BIRTHDAY PRESENT

THE BIRTHDAY PRESENT





' I saw your wife at Nugegoda' Nimal said on a bright March evening during coffee break.

' Oh, probably she was doing some marketing  I told him

It was six months earlier. I was working at a Colombo office from 8  to  5 shift. My wife was not working and she did all all the marketing and household chores.



Month of July started with heavy rain. I used to travel to office by bus. It was on the 3rd ,if I remember correctly, Nimal told me again,

' George, is your wife working somewhere? '

' No, why? '

' I saw Anula in the afternoon when I was turning towards the highway'

' Then she must be seeing friends there'  I answered him.



But on my way home that evening I thought to myself.

This was the second day that Nimal told me that he had seen Anula at Nugegoda, where we had lived earlier, about six kilometers from where we were staying now.

But if she had gone out anywhere, surely she would have told me. What is it she was up to? When I went home she had greeted me normally, like any other day.



Soon, I forgot the incident.



On the 17th of July, the day of my son's birthday I called home in the  evening to inform her that I would be coming home a little late and my son answered .

' Yes, Daddy? '

' Where's mummy?'

' Sorry, she is gone out '

I looked again at my watch, which read 3.30 pm.

' Okay tell her that I called ' and I hung up the phone.

She may have forgotten to call me, I thought.



When I was getting ready to go home that evening I just happened to look at the calendar and noticed that all the three days, fell on a Friday. 5th of June, 3rd  of July and 17th of July all fell on a Friday when my wife had gone out without telling me.



Although I hailed from a Colombo family my wife came from a far away village, where English was a alien thing.My parents, both of them had been good English teachers and my wife never spoke a word in English but as she  was very keen on learning the language  I brought her books, tapes and cassettes ....



We had a party at home that night to celebrate my son's 5th birthday. I had a hunch that Anula was going to tell me where she had been that evening, but she had not.

Mainly because of the heavy schedule at the office I forgot the entire incident after that day and we lived our normal lives.





Came September 5th, the day of my birthday..Being a Saturday few of my friends came home for evening tea. In the middle of it my boss, Keith also came.

' Many happy returns, George' he said hugging me. Being a foreigner, he spoke only English.

' Thanks, chief  ' I said. and introduced my wife.

' Chief, meet my wife, Anula'

' Nice to meet you, young lady'

' Thank you Sir, you are most welcome' she said in English, to my surprise.

' Where is your wife, Sir, you should have brought her  to the party and why, George, did  you not invite her? ' she was speaking to Keith,on his own tongue!

I could not believe my eyes.

Anula was speaking good, very good English. Where in the world had she learn to speak like that? I wondered.



After the party I asked Anula,' Well, it was very nice of you to speak to my boss in English,but how did you teach yourself that? '

' Oh, Georgie, it was meant to be a present to you, on your birthday,a birthday present.' she looked innocently at me.

' You know George, for the last six months I have been studying English at a class at Nugegoda...........'