—Blooming in the Thorns.-[1]

 —Blooming in the Thorns.-[1]

     At that time, Samarasinghe Sir’s house was surrounded by many trees laden with fruits. As a result, early in the morning, the sunlight filtering through the leaves cast long, beautiful patterns across the entire courtyard. And every morning, Ramani, Samarasinghe Sir's only sister Gunawathie's daughter, would draw circles around those shadows with her big toe.

      That particular day was unusual, as a large number of people were constantly passing by on the street in front of Sir's house since morning. They were all heading towards the house, but instead of coming from the front, they were approaching from the back. There were many women among them, and some people were already on their way back.

     Samarasinghe Sir's one-year-old daughter, Geeta, possessed an extraordinary memory and intelligence. She kept coming to the threshold again and again to watch them.

Gradually, evening began to fall. After lingering at the doorstep for a short while, she went back inside the house.

      That day, the stove in their kitchen remained unlit. This was because Gunawathie’s husband, Piyasena—whom Geeta called 'Giant Uncle'—had built an exceptionally large room right next to the kitchen to accommodate all the work. 

      Geeta's mother, Kusumalata, had told her that the room was called the 'storeroom'. When Geeta went inside, she found that there were many aunties gathered there too, all busy with their work. And they were all hard at work. Geeta's grandmother, Matilda, was assigning them their respective tasks, while Giant Uncle Piyasena was busy working alongside them as well.

      "...Kamala, put these chillies out in the sun."

      "...Carolis, come here. Take all these chairs to the front."

       "And Piyasena, have you had your tea? If not, have some tea first. After that, chop up this firewood."

       Athirasa is a traditional Sri Lankan sweet made from rice flour and treacle. At that moment, their neighbor, Jeelin, was getting ready to fry the sweets when Geeta's grandmother, Matilda, called out to her,

       "Hey Jeelin! Start frying the Athirasa now, otherwise it will be nightfall.'

      Just then, one of the women said,    

     "Sister Matilda, the coconut oil has run out."

    "Wait a moment. I'll bring it right away," Matilda replied.

     Nearby, two women were preparing flour for the sweets. They were pounding wet rice with two long pestles in a big mortar. Pounding in a fantastic rhythm, they created a steady "Thud-clack, Thud-clack, Thud-clack" across the room. One of them was thin, and the other was plump. The slim one wore a very attractive printed skirt that swayed back and forth with her movements, like an amazing, rhythmic dance. Without even realizing it, Geeta's eyes were drawn to the scene. The slender woman was pounding the wet rice beautifully and gracefully.

       Nearby, two other women sat on traditional coconut scrapers, busy grating coconuts.

"Krass—krass, Krass—krass, Krass—krass, Krass—krass…"

     As little Geeta watched them, she saw that with every stroke of their hands, their heads bobbed up and down in a steady rhythm. Their long, dangling earrings danced along with their movements.

     Geeta saw that there was also a sweet, tiny granny sitting inside the storeroom. She was dressed in a traditional blouse and chintz cloth. Her chintz cloth was very impressive, as it was completely covered in a print of large red and yellow flowers. Not only that, but the sleeves of her blouse were very large and puffed. Although the granny was very tiny, her hair was incredibly long, which she had twisted into a massive bun and secured firmly with numerous hairpins. A beautiful flower was tucked into her hair bun. Her head was full of hairpins, her hands were adorned with bangles of various colors, and every single finger was covered in rings. Her voice was very high-pitched, sounding just like the sweet chirp of a small bird.

      Matilda  gave her nothing to do, which was why both of them were a little afraid of each other. At that time, Geeta felt that she is the 'Tiny Granny', because she heard that everyone in the storeroom was calling her 'Tiny Sister'.    

       Matilda did not let her do any work, as both of them were a little afraid of each other. While Geeta stood there watching her, completely lost in thought, her uncle Milton suddenly walked into the storeroom. He looked at the tiny woman playfully and said,

     "Tiny sis, did you hear?"

    "Yes, Milton... it's going to rain cats and dogs, isn't it?"

    Tiny woman replied in her whistling voice.

      "If a fierce storm comes with crashing thunder, we can just throw you straight out of the house without any fear... because every single inch of your body is covered in metal hairpins, bangles, and rings! Ha! Ha! Ha!" Milton laughed.

     "Oh Milton… you really are something...  Every time you see me, you just start talking nonsense!"

    The tiny woman replied in her familiar, melodic, whistling voice.

       On that day, the tiny woman’s husband, Nepo Singho, had also come to Samarasinghe Sir's house. Meanwhile, Nepo Singho and Samarasinghe Sir were talking to each other in the living room while Geeta's mother, Kusumalata, was working in the storeroom. Matilda said to her, 

       "Honey... Hey, honey!.. Clean this baby up and feed her something... But before that, serve some tea to our son and Nepo Singho."

       "A little while later, Kusumalata walked into the living room carrying a tray of tea, and Geeta followed closely behind her. In the living room, Nepo Singho was talking with Samarasinghe Sir. Little one-year-old Geeta had never seen an old man like Nepo Singho before. His voice, head, and hands were trembling. He was chewing on something, constantly spitting it out. Kusumalata placed the tray on the stool and went back.

Because his hands were trembling, Nepo Singho couldn't hold anything for more than a few moments—which was exactly why he gulped down his tea. 

      A little while later, Kusumalata came back to call Geeta. Just then, Nepo Singho picked up a large, dark brown piece of tobacco from the quid plate and started chewing it. Being a little girl, Geeta had no idea what tobacco actually was. But seeing that, Kusumalata's stomach turned, and she started gagging uncontrollably.

    "Ohhh-wek... hoack... ugh!"

      She retched, rushing out of the room. Samarasinghe Sir scolded her severely, and seeing this made Geeta feel so sorry for her mother.

     Darkness began to blanket the house as everyone prepared to leave. Geeta watched as Tiny Granny also went back home with her husband, Grandpa Nepo Singho. Geeta felt a deep sadness, a quiet ache at parting from Tiny Granny.

[To be continued...]