Kyi Aye - Eating Sticks Without a Joker and Other Short Stories

A coppersmith

Ko Khin Hlaing was also the same year as me at university. We had the same religion. We studied together for many years in the same class. But I don’t know if it was because he thought he was four or five years younger, or because his face always looked like a young man, but I couldn’t be friends with him as a peer. And his uncle, Ko Khin Maung Swe, was also a friend of my husband, and we were always older than Ko Khin Hlaing. I thought of Ko Khin Hlaing as my younger brother and lived in a row. He and his uncle were not very close. Therefore, Ko Khin Hlaing was not included in our community in any way.

I didn't notice that Ko Khin Hlaing had a B.Sc. degree, but I did know that he had an MSc. At that time, I was away from school and had already had a son. I heard that Ko Khin Hlaing had gone to the forest to study. Or maybe he was still working as a teacher at the school. I wasn't interested in him. But I remember his wedding ceremony well.

The girl who married Khin Hlaing was from Bago, beautiful, wealthy, and educated. As expected, the wedding was very grand. The bride and groom wore white and were admired. Khin Maung Swe’s wife, who was ignorant, objected to his wearing a black t-shirt. Then we spent the whole morning laughing, talking, eating, smoking, and making love. When we got home, we forgot about the wedding and the bride and groom, who had only been there because they were friends of ours who were not from our community.

I have a conversation with Khin Maung Swe about Khin Hlaing about once every three years. But it's not for long.

“I received a letter from Khin Hlaing.

I don't know what I was thinking,

"He wrote to me. Heh..heh."

Ko Khin Maung Swe laughed for no reason. Or maybe he laughed for a reason. Maybe he was embarrassed to tell his brother about the letter.

“Where is Khin Hlaing now?” my husband asked in a whisper.

"They are in Putao"

"What are you doing?"

"You joined the army, didn't you know?"

"Hey, it would be nice if you could visit Puta O. While he's still here...

"Then we had never been to Kachin State."

It got to the point where I was like, how beautiful Ngapali is, and how much I really love Shan State.

I'll talk about Khin Hlaing another time.

He has returned to Yangon. He has left the army. They have no children.

On our 10th wedding anniversary, Ko Khin Maung Swe and I were moving. We couldn't take them to the airport. They couldn't come home either.

“We'll come visit later. Taungoo is close by. If you drive early in the morning, you'll arrive before lunch. Aye... I'm sorry I didn't get a thousand baht from your pocket today,” my brother said.

“Aung Ma... you're talking backwards again. You're the one who saved money. Remember? I bought Mi Cho a ruby ​​bracelet with the money I could afford.

"That's where you get the most money," said Ko Khin Maung Swe.

I laughed at their two friends and started to organize the house.

It was a sad day when Ko Khin Maung Swe was not there. The annual card game was as lively as usual, but if you win one round, you will be able to cry out in joy even if you lose ten rounds. I think even Ko Khin Maung Swe is not as happy as he should be.

“Sir... I think it’s time for tea. My stomach is empty after hearing my people shouting. Make some black tea, some curd, and some dry cake. Make two kinds of tea. I want a sweet salad, and a salad with chili and lemongrass,” my husband insisted.

"We're out of cigarettes here, and we're done smoking," a voice called from the far end of the living room.

I was also busy with food, refilling cigarettes, and more. I had to empty the ashtrays that were still dripping. When I was hosting, I had to give a word of encouragement if I came near a loser. When I came near a winner, I felt very happy. And then I remembered a story I had heard when I was young.

My mother used to tell me a story. Long ago, there were two children. When they were playing a game of darts, the one who threw the darts saying Namo Buddha Daya always won. The boy who lost also got discouraged and threw the darts saying Namo Buddha Daya again, and he won. So I asked her, "Mom, if two people are playing a game, one of them must lose." How can you make it so that both of them win?

After feeding and cleaning up the card-playing guests, I was quite tired. It was time for the children to sleep, so I could rest. I left the little girls alone for a while. It wasn't appropriate to go upstairs, and there must be a card game in the study. Uncle Myint and the adults were there, so it wasn't noisy. If they played cards, they could even take a nap after their turn.

They play 13-card poker, so I can relax in the quiet reading room for a while, so I'm still getting a little excited...

"Twenty-one, sir," she turned to look at her husband's enthusiastic voice, and someone immediately replied, "He's dead."

"I'm the only one who died," he repeated.

The speaker was unexpectedly Khin Hlaing.

*

*

Then spring came and invitations were being handed out on platters. There was no time to rest on Saturdays and Sundays. There was no time to eat dinner at home. I often arrived home after midnight, and my children often complained. I also had to go home at dawn. I think I had reached the busiest age in my life. Our thirties

When I was almost forty, my marriage was in trouble. I had to raise my own children and grandchildren, bury my own parents, and face divorce.

If we can negotiate, we can negotiate, but if we can't, we can just turn our backs. It means that we are no longer separated from the circle of friends.

The money in the game of cards comes and goes, so I'm not interested in winning or losing money, but the faces in the game of cards are interesting. The only ones I can't stop staring at are Khin Hlaing and others.

When I said "Ko Khin Hlaing", his wife was very angry. I now remembered Ko Khin Hlaing as my age. His face was not only dark, but also had many wrinkles. I could not find any trace of the youthfulness that I thought would never disappear. His speech and demeanor had also become harsh. I hoped that the original good father and son spirit was still there. He did not lie at the card game. He played with great determination. He was loud. When he lost, he would tear up the card deck and forcefully pay the card game. He usually paid the card debt first. Even if the whole game was over and he was winning, he would still want to play. He would divide the money and play again. He would play without hesitation even if there were big bets.

“Khin Hlaing is really good at playing cards.

Is this guy changing drastically?

"I'm sorry," Ko Khin Maung Swe said once over the phone from Taungoo.

Everyone felt sorry for Khin Hlaing in his death.

Ko Khin Hlaing has one leg amputated. It's not a very unusual thing for a person to be born with a good mother but end up with a leg amputated, but it's something that's only seen in novels and movies, and I've never seen it in the real world.

I couldn't believe it when I first saw it. I don't remember if my leg was broken or not when we came to the housewarming party. Maybe I didn't look carefully enough.

In fact, I haven't even looked closely at his feet yet.

"There are people who can't sit cross-legged. Let's do it with chairs and tables," he would say with a laugh that wasn't exactly happy, and if he were to join in, he would arrange chairs around the table.

I also heard a not-so-subtle remark, "It sure looks like the original is broken."

If he were to sit in a chair and play cards, his legs would be in the shadows under the table, so it wouldn't seem like he was physically disabled. He would lean to the right and use his right hand to

I think it's the right leg because it's supported.

At the party, I usually sit facing him. Kyu Kyu and I

We would greet each other across the table, and my husband and Khin Hlaing would talk to each other. We became not only the same age, but also new friends. Khin Hlaing and I didn't talk about the fact that we were in the same class at school. We didn't even mention Khin Maung Swe.

I also noticed that Ko Khin Hlaing always lost at cards. His wife, Kyu Kyu, usually won a little. Kyu Kyu was not as good as Ko Khin Hlaing, and she was not as good at playing cards. However, Ko Khin Hlaing was so good at playing cards that he could not control it at any time and would win the whole round. At that time, I saw the young and handsome Ko Khin Hlaing I had seen at university. I felt sorry for him. At that time, he immediately reached out and grabbed his crutch for no reason, as if remembering his leg. If Kyu Kyu took it, he would ask for it. At that time, my husband looked at him with angry eyes, turned to me, and said something inaudible.

When I got home, I would ask myself, "Why did he do this?"

"Tell me why he did this," I replied, unable to believe my words.

"It's none of his business that this happens."

"This is because the broken leg is not my leg."

“Cool, of course.

I'm not saying this because I think I'm brave.

I've seen you a few times too.

I'm young and I can't stay in bed, what would I do if I became infertile?

But I think if you can still sit at the table, you can still sit at the workplace.

"And I don't think there are so many people who are so quick to think about crutches when they're happy."

"Isn't he working?"

“I won’t.”

"Kyu Kyu works at an embassy."

"But I'm just playing around with the three or four thousand cards," he said.

I am miserable.

"I feel sorry for Kyu Kyu"

"Yes, brother, the girl is very thin."

"My courage is very good. No matter how much I lose, I don't lose face."

"Kyu Kyu took Khin Hlaing after his parents abandoned him."

His father was a school teacher but also a Christian preacher.

Very religious.

My father abandoned Khin Hlaing.

"He said he wouldn't go see his daughter even if he died."

"You don't know, sir. I don't think it's because we're having a big wedding."

"Kyukyu's father gave me a lump sum inheritance for the wedding. I can have a wedding with that money. Now, the boy is playing cards and it's all over."

I have decided to bring Khin Hlaing and his wife closer together.

You should invite them to eat first.

*

*

*

Even if most readers don't know how to play cards, they probably know how to drink alcohol.

Because even so, there are people who are happy in their lives. Card players, like drinking partners, can become friends for a short time. Money is also a source of faith. They love each other so much that they cannot stop seeing each other. His wife, his wife, his husband, his husband, etc.

There are times when we are too close and act in a dirty way, and we even see the gossip that has already been said. In such cases, one or two gentle people can still maintain it with a polite smile.

We quickly became close to Ko Khin Hlaing and his wife. Then we learned more about Kyu Kyu. Kyu Kyu was not as mature as he was,

That's why he was tired, but he was not easily discouraged and remained honest and upright. Everyone knows that Kyu Kyu supported the heart of Ko Khin Hlaing, who was easily called a loser. However, my brother and I often said that only Ko Khin Hlaing could continue to stand, even if his legs were broken or broken. Ko Khin Hlaing had become a very irritable, easily angry, resentful, and bitter young man, so we suddenly