Ambayaluwo Chapter two

 

Sunil Was ten years old and younger tio Nimal by one year Nimal was so strong tht he could have beaten up Sunil. But Nimal did not beat him. Therefore Sunil felt sorry. With down cast eyes and ull of thought he went away along the road.

How bad it was for him to have kicked Nimal. Nimal did not even speak. How cruel was Sunil not to have taken the piece of mango. Sunil felt shy. The pther thing is to whom did the mango belong? Sunil might have seen it earlier. Whoever saw it first, doesn't the mango belong to the person who picked it up?

The clock at the Moratu kade, near the bridge, struck two. Sunil stood there and looked back. Still the clique of boys did not come. The boys were students of the fifth standard at the Nelumpura Gemunu Vidyalaya. They lived in the same cluster of houses in the village In the morning Sunil went in the car with his father. When school closed at one thirty in the afternoon it was his habit to join the other childern and go home together walking. However when they come up to a distance from where they could see the mango tree they run and pick mangoes.

Almost every day it was Nimal who ran and got under the mango tree first. It was mostly for this that Sunil got angry with Nimal. But what a cruel thing Sunil did! He was unable to pardon himself for doing this.

"Patience begets relie" was written on a school plaque which Sunil remembered. He realized the truth of it that day without any effort. Mimal will of course, like the otherer boys, sit under the mango tree for a little while and come. Just like the other boys he'll be crying out" O squirrel, O squirrel give us a mango to eat" at this time. As a reward for his ptience Nimal should have received immediate relif, But Sunil on the other hand decided not to do that kind of thing ever again. 

Hard he hurt Nimal? Had he sprained his arm? Had mango juice soiled his clothes?

Sunil who saw the clique of boys coming at a disance resumed his journey.

One the sleeve of Sunil's crumpled white shirt there was patch of mud. The blue pair of short too was dirty. Since it was Friday it did not matter; because of Monday he would wear a new suit. The black pair of shoes was covered with dust. Sunil saw this and standing on one leg he wiped his shoes with the Grey socks. His slightly curly hair which was parted on the leftwas a little dishevelled. His broad forehead was smeared with sweat mixed with dust. And as a reason of the warmth of the sun and the effect of the quarrel his slightly dark cheeks looked flushed and bright. Since his mouth had strck Nimal's knee his upper lip too was slightly swollen. As a reason of ll this Sunil's mischivous appearance showed itself more prominently than his good looks.

It was Sunil who had good clean clothes than all the others in the group. He did not wear any suit for more than two days.That may be the reason why the other boys treated him with particular esteem. The lady teacher had a faint fonndness for him. This made him worried at times. He also felt shy. He thought how good it would be if he also could be like the other boys. Yet he sometimes took pride in being treated with a particular regard by the other boys.

Whatever it was how crude was the manner in which Sunil behaved under the mango tree. If Nimal too treated him in this manner what would he have done?

Nimal wore only a pair of rown canvas sheoes. After the quarrel Sunil saw that one of Nimal's shoes was smeared with cow dung. What a pity! Sunil heard Nimal saying once that he has only three pairs of blue shorts and three khaki shirts. They were worn after being mostly hand washed at home. As a result of the quarrel Nimal's shirt would have become dirty. That was he going to wear on Monday? Of course twoards the end of last month Sunil's father had brought home sis suits stitched on on occasion.

If Nimal had hit him at least one blow he wold not have been hurt so much. Was Nimal a coward? It connot be. He remembered one day that a boy in the sixth stanbdard was given a good beating. Yet why did not Nimal sepak a word against sunil who kicked him?

Paddy fields on either side of the rad were ripe. Sunil bent dwon toards the field and plucked an ear of paddy. He bit off baddy grains one by one and ate them after removing the husks as he went along. It ma be that since the sun was not so bright paddy birds in flocks flew hither and thither early. A parrot too flew towards the clearing adjoining the paddy fields carrying an ear of paddy. The tin hat of the scarecrow in the centre of the paddy field shone in the sunlight.

Sunil left the stretches of paddy fields and walked close to the stone quarry.

" Sudu Appo, alone today?" asked the quarry man taking his straw hat in his hand. He was a sturdy man wearing a pair of native shorts. HJe placed the hammer on the ground and stood erect. The bare upper part of his body was bathed in sweat. He curved his right forefinger and wiped the sweat off his heavily scarred broad forehead. Sunil had seen him standin in his courtyard several times; not in this dress but in a sarong and gauze banian. Theerefore he was not able to recognize him at once.

Sunil smiled at him packing up a stone threw it into the stream below. A rabbit which was on the bank of the stream being frightened at the noise scuttled off wildly through the scrub jungle.

"Where is our boy, Sudu Appo?"

"Who is it?"

"Nimal"

"There he is coming"

"Why didn't he come alsong with you Sudu Appo?"

"Nimal has ot angry with me" said Sunil picking another tone and throwing it in to the stream. 

Presently Nimal emerged from the cure of the quarry alone. The other boys had turned at the junction ner the bridge and taken the other road. Sunil and Nimal came as far as the stone quarry Nimal walks down from the quarry. From there onwards Sunil goes alone.

The quarry man broke off a stick from a nearby Hinguru bush. "Why didn't you come with Sudu Appo?" asked the quarry man from Nimal in a stern voice raising the stick. Nimal looked into the distance without talking. " Have you got pittu in your mouth?" yelled out the quarry man. He hit him once and said.

"Heven't I told you to come with Sudu Appo?" and raised his stick again. sunil rushed in and held the stick which was in the quarry man's hand.

''Don't hit Nimal" said Sunil. The quarry man's face lit up with an unusual smile.

"Becase of Appo I have tolerted you today, if not I would have skinned you '' he said by way of rebuke and therw the stick away. "Appo loves you so much, why can't you come with him because he comes alsone. Run home, have your meals and come with your sister to break stones" said the quarry man. Nimal walked down from a spot close to the quarry and disappeared.

"Can Sudu Appo walk this distance alone?" asked the quarry man.

"Yes"

:Otherwise am I also to come?"

"Don't said Sunil and walked away thoughtfully.