Life of Silibiris 24

Kanthi invited Silibiris in.
Gune was chatting with his sister in a small outhouse that functioned as the kitchen. Silibiris sat on a rickety chair. Kanthi stood by the doorway scrutinizing the stranger.
“Aiyya koi palathenda” asked Kanthi noticing the godday look.
“Ambrarawen”
“Kohay?”
“Ambarawa….. Vavuniyawata eha”
“Apo… hari pitisara gamak ne”
Kanthi was excited to find out Silibiris was temporarily lodging in the adjoining temple. She handed him a cup of tea, bending down deliberately showing off her half covered chest while squeezing his hand.
A current went through Silibiris.
He quickly looked at Gune and his sister loudly chatting about some family matter. He was relieved to see they had not noticed. Kanthi stood right next to him, her hips almost brushing his arm. He could smell the scent of the Baby powder. He could feel the heat.
“Mali Dan maaru wemu neda. “
Silibiris fantasy world was shattered by Gune stepping out to go home. Silibiris quickly gulped the tea, handed back the cup to Kanthi very carefully so as to not to touch her hand again.
He gave her a quick smile and set off on foot back to the temple.
Silibiris manage to sneak in before the monk had noticed. Abiththiya gave him an annoyed look while telling him to help himself to dinner.
Silibiris tossed and turned all night on the booru anda. Not because he was bothered by the rats the size of cats, squadrons of mosquitos or the flying cockroaches.
He was bothered by the lust he felt for the city girl he had just met.
Lying on a mat by her mother on the floor, Kanthi too was thinking about the go day looking village boy.
Many questions swirled around her head. Where had he come from? What was he doing in Kolonnawe? For that matter, how old is he? Why was she drawn to him as soon as she laid eyes on him? So many boys in the water and school were after her. She did flirt with them but never encouraged their aggressive invitations to go see a film or go to the carnivals.
Kanthi had left school soon after failing O Levels. Her mother had been insisting that she join her as a factory hand in the Polysacks factory in Grandpass. Kanthi didn’ t want to become a factory hand like the mother. She wanted to act in films just like Sonia from Lanci watte. As a hobby, Kanthi collected paper cuttings of her idol Sandhya Kumari ‘s interviews and photos from Sarasaviya and other magazines. Photos of Sandhya Kumari in various seductive poses were pasted all over the walls in the one and only room in her home.
What is it about the man from Ambarawa that attracted her?
He sure was a goaday looking fellow unlike his cousin Vije. But Vije was in prison with a 2 year prison term for selling alcohol without a licence.
She had promised Vije only two months ago that she would wait for him until he is released in 18 months’ time. Why then was she fantasizing about this godday fellow with hair parted in the middle, wearing an iri iri sarung and a white bainyan hiding a tough muscly body?
She felt the all too familiar wetness flowing down her thighs.
She couldn’t wait to see him again.