Chapter 04

Mihindu woke up around 11.00 pm to a noise so loud. He must have fallen asleep while studying. The lantern light in his room was dim, weak, and it often hurt his eyes. He yawned and tried focusing on the book again. 

The noise wasn’t so foreign to Mihindu. That was the noise of his father coming home from the timber shop. He was screaming at Somalatha for hiding money. His father was throwing a fit and bulldozing the house searching for it. Mihindu’s mom kept screaming at him for wasting all the money on liquor. Mihindu hated these nights. He got into the bed and pulled a pillow over his ears, and buried his face in the thin old mattress. Don’t get him wrong for not being involved in this fight. He has tried many times in the past, and all it has done is make his father angrier. Jayalath hated Somalatha for taking Mihindu to her side, and her constant complaints about how he was going to chase Mihindu away from home someday. Mihindu knew it was useless to argue with drunkards, yet his heart was aching so much. 

Even though Jayalath got drunk almost every day, Mihindu respected his father against all odds. He has seen his father working beyond his pay at the timber shop, and he was often speechless at how strong his father is, even when his father’s physique is small and thin. Mihindu is even taller than his father, but does not have such willpower. He never took a day off from work and never missed paying for Mihindu’s classes. This behaviour and not knowing who his father really is have left Mihindu confused umpteen times. He tried understanding who his father is for years, but against all efforts, he had to settle for only what he shows, not what he suppresses. As a result, Mihindu tries his best in studying, as he does not want to be seen as a failure in the family, or perhaps because he doesn’t want to give his parents another reason to fight.

Somalatha always managed to hide some money in the hope of saving some. The house wasn’t even complete, and most of the roof was covered with coconut branches, which Somalatha had woven herself. She wanted to complete the roof at least and save the rest for Mihindu’s future. Mihindu often thought women were born to save men and save money. That was the constant struggle he saw every day. He wasn’t sure whether they were in love anymore. Everything seems to be working around money and convenience. He often blamed himself because he saw himself as the source of all these fights. Without his existence, their life would have been easier, and without him, they could have parted their ways without struggling in a loveless marriage. While trying to understand his mother’s screams and father’s drunkenness, he silently broke into tears and fell asleep on his heart.