CARAPACE

Two years after speaking with Vijay for the last time, I was married with Anura Perera. After his visit he invited me to go along with him, I regret accepting that invitation every single day of my life. At the beginning he turned out to be quite less interesting than I imagine, still, I was having the life I never had before.
I never really understood Anura’s business here in Australia I just noticed he worked mostly at night, and slept during the day.
One day he took me out for lunch, he went to “Shells and Spines”, the famous seafood restaurant downtown. The waiter came to our table and asked if we had already chosen, I wasn’t really interested in the food- I just like to go out so I can see new people, and most important of all, so new people can see me- so I asked Anura to order for me, it was then I heard a word long forgotten but suddenly familiar again. “We will have Loku Isso, what do you think darling?” “I don’t know Anura, I guess it sounds fine… yes, yes let me just go to the ladies room and ill be right back ok honey?” I spent the next half hour crying like a baby sitting on toilet!
We moved out to a larger house during summer, it had a wonderful garden and was worthy of being called “Palace”. Again I was happy and home didn’t seem so good.
Two months after Christmas, on a dark cold night I heard Anura screaming at the gates, it was awful, and you could feel the pain spreading across the air along with the long, loud and sharp sound of Anura’s scream. I wouldn’t dare going out to check on Anura, so I called the police and waited on my steel-marbled kitchen holding a knife. When the police finally came I stepped outside and I found Anura’s cold body lying on the ground with blood all around. “We think some thugs might have tried to rob your husband and he fought back, so he was stabbed to death. I am sorry madam.” Said a detective to me, but stabbed thirteen times? What kind of a beast would do that?
A few days later our lawyer Mick Phelps came to my house so we could discuss how my fortune would be spent. “I am sorry madam but all I have from Anura are debts.” I responded “debts? How much? What kind of


debts?” I answered, to which he replied
“The kind no one wants to have, the kind that cost your husband’s life! He owed the local gambling mob around five hundred thousand dollars!”- I was astonished I fell on me just like a bomb- “What? What about his business?” I asked.” It has been a long time since Anura gave away his business, he was living on bets and thefts.” Mick Answered.
I fled in panic and I left Australia never to come again. I went home but I didn’t find anyone so I called my friend Lakshmi to know what happened wile I was away- “Don’t you know? I am so sorry but there was a terrible tsunami a few years ago and you entire family disappeared” told Lakshmi voice on the phone- “I am sorry” it seemed all I heard was “I am sorry”!- “what about Vijay” I asked. “He went after you to Australia, didn’t he meet you there?” replied Lakshmi. I hung up the phone, I just couldn’t listen to anything else.
My life was over, so I might as well leave this world.
I took a ride to the beach where the hut on which Vijay used to work used to stand, and I just sat on the golden sand waiting for some angel to come and say to me- “I am sorry but you have to come with me!”
A voice came from behind me and it said “I am sorry…” – “you have got to be kidding” I interrupted. – “… may I sit by your side?”
I turned back and there it was, that simple smile so powerful it was able to make the entire world go away making you feel all it maters is that very special moment in which you are caught, and which you don’t want to end.
I was speechless and finally, after sitting and holding me like no one else but he ever had, Vijay said “You didn’t answer my question. Do you want to go to the pictures tonight?”