Sadhu - Ayu and May Melat

Ayu

“It’s okay, Mama Nyunt, it’s okay, I don’t want to apply Yu Yu, I don’t want to apply Thanaka.”

A cute, plump, and white-faced child of about three years old struggled to free himself from the grip of an older woman who was holding him tightly by the arm, and so he spoke in this manner...

"Be quiet, I'll knock."

The young woman, who was graceful, beautiful, and almost graceful, gave a stern look to the struggling child. The words she said were a bit harsh, but her face was filled with a look of kindness, as if she was ready to give her life for the child.

“Look, I’m going to hit you, Ayu.” Holding the child with his left hand and rubbing his back with his right, he raised one hand and, with a snap, Ayu also stopped struggling. However, Ayu’s face did not show that he had stopped his struggle and screamed because he was afraid of his mother’s words, but rather that he had become completely calm, as if he was contemplating something.

"Mother Nyunt, what happened?"

Ayu asked this while showing off one of his swollen, white arms, slightly crooked.

"You drunk boy, you know that I'm a fool and a fool."

In fact, when Ayu found any kind of rash on his body, he would say something like, “I got a bed bug bite,” “I got a mosquito bite,” etc. He knew it, but finding words like this without saying anything was just a deliberate act of intelligence. His mother Nyunt knew that too well.

Ayu calmly endured the thanaka water being gently rubbed on her face, hands, chest, thighs, and legs. As soon as the thanaka water on the rock was almost gone, Ma Nyunt let go of Ayu and held the thanaka stick tightly and continued to wash.

As if he had forgotten to lower his hands that he had raised slightly while applying Thanaka, Ayu suddenly lowered his white arms and stood there, holding them up. His armpits and arms were still damp, just like they had been when Thanaka was applied, but perhaps it was because he had “chilled” them down, so Ayu did not lower his hands. At this moment, Ayu’s expression changed. He glanced at his mother, who was staring at him, and then turned around and ran out of the room. His mother, who had known Ayu's habit of always doing such things, was also watching him closely. As Ayu turned from the spot where Thanaka was standing, she stood up to lead the way. Suddenly, the hem of her dress suddenly slipped, and Ayu was about to slip out of the way while she was putting on her hem.

Ayyu ran out of the room where he was applying Thanaka, quickly slipped into the doorway opposite, and quickly approached the bed in the corner of the room, pulling the mosquito net that had been laid out with a mat.

"Son, what happened?" The young woman, who was lying on the bed with a handkerchief tied around her head, quickly got up from her position and, holding a mosquito net, asked, "What happened?"

“Look here, Mama Kyi, here, here, Yu Yu, you’ve been bitten by a mosquito, Mama Kyi.”

Ayu stared at Mae Kyi, who was hanging her legs on the bed and holding both of Ayu's arms, with wide eyes, and pointed to her hand. As soon as she said this, Mae Nyunt also came into the room.

"Ayu, you are a weak person, a little dog, running away with a bad attitude, come here, I haven't finished applying Thanaka yet."

As they spoke, Ma Nyunt grabbed Ayu's arm and pulled it away, but Ayu flinched and retreated.

"Okay, okay, Yu Yu, I don't want to be embarrassed anymore."

"Why don't you come and get it?"

While my mother was pulling me, Ayu struggled.

"Ma Nyunt, I'm so sorry

The young woman on the bed said this while holding Ayu's hand.

"Just kidding, Mom, I'll bite you if I leave one. This little guy is long, I'll show him."

Then, without further ado, Ma Nyunt May pointed her hand at Ayu.

"Don't do it, you little brat."

"Yes, my mother is a little bit more, and this little dog is a little bit more."

"What's wrong, what's wrong? If I can't do the chores for the children because I'm sick for a day, I can't even shake the mosquito out of the mosquito net. Look at the little mosquito bites." As soon as Mae Kyi finished speaking, Ma Nyunt Mae picked up Ayu and said,

"Well, you just have to be patient with your son, I can't do it."

The little girl smiled and left, leaving Mama Kyi only to repeat the words "Kamyinnaaw" over and over again.

Inside a small hut built on a vacant lot opposite a two-story building on Shwephone Pwint Road in Pazundaung Ward, eastern Yangon, a middle-aged couple sat chatting while eating their lunch.

"I'm a tough one, Ko Aung Shwe. Since I'm pregnant with this baby, I've only been craving fruits, apples, butter, and biscuits. When it comes to food, I want to eat pork and chicken. Now, even eating fish paste and fried beans is three meals a day. If I had to eat sensibly, I'd probably eat five meals a day."

The wife said this as she was burying the boiled cabbage leaves in the rice, and Ko Aung Shwe pretended to put it in his mouth, but the rice maker stopped near his chin.

"Oh, eat what you want, Panwa. Who told you not to eat? What if you eat ten meals a day instead of five?"

As soon as Ko Aung Shwe finished speaking, he slowly put the rice into his mouth. Ma Pan Wa also poured a little bit of fish sauce and rice syrup onto the boiled leaves embedded in his rice, and then

"Well, you're a bit of a glutton, but I still have to look after dinner."

Your income is not real. On a very lucky day, you might earn five kyats, but sometimes you don't earn a penny, right? In the meantime, when you don't earn enough to pay the rickshaw driver, you have to grow it at home. So, what if I eat too much whenever I want to eat, Ko Aung Shwe?"

As soon as Ma Panwa said this, Ko Aung Shwe also realized the poverty of their lives. Ko Aung Shwe earned about 3 to 6 kyats after working hard all day long on a rickshaw. Of that, he paid 2 kyats to the rickshaw driver, so he only earned 3 to 4 kyats a day. Sometimes, he couldn't even pay the 2 kyats to the rickshaw driver, so he had to work from home.

Ko Aung Shwe had not thought about the income and expenditure account in the beginning, nor had he paid any attention to it. He had thought that it was his duty to give whatever money he received to Ma Pan Wah, and that it was Ma Pan Wah’s responsibility to pay for food and drink. When he had to pay the rickshaw driver because his income was low, he would say, “If you have money, give me one kyat. I won’t be able to pay today.” Ko Aung Shwe had not thought about anything, and he didn’t know what the income and expenditure were, but now that Ma Pan Wah had complained, he became interested in their income. He thought and wondered. As he thought, he decided to work harder than usual.