Wounded Dragon don't cry

As far as he could recollect, Ko Zaw Min has been penning, works of fiction and also, of past realistic boiling matters as non-fiction, in his mother language, Myanmar. View there are a million and one writers and authors, his works never made the grade, past would be, even proof readers.  Should he be willing to bear the expenses toward printing the first one thousand, first edition, the printing press shop was kind enough to voice him that, such rash actions would result in a fool’s folly. They were all his good friends, and in a way, not only were they refraining him from wasting his hard earned cash, but also stopping his fall from grace. Not that he had any left, he thought. He was a broken man, which ever way we look at it.

He has done much research, spending hours at a time, in libraries during week- ends, and jotted down on the other side of discarded office stationary, long and late into the night, under a candle, to economize on his electricity bill. The writings were Ko Zaw Min’s passion, and he longs to publish something that would propel him to the first division. His wife, Su Su supported his urge and would do all she could, to make him a success.

Education wise, he was quite well read. He was schooled in an English spoken environment, with a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) in English, and also a Bachelor of Education (Bed), double degree from the University of Yangon. The parents went all out on his education, so that can secure a good paying job in life. Su Su, also got a Bed degree from the same university, but three years his junior. He met Su Su, while he tuitioned her group of friends. One thing led to another, and got married after her graduation. Her parents are from the town of Heho, Shan States. They have a small general store there, and her father dabbled in Jade, should opportunity arises. Ko Zaw Min parents were also from the Shan State, a town called Taunggyi, which is the state capital. However, they have re-settled early, in Yangon.

Su Su works for Sedona International Hotel (5 star) on Sule Pagoda Road, while Ko Zaw Min is a high school teacher in the suburb of East Dagon. Su Su, with her pleasant personality, slim and fair body, coupled with looks, has a good job with prospects and her pay is in United States Dollars. He is a high school teacher in East Dagon, a suburb of Yangon, where it is well outside the circle of schools, most likes to teach. Thus, one of his reasons for Ko Zaw Min to teach there, plus only a slender chance of being posted elsewhere.

Both, him and Su Su, have stable jobs in Yangon, where they can bring up the two young daughters in a loving home. Shifting every few years is unstable for the family, and unable to secure roots. Ko Zaw Min also tuition in the subjects of English and Mathematics to eight high school pupils in his home, and this income is much more than his salary. Tuition is done in the afternoons, after his school teaching bout. During school holidays and just before the main examination, timings are rearranged. When combined, the incomes are ample to run their household, and some months would yield savings even, which is credited into their joint account, held with Yoma Bank.  

Su Su working for Sedona International Hotel, is a plus for all of them. In addition to bringing discarded office stationary with blessing, she also manages to secure old newspapers, such as, Wall Street Journal, The Daily Telegraph, The Bangkok Post and The Straits Times and some magazines, on loan, for a few days. Old newspapers or not, its all new to him, if unread. It also helps their young daughters to get acquainted with the English language, which is much lacking in their school.  She also need not worry about transport, as their private hotel bus fetch and bring her back, up to the top of our road. Meals are also not a problem, the hotel cater lunch or dinner, depending on her shift.

Ko Zaw Min, being a high school teacher, is a servant of the state. As such, the land on which his wooden house stand is allotted by the government. The land is 40 x 40 feet and it may have been a paddy field, but the government also sells him housing materials at a discounted rate. With some additional money from their savings, plus donations from Su Su and his parents, the small house is built. 

The house is built on siltstones with hardwood (pyingadoe) beams. The height is at least ten feet from the ground level, which keeps them dry in rainy season and a place to sleep under, during very hot and dry spells. The beams and outside walls are all painted with a coat of crude oil, once a year. This may look ugly, but is good for the woodworks. No insects will eat into it, and due to the slippery nature, all creepy crawlies are kept at bay.  The crude oil is the stuff that comes straight from the ground, and is the cheapest in the market, and also readily available. 

Ko Zaw Min knew that this will be his first and last house that he builds in his life time, thus he goes for maximum best materials that he could lay his hands on, provided the price was not to too dear. He utilizes Myanmar carpenters, as they are the cheapest. Their workmanship may be a bit cruder than their Chinese counterparts, but he feels, as long as the quality of the wood is long lasting, workmanship inside is secondary. The beams were of hardwood and the rest is teak. The windows were wide, to catch maximum breeze in all seasons. All open spaces are guarded with a wire mesh, to keep any prowlers or thieves out. There were two large concrete water catchment tanks, near the bathroom and kitchen, to make good our domestic needs, plus a further metal drum in the kitchen. It is mainly to catch the rain from the roof, which is sweet, soft and clear, unlike the well water that has a certain smell and its quality is somewhat questionable. There are two bedrooms, one for the girls, and one for them. The sitting room cum dinning area cum shrine room is quite compact, with all spaces fully occupied.  The roof is of galvanized iron, however with a coat of red oxide and green paint, for sure makes it more lasting. The two trees, one mango and the other tamarind, also provide extra shade to the galvanized iron roof. This natural shade makes the house less hot, and cuts down direct droplets in the rainy season, as it becomes a second skin, sheltering us from the harsh force of the rain during monsoon. Ko Zaw Min had to be careful and prune the branches prior the rains to protect the roof. Mangoes were Ma Chit Su and not the expensive ‘one diamond’ type. Still the family could enjoy the fruits and sell the extra in the market. The tamarind is also sold, however the price was rather cheap, as bountiful in the market. Su Su, at times would prepare tamarind juice drinks to keep the family bowels in shape.

The toilet is at the corner under the tamarind tree. It is a hole about thirty feet deep meshed by bamboo and lasts for about three years. On filling up, it is recovered by earth and a new one dug, again. The route to the toilet, also built on slits with wood and galvanized iron roof, is by way of small bamboo bridge. There is no electric bulb, and is lighted with a candle and a box of matches in there, while doing one’s business. There is also a narrow bamboo bridge, from the main door of the house to the tip of the tar road, so that the girls and also the whole family need not worry, about snakes in the water in their compound. During the monsoon, the whole yard can be a sea of rain and their sturdy house is their salvation.

Everyone, in the household has a job to be fulfilled. Their daughters collect dry branches from the surrounding areas, during the dry seasons, and Ko Zaw Min would saw them into manageable pieces, and pile them by the kitchen, in a dry place. This small act might seem unnecessary to the rest of the family, but for Su Su, it cuts down the kitchen expenses, view less charcoal need be purchased. To cut down the expenses further, she normally buys charcoal blocks made from loose charcoal chips and its powder. Su Su would prepare coffee with condensed milk early in the mornings, before any of us gets up, and curry would be cooked also in the mornings or late at night, depending on her shift. Ko Zaw Min just cooks the rice and fills his own tiffin (lunch) box and eats together with a group of teachers at school. He enjoys his lunches, as at least five or six dishes that he can choose from. His young girls normally buy a plain naan each, and eat it together with coffee, before running off to school, which is about ten minutes from their house. For a change, instead of naan, they might buy sticky rice with steamed beans, from a seller who would voice out loud their delicacies, they balance on their heads in a bamboo basket. The girls are taught how to prepare rice, therefore no problem food wise, on their return from school in the afternoons.

Ko Zaw Min’s longyi is green, same colour as all pupils attending any state school. Should there be holes or the colour had run, SuSu would scissor his longyi and make school uniforms for the girls. She would deploy an old Singer sewing machine, powered by legs to stitch up her daughter clothes. The old Singer sewing machine was bought from a colleague who was hard on cash. She is the economist of the family and runs a tight household. Ko Zaw Min also have a small colour television and a DVD player, both are China made. He need not worry from being stolen, as nobody would repair, view very cheap. The motto here is buy, use and throw away. Each DVD disc is around U$0.50 and the girls are happy with their assorted cartoons and Myanmar stage shows. Due to electricity outages, especially in the dry seasons, he also got an invertor coupled with a car battery, that is good enough to watch a Korean soap opera with dubbings or sub titles in Myanmar and the local news, for about two hours. Ko Zaw Min has no say in the matter, as votes are three against one.

Ma Chaw is the younger, she is seven, and Aye Mar, the elder girl is nine. Both lovely girls and can be depended upon. They are matured for their ages and no need to push them for study. By seven o’clock, when the grandfather clock chimes, they pick up their school bags and head for the dinner table till 9 o’clock. After which, they would clean themselves and do their number one and proceeded for bed with mosquito nets fully tugged in. Ko Zaw Min would read a few pages from one of his unpublished novels, and before the chapter is out, they are both fully asleep. From this, he could tell that his novels needed something extra.

Su Su and Ko Zaw Min would talk late into the night, in the dark, when there is electricity outage. Su Su, reassured her husband that they are so lucky. They may not be in the upper echelons of middle class, but for sure in the lower middle class bracket. She told Ko Zaw Min not to always look up, but to, now and then take a peek below. There are many, too numerous to count, who are in much dire condition, and could not even dream of reaching their position in this life. So, to be content, and not to loose what they had achieved, was important. Su Su is a Sunday born and as per hororscope, she is a Garuda and thus likely to sulk at times, but not to worry! He knows that he is lucky man to win over such a girl, Su Su is first and foremost a good wife and also a good mother. She managed to keep her looks trim and slender, and after ten years of marriage, Ko Zaw Min cannot ask for more. She does not buy colognes, nor uses lipsticks, and only apply Thanakha on her lovely face. This she drills into her daughters that one need not be pretty artificially, with western cosmetics, and Thanakha would do nicely, and to follow the footsteps of mother. She sets a good example and save every Kyat and try to be always within income budget, monthly. Ko Zaw Min believes that their two daughters were enough, as such, with the help of his doctor school friend, performed a procedure on Su Su, not to bear any more children. The procedure was performed in a local hospital, near by, and it was free of charge. However, they did call upon the doctor again in the following month, to show their thankfulness and respect, with gifts. They both were relieved, that the doctor accepted.

Ko Zaw Min pilgrimage two trips a month into town. He boards a bus from East Dagon to down town, in the evenings. As the masses would be making their way back home to the suburbs, his ride on the bus is hassle free and comfortable. He alights at Sule stop, and walks over to the corner of 30^th Street and Maha Bandula Road, teashop by the pavement. There, he would meet his literacy group of friends. Mostly, there are writers and some taxi drivers at the teashop. Sometimes, he would encounter hooligans and drunkards, due to being Saturday born, a dragon by Myanmar zodiac sign, he would explode and have fights with them. He’s got battle medals of scars at the back of his head, which he covers with a lock of hair. Nowadays, he just gives them a wide berth, view his family and work is more important, they come first, everytime. He is fully aware that the police would not let him off lightly again, and could result in loss of his job. 

At the teashop, he would passionately discuss about writing, with his brother in arms, and would maneuver in his beloved society with past, present and future aspiring authors. He would listen to their talks on how success came or otherwise, with a cup of tea and pots of free green tea. At times, the group would walk up the Sule Pagoda and find a quiet spot and discuss further in earnest. The build up of characters, the twist, plot and writing styles were shared in great detail. Tit bits and current gossips, and talk of the town are all shared. He is at home with the crowd, and they would also suggest a few pointers to his writings. All much appreciated and by late evening, he would seek fellow writers to share a cab back to East Dagon. This way, the cab driver will have is fare and they also save a lot of money, with a comfortable ride back in a cool night breeze. Once in East Dagon, the walk backs are less than thirty minutes to their respective homes.

On reaching home, Ko Zaw Min would take a leisurely cool bath and continue to write his novel. He is thankful for discarded office papers on which he writes by automatic pencil. An automatic pencil is a metal pencil shell where one needs to insert the lead only. This he does, by wondering around the schoolyard and picking up discarded pencils by pupils and slicing them at home to get to the lead inside. This way, his cost of writing utensil is much less. Since Ko Zaw Min does not like crossed outs on his works, he uses an eraser on his longhand writings. He’s been thinking of buying a second hand desktop personal computer and a printer since a few years back, which will depend on what the girls want for Thingyan, they has the first choice.

This time, Ko Zaw Min is writing on the trials of an aspiring writer, with the love for his girlfriend and the need for a stable job, for constant income. He is about half way through, and thinks he would need another year to conclude his novel. He is not at all disheartened, by his past failures, and hope that he would make it this time around. Su Su still encourages him and she knows for sure, the time would come, sooner, if not later.

Tomorrow is another day.