Golden Peacock - Two Roads

Chapter (1)

At around 10:00 p.m. on the 9th day of the first lunar month of the 1291 Myanmar calendar, under a large sycamore tree on the corner of Chachi Street (King Min Chin Street) and Baundary Street (Dhamma Zedi Street) in Yangon, two brothers were saying goodbye with sad faces as if they were about to part ways.

They are the sons of retired chief U Kyaw Dun and Minga Daw Than Tin. Their names are Khin Maung Gyi and Khin Maung Kalay, and both are college students.

Khin Maung Gyi was his mother's favorite and Khin Maung Kaley was his father's favorite. Both parents had a rivalry regarding their two sons. When the younger son, Khin Maung Kaley, passed the 10th grade exam with a scholarship, his father not only praised his favorite son but also mocked his mother's favorite, Khin Maung Gyi, by calling him "Baw So Gyi."

By doing this, his older brother Khin Maung Gyi, who was the eldest and was ashamed and did not want to accept it, failed the Senior IA exam again. Khin Maung, who was a grade lower than him because he was late in school, overtook Khin Maung Gyi. At that time, his father U Kyaw Dun was happy for his beloved son, and wanted Khin Maung Gyi to strive for education by making him feel intolerant, so he pressed him even more than before and called him Datpha Baw So Gyi again with two names.

Some parents believe that by giving their children names that are harsh or offensive, they will develop a sense of dislike in them and will strive for more education than before. They do not consider how much pain such names cause in their children's minds and how much their trust in them is weakened. Although it is impossible to say for sure whether a child will strive for more education by giving them names that are offensive or not, it is certain that they will lose their trust in their parents. Since the children's respect for their parents is the most important thing, they do not think of exchanging it for any benefit.

Khin Maung, on the other hand, was not arrogant and arrogant like some of his younger brothers who were more modest in their attitude. He was even reluctant to be praised by his older brother. He did not dare to object to Khin Maung being called "Datpha Bawsow" because he was his father. However, when his father called him, he did not laugh happily and looked even more sad than the victim himself.

One day, the two brothers were having a picnic with other college students. While the youth were enjoying themselves under the shade of a tree, drinking and playing cards, etc., their father, U Kyaw Dun, was seriously ill with pneumonia. He saw Pang Ping as he drove to pick up his sons. Since it was a free camp, the students were happily playing cards with beer bottles hanging on their sides. Some were playing instruments such as the violin and mandolin, some were playing loudly, some were dancing, some were jumping, and no one noticed U Kyaw Dun's car arriving.

So, while Khin Maung was playing the seven-pointed star in the nine-pointed star circle, he was rubbing his hand and looking at it, while Khin Maung, holding a beer mug, followed his brother and watched. His father, U Kyaw Dun, came up to him. The students, when the musicians gave a signal, looked up from the hand and realized that it was Khin Maung's father. They looked down with shameful faces and bowed their heads. U Kyaw Dun, like an old man who had no interest in tolerating the sins of his children, angrily scolded his two sons.

In fact, U Kyaw Dun scolded his beloved son, Khin Maung, more, but Khin Maung, who was deeply dissatisfied with his father, seemed to be more hurt. Khin Maung immediately confessed his sins and promised his father that he would abstain from drinking, gambling, and other bad things for the rest of his life. Khin Maung, with a gloomy face, bowed his head, and gritted his teeth.

When they arrived home, U Kyaw Dun complained about the situation of the two sons as soon as the king's illness subsided. Khin Maung Kalay made a pact with his mother, but Khin Maung Gyi only pretended to be angry. Daw Than Tin, who was her beloved eldest son, wanted to protect him, and argued that young people should be happy when they were young, and that they should not expect to have a monk's heart for the rest of their lives. U Kyaw Dun scolded both the son and the mother, saying that the eldest son would be ruined because his mother had ruined him.

That night, as soon as the adults fell asleep, Khin Maung Gyi put his clothes in a leather bag and kicked them off the foot of his mother's bed. After waking up his younger brother, Khin Maung, they went downstairs. When they arrived under the big banyan tree...

" Hey... this is where my brother lives."

" Let me stop you, Koko. Adults get angry and hot when they're angry."

" Okay, my brother, I've been thinking about it all night. You don't have to stop me. Why do you call a person a big fool? When a young man is a big fool in front of his friends, he scolds you like a dog. You're welcome."

" I'm not scolding you like that, Ko Ko. I'm scolding you, Ko Ko."

" I scold you because I love you. You can bear it. I can bear it if my mother scolds me too."

" I can handle it even if my mother scolds me, Ko Ko."

" Yes, I believe it too. However, your mind and mine are different, brother. A kind person like you is a rare child. I also admit it. I swear that if you are a fool or a fool, I can't stand it like my brother. I praise you, my brother. Although you are born with your own mind and soul, I can't imitate you, my brother."

Khin Maung Kaley was the only one of the two brothers in the family, and he could not hold back his tears as he thought about what would happen if his brother left. The younger brother never boasted or took advantage of his brother for gaining favor, and the older brother never felt jealous of the younger brother who had gained favor. He was truly a kind and loving brother.

" Don't cry, my brother. It's only natural for us to break up. If we don't break up now, we'll break up the next day, right, brother?"

“ We went to school together, went out together, slept together, ate together, and never fought or got angry, so I miss you, Ko Ko.”

Khin Maung, the little boy, cried bitterly, but even Khin Maung, who was so strong-willed, was moved to tears when he saw his younger brother's sadness.

" Shut up, my brother, we'll meet again someday. Don't be so sad."

" How much does milk cost, Koko?"

" Right now, I only have three and eight kyats. But I have Koko's ring. That's worth a pound."

" So take my ring, Koko."

Khin Maung, the younger brother, took off the diamond ring he had made for each of them and gave it to them. Khin Maung refused, but in the end he accepted.

Big .. “I’m going to go to my brother’s house.”

Child (sobs) .. “Go away, Koko.”

“ Be careful, my brother, you are a son who obeys your parents. I am a son who disobeys and rebels. Okay... let’s compete in the world to see who is older than you and me. What day is it today? Ah... I see. The 9th day of the first lunar month of 1291. Okay, five years from today, we will meet here. This time, let’s compete in the world to see who is older than you and me, do you hear? Okay... so that I don’t forget the date, I will mark it with a knife on this big banyan tree, look.”

Khin Maung took out his sword from his bag and carved the date of their meeting on the big tree as follows:

9-3-96

"You and I will meet here on the evening of the 9th day of the new moon of Nayon, 1296, at sunset, right?"

Child .. “Okay, Koko.”

" Okay... I'll go. Just tell your mom to look after you and then I'll be gone."

" Okay, brother."

After that, Khin Maung Gyi took both of Khin Maung's hands with his own, squeezed them tightly, and then, carrying the leather bag on his shoulder, walked towards the viewing platform. Khin Maung remained there, looking up with tear-filled eyes.

Khin Maung Gyi walked towards a small house between U Bye Taew and Shwedagon Pagoda. He knocked on the door of the small hut, and a girl of about 17 years old with a pitiful appearance opened the door.