Before leaving for Rangoon, her brother had asked what he could bring. She had said she wanted some new furniture like the set of low tables and chairs she had seen at the township officer’s house. Way Way and the servant girl Meh Aye had stayed up until midnight the night before, polishing the floors so the place would be ready when her brother arrived early the next morning. Using a mixture of kerosene and paraffin, they had polished and polished until their arms nearly dropped off.
The marble-topped table and accompanying chairs, to be used now as a dining set, were taken into the middle room behind the screen. Way Way had decided to have their meals at a table sitting on chairs because they could be seen from the upstairs of the house next door when they sat eating around the low table on mats on the kitchen floor. She had been very uneasy at mealtimes ever since U Saw Han had moved in. Only now did she feel that she could relax and eat without fear of being observed.
For two full days Daw Thet had sat at the sewing machine to finish the set of poplin curtains exactly like those hanging in the windows of U Saw Han’s house. When Way Way finished polishing the floor, she hung the curtains. She set her alarm clock before turning in for the night, but rose before it went off. Both she and Meh Aye came downstairs. She switched on the light, anxious to see if the floor had been done well enough, and then the two of them lifted the large cane armchair that U Po Thein usually sat in and moved it to the front end of the room. Since it did not look right there, they moved it to a corner. Not satisfied with that either, they moved it back to its original place in front of the screen that separated the middle room from the sitting room. Then, after being moved here and there, the desk and its chair were settled in a corner at the rear of the room. She decided to get rid of the old wooden settle, which she could no longer stand the sight of, and put it outside as soon as it was light enough to open the doors. Way Way then went into the middle room and took a new white table cloth and spread it on the marble-topped table. From now on this is where they would have breakfast. She placed cups and saucers around the table and stood back to look at the effect.
Then suddenly she heard the boat whistle and ran off to finish making herself presentable. She kept busy with things upstairs and downstairs while the boat docked. When she finally saw the furniture appearing, the tight feeling in her chest disappeared. Her brother had sent the furniture on ahead with coolies and had gone to his own house first. Way Way quickly unwrapped the packing and arranged the furniture around the room exactly as she had planned the night before. In the clear morning light the room appeared quite elegant. She thought, Now it looks sophisticated and Westernized. If only there were a carpet to put under the furniture, it would really have class.
She then asked Meh Aye to go outside and pick the wax orchids from the mango tree, as she wished to place them in a bowl on the coffee table. Way Way looked at the transformed sitting room and thought of U Saw Han. She was satisfied and pleased to think that the next time he came, they could receive him properly with up-to-date furnishings.
U Po Thein came downstairs. Seeing the sitting room changed around, he thought, Young people nowadays want to be so modern and fashionable. After looking around at the freshly cleaned and orderly sitting room, he added to himself, I rather like it this way; I like it very much indeed.
“Daddy, Ko Nay U says he’ll come over later. I’ve made some coffee for you. We’ve turned the marble table into the dining table.” Way Way appeared cheerful and bright. She saw that her father looked rested, and this observation of a change for the better made her happy.
U Po Thein sat at the marble-topped table and was surprised to see there the china that was usually stored away in the cupboard, and a new table cloth, starched and gleaming white. The table was laid with the new tea set as though company were expected. He observed bread, butter, ripe papaya, and bananas, and was a little taken aback at the kinds of food selected. U Po Thein was used to having his breakfast in his armchair, his legs tucked under him and his coffee-cup and plate of food perched on the long wooden arms. He was unaccustomed to sitting formally at a table and felt rather intimidated by the white table cloth and new cups. He never ate papayas or bananas so early in the day, only after a meal of rice and curry. All this was new to him. My daughter is acting strangely, he thought. “Daughter, if we use the new plates every day, won’t they get old-looking soon?”
“If people saw us use the old plates and cups from the kitchen on this table, it would never do,” she replied as she fixed his coffee. U Po Thein mused over the words “if people saw us” and “it would never do” as he ate his meal.
Way Way sat down at the table facing her father. Turning her cup right side up, she poured herself some coffee and looking up at him said, “How did you sleep last night, Daddy?” Her father regarded her steadily, and she began to feel a little uncomfortable about putting on these airs about sitting at a table.
“I slept quite well, didn’t cough once all night. I coughed once or twice when I woke up in the morning, but there wasn’t any blood.”
“Then you are going to be all right!” she cried with relief. “I asked Aunt Thet to buy some cucumber melons from the bazaar. They say that eating cucumber melon with sugar cures you, so you’ll be sure to have some, won’t you, Dad?”
U Po Thein nodded in agreement. “I really don’t think it is tuberculosis,” he said as he smiled and shook his head.
“It’s just something caused by fear. If you worry about having a certain disease, you get the symptoms. What you had is just a little excess blood, like a nose bleed. They say that something like this happened to Uncle Po Myaing and he’s all right now. Never had it again. Don’t think about it or dwell on it, Daddy.” Way Way talked a lot to cover up her uneasiness. She felt awkward in front of her father because of all the changes she had made, and could not relax and eat normally.
Her face fell as she heard her name called out—“Way Way!”—from the front of the house. There was a sound of footsteps striding in and then her brother appeared, exclaiming loudly, “My, my, aren’t we stylish!” Wide-eyed, he took in the dining table and continued, “It’s a white man’s house!” and began laughing. His laughter sounded strained, as if he did not really find it funny but was ridiculing her.
Way Way was hurt and her face looked pained. Glancing sideways at him, she said with a pout, “Oh you would say something like that!”
In appearance Ko Nay U was light-skinned and built quite short and stout. He had large, prominent eyes which were always ready to smile or laugh, giving him a pleasant-looking face. Because he loved to chew betel, his teeth were stained red and one of his cheeks was always puffed out with a wad of it. His hair was cropped very short, European style. He wore a short-sleeved shirt, a cotton longyi with large checks, and a big belt around his waist.
“You said ten days, but you were gone much longer,” U Po Thein said. He had to turn his body sideways towards his son because he was sitting up so close against the table.
“Have some coffee,” said Way Way to Ko Nay U as she poured him the cup meant for Daw Thet when she returned from her morning trip to the market.
“I had to have injections for my eyes. Seems I’m supposed to wear glasses, but I don’t want to, so I just brought medicine for them. What’s this I hear about your not feeling well, Dad?”
“Who told you that?” Way Way asked across the table.
“Aunt Thet, of course. She stepped in at our place on her way to the market this morning and told us.” Then to his father he said, “How are you now? It’s really got me worried,” said Ko Nay U as he slid into a chair and sat at the table.
U Po Thein straightened himself around and replied, “We were just talking about it. I’m much better. My pulse is normal. The blood was just something like a nose bleed.”
“If that’s the case, it is really good news. Tuberculosis is a serious illness and even got my in-laws worried. My father-in-law asked me to persuade you to go to Rangoon for treatment.”
“Drink your coffee.” Way Way poured coffee into a