Chapter 16 #2
The wedding liaison at the hotel was a lovely woman who took the time to listen to their questions carefully before replying.
As Sampath had predicted, she assumed that he was the groom until he set the record straight.
Kalpana could see how awkward this was for him.
It didn’t bother her that much. After all, what did it matter?
They were only here to fact find. But she understood his point about the look of things.
He worked in this area. Any misunderstandings would make things awkward for him.
She trailed around, half listening, focusing more on the atmosphere than the details.
The hall was on the seaward side of the hotel, with a view of the garden and beach all along one side.
‘We’ve got a wedding on at the weekend,’ the wedding liaison said.
‘Do the side windows open out?’ Sampath asked.
Kalpana drifted towards the windows. A large veranda provided some shade just outside.
Beyond that, the garden was a modest lawn, with a small clutch of frangipani trees at one side providing a patch of shade.
A wooden fence and a bed of bright pink bougainvillea separated it from the beach, which was clearly visible through the foliage.
A soft breeze made the flowers nod. Oh, this was lovely.
‘We can set up a bar under the trees and set out a few standing tables, or even some umbrellas for shade, on the grass. We could have the catering in the veranda, which keeps the main hall nice and clear.’
Sampath asked more questions, but Kalpana wasn’t listening. This one, she thought. This is the place. If I’m going to marry Marcus in this country, this is where I would want it to happen. ‘Can I step out into the garden?’
‘Oh, sure.’ The wedding liaison pulled out a bunch of keys and opened one of the doors.
Kalpana stepped out. After the air-conditioned room, the heat hit her immediately.
The sand shimmered in the sun, but a gentle breeze made it bearable.
She turned to look behind her. Sampath was standing by the door, smiling at her.
There was something about that smile. Happy.
Like he’d known she’d love it all along.
He raised his eyebrows at her, as though to say, ‘Well?’
She nodded. This was the one she wanted.
She turned back to look out at the sea. Marcus would probably prefer the place in Colombo: with the ‘decorating concepts’ and bohemian street outside.
But she liked this one. She tried to imagine her family here, in the sunlight and the flowers.
Would they like it? Somehow, she wasn’t sure.
‘Shall we go back inside?’ Sampath asked.
Kalpana shook herself. There was no point wondering what her family would think. They would be happy to go with whatever she and Marcus wanted. And, if she was being really honest with herself, they would probably choose what Marcus wanted over her preference.
The thought was sobering. All her life, she’d been criticised by her family.
According to them, Marcus was the only thing she’d got right.
And now she wasn’t sure he was what she wanted.
Was she merely rebelling against them? Or was there something genuinely wrong with her relationship?
As she stepped back into the cool hall, she took another glance at the sea.
What would this viewing have been like if Marcus was here?
Would she have got the chance to go out and breathe?
Suddenly, there wasn’t enough air. Her pulse was in her ears, speeding up slightly.
The idea of the rest of her life, tucked under Marcus’s arm, smiling as he introduced her to rich people and literary types, who treated her like an add-on.
Having to defend her genre to his friends over and over again … She didn’t want that.
She put her hands on the back of a chair and breathed out slowly. She was being silly. Marcus defended her against her family. Didn’t he? That meant something. He would be beside her, making her stronger. This had to be the pre-wedding jitters Sampath had talked about.
Across the room, Sampath and the liaison had their heads bent over a folder, deep in discussion. Funny, Kalpana thought. If she were to choose someone who felt like they were always beside her, always on her side, right now, it would be Sampath.
She heard him say, ‘And that’s your best rate on that? If we were to provide you with more than one event within a calendar year, would that make a difference?’
Of course. That was his job. All of this was his job.
Right down to making sure she got the wedding that she really wanted, even if she had no idea what that looked like until he showed it to her.
He wasn’t really her friend. He would finish organising her wedding and would move on to being the best friend of some other bride.
She looked around the room again. It was his job, and he was very good at it.
‘Kalpana?’ Sampath said, his voice low and concerned. ‘Are you okay?’