Short story

Guilty conscience

Her eyes were so bright, expressing satisfaction. Her sensual lips were moulded in such a way, she let out soft audible gasps. The touch of her long sleek fingers around his neck amplified the ecstasy around them.

He was enjoying every second of what seems to be the most exquisite pleasure of life.... Suddenly her grip around his neck became firm. Very firm as if a deadly serpent coiled around his neck. He couldn't breathe despite his futile struggle to uncoil from her clutches. He was dying.... a slow painful death. But the expression in her eyes makes no sense....

"Nooo!!!!.... let me live !.... let them live...." Ashane woke up drenched with sweat from head to toe. He was breathing hard. So hard as if to grasp any amount of air. "Honey.... what's wrong ?.... You might have had a terrible nightmare"Manori, his wife who is pregnant with his second child was seated next to him on the bed soothing him. "Terrible" is too mild "Agonizing" is a better shot, he thought while emptying a glass of water in a single gulp.

Driving

Next morning while driving to work he became engulfed by a stream of endless thoughts. He thought of Manori and his child growing inside her womb. Can they ever forgive him for what he has done ?

What will become of his eight year old daughter Anju after he is gone ? Beads of sweat trickled down his checks as his mind roamed across the sweet memories he had cherished with Biyanka. He never dreamt that she would leave him so soon, and that her untimely death would turn his life up side down.

Beautiful

Biyanka was a dynamic beautiful woman that any man would die to make her his own. He cursed God for giving her as his private secretary. "You fool" he thought to himself, "she was meant to be your secretary, not your mistress !" he blamed himself. But it is too late.

The night Dr. Surane, one of his trustworthy friends announced that Biyanka died of pneumonia adding more to it that she was HIV positive, his life seemed to collapse in front of him. With tears welling in his eyes, he saw how he pushed his beloved daughter away from him, when she came running to give her usual welcome embrace to her daddy. Anju ran crying, "mummy !.... daddy doesn't love me any more"....

Fate

After work he made a beeline to his friend, Dr. Surane to check up his fate, to weigh his error.... to check his blood report.... for HIV.

As his end became closer and closer he felt his heart, if it was still there, galloping hard against his rib cage. What if it is positive he paused for a moment before getting down from his BMW . How will I explain the crime I have committed to my whole family?

Is it fair that Manori and the innocent baby who is to be born to get punished with AIDS for the crime committed by him ? He never knew how close he had come to meet his destiny until he was suddenly drawn to the world of existence by his friends. He made up his mind to accept the bitter truth. He had never heard his heart pound so loudly.

Smile

There was something wrong.... he was expecting his friend to look gloomy and worried, but he had a smile on his face. A definite smile that explained everything.

"Your reports are negative" The words emitted by Surane echoed in his troubled ears. This is too good to be true. Is this an illusion? He didn't know what he was doing. The next thing he knew, he was driving his BMW home pell mell. As he reached home he jumped out of the car, ran all the way to his astonished little Anju giving her an everlasting hug. The hug she really deserved from her wretched father.

by Dilesh Perera, Wattala