Short Story

Parwathy's love

by Davidson Goonetillake

My maternal uncle Richardson Bandara, an estate superintendent, was a well built handsome gentleman of middle age; My mother used to say that I resembled my uncle. As I was his most favourite nephew he wanted to make me an estate superintendent.

So I was invited to his estate to spend my vacations. To adapt me to estate environment he allowed me to play with Tamil boys and girls who became very fond of me, as I was a clever sportsman. His wife, Sammani auntie loved and treated me very well. As a result of this familiarity with Tamils I had developed a liking towards Tamil folk.

So, after my graduation with a training period of two years as an assistant superintendent, I was given an appointment as a superintendent of a tea estate at Bandarawela. Here, to do away with boredom and loneliness, I made it a habit to sit in the verandah of my bungalow sipping a hot cup of strong tea and look at women hurrying for the morning parade.

Rhythm

Amongst those women was a very beautiful girl of about twenty years. She was like an African princess with charming eyes. Her curly hair braided into two plaits was pouring down her back dancing according to the rhythm of her walk. She, while passing my bungalow smilingly, used to steal a charming look at me.

On inquiries I found that her name was Parwathy and she was my my cook woman's only daughter.

One evening I was preparing to go to the sports club I saw a huge cobra crawling under my bed. Asking my cook to call somebody to kill it, I hit her with a cricket ball. The cobra getting annoyed by my foolish act, jumped at me spreading its hood.

I jumped on to the bed and began to shield myself with a pillow, while the cobra went on stinging the pillow. Though a lot of people had gathered by then at the door none of them entered the room to do something about it.

All of a sudden Parwathy, pushing all the men aside, charged in and catching the cobra by its tail held it up so that the cobra could not reach her body or the hand to sting her. The cobra was hanging in mid-air helplessly like a long snakegourd while the girl went on swinging her up and down to make her body benumbed.

Seeing the poor girl in a precariously dangerous situation jumped out of the bed and asked her to hold tightly. I went on thrashing the swinging cobra's head several times.

When I felt that the cobra was dead I asked her to drop it down and jump aside. I after crushing the cobra's head looked for the girl to thank her for her heroic deed but she had vanished like a ghost. When I sent for Parwathy, she came with her mother, I offered her a cheque for Rs. 25,000 which she refused to accept. But when I stretched my hand she daringly took it with both hands and kissed it fondly bending her knees.

Abuse

As my mother had fallen ill I wanted a suitable woman to attend on her. When I asked my cook to find a suitable woman Parwathy volunteered to look after my mother. When I questioned her as to why she wished to leave her job and work in my bungalow she told me that as a lot of her wooers were trying to abuse her she decided to seek my protection. She also told me that her beauty had become a curse to her liberty. So, I entrusted Parwathy to Sammani auntie.

Whenever I went home she used to attend to me very fondly.

My mother got a heart attack and died in hospital. A few days after the funeral I was lying in bed buried in deep thoughts. Parwathy coming to my room with my evening tea awaited. As I did not look at her her said, "Sir, can I talk to you."

When I looked at her, she seeing my tearful eyes stood wordless.

"Parwathy, I know that you want to go home, please wait till tomorrow. I will take you home," I said.

"I do not want to go sir, what I want is to stay here under your protection", she said.

"Parwathy, are you going to stay here without getting married," I said.

"Yes Sir, I want to look after you as your servant and die here if you have no objection," she said.

"Parwathy do you know that I love you and I have decided to marry you," I said.

Relations

Parwathy with a pleading look said, "No Sir, I do not want you to marry me demeaning your status, losing your job and your relations. I was born poor and I am ready to die poor. I came to you to avoid my troublesome wooers as you are the only one I ever loved. So, I am ready to undergo any trouble on your behalf. I have no objection in keeping me as your servant, like your uncle did with Sammani auntie.

"Parwathy, my uncle died entrusting Sammani auntie to me. So, as promised I will look after her and when she dies I will bury her in our family cemetery. But I have nobody to entrust you and our children.

If I die without marrying you my relations will come and seize my properties and oust you like a vagrant. I do not want that to happen to my beloved wife," I said.

Hearing me Parwathy kneeling down at my feet and unable to control her emotions began to cry holding my legs for a while. Feeling pity for the poor girl I went on patting her back to console her.