"Bappe… will mother do any harm for herself…?" With much effort, Nandana Menike asked Kapilasena to get rid of the fear and doubt she had about her mother.
"No… no… She won't do anything of that sort… Suppose, Gunadasa's wife cast a spell on your mother… They won't do anything dangerous to claim the life of another… That's done out of her rage. Her plan was to send Yasawathi off her brain and make her wander here and there… That was the main purpose of her plan…"
Kapilasena expressed his opinion firmly on Yasawathi's disappearance in that way, and Nandana Menike, without being able to believe everything in that way, heaved a long sigh. Yet, she could not get rid of the notion that her mother's transition was not because of the influence of any spells cast, but her awareness of the intimate relationship with Kapilasena being revealed, and as an attempt to hide it from others, she had taken that decision of running away from home. That was interpreted by Samantha's mother, Kapilasena, and others in a different way.
"Menike, did you have your dinner…?"
She looked down and nodded her head in negation.
"Even Punchi Amma may have not taken dinner… With her illness, she must not skip her meals…"
Koinmenika was found on her bed with a heavy heart. She could not bear up her daughter's sudden disappearance.
"Grandma… I was looking for you everywhere…"
Nandana Menike saw tears had welled up in grandma's eyes. Koinmenike did not look at her niece directly. She bent down to wipe out the rolling tears from her eyes secretly. With much difficulty, Nandana Menike tried to suppress her sobs in order to console her grandma.
"Kapilasena Bappa promised that he would somehow find out mother… So, no need to worry too much grandma… Let's go and eat something… You should take your meals properly; otherwise, I will lose you too… Finally, I'll have nobody…" She too was about to sob.
"I'm not hungry my children… you better have something..." said in a broken voice.
"Then I also don't want anything…"
Koinmenike could understand her motive.
"Ok… ok… let's go then…" Both of them finally stepped towards the kitchen.
The same problem haunted Nandana Menike's mind. She thought several times that if she hadn't behaved in that way, her mother wouldn't have taken such a decision putting everybody into a world of disappointment. Nandana Menike further thought that telling the secret relationship between her mother and Kapilasena Bappa to grandma would make things and decided not to tell it to anybody. She knew pretty well that her father Victor would never come to her as he had been a father of two daughters there at that time.
There were many reasons for Yasawathi and Kapilasena to develop such a relationship. Most of the day time both of them were there at home. Though Yasawathi hated males, their understanding of each other and Yasawathi's interest to help with Kapilasena's pottery work and such encounters should have given rise to such intimacy, which was quite natural in terms of human feelings.
Sandra often preferred to be with Bernard Hamu. Nandana Menike felt and justified that her mother also being the same age as Sandra and must have the same feelings as a living being, though cornered and looked down upon by the traditional society.
"What are you thinking about without eating my child…?" Nandana Menike was brought back to her sense by her grandma's voice.
"Will Gunadasa uncle help us to locate my mother grandma…?"
Both Koinmenika and her niece had doubts about Gunadasa's readiness to accept his wife's black magic dealings and also his forwardness to help them to locate Yasawathi.
"Kapilasena of course believes that Gunadasa would help us… It is always better to nullify the effect of the spell other than reversing it to the people who did that… So that both parties can amicably settle the problem…"
"But, mother repeatedly told that it should be reversed to teach them a good lesson…" Nandana Menike recollected what her mother often murmured angrily.
"If it had been reversed, the Gunadasa's family would have been nowhere…! Kapilasena wanted to protect both parties without any harm…"
The innocent smile of Samantha crept into Nandana Menike's mind at that moment.
* * *
Bernard thoughtfully answered a call given by Sandra. He convinced his failure to attend the wedding without hurting her. He believed that his absence would have been felt by everyone there. Replacing the receiver, he sat on the settee thinking of the impossibility of flying to Australia in another two days' time, though Sandra insisted him to come. He turned his eyes towards the flight of steps as he heard the sound of footsteps. He knew them to be of Periyavar.
"Did Koinamma come…?"
He shook his head in negation.
"Sandra Hamu told that she would call that girl… You better send a message to Koinmenika…"
Periyavar again used his body language to indicate his agreement.
"If Koinamma is not well… ask the girl to take the call…"
"Yasawathi is said to be missing…!" Periyavar resentfully said.
"Who told you…? Is it Kapilasena…?" That news made Bernard surprised as he never expected news of that nature.
Periyavar nodded his head as he knew that his master too would be upset by that news. Bernard held a thoughtful look, which seemed to add more weight to the list of problems he was having. Though Bernard observed Koinmenika's absence in the bungalow for the last few days, after the preparation of meals for the visitors, he didn't inquire about it. He felt that it was a mistake he had committed after that news reached his ears.
"I'll see what I can do for them at this moment…" Bernard got up to pay a visit to Nandana Menike's house.
Early morning, finishing the milking job and delivering it to the bungalow, Kapilasena's job was to comb the area in search of Yasawathi. From dawn till dust he went here and there with the intention of getting some sort of information about Yasawathi. Along with Yasawathi's disappearance, Koinmenika both physically and mentally declined day by day. She, with eyes open, kept yearning for the arrival of Yasawathi at any moment. Nandana Menike kept an eye on her grandma providing food and medicine on time and encouraging having them. Nandana Menike too suffered from an acute mental stress as she had none around her to tell or share her agony to get some sort of relief. Nandana Menike thought her mother's decision to leave home in that way could have been the revelation of the intimate relationship between her and Kapilasena. Nandana Menike admitted that what she did was not correct and accused herself. She purposely kept the lights on in Kapilasena's and mother's rooms in order to hint out that her daughter knew what was going on between them. She repented of her deed, which she should not have done. Her mother wouldn't have taken such a decision otherwise. She feared to inform that news to Kapilasena thinking he too would not be remaining there.
Nandana Menike was taken aback from her contemplation by the sound of the Volkswagen car that stopped near the stile. She hurried towards it to remove the wooden rails put across it.
"Is Koinamma in…?" Bernard asked Nandana Menike while she was removing the rails from the stile. She nodded her head with a helpless look.
Without asking any further explanations, he briskly stepped towards the house. Nandana Menike ran to grandma and told her of Bernard's arrival.
"No news of Yasawathi yet…?" As he entered the veranda, he asked that question directly from Koinmenika, signaling that he was aware of the story.
Tears wetted the old woman's eyes instantly.
"Didn't you inform the police…?" Bernard then glancing at Nandana Menike asked that question.
She looked at grandma being unable to think what sort of answer to be given.
Koinmenika explained that kapilasena was doing his best to locate Yasawathi. Bernard felt extremely sorry for the old woman. He could observe the mental agony she was experiencing over the disappearance of her daughter. He guessed even her health condition was more likely to become worse under those circumstances.
"Sandra… told that she would call you in the afternoon…"
Koinmenika didn't show her willingness to allow Nandana Menike to go alone with Bernard. And she was rather hesitant of the arrival of either Kapilasena or Yasawathi at any moment. Therefore, she was thinking of the problem of sending her with Bernard.
"Let's go… I will get the call for you… Better Koinamma too can come with me… I'll take you back…" He provided the answer as he could understand the matter.
As they were nearing the bungalow, Koinmenika felt rather uncomfortable as she felt the chest pain again. Though she tried to hide it from Nandana Menike, she couldn't do so.
"Why grandma…? Sweating also…!"
With much difficulty, Koinmenika tried to draw a smile on her face as she could see Nandana Menike was gazing at her with a confused look. Bernard was attentive to what the old lady and her niece were talking to each other in a low voice. Bernard parked the car next to Sandra's car at the car porch of the second floor. After getting down, he held a sharp look at Koinmenika and in no time realized that she was in a critical condition, though she tried hide to it.
"Is it painful again Koinamma…? Let's take the call later… and now straightly go to the doctor…" Bernard got into the vehicle wasting no time.
Nandana Menike couldn't bear to see the tears rolling down from grandma's eyes. She, with sobs, got closer to her and stroked her chest gently. Periyavar, coming out of the bungalow, stood spellbound seeing his master taking a U turn and driving away without telling anything.
* * *