TURN OF THE TIDE

If you look at the title deeds of farmland owned by me - farmer Jagan - you will find it adjoined a Hamilton estate on one side. I had asked my late father about the estate and the man had merely said “In British days someone with that name had an extensive piece of land here with a bungalow within it and various plants and trees around it. It was taken over by an Indian firm and has been renamed.”

I am about 30, a man with a rugged build and a huge moustache. My education had been meager and I had concentrated on getting the most out of my land. I knew about the soil, the water needs, the fertilizer, the seasons and so on and was able to get the maximum out of the cultivated area. I would say to myself “There is still a portion of my land that could be exploited. I must do it some time.” I live in a town quite close to my farm in a state of single blessedness.

Now I come to Leki. She is about 25 and is the only daughter of a small scale industrialist who makes toys for children. Leki would design new toys and it came to the notice of a large toy manufacturer. That firm started handling the sale of toys produced by Leki Toys. Soon Leki Toys became well known. Leki was tall and not unattractive. Among many who had an eye on her was me, farmer Jagan. I am acquainted with her.

One day she told me “I’ve designed a rotating toy which is very light but colorful. It will be very popular.”

Indeed the prototype was well accepted and came into mass manufacture.

I met her and said “Now that you’ve achieved success in toy making when do we get married?”

This was June and we decided the wedding would take place in early August. Now came a surprise. The firm sponsoring Leki Toys offered Leki a 5 week tour to Japan to study Japanese toys. She would leave in the middle of July. I was upset and said to her “I don’t like you going to Japan alone. If you did you would be late for the date we’ve chosen for the wedding. I suggest you cancel the trip.”

But Leki was determined to visit Japan. She left as scheduled. I was in a fury and said to myself “Don’t think Leki is the only match for you. I’ll show her that I can end up with an even better bride.”

My search ended after I had found Moll. Moll lived in the same town as me and was very attractive. She had finished school and had learnt some electronics from her brother. She agreed to marry me.

I met Moll and said “Moll, I hate that Leki who has gone to Japan despite my being against it. She will be back only in August. Let us fix the wedding for September. I’ll invite her to it and she will see you’re attractive. I’ll make it a grand affair.”

Moll had laughed and said “So be it. I believe in destiny.”

In early August, Moll contacted me and said “I’ve got a job with a mobile phone maker and have joined duty. I’ve been told no leave would be sanctioned during the first 6 months of servuce. So we must reschedule our wedding date.”

I was again furious. I said “You don’t need that job. I make enough for us to live on very comfortably.”

“But I like the job. And they told me it would give me a very good future.”

Our wedding was cancelled. It was very disappointing to me since I had found a more attractive woman than Leki to be my wife. I felt weary to look for another woman to be my bride.

Leki returned from Japan but I wouldn’t speak to her. Both Leki and I were advised by well-wishers to get married but I was adamant. Someone said to me “Jagan, if you drop her she will find someone else. She is versatile.”

 “Let me think it over.”

Now that two marriage plans had to be abandoned I felt despondent. As Leki had said destiny or fate decided the future and not individual choices. Should I seek a bride a third time? I asked myself. I was against it and decided to concentrate on getting more out of my land. I would have to clear and prepare for cultivation some marginal land which had lain fallow. I set about the job with alacrity. My laborers removed the brambles and leveled the land. I watered the area and then readied it for the furrow. It was while the earth was being plowed that my men came across a small wooden box buried underground. The wood had decayed and was falling in splinters. Must be some used crate I thought. I cleaned and opened it and saw a few bones inside. I assumed it was a coffin for a small child. But then I saw a dog collar and felt it was perhaps the coffin of a pet canine. I studied the frayed leather collar and saw the words MAISEY on it and felt the buried canine could have been named Maisey.

I was about to throw away the collar when I saw a gleaming button on the underside. It could be a bell or bead of some kind I thought and examined it further. It was then that I saw that the shine was from a stone. Could it be precious? I carried the stone to a jeweler. After examination the jeweler said “This is a first class blue diamond. I suppose you would like to set it in a ring?”

“What would be its value?”

He was silent. Then he said “It’s an unusual stone. How much did it cost you?”

I said “Well it was in the family. What do you think it would be worth?”

“I would’ve to consult another expert to get an opinion. I’ll say upwards of 200,000 rupees.”

I was totally surprised at the find. I assumed that someone in Hamilton estate had had a dog named Maisey and had endowed it with a collar embedded with the diamond. The dog had died and had been boxed and buried. I felt my luck was turning.

My friends and Leki’s sought to revive our union. They succeeded and during the wedding when I slid a diamond ring on Leki’s finger it was Moll who was watching feeling very unhappy. I’m sure she said to herself “Could he not have waited till I got leave of absence? Destiny it was which awarded the Maisey diamond to his first love Leki.”

END