Maung Tun Thu - The land that belongs to us

(1)

A few miles south of Soliderte, California, the Salinas River winds its way down a steep mountainside. Here, the water is deep and green. The water, which has been flowing over sand dunes that have been bathed in sunlight, is still warm by the time it reaches this point.

On the other side of the river, golden-hued mountains lined up one after another, running towards the massive Gabilan Mountains, which were covered with large rocky peaks. On the other side of the valley, the river flowed in a line parallel to the tall trees that lined the banks.

The branches and leaves of the willows and sycamores, which are usually green with new leaves every spring, bend and hang down to the ground. When the water rises in winter, the river often tears the old leaves from the branches that lean on it and carries them away with the current.

The old leaves that lay thickly on the sandy ground under the big trees were so dry that even a tortoise could make a loud cracking sound when it ran past. In the evening, rabbits would come out from between the bushes and sit on the sandy ground. The tracks of wild cats that usually come out to graze at night and the tracks of dogs from the nearby cattle farms mixed with the tracks of deer that usually come to drink water late at night, making a clear distinction on the damp ground.

There is a small footpath between the willows and the sycamore trees, which is often used by young people who come from the surrounding cattle farms to bathe in the river. Sometimes in the evenings, nomadic travelers come down the side of the highway with the intention of stopping for a while at the water's edge. At those times, this footpath is also used by travelers.

In one place, there was a very large water fig tree, and in front of the lowest branch that jutted out to the side, there was a large pile of ash. The pile of ash was the ash left over from the many fires that had been lit by the people who had camped here. The large fig branches had also been smoothed by the many people who had camped here, climbing and sitting on them many times.

On a hot afternoon, the wind blew through the leaves. The shadows moved up the hills, heading towards the summit. On the sandy beach by the river, the rabbits sat quietly, like carved stone figures.

At that moment, the sound of footsteps on the dry, crisp leaves came from the highway. The rabbits ran away without making a sound. A long-legged heron flapped its wings and flew towards the river. The area around it was lifeless and silent for a moment. Then two people walking along the sidewalk suddenly appeared on the green bank of the river.

As they walked along the sidewalk, they walked one behind the other. When they reached the wide, flat sandbank by the river, the man behind them did not come forward, but followed behind. Both were wearing cheap cotton trousers with brass buttons and cotton coats. Both wore large, inconspicuous black hats, and each carried a tightly rolled blanket over his shoulder.

The man in front of him was small and thin, with a dark complexion and restless eyes. His muscular features were clear and distinct. His small but strong hands, slender forearms, and prominent nose were clearly visible.

The man behind him was the complete opposite. He was a giant, with an extremely large body. His face was misshapen, his eyes were large and bulging. His chest was broad, but his shoulders were slightly sloping, and his gait was too slow and heavy for a man. His legs were dragging, like the gait of a giant bear. When he walked, he did not swing or shake his arms, but hung them at one side and walked motionlessly.

The man in front stopped abruptly as he reached the field. The man behind almost ran into the man in front. The man in front pulled his hat off his head and wiped the sweat from the chin strap with his finger.

His companion, the giant, had thrown off his cloak, thrown it on the ground, and was drinking the river water with great gusto. He was drinking like a horse, dipping its beak into the water and drinking. The little moth walked up to the giant with a carefree face.

"Hey, Lenny."

He called out sharply.

"Don't drink too much water."

Lenny ignored him and continued to drink the water. The little man leaned forward and grabbed the big man's shoulder.

“Here, Lenny, you were sick last night and it’s going to happen again.”

Lenny, without taking off his hat, dipped his whole head into the water. Then he sat up from his lying position. Drops of water from his hat fell on his blue coat and ran down his back.

"Very good," he muttered.

"You too, drink, George, drink your fill."

He smiled, seemingly satisfied.

George removed the blanket from his shoulders and gently dropped it to the ground.

"I don't know if the water is clean."

He muttered.

"It looks like it's going to be dirty."

Lenny dipped one of his big hands into the water and played with his fingers. The water bubbled up and rippled.

Then the waves rose in waves, rolling and rolling, running towards the other shore, and slowly returning. Lenny kept his eyes on the movement of the waves.

“Look, George, look what I did.”

George knelt down on the bank and drank the water with his hands.

"The taste is there," he said.

"But the water doesn't seem to be flowing here. You should never drink water that's stagnant in one place without flowing like this, Lenny."

He added in a disappointed tone.

"You're the kind of guy who would drink even rotten water from a roadside ditch if he were thirsty."

He scooped up some water and splashed it on his face. Then he ran his hand over his entire face, except for his chin and the freckles. Then he put his hat back on and stepped back from the riverbank, bending his knees and folding his arms.

Lennie, who had been watching George's movements, did exactly as George did. He stepped back from the bank. Then he bent his knees and crossed his arms. Then he looked at George, curious to see how he was sitting. He pulled his hat forward a little to hide his eyes from the front. He was imitating the way George wore his hat.

He was staring out at the river with a pale face. His eyelids were red from the sun.

"If only that old man, my father, was a good driver, we could drive to the village. You know, he said it wasn't too far from the main road, it was only a short walk, his short walk was four miles. This guy is nothing. He lied to us because he was too lazy to drive us to the farm gate. It wasn't too far from the main road. Well... I bet, now we'll have to walk no more than four miles. What's the point of walking in this hot weather?"

"He said angrily. Lenny looked at him with a timid face.

"Here... George"

“What?” “Where are we going?”

George pulled down the front of his hat and frowned at Lenny.

"You've forgotten again, haven't you? I'm going to have to tell you again, haven't I? God forbid. You're a drunkard."

"Yes, I forgot again," Lenny whispered.

“I tried not to forget, God willing, George, I really tried.”

“Aye... Aye, I’ll tell you again, I don’t have anything else to do, I’ll tell you all the time I have to tell you, you forget it, I’ll tell you again, you forget it, Ja-Aye will be like his mother.”

“I'm trying, I'm really trying,” Lenny said.

"But it's useless. I don't remember, I just forgot. I remember about the rabbits, George."

"You'll leave the rabbits alone, you remember, these are the only rabbits. Let's just say that, listen again, this time you didn't remember, if you did, we wouldn't get into trouble again... You and I went to the employment agency on Howard Street and looked at the big billboard, you remember that, don't you?"

A satisfied smile appeared on Lenny's face.

"Yes, I remember, George. Uh...uh...what were we doing back then? I remember the girls passing by, and then you said, "

"What I said back then doesn't matter, you idiot. Put that aside, you remember when Murray and I went to the job center together? They gave us our worker's ID cards and bus passes, remember that?"

"Ha... yes, that's right, I remember now," George Lenny's hands quickly went into the side pockets of his coat.

"Joe... I don't have my worker's ID card anymore. I think it's gone." He hung his head in disappointment.

"You didn't have any cards to begin with, you idiot. I kept both of our work cards. I trusted a fool like you and gave you your work ID card. Think about it for yourself . "

Lenny's face broke into a wide smile, as if he had become very relaxed.

"I... I... I thought I put it in my pocket." His hand went back into his shirt pocket.

George looked at Lennie's face intently. "What did you take out of your pocket?" "There's nothing in your pocket," Lennie replied, cleverly.

"I know there's nothing left in your pocket, the item is already in your hand, what is the item you're hiding in your hand?"

"Nothing, George... I'm telling the truth." "Stop trying to do it, give me this. What is it?"

Lenny moved the hand he was holding to the side so that it wouldn't be seen.

"A little mouse, George." "A mouse... yes, a mouse?"

"Oh... oh, is the rat alive? Yes... the rat is dead, George, I didn't kill it. To tell you the truth, I picked it up, and it's been dead since I picked it up."

“Give me this,” George demanded.

"Haha... don't do it, let me take it, George."

“Give me this.”

Lennie's clenched hand reached out to George. George grabbed the dead rat and threw it toward the bushes on the other bank.

"What do you want to keep this dead rat for?"

"I want to rub his ass with my thumb while we're walking."

Lenny said.

"When you go with me, you must not touch any mice with your hands. Do you hear me? Do you remember where we are going now?"

Lenny was startled. Then, looking very upset and confused, he buried his face in his knees.

"I forgot again." "Oh my God," George groaned in frustration.

"We both worked on a farm in the north, just as we worked on a farm now."

"Hey... like when we were doing it in the North, right?" "Yes... like when we were doing it in Wid City."

"Ha... yes, that's right, I remember, in Wid City."

“Now the farm we are going to is only two furlongs away from here. We will go to that farm and meet the owner of the farm. Now listen carefully to what I say. I will give the owner our work certificates. You are not allowed to say a word, you know. You have to stand by and not say a word. If the owner finds out that you are a big man, neither you nor I will get the job. But if he sees you working and finds out that you are a big man, then there is no problem. Don’t worry, we will be fine. Do you understand what I am saying?”

"Well... well, I understand, I understand, George."

"Okay then, now...let me ask you, what should you do when you go see the landlord?"

"I... I"

Lenny was thinking. His face was tense from the hard thought.

"I... I... I can't talk, I have to stand by."

"Aye... Yes, you're right... Just like that, say those words two or three times more, so you don't forget them again."

Lenny was mumbling as George had asked.

"I can't say anything, I can't say anything, I can't say anything"

"Okay... okay," George said.

"And you did something bad in Wid. You can't do that kind of thing again, you know?"

Lenny's face looked confused, unable to think of anything.

"It's like the work I did in Wid... right?"

"Oh dear... you've forgotten that again, haven't you? Then I won't tell you again until you remember. If you do, I'm afraid you idiot will do it again."

A look of understanding appeared on Lenny's face.

“They drove us out in Weed,” he shouted in a proud tone. “They drove us out, where did they come from?” George said in a voice of disgust.

"We were running away, they were chasing us, but they didn't catch us."

Lenny chuckled.

"I won't forget that, you bet?"

George lay down on the sand. He put his hands under his head. Lennie imitated what George did. Then he leaned his head back and looked at the difference between what George did and what he did.

"God...God...God, you're causing me so much trouble."

George groaned.

"It would be much more convenient for me if you didn't follow me around so closely. By now, I'd have a girlfriend."

Lenny was silent for a long time. Then, in a tone of great expectation,

“We have to go and work on a farm, George.”

He said.

"Aye...yes, you already know, but tonight I have something to do, so you'll have to sleep here."

The day was passing quickly. The sun had already retreated from the valley, and the light was only scattered on the peaks of the Gabilan Mountains. A water snake was swimming through the water with a thousand heads. Its head was like a telescope mounted on a submarine. The reeds were swaying gently with the current. From the highway in the distance, I heard a man shouting and another man shouting back. The branches and leaves of the water fig trees, which had been swaying and shaking with the wind, suddenly calmed down.

"Why haven't we gone to the farm yet, Jera... If we go to the farm, we'll have dinner, and there will be dinner at the farm."

George leaned to the side.

"It won't be any use to you. I just want to rest here for a while. We have to work tomorrow. When we came, we saw big wheat threshers being carried on the road. Do you know what that means? As soon as we arrive, we both have to carry sacks of wheat. That's why I'm resting here. I want to stay here for a night and rest."

Lenny got up from his bed, sat on his knees, and looked down at George.

"Then we won't be able to have dinner tonight."

"We have to eat. If you just pick up the dried willow bark, you'll definitely have dinner. I don't use the beans. You just light the fire. As soon as you have enough wood, I'll give you a match. You light the fire and roast the beans. Then we can have dinner."

"I swear I want to eat beans with tomato sauce," said Lenny.

"We don't have any tomato sauce, come on... Don't waste your time, go and collect firewood, the rain will stop soon."

Lennie stood up slowly and heavily and disappeared into the bushes. George lay there, hissing in his seat.