Meanwhile, dawn couldn’t come soon enough for Silibiris. He wanted to slip out of the temple avoiding the watchful gaze of the abiththiya, to run around the parapet wall, to bang on Kanthi’s door and beg her forgiveness.
He spilled out of the booru anda as quiet as a temple mouse, tip toed out of the room so as to not awaken the snoring abiththiya.
Silibiris had doubts whether Kanthi would be up at 6am. Never mind he thought, he would loiter around the Pelihouse lane to catch Kanthi on her way to the communal water tap. He quickly got dressed in the work clothes, jumped the parapet wall near the Plantain Tree Grove instead of taking a risk of being seen by abiththiya or Lokuhamuduruwo.
Silibiris came down with a thud. A shadow squatting in the grove jumped up out of her naked ass skin.
“Kawda yako tho may hora balalek wage pansalay thaapen paninne?”
“Thota madana gaaya hadilada?”
“Gaaniyakeuta nidahasay renda wath denne nathi walaththayaek”
In the semi darkness Silibiris had not seen the middle aged woman sitting on the other side of the wall doing what they normally do when there was a long queue for the communal latrine.
He pretended he saw nothing, heard nothing and bolted away from her before she could raise the dead and the Pelihouse people with her shouts in filth.
Silibiris loitered around the communal tap keeping a safe distance from those Pelihouse men and women gathered around. He knew he could not hang around for too long without arousing suspicion. He noticed the tiny tea shop manned by a bleary eyed mudalali standing behind the boiler serving yards of tea. Silibiris sidled up to the tea maker ordering a plain tea. Silibiris kept on glancing impatiently down the alley way while sipping the hot plain tea. He could buy some time but he was also getting late for work.
Finally, Kanthi emerged from her Pelihouse door.
Silibiris put down the tumbler hurried towards Kanthi as she walked towards him swinging the metal pale to the rhythm of her dancing pleated hair.
Silibiris worked up the courage to smile, uncertainly.
Kanthi gave him a withering look.
“Ka.. ka kaanthi po… po poddak hitinawada” he stammered.
“Poddak hittinda? Mama mulu handaawema thamuse enakang bala hitiya madida?”
“Poddak innako mama kiyanakang”
“ Aney yanawa yanda. Aadambara kaaraya. Mawa amathaka krala pansalata ringagena thawath enawada kiywanda” she shouted.
A crowd gathered.
“Mokada nangi mokada, Kawda may buwa. Nangita karadarayakda?”
Vije’s battalion emerged from nowhere as if by magic. They always kept an eye on her on his behalf unbeknownst to her.
“ Mokada dor kellanta part daane. Umba dannawada may nangi kawda kiyala?” one lout grabbed Silibiris by the throat. Another came from behind flicking a knife in Silibiris face.
Kanthi hesitated. She realised things were getting out of hand. She didn’t mean to create a scene. She was just playing hard to get..
Silibiris struggled to free himself from the threatening louts. He realised this is no Ambarawa where everyone knew him and had some respect for him. He could come to serious harm here. Kanthi turned around to command the boys to let him go.
As she turned around, she saw the robed figure of Lokuhamuduruwo calmly standing behind the melee with his bowl, waiting to go past them, on his way collecting breakfast.
Even in her distress, Kanthi understood that this was highly unusual. She had not seen the Lokuhamuduruwo going about collecting his breakfast in the narrow lanes of Pelihouses for many years. All she could think of was to bend down and worship him.
The louts scattered as quickly as they appeared.
Lokuhamuduruwo gave Silibiris a knowing glance and walked on.
Silibiris hurried up the lane to the bus stop.
Kanthi just stood there in a daze, holding the galvanized metal bucket.
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