A Stranger in the Storm

It was in a downpour, and the wind was howling when I heard a knock on the door.

"Who is it at this hour?"

I laid my hat on the stool, my slippers, and drew back the curtain. Though it was nearly five o'clock in the afternoon, so dark was it all around with the rain which had been falling since yesterday. At my door were James Mudalali and another guy from the shop downstairs. I noticed the lights on the verandah.. I opened the door.. And there was a terrible cold at the same time.

With James Mudalali was also standing a boy who looked like thirty or thirty-two years of age. As soon as he entered, James Mudalali burst out laughing.

"Madam, this gentleman has got down the wrong route for Colombo. But now a rockfall has hit the road, and the road is closed. I haven't seen anything since.'' When he inquired if there was somewhere to stop, I came here with him.''

James started a roadside stall. And ever since I've had the hotel here, there are James's customers who, twice a month, come here seeking lodging. I was glad someone did come so suddenly after you, and nobody having come on any of the two or three last days, for the heavy rain.

A rather tall, thin boy. He had a navy blue and white ice cap, and his T-shirt was wet with water. Even if he had an umbrella, an umbrella wouldn't survive this much rain, I thought. His bag and jeans on the shoulder were also wet from the water dripping from them, and he walked into his house. James said Come and go.

At first, the boy looked around in surprise.

"Sister, will the house become wet if water gets spilled?" He asked first..

" Wipe it up, bro, come inside, The rooms are for the guests, upstairs, And I grabbed and I got the key from the board, I prepared to go up the stairs. I had put my name in the hall in my usual way when I arrived, I'm regretful he would still be standing in the hall the whole hall is going to be wet.

He followed me exactly when I went up the stairs and came upstairs, upstairs in the 1st floor to the corridor..I hired all the four rooms in the floor in the corridor..

''Elder brother, there are four rooms, do you want me to see the style that suits you best?.

Meanwhile I was thinking the rain was coming down really hard now. I also closed the key to the door of Room 1 and opened it… I only opened the first room once but, at one point, the key did not open the room..absconded 2 such times but the door to the first room did not open at all..

"Oh!Oh! My brother!! The key is not coming out, next one..." As I said that, the boy who was shaking his back like a wet chicken was shaking his head and came to the next room. And it was just the most beautiful really room that I have, with a view over to the Hanthana Mountains in the distance, but, and a very, and a very quiet room. When I arrived at this house, I liked the room even more due to the wind chime hanging outside the room's window..

The windchime that came with the door sounded lovely as we entered.

''Ah, the window is open and raining,'' I said.. There was only one bed, which was white, the clean white spread was upon it, the clean white pillow-case was upon it, and the fluffy white blankets were upon it, the table, the half-table, was pretty sparse The beveled mirror was there, too, and the brocaded glass bottle containing the cut glass glass, that stood in the bottle And the glass vase with the freshly cut asthenia flowers was there (freshly cut from the hedge) As soon as the boy saw the asthenia flowers, he said, ''Sister, I will take this room. I figured the boy was pretty tired, he was wet and cold from the rain.

James Mudalali had briefed me on the prices..') I asked him how the dinner turned out..

''I will make something for them sneak away,'' nodded the ice-maiden and replied, ''I will not eat anything, but I am very hungry, sister.''

I reasoned that the boy stated that as he was very hungry, Done.

'' Oh brother, it's only you today.. Its just you and me today.. So I'm going to toss something together really fast and I’m going to bring it back.''

I said that and went out.

''No, sister, I'll come down and wash my hands. Let's have some coffee too.."

There was such lovely friendliness in those words." Couples and families normally come here, I thought the first single guy was me. I figured he was ready to eat something right away.

Whereas, I just added water to the steamer and let that heat up. I readied the frozen batch of noodles on the steamer and grabbed two carrots and a leek out of the fridge.. I washed the two carrots and sliced the leek into two or three soothed chunks for the boiling water. Before I laid my hands on the onions and garlic, all I did was get the boy prepared to make some coffee. I coarsely pounded anise seeds and put them in the jug, then added two spoons of coffee and two cups of water in the jug. It was while I was boiling it that I got out a tray and a white porcelain cup and saucer with a gold stripe.

Seconds later, I heard him making his way downstairs as I brought the coffee out.

"The coffee is prepared, brother, I will fetch it," I said, and from where I stood in the living-room I looked and saw him also in the kitchen. “If he comes into the kitchen, he can come then.'' I assumed he was a no-nonsense kind of a guy.

''Oh, how's the coffee doing, sister? he said, walking into the kitchen and inhaling deeply. He threw on a black sweater with a scarf, a brimmed ice cap to top his head, and crossed and pointed his hands against the kitchen pantry.

I rapidly stirred the milk powder and sugar, added the drops of coffee, and resumed brewing the milk coffee. He didn't even wait to put the coffee in the cup. He picked up the cup himself and let out a deep breath.

"This is good coffee for once," he said, blowing over the coffee.

''Brother, there's more to drink.. I'm making ediappu kottu. It's wiser to drink it in a way that will leave an opening for food.''

The boy's mouth dropped open when I said that.. "Oh, ediappu kottu, machi.. How long has it been. I got there just in time'' I couldn't help but laugh when he said that.

I cut the carrots and the leeks. I also chopped an onion. And clipped some of the grated ginger along with the garlic. I cut two or three pieces from the chicken I had cooked for lunch, then I used the tines of the fork to chop it.