Maung Tun Thu - Moravian Short Stories

Thoroughly

I can't understand what Agnes did. Why did she leave like this? If she's not happy with me, it would be good for her to tell me the truth. I'm not a perfect person. It's reasonable. If she doesn't like it or doesn't like it, she should tell me. If that's the case, we can discuss it and make adjustments.

Why did he leave? I have been trying to answer this question for a long time. In the two years since we got married, he and I have not had any serious arguments. He has been living peacefully. He has been living at home like a housewife, which is hard to imagine. It has been six months since he left home. I still cannot figure out why he left.

That morning, I went shopping at the local market as usual. I'm not the kind of person who is satisfied with buying things myself, whether it's to cook at home or not. I'm the kind of person who thinks about what's good to eat and what's good to cook, and I'm satisfied with buying things myself. I think it's fun to haggle, haggle, argue, choose, and fight with the vendors in the market.

That day I was walking around the market. I spent a lot of time trying to find the right curtains for the dining room. When I finally got home, it was already twenty minutes past eleven. I went into the dining room. I wanted to compare the colors of the curtains I had bought and the curtains I had installed in the dining room. When I got inside, I saw ink stains on the tablecloth of the dining room table. I also saw an inkwell and a pen on it. I also saw a letter.

I immediately noticed the ink stains. “How could I be so careless?” I thought. I immediately grabbed the ink pot and the pen and put them back in their places. Then I went straight to the kitchen. I put the groceries away and got ready to cook. After a while, I remembered the letter on the table. I went back to the dining room and looked at the letter and saw that it was written “Alfredo” on the envelope.

I took the letter and opened it. It said, “I have done some work at home. You cook lunch for me. You know how to cook. I went back to my mother.” What was the meaning of the letter? I didn’t understand. I read the letter again. Why did she go? Why did she go? I couldn’t think. How could Agnes have the idea to leave after two years of marriage? The letter didn’t explain it clearly. As soon as it became cloudy in my head, I went outside. .

Agnes didn't tell me in advance that she was going. In fact, she should have told me calmly before going. The letter she wrote was also unclear. It's hard to think about. Is there something she's unhappy with? Is it because I think she's been unfaithful to him? I'm very clear on that matter. I'm not a womanizer. I had an affair before I married him. But since I married him, I've forgotten about it. It's been a long time since I got married.

Is he leaving because he is short of money? That is impossible. If he wants something, I buy it myself. If he needs something, I don't hesitate. I give it to him immediately. So, is it because he is not comfortable living with me? That is impossible. I let him be comfortable. I show him movies twice a week. I go out to dinner twice a week. If he likes food, I have plenty of it at home. I keep newspapers and magazines that he likes at home.

When winter comes, I go to the new operas. When summer comes, Marino and I go on vacation to my father's house. So why can't she wear what she wants? Well, in that case, Agnes has a perfect life, so I can't say anything. Whether she needs a bra, socks, a handkerchief, whatever she wants to wear, I buy it for her right away. She goes and chooses the color herself. If she wants a new dress, I give it to her as she pleases. Whatever it is. She can't say, "I don't have a hat anymore, I don't have a dress anymore." If she does, I'm not a lazy person, I'll say, "Come on, let's go to the store and buy it" and buy it for her.

There's one thing. Agnes doesn't seem to be very particular about clothes. After about a year of being with me, I don't seem to know what she has or what she needs anymore. I keep reminding her from a distance. But whenever I remind her, she always says she bought them last year and doesn't need them anymore. Finally, I think Agnes doesn't seem to be as greedy about clothes as other women.

If so, this issue doesn't seem to be related to money. It doesn't have to be a matter of the heart. If so, "is it a conflict of interest?" That's hard to say. He and I have been married for two years. We have never had a fight. Agnes has never opposed me. He doesn't even talk to me, sometimes we go out to eat at a restaurant in the evening. At such times, I am the one who speaks. He doesn't even open his mouth. I am a different kind of person. I really like talking. I also like listening to myself talk.

My way of speaking is calm. It is coherent and smooth. I speak in a reasonable manner. I am also balanced. I break a topic down into parts so that the other person can understand it. That is why I never get tired of talking. I speak with great interest. Agnes also listens quietly when I speak. She seems interested. But once, while I was explaining how an electric heater works, Agnes fell asleep. I woke her up when I heard her snoring. “What made you fall asleep? Is it because I am boring?” she replied excitedly. “No, no, I didn’t sleep well last night.”

Normally, husbands are busy with their jobs and shops. They go out and do business. They don't spend much time with their wives. I'm not like that. I'm always with Agnes. I'm even with her when she's cooking. I'm also a big fan of cooking. I often wear a kilt and cook with her.

Peeling potatoes. Chopping beans. Preparing food. Watching the pot. Frying whatever was ready. When all that help and work became too much, she would often say, “Okay, you do it yourself. I have a headache and I want to lie down for a while,” and then leave the kitchen.

After that, cooking became my responsibility. Sometimes I would put a recipe book aside and try new dishes. No matter how good I cooked, Agnes couldn't eat much. In the end, she would only eat a small portion of food and then finish it. Once, she said something to me in a joking manner. "It was wrong to be born a man, it was good to be born a woman."

Thinking about it, I have to admit that he is right. Because what I do is not only cook. I wash clothes. I iron. I mend torn shirts. Sometimes, when I have time, I sew lace flowers on handkerchiefs. As for the fact that I never leave his side, it is the same. When his female friends come to visit him, when he visits his mother, I don't leave his side.

One day, I don't know what idea came into his head. He said he wanted to learn English. I didn't want to leave him, so I joined him in an English speaking class.

My character is funny. Once, he and I were eating in a restaurant and he came up to me and whispered, “I want to have sex.” I followed him to the bathroom. When I got to the bathroom, the doorman grabbed me. “Men are not allowed in the women’s bathroom,” he said.

When I thought about these things, Agnes really shouldn't have left me. Why did she leave? While I was thinking about it, I arrived at my father's shop. My father was not very old. His hair was dark, his beard was dark, and he was still handsome. My father was very gentle when he spoke. His manners were also polite.

When I arrived, it was as usual. My father was sitting at the table, counting the bills. I said, “Father, Agnes has left me.” My father looked up at me. “I’m not sorry, how are you?” he asked.

I told him everything that happened in detail. When I finished, I said, "There's only one thing I want to know: what made him leave me and run away?"

My father looked at me with a surprised look on his face. Then he asked, "You don't know that?"

"I don't know, father."

The father was silent for a long time. Then he sighed. "I'm sorry, Alfredo, I don't even know what to say to you. You are my son, I raised you. I love you, but now it's your wife, so it's your personal matter," he said.

"Yes, of course, it's my business, but what did he do that made him feel this way?"