Kapilasena emptied his cup of tea and was just about to get up to wash it; Nandana Menike stopped him and grabbed the cup to wash it for him.
"Kapilasena, did you tell the news of Yasawathi to Menike…?" Periyavar's inquiry made Nandana Menike rather uneasy and nervous.
"Bappe… where is my mother…? Please tell me… tell me…!"
"At Somawathi… A villager had met her…"
"Are there people known to us…?" The news about her mother's location brought her some consolation.
Nandana Menike, with her eyes open, glanced at Kapilasena expecting an answer. He paused for a moment as to how he could tell the news of Yasawathi to her as the information he got lacked precision.
"According to the information received, she is said to be in monastery with a nun… That's what I got…"
"Please Bappa… let's go and take her back…"
Accompanying her mother was her prime concern.
"How can we look for her without knowing the exact place…? That man promised to find some more information about your mother on his visit to Somawathiya next poya day…"
Periyavar considered that it was his duty to inform his Master of the clue he got about Yasawathi. He walked up to the second floor, while Nandana Menike and Kapilasena were having a chat over something.
Bernard was lying on the settee with a perplexed expression over a clue he had received a short while ago. That was about Sandra. A friend of Bernard who lived in Australia had told Bernard not to keep any hopes for Sandra as she had no intention to come back to Sri Lanka. He emphatically confirmed that news when Bernard asked him again about Sandra's return. Bernard repented of being deceived by Sandra repeatedly. Periyavar's revelation about Yasawathi brought no changes to Bernard's mood as he just listened to Periyavar making no movements or comments. Periyavar's didn't take much time to understand the upset mood of Bernard. Without even taking lunch Bernard went out. He told nobody of his sudden decision
"He was down - hearted… even didn't respond to what I asked…" Glancing at the Volkswagen moving through the gate, Periyavar said in a sad tone.
"From tomorrow… they will fill water…"
Kapilasena came up with the news of the inaugural ceremony of water filling to the reservoir and he thought Bernard's change of mood could have been because of that.
Through Periyavar knew it was not the reason for Bernard to be upset, he nodded his head to show his agreement with Kapilasena's idea.
"The Pereira's also are said to be moving to Ulhitiya next week…"
"Hmmm… Hamu told me of it…"
"It is time to remove the roofing sheets of the new house… within two or three months' time the water level would come up to that level…"
Nandana Menike looked at Kapilasena in astonishment. Nandana Menike was overwhelmed to hear that the water level could come up to that level within such a short period of time.
"Now, the Monsoon rain season is approaching… if two or three heavy rains fall, it would be filled sooner than expected…" Periyavar predicted that thinking of the time of the year, as usually there was a heavy rainfall during the months of May, and June.
"Hamu told that he wanted to tell Kapilasena Bappa to take the roofing sheets of our home…"
"Since you are staying here for a couple of weeks… You better ask Hamu for the roofing sheets being removed from the store, for Ulhitiya house… he would be able to manage without buying new ones…" Therefore, he thought of asking about it first and then removing the roofing sheets of the new house.
Proving Periyavar's prediction, there was a Monsoon shower in the evening. Before the shower turned into a heavy rain, Nandana Menike took Rover out of the kennel as it had been in it for a long time. On seeing the approach of the Volkswagen, Nandana Menike hurried to take Rover in. By that time the shower had turned into a rain.
"Are you going to get a cold…? Getting wet in the rain…?"
Bernard, in a loud voice, asked Nandana Menike. He kept his hand on the bonnet of the car and his posture seemed to be unstable. She instantly understood that he was drunk.
"Periyavar… Periyavar…!" He called out his faithful servant.
Periyavar came running and he was given a parcel and secretly was asked to prepare a bite foe him. Next, with much care, he stepped into his room. Periyavar kept a watchful eye on him when he was going in.
"Chicken prepared already uncle…!" Nandana Menike looked at Periyavar with a quizzical look as he was again chopping some meat to be prepared.
"This is not for eating… but for drinking…!"
She understood for what purpose it was then.
"Today also he is getting ready to drink until dawn…" Periyavar was really worried about his master's limitless drinking.
"Shall we do something, uncle?"
Nandana Menike was thinking of a strategy to take him away from his drinking. Periyavar was very keen to know what she was planning to do.
"Let's get hold of him for a chat in the evening… If we ask some stories about Raja Hamu, I'm sure he will go on relating one after the other. Nandana Menike had got to know that from Sandra. Typically, Bernard had a great interest to talk about his father, grand fathers and their great work done for the family to maintain social status.
"If we try, we can do it… but the problem is he is already drunk…"
"That doesn't matter…"
"He usually comes down at this time, after a body wash… So, you better go to the living room and start playing the piano… I will arrange the dining table with all these…"
Periyavar hurried to prepare the bite to join Nandana Menike to execute the plan.