The Perfect Match

I'll tell you in advance, this is a different story than most of the stories

On the first day of going to Montessori, Mayumi sat next to Januli, who was already a crybaby.

"Don't cry, I'll be there for you," she said, hugging Januli's hand, just as an adult would tell her when she was crying at home. She stopped crying after a while and smiled awkwardly at her new friend. The hand she held that day has remained the same for thirty years.

Even though they went into different fields as adults, Mayumi went abroad for higher education, and Januli was married when she came back, that friendship did not break. Therefore, it was not surprising that the two exchanged calls at any time of the day, sometimes lasting for hours. Januli's husband, who knew this friendship, did not hinder it either.

"Januli, I need some help."

"So girl.........what?"

"Find out a little about someone"

"Wow........who is a groom?"

"Mmm.........it's like a groom. But not a groom"

"What kind of a joke is that?........ha ha, you know"

"No, I'll tell you when I get there"

"When will the mourner come? This evening?"

"Ha...........I'll come in the evening"

"Okay, then I'll make dinner"

"You're welcome........let's both come and make it"

When Mayumi got the opportunity to study abroad, the closest relatives were the most worried of all. This was because of the rumor that she would marry a foreigner she met there and bring a child to the family. This rumor spread so much that she had to reject the opportunity. Mayumi again made a promise in front of her family that she would finish her studies well and come to Sri Lanka and marry a Sri Lankan young man living in Sri Lanka.

Therefore, no matter how many handsome, good, talented, enthusiastic, and loving young men she met, Mayumi had to ignore their love proposals. When she talked to Januli about them,

"Oh, who cares about those who are so stupid........you like them here and there," she would say.

"Are you trying to split my head into seven pieces......it doesn't matter if it breaks, it will break the hearts of our grandmothers and great-grandmothers, if I marry a white nephew and marry him,"

Mayumi said, smiling in pain.

It was only then that the family began to see the effects of the ban imposed on Mayumi, who had become a good and respected doctor and had a good job. Although it was difficult to find handsome grooms who matched her education, job, family status, and caste, most of them, who were in their thirties, had gone through many stages in life and had become experts in their fields. Therefore, Mayumi and her parents could not be satisfied with their character.

"I got divorced at thirty-three. What kind of life is that... If you say it's not my fault, it's my fault. We are the judges who find faults in this and that. Besides, will a man who has made a mistake ever admit it?"

"He said he drinks a little bit every now and then. Last week, there were two parties. He drank and took a bath in both. How can you go to any function with a man like that?"

"I never had a serious relationship with any girl. When I looked around, I found that I had long-distance relationships with ten to fifteen girls, just for fun. I don't know if I have children.

"Oh, my God, my husband says I don't want to do a job. He must have found me. What nonsense. Big mothers are saying that I don't deserve to have that man. It doesn't matter if I don't deserve that."

"I don't see anything wrong with saying that. The family of the mother is not good.......... The boy is from that country but he is a Western type. Even the mother and father are very complicated. I studied in the country but my roots are in Sri Lanka. I can't live in such a family"

Januli, who was shouting at Mayumi, asking where there were people who were perfect for her, tried her best to find someone who was perfect for her. So far, they have not been of any use.

However, Mayumi, who always reads about grooms every day, is so eager to find out more about such a thing. Januli was incredibly curious to know who the groom who had won her heart was.

"So, who is this lucky guy who won your heart........."

The two friends started talking while cooking dinner.

"Mmm.........Ranzilu. An engineer. I studied in Melbourne. We met at a conference and became Facebook friends and started talking like that. He's a Buddhist farmer from the uplands. That's what mothers want. His personality is like Shape. My brother and sister are married. My father passed away last year. After that, my mother went to live with my sister in Canada. My brother is in Sweden. All the other relatives are in countries all over the world."

"What is he doing here alone then?"

"He came from Australia to look after his father's plantation for a while. After his father passed away, he's still looking after that and doing his job online. I was supposed to lease the land and go to my mother's in a while. But now that I've found you, I need to think about it a little more."

Januli saw Mayumi's face turning red as she said the last few words.

"Where is it? At least look at the boy's photo."

Januli's eyebrows rose as she looked at a picture of him on Mayumi's phone.

"Didn't you marry such a handsome boy from Melbourne? Are you sure?"

"That's where I came to tell you about the case.........with a girl I was in love with when I was in Melbourne. My parents didn't like that girl."

"Is that family anti-foreigner like yours?"

"No, it's a Sinhalese girl. There was a difference between the upcountry and the down country."

"Oh my God, what happened to her?"

"What else could have happened? That boy's whole family