Nope!"

"Lebanon?"

"Nope."

"Give me a clue, please", said Gary as he sipped his coffee.

"I'm from Sri Lanka!"

"Oh, you're from the lost paradise! I always wanted to go there. I've read a bit, about the history of your island but never had a chance to visit. I've seen a few gorgeous pictures of Sri Lanka. In fact, I was intrigued by a photo of stilted fishermen catching fish without touching the sea! An amazing picture. Have you seen them in real life?"

"Yes, of course I've seen them!"

"They come from a particular part of Sri Lanka, don't they?"

"Yes, they come from the south. They live near a town called Weligama."

"Maybe one day I'll go there and meet those strange fishermen." Gary opened a notebook and showed Siri a stained page. He had scribbled a list of places to visit. Sri Lanka and the Maldives were on top of the list.

"So, what do you do for a living, Gary?"

"I live to enjoy the grace of life! Over the last one and half years I've moved from one place to another."

"Where were you last?"

"Three months ago I was travelling through Europe and spent a good part of my time in Italy. My roots are there." He showed Siri his tanned olive hands. "I met this most wonderful German woman who shared the secrets of Perth and its Mediterranean climate. I came home to Melbourne, got into my van and drove across the Nullarbor to see Perth. I've seen enough of Perth now; there's nothing much left to discover. I'll go back to Melbourne and plan my next trip!" Gary smiled.

"You're a very lucky person", said Siri admiringly. "How do you support yourself while travelling?"

I've enough money to live on. I've paid off my flat in Melbourne. I worked very hard to pay off the mortgage. I've been working since I was sixteen. Last year, I worked in construction. I've done all sorts of things! I'm a qualified builder, but I don't do that anymore. I want to be free! I want to fly like a bird whenever I feel like it. I want to travel, to explore the world and meet new people.

"Well, you're revealing my mind!" Siri responded. "That's what I wanted to do. But now, I feel I've got stuck in this place where I don't have many friends or relatives."

"Well, we make friends and relatives, mate!" Gary said. "I met you today because I'm in your beautiful city. Is it mere chance? I don't know. Now that we have met, you could be my friend or my relative. It all depends. Who are friends? Who are relatives? I've plenty of them both in Australia and Italy. But I guide my life. If I listened to my parents, I'd be married today and would taken over my father's shop and be living with a woman of their choice, pouring grappa to sell coffees! Perhaps I'd have ended up like my brother, who's a doctor. In fact, he's a surgeon. Instead of slicing salami, he's slicing patients; he's a prisoner! He has no freedom to travel the way I do! He has this huge house in South Yarra, a beautiful wife, and kids, but he's not happy. What you want out of life is something you need to find for yourself. It's a very private business."

(To be continued)

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

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Footnotes

[1] TransPerth CAT Free bus service in City of Perth.

[2] Ruwan Weli Stupa A large pagoda in Anuradhapura.

[3] Devala A shrine room for Gods.