One-upmanship Short story

By Vijaya Jayasuriya (The Island)

The Perera couple were verily on tenterhooks for the past few days as their son living abroad had announced his arrival home with his fiancée. Though it looked odd for a girl to visit her future partner’s home prior to a visit by her parents, all those customs were already sunk in the new expatriate culture and the huge material wealth it entailed.

‘She appears to be some girl’ Prema told her husband with a little sarcasm too in her tone. ‘How dare she propose such a visit to Raja?"

‘Girls are like that now-a-days. We should not be upset by such behaviour.’ Kumara, rejoined trying to assuage his wife’s discomfiture.

‘How ridiculous I’ Prema exclaimed heedless of Kumara’s pacifying words. ‘In olden days it was the man’s side who go to visit the girl’s house to see if they are suitable. See how it is now.’

Kumara let sometime pass and rejoined with equanimity: ‘Times have changed, no. The world is different now from what you and I used to know.. so let her come and see for herself.. we are by no means second to them.. no.’

Prema fell into some reverie and then changed her mood from depreviation to reconciliation. ‘She must be this forceful because of the big salary she is getting. One lakh no..’ and also added after a little pause: ‘The pantry and the floor-tiling has to be done quickly. Any ordinary house has them now.’

‘That’s OK. They will come and start’ work tomorrow. They promised to finish it within a week’. Kumara assured his wife about the small contract he had given to a team of masons for the renovation work.

‘Yes.. yes.. we must not be second to them in any thing’. Prema retorted with a firm determination.

‘How come.. we are not in any way second to them.. I was a director and he is just a businessman..’ Kumara stressed his professional capacity against the girl’s father.

‘But don’t say you are only a director.. say that you were a secretary as well.. you acted as one for several months.. no..’ Prema was insistent on putting down their foot on the levels of status between the two families.

However Kumara was reluctant to agree with her on that point, being an ingenuous guy.

‘No.. no.. that’s not done. They will find the truth some day and I don’t want to be an imposter. They will know in time to come my capacity and all that. After all I was just the co-coordinating secretary to my boss.’

‘The real problem will be our car. This old jalopy..’ Prema mooted the hardest point in the discussion.

Kumara turned his head towards his old Volkswagen car under the portico gleaming in the morning rays of the sun filtered through the foliage in the compound. He has been the proud owner of it for twenty years now after spending a fortune to bring it back to its present mint condition.

‘Don’t say that.. It’s a car with a lot of reputation and many rich people use them..’ Kumara argued in defence of his pet car.

‘But.. but they keep them as a second or even a third car. People with status now have brand new big cars. Even Nisha’s father will have such new cars. They will some day come here in one of them..’ Prema’s case was an insurmountable one for Kumara.

‘Let them come. I don’t mind. After all what else can we do with my poor pension. We can’t buy a new car even with our savings..’

***

The work on the new pantry and the floor-tiling were completed just before the arrival of their son with his girl friend and the night before he called his home.

‘How is the work going on amma... is everything OK?’

‘Yes, putha.. nearly so.. another two days and everything will be OK..’

‘That’s fine, amma.. please get it done properly.. you know I can’t let her down.. no..’

"But anyway don’t take anything seriously, Raja.. why should we after all..? If she likes you..’ Prema could not complete her statement before he broke in.

‘No.. amma she is a good girl. Her only weakness is that she is a bit worried about our family status. Her father is a leading businessman and the elder brother is a doctor in UK. That’s why I must not let her down.’

Prema could discern that her son’s words were true as she kept watching closely the reactions of her future daughter-in-law when the twosome visited them the following week. They came by a car driven by her, and it was a brand new limousine belonging to her father. Getting off the vehicle her eyes caught sight of the little old car in the portico and taking in its details her inquisitive eyes shifted elsewhere in a flash. Yet the disapproving look on her face caused by this first impression did not disappear through she managed to utter a few words with an almost forced smile as well.

‘Hello auntie.. Nice to see you’

She then cast a scouring glance all over the garden and the modest single-storyed house before returning to its unassuming owners. Prema kept a close look at her surreptitiously throughout their stay and noticed an invariably critical expression in the girl’s eyes in spite of her pretty looks.

‘You were a graduate teacher.. no ..auntie?’ a query bordering on a critique.

‘No.. my dear.. my husband is a graduate. Being a trained teacher more advantageous.. you know..’ Prema’s defence line opened.

‘How come?’

‘Because a trained teacher is a better teacher professionally as she is better trained than a graduate who is superior in only subject knowledge’

The girl looked away as if crest-fallen and then came out with another explanation.

‘But they are better paid, aren’t they?’

‘Yes, that’s true.. but money is not everything no.. job satisfaction is what’s more important..’

The rest of the chat went on unobtrusively as the girl appeared to yield to Prema’s volubility, and the lunch was served by her now in a triumphant mood.

‘I don’t know whether you like Sri Lankan ice-cream’ Prema uttered a wisecrack in the guise of making an enquiry while serving the dessert which the girl simply brushed aside without taking it seriously.

‘Not much different from what we eat... isn’t that so Raja?’

The rest of the afternoon was spent without any bitterness except for a somewhat gloomy look on the girl’s face.

‘Don’t know whether she will change her mind after he attitude’ Raja lamented later on.

‘Who cares..’ Prema retorted with little sympathy for the young ones.

***

As arranged beforehand, Raja took his parents to the girls’ house one day in their own car. Prema was apprehensive as Kumara stopped the car under a tree in the compound while her eyes widened watching the huge mansion. A middle-aged couple were waiting on the doorstep and no sooner had the car pulled up than the man ran to them with a broad smile too on his face.

‘Take it to the portico.. I kept it open for you putting my ones in the garage!’

Kumara took a quick glance at thee two new cars in the garage and nodded his acquiescence with a smile on his face too as he manoeuvred the little car into the portico.

‘What a beauty!’ the host started admiring the little car while shaking hands with Kumara.

‘I’m Gamini.. I too love this car and want to buy one myself..’

I can help you get one.. I am in the owners’ club..’ Kumara rejoined as they walked towards the house, Gamini even walking a few steps backwards with his eyes glued on the car, while Raja raised his arm to wave back to Nisha who was waving at them from the balcony with a broad smile on her face.