Chapter 4
When Sampath went to the hotel the next morning to catch up with the happy couple, they were having breakfast. The dining room opened out to a view of the pool and the beach beyond.
Kalpana and Marcus had chosen a table at the far end, where a gentle breeze ruffled the plants.
The light outside was so bright, he had to squint to see them.
He wished he could photograph them right now; they sat facing each other, heads bent forward over their meals, glasses of fruit juice practically glowing in the sunlight.
Heh. Maybe he should take a photo.
‘Hi, guys,’ he said.
They both looked up. Kalpana smiled. ‘Sampath, hi. Will you come join us?’ She waved towards an empty chair at the next table.
‘Actually, before I do. Can I take a photo? The light is so perfect. You guys look adorable.’
Kalpana hesitated, but Marcus said, ‘Of course. Where would you like us?’
‘Just carry on having your food.’ He pulled out his phone and fiddled with the settings. ‘Maybe look at each other.’ He took a stream of photos. ‘Thanks.’
There was no one at the table next to them, so he pulled up a chair and showed them the photos. ‘This one,’ he said. In it, they were looking at each other, Marcus smiling, Kalpana looking slightly more circumspect. They looked like the perfect couple on a perfect holiday.
Marcus said, ‘Send that to me. I’ll post it.’
He sent it to them both, then pulled out his iPad.
‘Okay. So today—’
‘Actually,’ Marcus interrupted, ‘I have a meeting today, so we need to be back here by four.’
‘Er … okay.’ He looked at the itinerary and mentally rearranged it, accounting for the Colombo traffic in the afternoon. He hadn’t been there long, but he already knew it took ages to get anywhere during rush hour. ‘Who are you meeting? If you don’t mind my asking.’
‘An old friend.’ He dabbed the corner of his mouth with his napkin. ‘We met in the US. She moved back here about five years ago and set up a local PR business. She’s been trying to hook me up with some culture programmes and newspapers while I’m here.’
Which meant they would have to clear the calendar for interviews and things from time to time.
‘I see.’ He tried not to let his irritation show.
They’d had such a long list of places that they wanted to visit and things they wanted to try on this short holiday and now Marcus was throwing a whole new variable in.
‘I wish you’d told me that beforehand so that I could liaise with her.
In fact, would you be able to put me in touch with her?
Just so that we can work around whatever PR she lines up for you. ’
‘Uh, sure. I’ll give her your number when I see her and tell her to call you.’ Marcus drained his coffee and picked up the red-orange glass of papaya juice. ‘So, what did you have in mind for us today?’
‘I thought we’d go and look at a couple of venues; these are five-star hotels that have good wedding packages.
The Galle Face Green is nice, but might be too busy for photos.
I’ve heard good things about Park Street Mews.
It might make a good backdrop for photos …
and they have a wedding venue. On the way back, I was hoping to stop off and see if we could choose a sari. ’
‘How does that work?’ said Kalpana. ‘We need to get the blouse made, right?’
‘I have found a tailor who’ll do it within the fortnight. They said it was fine so long as we didn’t need bespoke embroidery or anything like that.’ He glanced at her for confirmation. She shook her head.
Marcus said, ‘Hang on. Don’t just discount that. Are you sure?’
Kalpana gave him a look that seemed to be between amusement and exasperation. ‘Yes, I’m sure, Marcus. It’s not practical.’
‘Do you have a rough idea of what you want for a wedding sari?’ Sampath asked.
‘We’ve already told you we want to keep things as traditional and authentic as possible,’ said Marcus, a little sharply.
‘I meant at a more detailed level,’ Sampath said, quickly. ‘What sort of fabric do you want? Silk? Net? Do you have a preference for the decorations on it? Sequins? Beading? Just gold thread? A combination?’
‘Er … white,’ said Kalpana.
‘Pure white? Or something like ivory or even cream?’
She looked at Marcus, who looked baffled.
Kalpana turned back to him. ‘What do you think?’
He’d been expecting that.
‘For your skin tone,’ he said. ‘I’d go with ivory. But we can always check other options when we get into the shop.’
She nodded. ‘Let’s do that.’
Opening his backpack, Sampath pulled out a couple of printouts. ‘This is the proposed itinerary for the next two weeks. I’ve tried to intersperse the wedding-related stuff with giving you some time off in each region, so that you can enjoy being on holiday.’
Marcus ignored his copy, but Kalpana scanned hers. ‘Thanks so much,’ she said. ‘That looks super busy.’
‘We have a lot to cover.’ He turned to look at the groom-to-be. ‘Is that okay, Marcus? Is there anything that I’ve left out that you’d like to see?’ Until now, Kalpana had been the laid-back one in the couple while Marcus had ideas and opinions galore.
‘I’m sure it’s fine,’ said Marcus, a little distantly. ‘I trust you.’
After chatting for a few more minutes, Sampath left them to finish their breakfast. The change in Marcus worried him a little.
The man had been so keen and on the ball in the run-up to setting off that Sampath had thought that he had a groomzilla on his hands, but today, it felt like Marcus was barely concentrating. He hoped everything was okay.