The Black Australian - Chapter 20

Maya

(Part 3)

By Sunil GOVINNAGE

Siri changed one of his routines, the meditation classes on Fridays and began devoting his free time for writing. During the weekends he strolled in King's Park and scribbled poetry under a gum tree. Siri wasn't sure what he wanted to write. He couldn't compile more than a few lines of English poetry and always swapped into Sinhalese, his heart's language.

"But who else will read Sinhala poetry these days? At least I know my Sinhala metaphors and images and metres that come from Sri Lanka.

They must be as old as two thousand five hundred years of our history. He walked back to his house on the edge of the King's Park when the evening had spread like a large chunk of a red salmon piece pasted onto the sky.

Just after Maya arrived from Thailand, she e-mailed Siri thanking him for sharing his knowledge of Thai language and culture.

Hi Siri, my trip to Bangkok was very successful. The Thai Government officials were very impressed with me mainly because of my knowledge of Thai culture! (Thank you and the guy who gave you that paper on cross-cultural behaviour!) We would definitely get two sub-contracts for a World Bank funded water purification project outside Bangkok. We will sign a memorandum of understanding as soon as we get an okay signal from our lawyers.

I've already sent a report to the Board and also mentioned your inputs and help."

Thanks again - MAYA

PS: How is your computer system going? When are we going for that dinner? -M-

The next day, when they met at morning tea, Maya reminded him about going out for dinner. "You select a place. I'll follow you anywhere! Maya-Rose Smith projected her radiant smile and left the room hurriedly.

"What does she carry in those magnetic eyes? What's she up to? Siri was in a shock for a few minutes. He tried to recall her magnetic eyes and radiant smile. He looked through the closed glass window of the tearoom. Through the glass windows, Siri had a glimpse of the Perth City and the Swan River. Outside, the bright sky was smiling.

After some careful consideration, Thursday that week, Siri reserved a table for two in an Indian Restaurant on the Esplanade and sent Maya an e-mail giving the date, time and the place.

After he sent the e-mail, Siri wondered whether it is okay to go out for dinner with Maya.

"Can I believe her? Her name means an illusion! Is she an illusion? Although they agreed to meet at the Restaurant at seven thirty p.m., Siri did not go home after work and walked to the Esplanade ten minutes earlier. After making sure that Maya had not arrived early, he waited for her outside the restaurant looking at the fading colours left behind by the sunset in the Western sky.

He saw a tall person with an Indian dress coming over from the freeway entrance side of the car park. Until she came closer, Siri did not realise that it was Maya.

"What are you dreaming about? Thinking about the women you have left behind in Sri Lanka? I'll not come with you for coffee after dinner!" Maya saw Siri blushing despite the dusk and his tanned brown face.

"Oh Mister Shri-ee! Welcome. You have come with a friend, ah!" The Indian manager who knew Siri, ushered them in.

They were escorted to a corner table overlooking the Swan River. The restaurant was dimly lit. It stored several original artefacts imported from India and they all carried price tags. All these created an impression that the restaurant was not a part of Australia but located in an exotic part of Asia. Maya felt as she was in somewhere in India.

"This is unbelievable. Are we in Perth or in India?" "Yes, we are definitely in Perth! The Swan River flows just in front of us. You can see the lights in Kings Park too," Siri responded innocently.

"Yes, those are the only realities; otherwise I'd have thought that I'm somewhere in India with very pleasant company!" Maya smiled with her radiant eyes. "What a great place this is! So many people have mentioned about this place. I didn't realise that Perth has become so exotic! Well that's a Sitar, isn't it?

"That statue is definitely from South India." Maya displayed her knowledge of the Indian culture explaning what she knew about India.

"For a few months I learnt to play the Sitar. I had a teacher while in India but I never learnt enough to play like Ravi Shankar! That's what I am aiming to do one day!"

"I wouldn't have even guessed that you are into classical Indian music!" "There are so many mysterious behind each of us! You wouldn't even guess what I have been up to, apart from Indian music!" Maya said innocently.

"Are you hungry? I must apologise about my selection. There's no alcohol, meat or fish here." Siri, aid apologetically.

"Despite all my taste and the exposure to India, I'm an Aussie! I need my barbecue meat and wine on special occasions like this. You better take me to another place. Perhaps to your place for a specially cooked meal! If you want to dine here, maybe we go for a nightcap afterwards! I can't sleep without alcohol!" Maya said quite affably.

Siri realised that her tone was not serious but he was hesitant to question or ask whether they were real statements. Siri did not respond. He looked at the city, the distant lights at the King's Park. Although he saw the lights at the hill, he knew that he could not touch or feel them as they were far away from him and out of reach. Although they were visual realities, they were beyond his reach.

"You are a bit of a serious character, Siri, aren't you? I'm a qualified vegetarian and almost a teetotaller except on special occasions! That's where I live in that tall white building Maya pointed to a tall white tower in South Perth across the river. But I am moving into the hills soon. I bought a house in Kalamunda. When I have a house warming party, I will invite you!" Maya said gazing at Siri.

"Tell me. Where do you come from? I know that you're not a Tamil Terrorist because you are a Buddhist! That means you are a Sinhalese! And after all, you can't be a terrorist because you are an active member of the Buddhist Society in Perth!"

"How do you know that?"

"Well, Mr. Wick-rama-singhe. The last bit of information is not an inference. It's public information! I got this newsletter yesterday. She opened her bag and showed Siri, the latest Perth Buddhist Society Newsletter. He looked at her without knowing what was happening.

"What is she up to? Is she spying on me? Why?

"Tell me where do you come from in Sri Lanka?"

"All over in Sri Lanka. But you are right! I'm a Sinhalese Buddhist. At least that part is correct, if you need a label to stick!

My parents were school teachers and worked all over the country. But we are really from Kurunegala."

"Kurunegala!"

"That's that beautiful small city surrounded by three rocks on your way to Kandy. The city is located at one edge of the coconut Triangle! Right?"

"How do you know all this insider information about my place?"

"See, I had been spying on you!"

Maya laughed, closing her radiant eyes.

"I visited Kandy via Kurunegala. I had lunch at the Rest House overlooking the lake. I really loved that town. A charming little town, isn't it? Maybe, the people from that place are also innocent and charming! Who knows, maybe they are as hard as those rocks. I was really fascinated by those three rocks and how the city had been built around them. Just like a great engineering plan. Though the rocks are not as ancient or huge as Uluru in Alice Springs there's some similarity between these two locations. The human civilisation of different kind in two different locations."

Maya added a philosophical tack to the place where Siri had his connection and roots.

"I'm really fascinated about those three rocks as well. I spent my childhood in Kurunegala before we move to Kalutara. I have climbed the rocks many times as a teenager. Where we lived later was a flat land with annual floods. The folk-lore around the rocks is also fascinating. There is a strong folk-lore about the city and kingdom which was once ruled by a king whose mother was a Muslim woman!"

"That's interesting! How did that happened? Did that Sinhala king had Muslim women in his harem? Maya enquired curiously.

"No, according to folk-lore, the king met a beautiful Muslim woman during his rounds and fell in love with her. As an astrologer had predicted earlier, the King who didn't have children from his chief princess, would be blessed with a son by a spouse of a different faith. So the story goes to say that the King got married to this woman and in due course, the Muslim consort gave birth to a lovely son. His maternal grandfather gave him a Muslim name but he later succeeded the king as Wathhimi Bandara. But as always with some ancient tales, there is a sad end to this story."

"Oh if it is a sad tale don't tell me now, perhaps later! By the way, which side of the rocks did you live?"

"We lived away from the city, a place called Wahera."

"Wa-ha-ra!"

Maya attempted to pronounce the place of his origin in Kurunegala and smiled with her magnetic eyes again. Maya wanted to change the topic as she felt that she was trying to dig into his past, perhaps too deeper and too quickly. She wanted him to maintain his privacy, his space and his secrets as she had not revealed her past and her secrets. Maya did not want to divulge any of her inner secrets to anyone, unless there was a real reason.

Past is dead folk-lore with many interpretations.

"What are you doing this evening Siri, apart from going home?"

"Home! You mean Kurunegala!" Siri asked sarcastically.

"Not tonight. It's a bit of a long journey back to the past!"

It brought a sudden smile to her face.

"Well, if you are going to Kurunegala, I wanted to get myself invited and learn the story of that King!" Maya said coyly.

"What did you do in Kurunegala Siri?" Maya enquired innocently on this occasion.

"For nearly two years I was the Deputy Chief Civil Engineer there."

"That would have been a big job!"

"Yes, that depends on how you look at it."

"Why did you leave such an important job and such a nice place?"

"I think I never left the country, I have brought the country with me to Australia! That's my problem.I think I'm nowhere. That's my other problem!

I think I'm still exploring a world to settle but I have failed. My journeys have taken me nowhere. As a result, I've lost everything in life.

Apart from the little material things I possess and I don't have anything; real life; a family of my own.

"I've been all over Sri Lanka and travel around the World a few times. I don't think that I've real roots any single place I was associated with. I wanted to develop my roots in Perth, but I think I've done the wrong things again and again.

I am an outsider! Even when I return from Singapore, the Customs people check me as if I'm carrying weapons or drugs! Sir sighed and continued:

"I once got married to a Sri Lankan person, a Tamil woman. That's a long story. There was no romance. Maybe a physical attraction.

I think it was my silly attempt to unify Tamil's and Sinhalese in Australia! It was a tragic union.

My mother nearly killed herself.

I should have been married to an Aussie and forgotten about my past. Perhaps I'd have married to a totally strange woman; my mother wanted me to marry. I'd have chosen Frank as my role model who claims Australia as his country, not Malaysia where he grew up. Apart from married to a white woman, I don't think he knows much about Australia, her people or the culture ..." Siri took a deep breath and desired to hide his sad face.

"I know a bit about you Siri. Daryl told me a lot about you. Don't worry, Mate! You cannot recreate the past.

It is impossible, like trying to send the Swan River to Perth hills! Daryl had mentioned a lot about you. He, in passing also mentioned about your marriage as well, but he used to admire your ability to work long hours and your quality of work."

Maya, touched his hand. Siri felt a warm feeling radiating from her hands into his powerless body and wandering mind. Her eyes were shining like two bright stars visible in the distant sky behind the semi-dark corner where they were sitting.

They ate, without speaking but looking at each other, smiling and occasionally touching each other's hands.

After dinner Siri slowly walked with Maya to her car. Before she opened the car door, Maya kissed Siri on his cheeks innocently.

"I've a meeting in Northam tomorrow. Otherwise, we'd have gone for coffee somewhere.

Maybe next time.

Thanks, Siri.

It was a lovely evening.

I'll probably see you tomorrow afternoon at work," Maya gave Siri a flying kiss and drove away.

(To be continued)

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