It was the 6th of June. I had kept a memory block in my head stored the previous night to wake up before 9 O'clock. The movie was at 10 or I thought so. It was the first time I told her 'I'll see you tomorrow', now that was special. As any typical guy would, I had myself prepared for the first time I will see her. I bought some special things for her. They were the exact things I had in my mind, and I'm thankful to Manix and Gade for helping me select those. Anyway I had a beautiful bracelet to give her. It had little 5 corner stars linked together like a chain. She liked stars :) and of course it would have been a waste if I had not given her any poems. So I wrote two poems for her. One was something I had written previously called 'Treasure Hunt' which revolves around two people who are searching for their treasure knowing that it exists somewhere. The other one was called 'Pingu Love'. Pingu is the little animated penguin who I used to love during my childhood and lets leave the details of that poem private :)
So as I woke up I looked at my wall clock reading 10 minutes to Seven. Hmmm Early wake up for a Sunday, I pressure that was due to the big anticipation that was stuck in my head. I slowly got ready after doing the usual morning routine. I was specifically asked to wear a long sleeve shirt rolled up, so I chose a blue shirt and beige pants to go with it. I had told my mother that I was going to watch a film with the guys from work and she must have thought I was gay to dress up so much for it, but of course she had it figured out. Motherly instinct cannot be beaten at all costs and never should it be underestimated.
The bus ride to Kolpetty was smooth. I had reached Liberty at 9.30 am. Which then I realized that the movie was at 10.30 am. But I saw a huge queue was about to build up. So I got in line behind 10 or so couples. It was 10 no sooner,the entertainment began. An old beggar started to go up and down the queue singing golden oldies of Ceylonese pop songs. Not normal songs, but he was doing a horrible job at H.R. Jothipala and then later he took on Milton Perera but things got ugly when he started to sing Bombay Merry Hai. Luckily for me I had reached the ticket counter by then. I had to ask panchi how may tickets she needed but I didnt get any answer so I just bought tickets for ourselves. Since a bunch of her friends were also coming I was feeling a little odd.
Then I got that message that I had to buy tickets for the other girls as well. But since I had exited the queue by that time, I had to go to the back of the mile long line of couples. Suddenly it hit me that I hadn't seen her before (Kind of silly I know). I was imagining her picture as she said that she would be wearing a brown color top. As I was picturing her I saw a green color car stop in front of Liberty and stepping out of the car the girl that I had pictured perfectly. She had a nice smile and the hair tied into a ponytail. Her dark eyes shining and the big ears were there right in front of my eyes. The shape of her face was very long, just like mine. But the texture of her skin was no where near my skin as it was the perfect color. If I had ever dreamt of a girl, she had everything.
Once she got out of the car she walked back towards the queue and saw me. A smile as big as the Sydney Harbor Bridge shone one her face she quickly looked away in an abundance of shyness falling out of her face. Oh I loved that sight. Once the hussle and bussle of the ticket business was sorted out we decided to go into the theater. We bought the gallery tickets and since we went in after 10.30 most seats were occupied and had to go to the further area of the seating system. As I went in I asked her 'How are you' and she shyly said something which I didnt hear. I could clearly see this little thing was nervous..hell even I was nervous. So we sat down and got settled. Shrek came on the screen for the 4th time and for us, this time was the life size version.
The movie went on, but there were several Oscar nominee movies inside my head, to name a few 'How do I start to talk with her..' 'Will she be scared of me' 'I want to hold her hand..is it too early?' Sigh!! Mother Earth or who ever created us humans sure knows entertainment. Just letting that be I watched the film for about 10 minutes then I was looking at her face, since that was far more interesting. Oh boy wasn't she feeling shy..my girl :) Soon the interval came and I got ready to give my gifts for her. She also had a huge bag. So I asked her what was in it. She opened the bag and took out a huge parcel. I was a little surprised and also was worried whether she has spent any money on it. Then the movie ended and we strolled out of the theater. I pulled on her bag and since she was extra lightweight she almost fell back!! Once we were in the corridor of the Liberty we realized it was raining. So we had stay inside for a while and she took out the chocolate I gave and shared it with all the girls and me :)
After that we decided to walk around the empty liberty plaza. We managed to spend some quality talk time there and also we were peeping into the empty closed shop windows. There was some comfort that she bought. I had met her two hours ago, but it seemed like I had known her for years. Just as we walked along together I was contemplating how many times I had pictured this moment in my head. This is the girl I want for life. I just hope and prayed that she thought the same. The minutes we spent together for the first time will stay in my head for many years if not forever. I could feel the affection she had for me. This was the first time that someone made me feel so important that I had to look after myself for her. This girl was special and she was mine.
Soon we felt hungry and decided to go to Majestic City. We crossed the road to get the 100 or 101 bus and we then arrived at MC. KFC seemed to be the best place for lunch and the eating area didn't have the privacy we sought for. We ordered food and then sat down to eat. She ordered a huge submarine and I knew she wouldn't be able to finish it on her own. Surprisingly she ate 90% of it and gave the rest to me. I was full after mt own meal but I took a bit of her left overs. That made me feel like a couple for the first time. Once the submarines were done she fed me a few chips and as I was talking with someone else some mayo from my submarine was around my mouth and she quickly took a serviette and wiped my mouth. That was the first time anyone has done that for me and naturally I was surprised. But as I reminisce that moment, I always gather a smile and think about how much I will be looked after in the future.
Once again we took a brisk walk at MC and then got on a bus to go to Dehiwela. Her father was coming to Williams and I had stay hidden. Once we got there we said goodbye and just soon as I took a few steps away from her I needed to look back at her, I knew I wont get o see her for sometime and just wanted that last scene to be in my head.
Once I came home I took out the big parcel she gave. If anyone was standing next to me at that moment, they would have had a hard time stopping my lips hitting my ears. Inside was the cutest of teddy bears I have ever seen, and it smelt like its been in a garden of flowers for centuries. I held him close and smelt him more times than I could count. Surprises weren't finished as yet, there was a cute key tag and handmade birthday card for me as my birthday was the following week. It had little purple hearts all over it and a wish for me that would cherish for the rest of my life. Just when I thought I had everything I could get, there was a four page beautifully written letter. The handwriting was perfect and the words they spelled out drew a small tear.
I never thought I would be loved by someone so much. It was always that I would share my love and I was not expecting anything in return. But this time I was being loved and taken care of. This affection makes my life happy and content, it was as if I had everything I ever wanted for she loved me for who I am. I don't need to change or act different, since she adores me for my little idiosyncratic behavior.
In return I want to love her with the best of my effort and to protect her from anything and everything. I know she will stand by me when ever I need her, and my wish is to do the same :)
2023 මොකද වුනේ?
10 months ago
