The Generation Gap

By Roy Thomas

Yonachen sat, or rather lounged, in the planters easy chair placed in the verandah of his large family home in the small town of Kottayam. His silvery mane, unusually thick for a man his age, fell over his large forehead. The Cuban cigar in his hand filled the air with an exquisite aroma. A half-drunk glass of single malt whisky laced with soda lay on the small stool by his side, vying with a plate of pistachio nuts for his attention.

Occasionally he ran his hand through his hair- a sign that he was deep in thought. No one looking at him would have realised that the old man was excited. He had just received a letter from his good friend of many years Alec, an ex-tea planter, who had worked in the High ranges of Kerala in the mid-forties. Alec was making a trip to India – the first time since his departure from India twenty years ago. He would be coming to Kerala- he had written- and hoped that he and his family would be welcome by the Yonachen household for a couple of days. Yonachen had immediately replied to Alec saying and that he was most welcome and that he was looking forward to seeing Alec again.

Alec’s letter had revived all the memories of Alec’s short stint in India and the peculiar circumstances of his departure. The whole incident had caused quite an uproar at that time.

‘He was a great guy’ Yonachen muttered to himself, ‘not the usual white trash that British plantations employed in those days’. His thoughts drifted back to the episode, which had created History in planting circles at that time.

Alec, unlike most of the planters, came from a respectable family and had actually graduated in European History from Oxford. However, the combination of a delicate physique and poor vision had prevented him from being conscripted during the war. Alec was keen on seeing the world and planting companies were, at that period of time, quite desperate to recruit young men who were in short supply.

When Alec’s application reached them they, without any second thoughts, readily invited him to join up as an assistant manager in their plantations in India. Alec settled down at the Pambanar Estate's SDs bungalow- SD being the acronym for ‘Shine dorrai’ or ‘small master’ in Tamil. This was what white assistant managers were called to by the local estate workers and gradually this more or less became official terminology in the planters jargon. To be correct Alec was actually a ‘creeper’, as trainees were called in those days before they graduated to becoming assistant managers.

Alec had settled down to the life and responsibilities of an asst. manager. He enjoyed the solitude and started catching up on his reading from the rather well- stocked library at the Planters Club. He managed to find a local Malayalee butler ‘Pappen’ who had worked with many European families, initially as a kitchen coolie, and gradually over the years as his culinary skills improved, risen to become a butler. Pappen was bright and having lived and interacted with the English planters had picked up the English language along with a large repertoire of English cuisine. For his services he received a princely sum of Rupees One hundred and fifty per month from Alec.

Pappen lived with his family in the servant’s quarters adjoining the bungalow. By the time he started working for Alec he had crossed his fifties. His wife Thangamma, who worked as a tea leaf plucker, lived with him along with their teen-aged daughter who attended the local panchayat school. Lucy, the daughter who was named after the wife of an earlier Brit employer, was dusky, lithe and very attractive. When she was not attending school Lucy used to help her father with the cooking and also in the sweeping and swabbing of the bungalow. Alec found the young girl attractive and Lucy in turn, aware of the effect she had on him, used to make eyes at him when her father was not watching. Lucy could speak a few words of English and occasionally managed to speak a few words to Alec, much to his amusement.

Pappen employed his maternal uncle's son Aju as the Kitchen coolie. The kitchen coolie was basically an understudy to the butler and did all the menial work like cutting the firewood chopping of the vegetables, doing the daily purchases and generally all the odd jobs in the bungalow. Aju was a few years older to Lucy and Pappen treated him as a son, especially as his uncle was no more. Although he lived in one of the ‘line’ rooms’ Aju spent most of his spare time at Pappen’s place and ate all his meals with them and only went to his room to sleep in the nights.

It all began one warm summer evening.

The previous day Pappen came and told Alec that his wife Thangamma was unwell and needed to be checked at the Government Medical College at Kottayam. He would be away for two days but he had made all the arrangements for Aju to attend to the household chores, he said.

He also required Rupees hundred as advance. Pappen left early that morning leaving Lucy behind. Alec had returned as usual from work around five in the evening and at around eight in the evening, after serving him his dinner, Aju left the bungalow and went back to the quarters.

Later that evening Alec decided to sit on the lawns of the bungalow, as it was particularly hot inside. He mixed himself a drink and sat outside, looking at the distance and enjoying the quiet solitude of the night. Occasionally the distant sound of children yelling and playing and the barking of dogs from the nearby labor lines broke the silence. Suddenly he felt someone standing behind him and he turned to find Lucy staring at him in the dark.

“I not able to sleep,” she told him tentatively in her broken English. Alec was amused.

“Ok then you can come and talk to me,” he said. “Come and sit here,” indicating the grass next to his chair.

She sat there quietly for some time and then tentatively put her head on Alec’s lap. Alec did not really remember what happened that night –all he knew was that Lucy spent the night with him and left in the early hours of the morning.

Pappen and his wife came back later on during the day and things fell back to the usual routine. Alec saw Lucy occasionally but she studiously avoided his gaze and eventually he resigned himself to the fact that she was not inclined to speak to him.

Two months later Pappen came to him accompanied by a sullen-looking wife with Lucy in tow. The girl was crying bitterly and it was fairly obvious that her father had physically assaulted her. Thangamma- who Alec had taken a dislike to for no obvious reason- was ranting in Malayalam and also weeping.

“What is the matter,” Alec asked a little apprehensively.

“Master, Lucy has become pregnant,” Pappen replied agitatedly with a hostile look on his face.

Alec’s spirits sank as he heard this and he could hardly think strait. He heard himself telling Pappen that he was sure that there was some mistake.

“There is no mistake,” Pappen shouted, taking another swipe at Lucy’s head, “She has been vomiting and retching for the last two days and today the midwife confirmed that she is in the family way. The midwife is the biggest gossip in the estate and by now everyone will know the news- my family’s reputation is gone and I really don’t know how I will show my face again in this neighborhood.”

“Who is the father of the child?” Alec asked with a sinking feeling.

“What do you mean who is the father you bastard,” Thangamma screamed at Alec, “You are the one who has been taking advantage of this poor young girl and you are going to pay for this!”

Alec felt faint with anxiety. He could hardly speak coherently but he managed to pacify Pappen and sent him home along with some money and the assurance that they would find a solution to the matter.

Alec rang up the Manager, a stern Scottish man by the name of Pat Henning and told him about the trouble that he had got himself into.

Pat was furious. “I have enough problems running this damn estate without you adding to it you horny bastard,” he roared, “now you just pack your suitcase and don’t move from there till I come over…and don’t talk to anyone...the natives will lynch you if they hear about the happenings…!”

Alec heard Mrs. Henning’s shrill voice in the background saying it was a bloody disgrace.

Alec was moved out the same night in the company’s car to Kottayam where he was secreted to Yonachen’s house. Yonachen had a flourishing business of estate supplies that his father had started. Alec had met Yonachen several times during his business trips to the High Ranges -they were about the same age and soon became friends. Yonachen had studied in a public school in the hill station of Yercaud, run by Anglican missionaries, and had a very westernized perspective of life, having grown up with sevaral expatriate and Anglo- Indian children.

Two weeks passed and Alec did not hear very much from his Manager though he came to understand that there had been a lot of discussions with Pappen who had been persuaded not to involve the unions in the matter. Yonachen was a meanwhile a pillar of support and strength and cheered a depressed Alec with his stories and jokes.

One morning, about two weeks after Alec had left the Estate, two cars landed up at the house- one car with the Manager in India Mr. Martin, who headed the company and Mr. Henning- the Manager who was Alec's boss. They were accompanied by a short, rotund man Marcos, who Alec later learned was the company advocate. In the other car came Pappen, his wife and to his surprise –Aju the Kitchen assistant!

Mr. Martin addressed Alec. “Young man,” he said, “you have got into serious problems -for yourself and the company. We will have to sort this out but there is no way that you can continue to remain here in India.”

“Yes sir,” Alec replied calmly, “I will abide by whatever you decide.”

“So how do you want to settle this?” asked Skaria to Pappen and his escorts. “What settlement can one make after ruining a young girls life,” yelled Aju much to Alec and to everyone’s surprise, “we want Fifty thousand Rupees otherwise he’ll have to marry Lucy.”

“Are you mad?” retorted Skaria reacting to Aju’s outburst, “we will give you five thousand Rupees and settle the matter.”

Alec, who had sat quietly throughout the slanging match, raised his hand before an argument could start. “Yes,” he said quietly, “I am an honourable man- I will marry Lucy.”

There was a stunned silence and for a minute Yonachen imagined he saw a look of panic on Aju’s face. There was pandemonium all around with everyone yelling at the top of their voices.

“You are crazy you stupid idiot,” yelled Henning, “you just can’t marry some bloody slut just because you have been sleeping with her!!”

Alec, to Yonachen’s amazement, remained firm in his resolve that he would marry Lucy. Even Yonachen tried his best to convince Alec that this was not required and that for a sum of five thousand rupees the issue could be resolved to every one's satisfaction but Alec refused to change his mind.

Meanwhile Aju had retracted his demand and said he would settle for the five thousand rupees in cash and marriage was not required. All along, Pappen had keeping his silence while Aju’s voice had become a few decibels higher and he kept glancing at Pappen for support in desperation.

The meeting dragged on with everyone trying to dissuade Alec’s but he remained firm in his resolve.

A week later, Alec got married to Lucy in a quiet ceremony at the local chapel. The Anglican minister came up from Bangalore especially to conduct the wedding. The marriage was attended by a few of Alec s planter friends and Lucy’s immediate family –with the noticeable absence of Aju. Alec, who had by then resigned from his job, and his young bride sailed off to England a week after the wedding.

Alec kept in touch with Yonachen with the occasional card or a brief letter. Yonachen learnt that Alec had settled down to the life of a teacher in one of the well-known Grammar schools and that Lucy had delivered a baby boy who had been named Stuart after Alec’s father. Stuart had done extremely well academically and was the apple of his father‘s eye.

Alec had called after landing in Bombay saying that they would be taking the flight to Cochin after a few days there. The big day arrived and Yonachen had sent his car to pick up Alec and the family.

The Black Citroen car carrying the visitors drove up the driveway and a visibly excited Yonachen greeted Alec at the porch with a big bear hug. Behind Alec stood in a mauve skirt and white blouse stood Lucy. Yonachen noticed that though she had thickened around the waist Lucy was still quite attractive.

Behind him stood a striking young man who Yonachen assumed was Stuart. Yonachen studied the young lad’s as he shook his hand and noticed that he had Indian looks and had inherited much of his mother's features.

Yonachen was about to speak to Lucy in Malayalam when she surprised him by holding out her hand and enquiring in a marked cockney accent on how he had been keeping. Yonachen managed to hide his surprise as he showed them to their rooms. The family was tired after all the traveling and they retired to their rooms after an early dinner.

The next day, considerably refreshed, Alec settled down to some beer. The refreshing fragrance of the gardenias wafted across the lawn as Alec updated Yonachen on all that had happened over the years.

Yonachen listened to everything without interrupting and after Alec had stopped he kept silent for some time and then asked Alec, “I say Alec, how is that you and Lucy haven’t had any kids after Stuart?”

Alec was quiet for some time and then turned to look at Yonachen. "That’s another story," Alec replied after a few moments of silence and then with a pensive look on his face continued, “After we got back to the UK and settled down I decided that it was time that we had another child but strangely Lucy never seemed to get pregnant. Eventually, we went and got ourselves checked with the best doctors in London. After all the tests were complete the Doctor then called me to discuss the reports.

He informed me that there was no problem with Lucy but that I was definitely sterile - probably due to some childhood illness that I had contracted.” “So Stuart. .!”Yonachen blurted trailing off into silence not knowing what to say.

“Yes, that’s right,” answered Alec quietly, “Stuart was definitely not my son but I never spoke to Lucy about it and I left things as it were. I love Stuart and as far as I am concerned he is my son for all practical purposes.”

There was a silence for some time while both of them watched a huge dragonfly fluttering over an exquisite pink colored ‘dendrobium’ hanging in the portico. A few yards away Stuart watched with interest as a young maid drew water from the well and poured it into a bucket-something he had never seen back home. None of them noticed Lucy standing at the verandah watching Stuart.

“You please stay away from the locals, Stuart,” she admonished the staring boy “don’t try and speak to them-do you hear!” she warned.

Alec glanced at Yonachen for a second and then looked away with a wry smile on his face…

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By Roy Thomas