The First Impression May be Deceptive
This is the moment she dreaded. The others were waiting to see what she would say and do, but she remained silent. She looked at her mother who was standing in front of her. Then she looked at the judge and the lawyers.
“Don’t waste our time. Your testimony is very important to us. Tell us what happened to your father? Who killed him? Tell us what you saw at that time. Who is the murderer of your father?” The lawyer questioned.
Udani’s face turned into red.
“Yes, I’ll tell.” She said and pointed towards her mother.
“She … she is the murderess. I saw how she killed him.”
Tears began to pour down her cheeks, at that time her mind ran to the past. She was a sixteen year old girl. She was the only child of her family and lived with her parents happily. They had not been very rich people. Her father was a clerk and her mother earned sum money by making cakes. She did not have much time to speak with her parents because of her studies. So, she didn’t know about her parent’s problems. Moreover her parents thought she needed quiet and privacy to study for her examination.
One day her father came home at night. Udani was sleeping, but she heard the sound of her mother. “Why are you so late today?”
“Ah! We had a meeting.” Her father replied.
At three o’clock in the morning she woke up again. She heard a noise outside. She felt that her parents were not in bed. She went to the living room and found the front door was closed. She turned the knob but found it is locked from outside. She went to the window, opened it and peeped through. She saw that her parents were quarrelling in the garden. Udani was surprised because she never saw such a quarrel between her parents before. She saw that her mother took a knife which she had brought to cut the branches of the trees and stabbed her father. Udani was shocked. She couldn’t speak after that moment. She came out of her thoughts. Through her tears she saw the pale face of her mother. She began to shout again.
“She, is the murderess”
After a few minutes the judge gave his verdict. Udani’s mother was imprisoned for ten years.
Udani was alone at home. She decided to find a job.
“Who will give me a job?” She questioned herself. She remembered her cousin who was working at a garment factory. She decided to go to her cousin and finally her cousin found a job for her.
Time ran by quickly. Udani was now twenty six years old. One day she watched a TV program with her cousin. “Is this a new program?” Udani asked.
“Yes, I think this maybe a special program. We’ll listen to the presenter.” Her cousin replied.
“Good evening everybody. Today is a special day for all of us. Today is World Mother’s Day. I think that we do not want a special day to treat and to respect our mothers. We can use this day to celebrate our love for our mothers. I would like to say some ideas which were sent by one of our viewers. He appreciates the mother’s love in this way;
Mother you are the flower which blooms in the garden of our mind,
You are the person who can help us to fulfill our dreams.
You are the river of love which flows with our hopes
Mother you are the soft wind which embraces and quenches
the sadness of our hearts.”
“No, No” Udani began to shout.
“She is not such a person. She is a devil, a devil”
“Oh! Why Udani? Let’s go to your room. Relax my dear. I know, you hate your mother, but I feel that your mother is not a bad woman.”
“What did you say sister? You don’t know I remembered how she killed my father.”
“Yes, you remember it, but do you know the reason for that?”
“No.” Udani looked at her cousin anxiously and asked.
“What are you going to say?”
“Udani, at that time you were a little girl, but now you are young. Perhaps your mother might have had many problems. Don’t hate your mother. Perhaps she may be at your house now. Let’s go to your house tomorrow.”
Next morning Udani went to her house with her cousin. There was no one in the house.
“Excuse me can I help you?”
Asked an old woman who was in the next house.
“We want to meet Mrs. Wijethunge” said the cousin.
“Ah! She is not in this house. It is a long story. She killed …”
“Yes we know that, but we thought that she may be in her house now.”
“Yes, she came here one year ago, and gave me the key of this house to give her daughter.” The she looked at Udani’s face anxiously.
“Are you Udani?”
“Yes aunty”
“Oh! I couldn’t recognize you. I’ll give you the key.”
Udani opened the house door with the key, and went inside. Her mother has left the house neat and tidy. She passed other rooms and directly went inside her mother’s room. As usual silence greets her.
“Sister, I want to know about my mother’s life. I think that I can find it from her diary.”
“Did she write a diary?”
“Yes but she didn’t show it to me.”
Finally she found her diary and began to read it.
8th December 1996
“I don’t know why my fate has given me such kind of husband. I couldn’t tell these problems to my daughter because it will affect her studies. I know she needs a noiseless environment and privacy to study the Advanced Level Examination round the corner. If I tell these problems to any other person it will also affect my daughter’s life. My husband gambles in a casino. He loses all the money in the casino. I know, he has several love affairs with many women. Today I saw how he behaved with a girl like a young man. I cannot quarrel with him in front of my daughter. But if he goes on this way it will affect my child. I wanted to commit suicide, but my child cannot live with this father. She wants my love and protection.”
“Sister, did you hear? You are correct. I want to see my mother. What a sin I have committed. I want to ask for her pardon.”
Then her cousin said; “We don’t know where she is now. We don’t know … whether she is living or not. Yes Udani you have to accept that. I feel that she is not alive now, because those days she lived for you. But now … for what? I think we better give an alms giving for her. There is a fine temple in our area. I think that they can console your heart.”
After a week Udani went to that temple with her cousin. It was broad daylight. It looked like a special day. It was after ten years of time she felt relieved as she could get rid from extreme anger she had for her mother. Her cousin explained Udani’s problem to a monk. Then the monk showed a kind nun who has a good knowledge of these kinds of problems. He pointed his hand at that nun who was meditating under a tree. Udani ran to her.
“My mother!”
She fell down at her feet and cried.
“Udani, you! I thought you’d come to see me one day. You are a beautiful girl now.” Her mother said while touching her face.
“I’m so sorry mother. Please forgive me. I committed an unforgivable sin. I have a bad impression about you.”
“No, daughter, at that time you didn’t know anything about our lives. So, you believed what you saw. You are not wrong. Now I can be happy because you have understood me know. It is enough for me. I hope that you will spend a happy life in our home. God bless you my dear!”
Impressive Impressions God has given you one face
God has given you one face
Yet with more emotions, sensations and sentiments
The face of every human is a colorful diary filled with thoughts
The endless chapters on it get more colorful
With your different sentiments like:
Happiness, sadness, anxiety, ecstasy, depression
Yet, it is endless
A spontaneous overflow of mimicry
On your lovely charming visage
Making you and others write narrations on that
You refer it and get a vision on yourself and others
It is true; the true impressions can reflect on you
And others as well
Let your impressive impressions scatter into pieces
And reveal yourself to you and others
“Don’t waste our time. Your testimony is very important to us. Tell us what happened to your father? Who killed him? Tell us what you saw at that time. Who is the murderer of your father?” The lawyer questioned.
Udani’s face turned into red.
“Yes, I’ll tell.” She said and pointed towards her mother.
“She … she is the murderess. I saw how she killed him.”
Tears began to pour down her cheeks, at that time her mind ran to the past. She was a sixteen year old girl. She was the only child of her family and lived with her parents happily. They had not been very rich people. Her father was a clerk and her mother earned sum money by making cakes. She did not have much time to speak with her parents because of her studies. So, she didn’t know about her parent’s problems. Moreover her parents thought she needed quiet and privacy to study for her examination.
One day her father came home at night. Udani was sleeping, but she heard the sound of her mother. “Why are you so late today?”
“Ah! We had a meeting.” Her father replied.
At three o’clock in the morning she woke up again. She heard a noise outside. She felt that her parents were not in bed. She went to the living room and found the front door was closed. She turned the knob but found it is locked from outside. She went to the window, opened it and peeped through. She saw that her parents were quarrelling in the garden. Udani was surprised because she never saw such a quarrel between her parents before. She saw that her mother took a knife which she had brought to cut the branches of the trees and stabbed her father. Udani was shocked. She couldn’t speak after that moment. She came out of her thoughts. Through her tears she saw the pale face of her mother. She began to shout again.
“She, is the murderess”
After a few minutes the judge gave his verdict. Udani’s mother was imprisoned for ten years.
Udani was alone at home. She decided to find a job.
“Who will give me a job?” She questioned herself. She remembered her cousin who was working at a garment factory. She decided to go to her cousin and finally her cousin found a job for her.
Time ran by quickly. Udani was now twenty six years old. One day she watched a TV program with her cousin. “Is this a new program?” Udani asked.
“Yes, I think this maybe a special program. We’ll listen to the presenter.” Her cousin replied.
“Good evening everybody. Today is a special day for all of us. Today is World Mother’s Day. I think that we do not want a special day to treat and to respect our mothers. We can use this day to celebrate our love for our mothers. I would like to say some ideas which were sent by one of our viewers. He appreciates the mother’s love in this way;
Mother you are the flower which blooms in the garden of our mind,
You are the person who can help us to fulfill our dreams.
You are the river of love which flows with our hopes
Mother you are the soft wind which embraces and quenches
the sadness of our hearts.”
“No, No” Udani began to shout.
“She is not such a person. She is a devil, a devil”
“Oh! Why Udani? Let’s go to your room. Relax my dear. I know, you hate your mother, but I feel that your mother is not a bad woman.”
“What did you say sister? You don’t know I remembered how she killed my father.”
“Yes, you remember it, but do you know the reason for that?”
“No.” Udani looked at her cousin anxiously and asked.
“What are you going to say?”
“Udani, at that time you were a little girl, but now you are young. Perhaps your mother might have had many problems. Don’t hate your mother. Perhaps she may be at your house now. Let’s go to your house tomorrow.”
Next morning Udani went to her house with her cousin. There was no one in the house.
“Excuse me can I help you?”
Asked an old woman who was in the next house.
“We want to meet Mrs. Wijethunge” said the cousin.
“Ah! She is not in this house. It is a long story. She killed …”
“Yes we know that, but we thought that she may be in her house now.”
“Yes, she came here one year ago, and gave me the key of this house to give her daughter.” The she looked at Udani’s face anxiously.
“Are you Udani?”
“Yes aunty”
“Oh! I couldn’t recognize you. I’ll give you the key.”
Udani opened the house door with the key, and went inside. Her mother has left the house neat and tidy. She passed other rooms and directly went inside her mother’s room. As usual silence greets her.
“Sister, I want to know about my mother’s life. I think that I can find it from her diary.”
“Did she write a diary?”
“Yes but she didn’t show it to me.”
Finally she found her diary and began to read it.
8th December 1996
“I don’t know why my fate has given me such kind of husband. I couldn’t tell these problems to my daughter because it will affect her studies. I know she needs a noiseless environment and privacy to study the Advanced Level Examination round the corner. If I tell these problems to any other person it will also affect my daughter’s life. My husband gambles in a casino. He loses all the money in the casino. I know, he has several love affairs with many women. Today I saw how he behaved with a girl like a young man. I cannot quarrel with him in front of my daughter. But if he goes on this way it will affect my child. I wanted to commit suicide, but my child cannot live with this father. She wants my love and protection.”
“Sister, did you hear? You are correct. I want to see my mother. What a sin I have committed. I want to ask for her pardon.”
Then her cousin said; “We don’t know where she is now. We don’t know … whether she is living or not. Yes Udani you have to accept that. I feel that she is not alive now, because those days she lived for you. But now … for what? I think we better give an alms giving for her. There is a fine temple in our area. I think that they can console your heart.”
After a week Udani went to that temple with her cousin. It was broad daylight. It looked like a special day. It was after ten years of time she felt relieved as she could get rid from extreme anger she had for her mother. Her cousin explained Udani’s problem to a monk. Then the monk showed a kind nun who has a good knowledge of these kinds of problems. He pointed his hand at that nun who was meditating under a tree. Udani ran to her.
“My mother!”
She fell down at her feet and cried.
“Udani, you! I thought you’d come to see me one day. You are a beautiful girl now.” Her mother said while touching her face.
“I’m so sorry mother. Please forgive me. I committed an unforgivable sin. I have a bad impression about you.”
“No, daughter, at that time you didn’t know anything about our lives. So, you believed what you saw. You are not wrong. Now I can be happy because you have understood me know. It is enough for me. I hope that you will spend a happy life in our home. God bless you my dear!”
Impressive Impressions God has given you one face
God has given you one face
Yet with more emotions, sensations and sentiments
The face of every human is a colorful diary filled with thoughts
The endless chapters on it get more colorful
With your different sentiments like:
Happiness, sadness, anxiety, ecstasy, depression
Yet, it is endless
A spontaneous overflow of mimicry
On your lovely charming visage
Making you and others write narrations on that
You refer it and get a vision on yourself and others
It is true; the true impressions can reflect on you
And others as well
Let your impressive impressions scatter into pieces
And reveal yourself to you and others
