Though Sandra phoned Nandana Menike twice, she didn't make a mention of any specific time period of her return. Victor had invested some money on certain business matters with Shamal upon the understandings of the relationship between Sandra and Shamal. The playful life style of Shamal scattered Sandra's hopes of the new world, due to some illegal affairs he had with some other women. Shamal suspected that Sandra was trying to deviate from him, when she attempted to take beck the share given by Victor. Shamal didn't like to break up the relationship with her. After a compromise between the two, Shamal agreed to live with Sandra's conditions. Since Bernard had rigid principles on Sandra's property, Sandra's mother and brother were well aware of the fact that there wasn't any possibility for Bernard and Sandra to reunite. It was a problem for Sandra to hurt her mother and brother upon the support given to her when she decided to forget Bernard and to put up with Shamal. Whatever the circumstances, she never agreed to claim her property or dowry given to Bernard.
It was customary for Bernard to spend weekends at the bungalow. Nandana Menike prepared 'Lavery': a kind of local sweet-meat, for Bernard. The clue for his special preference for Lavery was given by Periyavar.
"Wow…! Nanda, you are an expert in this…! Mmmm, superb…!"
She felt very happy about his positive comments, his pleasure and also being able to do something for him, who had done an immeasurable help for her. In the meantime, Rover started barking and Periyavar ran to the gate as he noticed that the postman waiting at the gate. Periyavar collected it putting his signature and hurried to the bungalow and handed over the letter to Bernard.
With curiosity, Bernard carefully opened the letter and read between lines. After reading it, he kept it on the stool and a smile crept over his face.
"I thought it was that compensation letter, when I collected it from the postman…" Periyavar, showing his betel-stained teeth uttered in that way as he knew Bernard had been waiting for some information about compensations.
"Well, it's a compensation letter… but not the sort you thought…"
Periyavar looked at him surprisingly. There was sarcasm in Bernard's words.
"From Sandra's mother… Asking for compensation from ME… She has sent an invocation (letter of Demand)"
Though what he said was not clear for Nandana Menike, she perceived that there was something wrong.
"For what…?"
"Demanding a portion of the compensation given to the properties of Sandra's dowry …"
"What a damn thing it is…? What belongs to Sandra Hamu belongs to Bernard Hamu… How can matrimonial rights go to somebody else…?
What you understand cannot be realized by Sandra's mother… That's the problem…"
Bernard's hands reached the tray of Lavery and he enjoyed them leisurely. It was only two days later Nandana Menike could comprehend what that letter had brought to Bernard, after Periyavar's explanation.
"Will Hamu have to go to jail then…?"
If an accused was found to be guilty, it was a must for that one to have an imprisonment depending on the seriousness of the crime. That matter had been imprinted in Nandana Menike's mind. She was reminded of the piece of advice given by her grandma on the occasions of the conflicts between Yasawathi and Samantha's mother and also the consequences being impatient and losing temper.
"How can that be…? The government gives compensation to the ideal recipients after a thorough examination… It doesn't make any differences upon filing court cases…"
To get some legal advice regarding the invocation, Bernard wanted to meet his lawyer. He accompanied Periyavar and Nandana Menike along with him as he thought of buying some clothing items for them.
"For me…? What purpose…? Even what I already have… nowhere to wear…" He told the truth about his needs.
Periyavar remained at the car park keeping an eye on the car, while Bernard and Nandana Menike stepped into a huge textile shopping mall.
It was the first time in Nandana Menike's life that she entered a shopping mall of that size. She was marveled to see the world of diverse fashions. Bernard marked time allowing Nandana Menike to go for her choices. She didn't have much of an eye for latest fashions. She had her eyes only on skirts and blouses. Even though a sales girl assisted and persuaded her to have a look at the latest designs, she didn't pay much attention to them.
"Nanda, shall we select some dresses suitable for that journey…?" Bernard suggested getting a bit closer to her.
Her startled expression implied that she was in a state of discomfort. Bernard then thought of selecting some garments for her. He got some jeans, T-shirts and frocks with different designs.
"Nanda, try these…"
She felt rather uneasy as she had never seen such a variety of clothing items in a shopping mall with such facilities. She looked around with the selected clothing items, and thought how she could fit on them in front of the customers moving around. Bernard had to burn some extra calories to persuade her to fit on the selected items with the assistance of a sales girl. The sales girl took Nandana Menike to a fit on room and encouraged her to change her dress and check the sizes of the new items. Taking the best use of the brief interval, Bernard himself bought some other ladies underwear garments for Nandana Menike as he obviously knew the difficulties he would face, if he asked her preferences for them. Despite the sales girl's insistence, Nandana Menike without removing her dress, she simply checked the selected items standing in front of the mirror and came out of the fit on room within a few minutes. The sales girl measured the height, shoulder size and the waist size and finally selected the matching garments for her.
"Finished so soon…!" Periyavar expressed his surprise as both Bernard and Nandana Menike came out of the shopping mall.
"With Sandra Hamu, one day I came here… you know… I had to wait four hours outside till she finished shopping… And she came out with an empty hand…!" Periyavar explained an unforgettable experience while putting the bags into the car, brought by Bernard.
Nandana Menike could not believe the generosity of Bernard as he had spent a considerable amount of money on garments for her. Even when she attained puberty, she remembered, she had received only two frocks.
"I must say this… if we are going for shopping… we should go with girls like this…"
Bernard, with a smile, commented on Nandana Menike's time consumption for the selection of the garments, to which she responded with a shy smile. They headed for the bungalow after meeting the lawyer and discussing the procedures to be followed for the invocation sent by Sandra's mother.
"Periyavar, shall we have something to drink…?" Parking the vehicle near a restaurant, Bernard suggested to Periyavar, as he felt thirsty.
Bernard's insistence made Nandana Menike step into the restaurant.
"For me, a cup of milk tea… what about you Periyavar…? An ice cream for Nandana Menike…?"
Bernard paid the money and ordered the drinks. Since it was a self-service restaurant, Bernard went up to the counter to get what was ordered. Bernard sat at round table next to the main entrance and gestured Nandana Menike to sit next to him.
"Hello, Bernard… how is you…? What are you planning to do now…?
A middle-aged man came near the table and spoke to Bernard shaking hands.
"Half of my factory also getting submerged…"
"From where did you ask for lands…?"
"From Haragama… For my factory, I got three acres approved with much difficulty… The problem is with the compensation… With that small amount you can't even think of building half of it…" Bernard's friend expressed his utter disappointments regarding the insufficient compensation approved for the loss of his property, by the government.
"That's the government's valuation… the same problem lies with me as well…"
"This is your wife… I suppose… it's today that we met after the wedding… didn't us…?"
The friend cast an inquisitive look at Nandana Menike. Before Bernard answered him Periyavar came to that place with the drinks and ice cream.
"Periyavar… bring one more tea…" Bernard wanted to treat his friend with a cup of tea.
"No thanks… just had my lunch… come with a friend… saw you when I was just about to leave…"
On seeing someone coming towards him, he left the place quickly.