Maung Thaw Ka - Short Stories of Chicken and Fish Paste Pot

Pyitaw Thit Avenue, Room No. 25

Ko Thet Tin was walking in the middle of the autumn night, the north wind had begun to blow. He had no idea where he was going, and since he left the house, his body had been following wherever his feet took him. His feet, like a reined horse, were pulling him towards the shore. He had been walking like this for many nights.

“Hey.. Maung Thet Tin, I want to use your room tonight. Heh.. heh... heh.. I’ll be back after the 6:30pm show. So if it’s only 9pm, you can leave. Leave the room key in the usual place, okay?”

Before leaving the office in the evening, the company's managing director, U Ba Ni, called me to his office and said, "Yes," because he had orders.

“Rob... Rob.. you take 20 bucks, we can stay all night, you can sleep in the sun.”

"No problem, I have it."

"Oh... don't try it yourself, just take it."

U Bani continued to insist on giving me two ten-ton bills, but I accepted it without denying it. Similarly, there were many times when I had to allow the use of the room by senior executives, including U Bani, the company directors, and their acquaintances and well-wishers.

"This one is special. What kind of hotels outside of here would take him to? It doesn't match his status, my dear, heh...heh..."

Even U Bani's tone of voice made it hard for him to accept, even harder to get angry.

Sometimes, Ko Thet Tin felt sorry for his life. As his boss said, he was working for a company and no matter how hard it was to do the work, he felt that having to comply with the whims of the big bosses to get to this point was damaging to his morals. So, when he felt bad, he thought about giving up the apartment he had received from the government-owned public housing department and moving to a more suitable house.

However, due to his desire to be independent and his living conditions, which require him to read whenever he has free time, he is reluctant to give up his apartment.

It was the time when politicians were in the limelight, and thanks to the support of a childhood friend who was growing up, Ko Thet Tin, who could not afford to lose his apartment, was able to get it. For a single person living alone in the golden city of Yangon, even having a clean apartment to live in was a huge blessing. Therefore, Ko Thet Tin, a single bachelor, was always a victim of the greedy elders. Sometimes, not only at night, but even on Sundays, he had to avoid the afternoon.

People like U Bani are the kind of people who are called "old ghosts". I have often seen U Bani's wife in the company. She is a beautiful woman with a beautiful appearance, a well-developed body, and a beautiful and honest woman. Having such a lovely wife, I feel angry and disgusted with those greedy people who, like an old cow, spend money on everything that is beautiful and beautiful outside, like a cow that loves grass. However, since I am my own employer, I don't dare to say anything.

After passing his matriculation examination, Ko Thet Tin joined U Bani's 'Shwe Pyi Ngwe Pyi' company as a clerk, while continuing his studies at Thetgyi University. Within three years of joining the company, Ko Thet Tin was promoted to branch clerk and had already passed the Math (B) exam. Now, he is studying hard to take the Math (A) exam.

Ko Thet Tin, who has no family, comes to Yangon to work, earn a living, and study. Both of his parents died when he was young, but he passed grade 10 thanks to the care and support of his uncle. After passing grade 10, he left the shadow of his uncle in the village and is just a person struggling to make ends meet.

Ko Thet Tin sat on the Pansodan Port Bridge, looking at the large ships in the middle of the river, lost in thought. Ko Thet Tin, who was approaching the end of his life, had never had a single female lover in his life. He was a smooth-talking and handsome man, so girls were always eager to be friends with him, but due to his unsettled life, he had never made any progress in his relationship. In addition, he was calm because he did not have enough time to spend on a romantic relationship.

Even then, he didn't know how to treat Ma Khin Wai. Sometimes he would examine himself. It was true that he had developed a strong attachment to Ma Khin Wai. Similarly, there were reasons to believe that Ma Khin Wai had a strong attachment to him. He dared not ask himself if he was in love with Ma Khin Wai. He would say that he was. However, since he did not know what love was and how intense it was, and had never felt it, he did not think that this love was enough to express to Ma Khin Wai. In other words, his love was just beginning to sprout, and he had not yet found the courage to express it to Ma Khin Wai.

I got to know Ma Khin Wai since I started working at the “Shwe Pyi Ngwe Pyi” company. Ma Khin Wai was the company’s typewriter. She had attended a Burmese typewriter training course and was working as a typewriter to support her elderly mother and younger brother. Her older brother was a sergeant clerk in an army office and was separated from his family, so he could only take care of Ma Khin Wai from a distance. Ma Khin Wai had to spend whatever she could earn to send her three children to school.

Ma Khin Wai and Ko Thet Tin's desks are close together in the office. Ko Thet Tin, who usually goes out to eat during his lunch break, would often come back from lunch and see Ma Khin Wai, who would bring him a can of coffee instead of eating it, leaving a cup of coffee for him.

"Mother Wai said... you're looking for trouble, I just brought you something to eat, please... Mother Wai, drink it."

“I’ve already had my drink, Ko Thet Tin. I brought some extra juice from home and left it for Ko Thet Tin. What… Do you not want to drink what Ma Khin Wai made, right?”

“Hey, why wouldn’t you want to drink, Ma Khin Wai? At Ma Khin Wai, you can eat coffee and cake all day long without eating. Where do I get the shares?”

"I'm a young lady, I used to eat breakfast before leaving the house. When I come back in the evening, my mother has already cooked it for me, I just have to eat it. I'm not like you who don't have a house or a yard."

"Ah... the little dancers are fighting."

Ko Thet Tin spoke in a sad voice, causing Ma Khin Wai's eyes to fall.

"Oh.. oh.. I didn't mean it like that, Ko Thet Tin, don't be angry."         

" I told you that I was so upset about Ko Thet Tin living alone, without any friends or family. Oh, oh..."

Ma Khin Wai apologized in a low voice, making Ko Thet Tin feel sad.

"No need, Ma Khin Wai. I know what Ma Khin Wai means by that. I'm just teasing you. Now... are you done with the letters you were typing this morning?"

When Ko Thet Tin changed the subject to work, Ma Khin Wai's face became fresh and cheerful. In this way, for almost three years, Ma Khin Wai and Ko Thet Tin's relationship did not progress or decline. In Ma Khin Wai's office, most of the clerks were from their own families and were older, while Ma Khin Wai and Ko Thet Tin were young. Therefore, no one in the entire office complained or resented Ma Khin Wai's relationship, but they were all focused on their own work. Ma Khin Wai would type all day long, and only occasionally would seniors such as the Managing Director U Bani come to their office when they had business. It was U Bani who often called Ma Khin Wai to deliver, receive, and dictate letters.

Ko Thet Tin must admit that Ma Khin Wai's encouragement was also a big factor in his success in passing the Thet Gyi University entrance exam (B). Ma Khin Wai was very interested in Ko Thet Tin's academic pursuits and always asked him carefully about his current situation and which subjects he was lacking in, and encouraged him. As the exam day approached, Ma Khin Wai would look at Ko Thet Tin with compassion as he would come to the office with his eyes wide open, sleep-deprived, and tired eyes.

"Oh... it's not coffee today, Ma Khin Wai, what's wrong?"