Broke for one day

by Anushka Nanayakkara and Sajitha Prematunge

Being new to a place it's always such a hassle to get that first salary. We, that is me - Samadhi and Anuki, had to go through hell to get it done. It involved paperwork and climbing up and down hundred flights of stairs. But even after a full month we invariably had to wait. But unfortunately by the end of the month we were both dead broke!

But every woman's got to eat right? So I made a hat collection and my friends were perfectly understanding. I got hundred rupees from one and forty from another. I had another hundred on me plus a few more coins and ten rupee bills, nearly came to three hundred. It might seem like more then enough to buy lunch, if there were any.

It was late and all the lunch packets were long gone. So with the bundle of bills tucked in to my phone cover, we made for the nearest Perera & Sons. I was scrupulous about the prices. I picked a sandwich and some short eats.

Anuki pointed at a cheese cake and instinct told me that small things are usually very expensive, besides I wanted to get her something that would fill her stomach with the least expense. But Perera's was surprisingly cheeper than those extravagant places, to our relief. But Anuki was dying of thirst.

And Perera didn't have any drinks. "Not even inside" said Anuki, peeping at the storage room, when the sales boy said they were out of drinks. We tried some of the usual yucky tap water, but that wouldn't do. So we decided to go to Sea Food Restaurant.

We entered the Sea Food restaurant. Few tables were occupied by white skinned "Badagenee Hammudhawa." We sat in a corner table, while waiting for a waiter to take our orders as we were almost dying of thirst. But none of them even bothered.

Me - Anuki and Samadhi, were so annoyed to realize people of our own skin, acting in such a manner. Because of our profession we had to go into different restaurants and "Saeewar Kadda" as well and believed that Sri Lankan hospitality is one of the best things that our country is blessed with.

Anyhow, after sometime we saw one waiter walking towards our table. When he reached the table, the waiter asked us to change the table because they have a group coming in, so they needed to lay a long table. Me and Samadhi looked at each other as we thought he has finally come to take the order. Without any objections we moved onto another table which was in front of the TV.

I gave a signal to one of the waiters and finally one young guy came with a grumpy face, as if we are ordering on his account. (True that Samadhi was holding tightly to Rupees hundred and ninety we were left with). We went through with the beverage on the menu and our eyes got locked seeing the price of one bottle of coke which was Rupees 55 and one bottle of Lemonade quoted the same.

No sooner we order Samadhi released the money she was holding on to and checked weather it was enough. Then I suddenly remembered that they will add the service charges too (though there was no proper service to speak of). Neatly worded my thoughts.

The look on her face, when she heard it, made me laugh and she couldn't resist it either. While having a good laugh, she counted the money over and over. The people in other tables looked at us, as if they have never seen anyone laugh before.

Anyhow me and Samadhi were unable to suppress our laughter, but inside our hearts we were damn worried about the bill. Then I asked the grumpy waiter to get the bill.

Till then we tried to conceive all possible solutions in case the bill exceeded what we had. We joked about the only option we had was to throw up what we drank back in to the bottles When the grumpy waiter brought the bill we were silently praying. Samadhi gave the most remarkable smile after seeing the bill and believe it or not the money was enough and even left a balance of two Rupees.

Oh! then we remembered that it's necessary to leave a tip. But as we didn't have any money left decided to leave the two Rupees, with dignity.

After all their's wasn't a proper service any way (Perhaps because our skin was tan) But proving the real Sri Lankan hospitality, me and Samadhi left the last penny we had for the waiter and walked out promising each other that never will we ever be so broke in future.