Khin Hnin Yu - About Men

My name is Ma Kyai Hmun, and my younger sister's name is Ma Kyai Yoon.

Our mother died when Ma Kyay Yoon was a minor. I had just gotten married, but I didn't take care of my younger sister. However, while my two sisters were watching, she got a degree and became a teacher at a university. Ma Kyay Yoon was no longer a teenager, but I always worried about her like a child.

My biggest flaw is my fear and hatred of men, even though I'm married.

One morning, he and I were walking along the streets of Bagan. That day, the streets of Bagan were green after the rain. The spring flowers, the yellow and pink flowers of the hyacinths, and the pink flowers of the hyacinths were washed away by the rain, and the streets of Bagan were painted with the same color of emerald.

Ma Kyay Yoon looked around the roadside.

“Ma Ma Hmoon is no longer as beautiful as the one in Saya U Thein Pe Myint’s robes on Bagan Street.”

I don't believe it, but I have just read the book "Saya O's Sorrow" written by Saya U Thein Pe Myint.

“Yes, when I wrote it, it was spring, so the flowers on Bagan Street were blooming in all their colors. So, when I added it with my pen, Bagan Street was brutally beautiful.”

“Well, it’s all green now, so it’s kind of beautiful,” he continued. After passing about three houses, we slowly approached Inya Saung.

In front of a house on the right, there is a large Chinese proverb tree. In front of the tree, an old woman is standing on the road, following us. Her hips are extremely wide, and her body is so fat that her belly skin seems to cover her waist.

Ma Kyamong giggled like a child.

"What's wrong with you, Ma Mong?"

“Oh... In your novel, the old man walks down this Bagan road. A young woman walks in front of him. In describing this, the author carefully depicts the beauty of the young woman walking in front. Her hips are round and round like a bowl, and when she walks, she feels like she is returning to her youth and is full of sensual pleasures.”

I read it as Ma Kyaw Mon said and I liked the way the teacher was thinking. However, I didn't understand why he was laughing.

"That's not funny.."

I said.

“Mama Hmoon said, ‘Look at the woman in front of us, compare her to the young woman in the story of the teacher’s story.’”

He laughed again without saying anything.

"I don't believe it... the baby is crying, I'll go and get her."

I whispered.

We reached the end of Bagan Road and turned right towards Inya.

“After reading that novel, I felt something different in my heart,” Ma Kyaw Mon continued.

"We treat older men who are older than us without any worries and are friendly. As you say, old people can be very emotional, so where can we be sure to treat them?"

He was a student of philosophy at university. I was a student of two historical sciences. So we had different perspectives when we talked. But here we were in agreement.

“Hey... Men are not as reliable as young men. In fact, they are like poisonous creatures. It is better to be careful when you treat them. When their poison is at its peak, it is dangerous for women. When we were in 10th grade, our principal always said, “In your era, the relationship between boys and girls has become more intimate, and we cannot force it like in the old days. So, if we treat people in accordance with the times, it is not important to treat young people intimately. We always said that we do not want them to be intimate with old people.”

Ma Kyayon saw it and thought about it. I continued.

"What the teacher said is true. Being an old man, you already understand women, and you already know how to handle a woman, so older men are more dangerous to our girls."

"Well... yes, it's beautiful, even if you're a young man with a limp and a limping leg. It's more painful for me to be married to an old man."

The mirror gave its own answer.

"Aye Kwe... I'm still not brave enough to trust men."

Ma Kyaw Mon laughed again. As we walked that morning, my two sisters were discussing men. I had originally thought that men were “servants of desire,” and we discussed them based on that view.

I don't know what Ma Kyi Yoon's attitude towards men is, but he gave me a conclusion.

"You don't care about Ma Ma Hmung very much. You're so cold. I can't imagine why Ma Ma Hmung hates men when she has such a family."

He said.

"I don't hate you, I'm just afraid," was all I replied.

***

About a week later, my mother's cousin, Daw Lay, came to our house. She had a full butt, like the kind of water-filled bank that writers like to draw. Her full butt was delightful on a long, slender figure. She had a slim waist and a wide chest, and she must have been very beautiful in her youth. Her eyebrows were thick like ours. But her skin was not as dark as ours. Her lips, under her high nose, were full and kissable when she was young.

I thought to myself that even though I was no longer a virgin, I was still beautiful at the age of 40.

My aunt said she wanted to see me. “If you are not a good person, please give me five hundred shillings.” She put the five hundred shillings in my hand. My aunt’s face was not happy. I know my aunt’s story. My aunt had a concubine before she turned 30. But now, 3-4 years later, my aunt has told me not to come to her house, so she has stopped coming in and out altogether.

In the past, my aunt used to prepare a big meal for my uncle and feed him properly, as if she didn't know that he had a concubine. She took care of him gently. We were young and didn't talk about our aunt. Since she broke up with my uncle, my aunt has been running her own sawmill. She has one son and two daughters.