Rendezvous on the beach

It was in late sixties when we went to Thalawila
a coastal town in the north west of the Island
we traveled on night train, arriving there in the morning
went to the old church and did our worship

there were few families in the church
the sun was bright and the sky was blue
while having a stroll on the beach
I saw a family of four arriving in a car

a fair slender girl about eleven- in a red dress
a younger brother and their parents
both children laughing and chatting to themselves
hurried to the church for the ten o'clock mass

I was looking at the fish the fishermen brought to shore
when she came near the boats shielding her eyes from the sun
smiling shyly and looking directly at me she asked
names of the fish they had caught the night before

I mumbled something to her- admiring her beauty
and asked her what her good name was
she told me her beautiful name rhythmically
and nodded her head and ran away

when I went to have a sea bath with my brother
I saw the girl and her family moving away in to the distant town
while I was looking at them she turned back and waved at me
her sweet smile I remember to this very day