The sun had gone to rest and dusk was falling. The Kandy Lake shimmered, mirroring the dazzling assemblage of glittering stars and the luminescence from the restaurants and designer boutiques that lined the hills. The heat of the day had been replaced by a cool breeze and moonlight splashed its watery silver-white glow onto the city, bathing them, illuminating them. Anjali was sauntering under the trees near the lake with a scarf dangling from her arm. She sat on the bench with a mind full of painful thoughts, and didn’t notice the beauty of the moment.
It has been almost two years since he left the country. She took out his photograph which she always carried in her bag, and clutched the solid wooden frame tight in her hand, able to see a ghostly reflection of her face in the thin sheen of glass that covered it. She looked past her own dreary eyes and stared up at his face that had caught her in a moment of perfection. It was the happiest memories that hurt the worst, they were the ones that cut her deepest. She focused on his eyes; they were glistening with the twinkle of laughter that she loved.
This town was her refuge where she met Sahan for the first time, in one of her friend’s homes. She remembered accidentally making eye contact with him, and later he appeared before her, holding a drink in his hand, in all his grandeur. He was wearing a tailored black suit with a charming red tie. His chiseled jaw lifted with a proud, pleasant smile. It started with a simple ‘Hi’ and didn’t take long for them to become friends. They started to talk; she was waiting for him all day, just hoping for one more minute with him. He never left her mind, he was always there mentally, if not physically. Her eyes yearned to see him but he never noticed the sparkle in her eyes.
Sahan was a guy from a powerful family background and a cheerful person, involved in social work. He was a freelance writer and his passion for travel around the world was exceptional. He had a dream to fly, he wanted to run, even wanted to fall, but just didn’t want to stop. Anjali, the youngest in the family, had a heart of gold, full of innocence and kindness, loved by everyone and was the apple of her parents’ eye, even in her mid twenties. Anjali and Sahan, both would meet at all the social events organized with their friends and Anjali started to fall for him even without realizing what she was getting into.
It was a joyful Sunday in the summer, when his name popped up in the phone, asking her to meet him in the coffee shop where they used to meet, as soon as possible, as he wanted to say something important.
She rushed there thinking what it could be, while he eagerly waited for her. She remembered his lips stretching into a smile and reaching his dark eyes, they were lit with happiness.
‘I’m leaving Anji! Finally, my dreams are coming true.’
She listened with watery eyes, about the job offer he got in London and how happy he is. Tears were about to spill, her heart pounded, threatening to break out. She wished she could tell him how she felt right away, but she gulped down her words because she loved him as much as he loved his dreams. Her heart sank with every word he spoke, but he was as happy as ever. She felt she was born again because of him but died for the same reason. She knew from the start that it’s never going to happen as they were walking on diverging paths forever, but she fell for him anyway.
Today, she had a call from him saying that he was going to propose to Emily tomorrow, on Tower Bridge, the girl he met in his workplace.
‘I think she is the one Anji.’ His tender voice spoke. As much as she tried to hold back her pain, it came out like an uproar from her throat in the form of a silent scream.
‘That’s awesome. I’m happy for you.’ she murmured.
She wanted to convince her stubborn heart and mind that letting go is the true way to endure the pain. She begged herself to stop crying and be strong. Her poor soul was lost; she knew it was time to walk away, while her story remained incomplete...
She stood up, while heart was aching and blinked away the briny tears from her eyes. For her it was an eerie night, full of darkness that has never escaped from her memory.
Yet, she didn’t notice the silver moon high up in the sky giving off the only light, apart from the lampposts whose rays died inches from the dirty tungsten bulbs.
- Anushani Thilakarathna