She probably doesn’t want anyone to know. She is coming to Enfield. She is sneaking out of the big city in a train to come see the boy. The boy is unable to go to the city like he normally does because of his classes. So she is coming to see him. But the boy is worried. Will she get on the right train? Will be end up in Alaska? Will she get off at the right stop?

Need HMB but no sign of the girl. She could be in a meeting or busy spinning on her chair. Or she could have frozen on her way to work. Or may be she is just fast asleep under the three layers of covers.

I am sure the girl meant no harm when she stole the bear. She just wanted to hold the bear during the flight but got attached to it at the end of the journey. Eventually, the owner let the girl have the bear which was to be his present to his girlfriend. Apparently, the girlfriend was not too happy and is reportedly trying to revenge by stealing the girl's earrings.

boy skipped work today. girl might as well not be at work. she is doing nothing. NOTHING. the weekend was a whirl of people, a flashback to sri lanka. sri lankan food, sri lankan friends, even sri lankan relatives. they tried to play by the rules a sril lankan boy would understand, but that path failed, failed miserably and messily, and in the end, they found themselves together (the american way), the girl with a sore elbow and the boy late for work.

another birthday on friday - this time not really a surprise, but girl and her sister tried to sneak in with a cake and a candle to the upper west side. they enjoyed chatting with friends, all piled up on the couch, sipping wine and nibbling on cheese, and hearing stories that cannot be mentioned here. still, the night ended too soon.

on saturday, girl's sister made lunch for them, and then the three of them succeeded in doing absolutely nothing for the rest of the day. they were jolted out of their inertia in the evening, with the arrival of a new guest, and the determation to do something active. bowling. girl looked great in the bowling shoes, but it was boy who stole the night with his strikes.

since half of the party was without IDs - even those who no longer needed fake IDs - new york city was not very hospitable. all of their first-choice restaurants turned out to be really bars and required IDs for them to be seated. so in the bitter cold, they were chased from place to place in search of warmth. girl's sister and cousin ran like bumble bees even when they had no idea where they were going.

finally, they found a little cafe, where they filled their stomachs and warmed their bodies with rissotto (except their jackets froze to the windows) and were ready to take on: the world of gay piano bars. the music was fun and the bartender was a hit, but the two-drink minimum almost was the end of girl. soon they were joined by more and more friends. so many people, that girl and boy even had to discover a new room for themselves.

the night ended at the french bar (where else?). the next morning started too soon, but it was worth it, with a trip to staten island for a feast of sri lankan food and a visit to their friend's house where they learned all about luxury planes.

The unsuspecting girl walks into her own apartment. She turns the lock and enters the dark living room. She is glad to be home which she hopes will be will be warm. Outside is cold and she is tired after walking blocks and blocks and she hopes to relax in the comfort of her warm cozy apartment. But it was not to be.

The plot has worked flawlessly. The well coordinated plan was implemented without a hitch. The communication was perfect. The little help from the Bangladeshi doorman was very helpful. Everyone was in position. Everyone was ready.

Surprise!!!!

Happy birthday to the girl! She turned another year older. She is now so old that the surprise almost sent her into cardiac arrest.

Girls, boys, toys, colored balls, champagne, balloons and beer; it was all there.

holidays were a blur. what girl remembers best were the times of transition. arriving. departing. window seats. passports stamped. cheese sandwiches in the airport. boat rides. rides with pradeep the driver. rides in hotel taxis. the memory is one of motion. like a train ride, the entire three weeks. the pauses were brief - the stalled times in the boy's car: outside of the charlemont gate. the stops for thambili. swimming in a river, with the rocks and waterfalls against skin, and even then, the water always flowing. no time to think. and when it was all over, girl found herself very alone in a cold, cold place. outside was unmelting ice. inside an unpacked suitcase. suddenly the motion had stopped.

Three weeks just zoomed by. Before you know it the girl and the boy were back in the cold, frigid, wintry weather of the east coast USA after the sun, the sand and the alcohol of Sri Lanka. Details are hazy. Don’t really remember much. Can’t remember whom they met and where they went. The following is an inaccurate account of what happened during the 3 weeks the boy and the girl were away from home.

London was complete disaster. Except for the roman bath everything was closed for Christmas. One café was open where they had lunch and headed back to the airport, which was fortunately still open. On arriving in Colombo, everyone of the girl’s family was there to meet her. The boy was dropped home after a long and uneasy ride that felt like was longer than the flight from London. The only stop en route - was to have thambili.

Having dropped the boy home, the girl and the family went home. It would have been nice if they exchanged numbers so that they could get in touch while in Sri Lanka. But they didn’t. There is always the Sri Lankan white pages. Besides, in Sri Lanka, meeting someone is no problem. You will find anyone in one of the 3 or 4 hangouts in Colombo.

As expected they had lots of Sri Lanka food. The girl had hoppers and thambili almost everyday. The boy had little time to eat but managed stuff himself with Chinese rolls, patties and cutlets. Meeting at the Glow and heading to the Blue was the routine. Occasionally the girl had to join the parents in visiting relatives while the boy played pool with his buddies. Late in the night they met and partied. But finding a little privacy proved hard. The trip to the Maldives was a much needed getaway.

sweaters, scarves, gloves, coats. below freezing. snow expected. back in new york. too soon.