IDIOTIC PIYADASA

Piyadasa, a village youth employed by Mrs. Perera was an absolute idiot. One day she sent him to buy a bag of cement and the fellow returned carrying it on his head. On the way, the bag of cement had broken down, spilling most of the contents on his head and all along the road.

"Oh, Piyadasa, you fool," cried Mrs. Perera in vexation, "why didn't you hire at least a hand-cart to bring the bag of cement?" 

The next day Mrs. Perera sent Piyadasa to buy a kilo of sugar, and he brought it safely in a cart he had hired for the purpose, compelling Mrs. Perera to pay the cart-hire as well! 

When Mrs. Perera was engaged in sewing a frock for her, the sewing machine needle broke and she asked Piyadasa to take the bicycle and bring her a sewing needle soon from the market. He took a long time to return. When Mrs. Perera questioned him, he said that he had to delay because he had to drag the bicycle all along up and down as it had a flat tyre. “Then why did you take it at all?" asked Mrs. Perera."Because you wanted me to, take it," was Piyadasa's reply. 

Mrs. Perera found some funny taste in the curry that Piyadasa had prepared. 

“Piyadasa," said Mrs. Perera, “Did you wash the fish before you cooked it?” 

”What for, madam?" replied the fool, "the fish was in the water all throughout its life!" 

That was the last day that Mrs. Perera got anything cooked by Piyadasa. 

Piyadasa, though a fool, was a hard worker. The only trouble was that he had to be told what to do item by item. Mrs. Perera, in exasperation told him, "Look here, Piyadasa: l can‘t be telling you every time what to do one by one. For example, if  I ask you to bring a basin of water to wash my face, you must bring the soap, the towel .and the comb as well. I am a woman of few words and you must be able to understand what I intend with my very few words. Otherwise l am afraid I'll have to send you home in spite of your mother pleading with me to keep you here as your father is dead and she has no way of supporting you. She depends mostly on the part of your salary and other help I give her. 

Piyadasa got so frightened that thereafter he did not do anything without thinking and all went well until Mrs. Perera took ill. Piyadasa at the request of Mrs. Perera, called the family doctor without delay. After a thorough check up, the doctor wrote out a prescription and left it with the patient. 

Giving the prescription to Piyadasa, Mrs. Perera said, "Take this to the chemist." 

"At once, Madam," he uttered and he went out taking the g prescription with him. 

Mrs. Perera was waiting for a long time, but there was no sign of Piyadasa. Even at lunch time Piyadasa had not come at least to have his meals. When at last Piyadasa appeared in the evening, an angry Mrs. Perera asked him, "Where on earth a  have you been? I told you to go to the chemist. It's not more than five minutes' walk from here." 

Piyadasa coolly replied, "In fact, Madam, I went to the chemist and here are the drugs. But according to your previous instructions to take follow up action, I went to the priest, then to the undertaker and finally to the grave-digger." 

Fuming with rage, Mrs. Perera scolded Piyadasa saying, “You bloody fool, did you expect me to die today? Oh Lord, how can I tolerate an idiot like this!