The Wish

 

“Hurry up, Radhya!”

Nishadhi’s impatient call made me snap out of my reverie. Her impatience was completely fair; I was stalling us both, and we had thousands of steps more to climb. We were still at the Dragon arch, which was located way beneath our destination, Adam's Peak. It was a pleasant April morning, with the sun being wonderfully lenient to not scorch us. The trek so far was simply enthralling. I got easily distracted by the magical glow of nature surrounding us. The trees were beaming at me, generously drizzling me with their green glimmer. 

“Oh, I drifted again, sorry” I gave an awkward smile to my best friend, Nishadhi, who was waiting for me impatiently a few feet ahead. It wasn’t my nature to get lost in my thoughts, but weirdly enough, that’s all I had been doing ever since we set afoot from Nallathanniya a couple of hours ago. We dreamt of this trip ever since we were kids. We became best friends when we were just twelve years old, on the brink of entering our teens. We were exact opposites, still are. Nishadhi was from an affluent family, whilst I belonged to the lower middle class; Nishadhi was bubbly and easy-going, but I was pensive and solemn; Nishadhi was the belle of our class, and I was a plain-Jane; Nishadhi had two loving parents looking after her, and I only had a strict father; Nishadhi was a silly romantic whilst I was more of a… realist. Against all odds, we became inseparable, even at the mature age of twenty-eight.

“You’re zoning out quite a lot today” Nishadhi looked a bit worried. “Are you okay?”

Her worrisome expression made me smile. Her concern for me was comforting, no matter how reluctant I was to accept it completely even after fifteen years.

“Yeah I’m cool”

We were elated from the experience so far, and we were still at the very beginning of our journey. All the waterfalls visible along our path were active, adding to our glee. We trudged ahead hand in hand absorbing our surroundings. It was way cleaner than we expected given that the time was a popular period for pilgrimages. My heart swelled with a strange kind of happiness. It was as if I was heading towards something pleasant and precious. Well obviously I was, the peak was stunning in all the pictures and videos I saw.

“Wandinda yana me nadeta – Buddhan sarane saranai” (May the blessings of Lord Buddha be vouchsafed to this clan of devotees hiking up) The pilgrim chants were a novel experience for both of us. Even Nishadhi, the outgoing one, has never been so bold enough to openly sing at total strangers. The intensity of these folksongs grew as we neared a group of people who appeared to be picking trash. They all were seemingly young, around our age probably, and were all wearing t-shirts that said “EcoPax” on the back. The teal colour caught my eye instantly because it was such an uncommon colour for t-shirts. A pretty lady who belonged to the group picked two trash bags and started in our direction, smiling sweetly at us. Overly sweet if I’m correct. I did not feel compelled to return her smile. Even though I knew nothing of her, it felt like she didn’t mean well.

For the umpteenth time, I was correct. The blasted woman showed a trash bag at me suddenly whilst she was passing me, making me fall. I closed my eyes and braced myself for a painful impact. Usually, I was steady on my feet, but who wouldn’t fall when pushed with a giant trash bag in an unfamiliar environment? On the way down my waist got trapped in a gigantic vice that appeared out of nowhere. The dreaded impact, therefore, never came.

“Are you okay?” The same question, however this time, in a deep, masculine voice. I opened my eyes slowly to meet a pair of alluring eyes which were scanning my face with a mixture of amusement and worry. That was a weird combo. The two eyes belonged to a handsome face having a perfectly proportionate nose, plump lips, chiseled jaws, and thick eyebrows. A rugged look that made my mind scream “handsome” repeatedly. I hurried up and untangled myself from the vice holding me in place, the man’s arms. I could feel his gaze on me, and that made my face heat up.

“Yeah I’m okay” I hurriedly replied, ready to resume my journey and get away from this man’s gaze. He was way taller than me, with a physique that screamed power. I felt a tad nervous, which was unusual for me. I had to get away soon. However, nothing happens the way I want.

“Can we both join you guys? We’d love to help you clean!” Nishadhi, the biggest eco-friendly freak, opened her mouth. I was surprised that she came to my side. I should’ve been long forgotten if the circumstances were different. A charming smile decorated the guy’s face once Nishadhi asked to join. He held his hand for a shake, which Nishadhi took eagerly. A tad too eagerly, I must add. “I’m Rahal Senadhipathi, from EcoPax.” Nishadhi smiled, showing all her teeth. Even the ones that were way back. “I’m Nishadhi. You can call me Nish, and this is my very clumsy and grumpy best friend, Radhya.'' Rahal smiled at me and held his hand for a shake. Once Nishadhi discreetly pinched my waist I held my hand out for Rahal to take. Grab it he did in a strong grip, and I could feel sparks generating from my hand. I retracted soon – as soon as he released my hand. 

“This is my team, girls. Dilan, Prasangi, Lakshitha, Akhila, Sithum, Kusal, Jayani, Dinuki and Gethmi”

So the witch’s name is Gethmi, I thought looking at my assaulter. She was throwing daggers at us from her gaze, and if looks could burn, Nishadhi and I would have been incinerated by now. 

“You girls can come with me and Dilan. I’ll get you two pairs of gloves and trash bags.” Nishadhi got along with Rahal and Dilan so easily. I couldn’t help but notice how easily Rahal stood out from the group with his domineering yet amicable presence. He was easily the tallest. His conversations were interesting and kept others engaged. I maintained silence most of the time because I couldn’t risk making a fool of myself.

Hiking up with Rahal & Co. was interesting. I didn’t get distracted as much as I did before. Instead, I was too aware of Rahal’s presence. Gethmi was constantly trying to be on Rahal's side and kept glaring at me whenever possible. I was overwhelmed by all my feelings. From the tit-bits of the conversation flowing around us we got to know that Rahal was the CEO of EcoPax, and Dilan, his best mate, was the managing director. They had organized this cleaning programme to celebrate Rahal’s “big three-o” as Dilan put it. I was attracted to Rahal. It has been so long since I was last attracted to someone, and whenever that happens, disaster follows. I mean, a villain appeared in this story even before the hero and heroine met. Gethmi kept on acting clingy with Rahal irking me further. 

No matter how I tried to distance myself, Rahal and I ended up collecting trash together. Even though Gethmi was vexing me right into the core, I just let go of all hatred. After all, I might not see any of these people again. “So what do you do, Radhya?” asked Rahal in an attempt to drag me back into the conversation.

“I teach ICT for A/L students”

“That suits you. From the little I’ve known you, you’ve stuck to me as a pensive person, ideal for a teacher”

“Well, a pensive personality doesn’t always suit a teacher in charge of a bunch of 17 year-olds.”

“Doesn’t it? So how would you describe the mindset of an ‘ideal teacher’?”

“Calculating, vigilant, and focused. In addition, the teacher might need to be physically agile as well, but that need arises only for primary and secondary grades most of the time”

“True. I find teaching as an intriguing profession.”

“Oh… that’s… an interesting way to describe teaching. Most go with the adjective ‘demanding’”

“Hahaa…” Rahal chuckled. The sound made the butterflies in my stomach go haywire.

“Well,” He continued. “You see, at EcoPax we make the best packaging materials you can find”

“You sound confident,” I interjected.

“Honestly, I am.” Rahal smiled proudly. “We buy the best raw materials and produce the best products. If the raw materials we were supplied with do not have the required quality standards, we reject them. Entirely. But in schools you get all sorts of kids; brilliant ones, not-so-clever ones, kids with special needs, abused ones, ignored ones, and so on. Yet schools accept all equally without rejecting the ‘bad ones’, and give them all a fair shot. Ergo, teaching is an intriguing profession to me.”

“If you put it in that way, yeah. No child should be rejected.” I smiled at him.

“So were you teaching ICT to that bunch of kids who were surrounding you back at Nallathanniya?”

“O M Gee… were you there?” Nishadhi entered the conversation with a dramatically high pitch. “This ungrateful fool wanted to share all the candy we brought along with the kids down there because they looked hungry to her. I mean which kid is not hungry when there’s candy?” She rolled her eyes as all others except Gethmi chuckled.

“Yes we were there, but we couldn’t waste time fooling around like that because we came for an important task.” Gethmi’s voice was dripping with vehemence. “Yeah. If desperately clinging unto a man can be considered important I guess you’re right” Nishadhi whispered to me making us both giggle. We don’t usually make fun of people, but Gethmi is a little she-devil, so, an exception.

The hike up was made extremely enjoyable with Rahal’s congenial companionship. Every time he spoke to me, I could feel the butterflies in my tummy going crazier. With the added magical effect of breathtaking views that graced us once we passed the ‘Indikatupaana’, time flew away taking us to the peak. The temple on top wasn’t crowded. It was just the perfect setting, basking in the golden light of the setting sun. For once, I completely forgot about Rahal. I truly felt at peace after a long time. After worshipping the sacred footprint, Nishadhi found a quiet corner for us to worship. Then we looked at the golden horizon while we waited for our turn to ring the bell. Each devotee rings the gigantic bell a number of times equal to his or her total number of visits to Adam’s Peak. Some kept going on and on, putting both of us to shame.

Once the sun disappeared down the horizon, it was time for us to leave. Our vehicle was waiting for us at Nallathanniya to head back to the railway station. We looked around for Rahal and Dilan, ready for our descent. 

“There you are!” Dilan exclaimed, walking towards us. “Are you done ringing the bell?”

“Yeah” Retorted Nishadhi. She seemed quite smitten with Dilan. “We were thinking of heading back down, are you folks done?”

“What? Aren’t you staying for the sunrise?” Rahal asked, boring into my eyes. I could feel my heart aching when I replied, “No”.

“Our vehicle is waiting for us…” my voice drifted away. Obviously, they came to stay for the sunrise. “Can’t you girls stay for the sunrise? It’ll be worth the wait. We can head down together as soon as the morning rituals conclude…” Rahal’s face looked sad.

“We really can’t…”

“Oh, I’m sure their vehicle can’t wait. Come Rahal, the President just arrived. We must make an appearance. You girls take care” Gethmi rudely started dragging away. Rahal hesitated for a bit, and then shrugged off her hand. “So is this it …?” His smile faltered while he was looking at me.

“It seems so…” The more I looked at him my heart ached a bit more. I was not the one to give away my number, no matter how desperately I wanted to do so. Rahal kept looking at me as if he’s lost. Once again within his dark orbs, I got lost too.

“C’mon Rahal! We have to hurry up!” Gethmi’s impatient call brought us back from our stupor.

“Goodbye then… It was nice meeting you Radhya… and you too Nish… Have a safe journey you both…!” With one last sad smile at me, Rahal went away in the direction Gethmi was trying to drag him. I kept looking at his retreating back until he rounded a corner, completely going out of my sight. When I turned back to Nishadhi, she was looking at me with a sad expression. I guess she knew how I felt about him. It’s really hard to keep things from her.

“Can I borrow your phone real quick, Nish? Mine’s battery ran out.” Dilan broke the silence in a rushed voice.

“Oh but mine is about to die too. I forgot to put on the power saver…”

“No worries. I’ll be real quick” Dilan grabbed Nishadhi’s phone and dialed in a number. About two seconds later another phone started ringing, and the ringing tone seemed to be coming from Dilan. He sheepishly grinned at us and said “I saved my number. So call me. Take care, both of you!” With a wink directed at Nishadhi and a breath-taking smile at me, he started off in the same direction Rahal went a few moments ago.

“He is so cheeky!” Exclaimed Nishadhi looking redder than a tomato. I could see her lips quivering in happiness. I felt happy for her too. I could’ve been much happier if Rahal wanted my number just like Dilan wanted Nishadhi’s. Hand in hand we walked towards the exit. The gate was getting a tad crowded with pilgrims visiting to watch the sunrise the day after. Nishadhi started ahead of me because the place was getting too crowded for both of us to go together. I turned back once again to look at the shrine for one last time. It was a feeble attempt to soothe my aching heart. But my attempt faltered as my vision caught hold of Rahal, conversing with a plump man. In my eyes, he looked so handsome, like a prince from a fairy tale. I wanted him to look at me and long for me as much as I longed for him. Just as he was turning in my direction, I averted my gaze towards the temple to avoid meeting his eyes. I could feel his gaze burning through me. The shrine looked transcendental from the place where I stood. For the first time after my mother’s demise when I was twelve, I made a wish; a wish for a happy life with my prince. Without looking at Rahal again, I turned to start my descent.

Nishadhi was already out of my sight. That girl was annoyingly fast. I hurried through the steps, peeking over the sea of heads trying to get a glimpse of Nishadhi’s messy mane. I was soon out of breath. “Looking for someone?” I heard a deep, soothing voice that I did not recognize. It belonged to a tall stranger with greying hair and a full-grown stylish beard who was smiling down at me. He had a glowingly fair complexion and a mild countenance. He was wearing a beige national suit, an attire which is uncommon for a hike like this. However, he seemed comfortable wearing it, and it matched him so well that I could not picture him wearing anything else. This stranger reminded me of a better and a more handsome version of Amitabh Bachchan. Why do I keep running into good-looking men today?

“Yes, I am…” I didn’t want to give him any specifics. He is a stranger after all. The stranger smiled at me. It was a little smile, but it brought an otherworldly aura to his features. 

“Then you should make a wish…” The word wish took my thoughts back to Rahal. Would he wish for me too? Probably not. He didn’t even ask for my number.

“I already did,” I told him, blinking hard and trying to stop the foolish tears that threatened to surface.

“Then it shall come true” The stranger smiled again. With a wave at me, he started his descent all in his glory. It took my slow brain a few moments to process what just happened. Of all strangers in this entire world, this bloke was a charmingly weird one.

I found Nishadhi sipping a coffee at the famous coffee shop located near the windbreaker. This coffee shop claimed the highest elevation among all shops on Adam’s Peak Mountain. From there onwards, we didn’t take much time to climb down. Nishadhi’s battery had died near the coffee shop, but fortunately, mine had enough power. During the entire trip down, I was in a daze. I felt like I left behind a part of my heart, which was really stupid of me. He clearly didn’t long for me, and I shouldn’t long for him either. We reached our vehicle in a surprisingly lesser time. Even though it was well into the night, our surroundings were buzzing alive with pilgrims.

Without wasting time, we got in our car. We had to catch the Night Mail train heading to Colombo. The train was going to leave at 11.43, so we had to hurry up. Fortunately, we didn’t meet with much traffic on our way to Hatton. Nishadhi was already asleep leaning on me. I rested my head on hers in hopes for a little rest. I did not dare close my eyes in fear of any dreams about Rahal. 

I was enjoying the reflection of moonlight on the Castlereigh Reservoir when our car skidded to a stop. The jerky movement woke Nishadhi up too. “What’s going on?” She inquired the driver who looked a tad confused. 

“I have no idea, Ma’am. Let me check what’s wrong.” After a couple of futile attempts at restarting the vehicle, the driver got off and opened the bonnet.

“For heavens’ sake is this really happening to us? Why now of all times?” Nishadhi retorted exasperatedly. She was right. We were stranded in a lonely area of poor signal with a driver about whom we knew nothing. Despite my nonchalant behavior, I was daunted within. 

“Let’s get off and see what’s going on…” Nishadhi got off of the vehicle urging me to do the same. I was once again welcomed by the night. The moon condescendingly shined above us, because it was the only source of light in our vicinity. The driver kept on probing the engine with the help of a torch. From his body language, it wasn’t hard for us to realize that he didn’t know what was wrong. I tried to turn on Google maps on my phone to no avail. The train was to leave Hatton in less than forty minutes, so we were utterly doomed. Helpless, I sat on a little rock by the road while Nishadhi kept kicking air out of frustration.

“There, stop exhausting yourself now. Let’s hope someone comes this way. If we can’t get any help tonight, let’s try tomorrow morning.” Nishadhi stopped kicking, looking at me.

“Such a waste. We should’ve stayed for the sunrise. We’re not going to catch the train at this rate...”

The pang in my heart intensified hearing Nishadhi’s complaints. I could’ve spent a few more hours in Rahal’s company in the least. We came when he insisted we should stay, just to stop here and sit on a rock by the road. Pathetic.

About twenty minutes passed since our car skidded to a stop, but no vehicle passed us. I started to wonder if the driver had purposefully brought us to this isolated spot to rob us. He didn’t look like someone who’d do such a thing, but looks could be deceiving. He was a stout man and didn’t look agile. If he attempted something, it looked like we could easily take him down. I felt like it was a better idea to tell Nishadhi my suspicion and revise some of those self-defense tricks we learned ages ago with her. Light from a distance hit my eye when I stood up from my spot.

“Someone’s coming this way!!!” Nishadhi started running towards the source of light, which turned out to be a Jeep. I ran after her worried for her safety. The Jeep was coming from the same direction that we came, and it probably could be driven by a tired pilgrim. Just when I feared Nishadhi would collide with the Jeep, it revved to a stop. “Nish?!?” Inquired a familiar voice from the vehicle.

“Dilan??!!” Retorted Nishadhi, voicing my thoughts. Dilan jumped out from the passenger seat. I could feel those familiar sparks arise on my skin whenever a particularly special pair of eyes landed on me, again. Giving in, I turned to meet Rahal’s gaze. 

“What on earth are you girls doing here?” Dilan’s voice was dripping with concern.

“Our car broke! Can you believe our luck? Radhya was actually planning to climb a tree to spend the night since we obviously are going to miss our train.”

“Okay, I was not planning anything like that.” Rahal got off the Jeep and went towards our driver, who was still fiddling with the engine.

“Yes, you were. What else were you going to do? Sit on your little rock by the road throughout the night?” I gave Nishadhi an exasperated look while Dilan laughed. “By the way, weren’t you all going to wait for the sunrise?”

“We were indeed, but Rahal dragged me with him claiming he has ‘someone to meet’... He usually does weird stuff like that, so I tagged along without much of a complaint”

They kept on talking about all the rubbish they could think of and I soon lost focus on the conversation. I felt relieved for the guys’ arrival, but at the same time, I was a bit hurt because of Rahal’s relatively uninterested acknowledgment of me. Who could he possibly meet in an hour like this? After a few moments of talking with our driver, he walked back towards us. 

“Hop on in, girls. You’re going home with us. The car will be towed in a while.” He told, particularly looking at me.

“Let me go and grab your bags.” uttered Dilan, walking towards our car. “I’m coming too...” Nishadhi followed, winking discreetly at me.

 “Dilan said you were going to meet someone…”

“Yes… we were...”

“What about your crew?”

“They’ll be fine. Our bus is there to take them tomorrow.”

“Right… So are you going to meet this person?”

“As weird as this might sound, I think the person I was going to meet is you”

Bewildered, I asked “Me?”

“Yes... An old gentleman in a national suit told me that someone was waiting for my help on the way home and I should hurry up. I don’t know why, but you immediately sprung into my mind, and I worried that you might be in danger. So we came…”

I was more than shocked. Rahal’s description reminded me of the amicable face of that ‘Amitabh-Bachchan-Upgrade’ I met back at Adam’s Peak. Rahal seemed slightly shocked as well, but he did a good job covering it. 

“Gosh, these are so heavy Radhya. We should’ve left some of the books at home” Rahal took my heavy backpack from Nishadhi. “Let’s get these loaded”

“You really don’t have to bother Rahal. If you can take us to a bus heading to Colombo we’d be able to manage from there…”

“No, this is hardly a bother. We’re heading home as well. So no worries.” They loaded all the bags into the luggage compartment. While Rahal was holding the door for me to get in, I asked, “Why did you drive all this way just because someone gave you a cryptic message?”

“It wasn’t entirely because of what he said. I came because I wished to see you…”

--Thrividya--