LET’S WAIT

“D addy, where is Negombo?” Asked thirteen-year-old Salma. “It is on the coastline, north of Colombo,”replied Gamini, her father,adding, “Why do you ask?”

“Someone told me that you can get nice crabs and prawns there. You know that I love seafood,”said Salma.

“You can get crabs and prawns in Colombo too but at a price. Besides, it’s not good to eat too much seafood,”said Gamini.

“I don’t know. The doctor uncle said that seafood is supposed to be high in something called Cholesterol but he also said that the latest research shows that crabs and prawns secrete a substance that neutralizes the effect. So it is not harmful,”said Salma.

“Anyway, we cannot afford to buy crabs, prawns and cuttlefish on a regular basis. Food is expensive and your mother and I were thinking that we should eat soya meat instead of chicken,”said her father.

“Oh dear! I don’t like soya and I love chicken. What about fish?”asked Salma.

“Fish is also expensive. The cheapest is a salmon tin which costs over two hundred rupees. But at least it is enough to make a curry for the three of us!”chimed in her mother, Uma.

“Do you think that Daddy can earn more money so we can buy chicken and fish?”asked Salma.

“Don’t say that. Your father works hard and even does overtime so we can buy things. But we cannot afford luxuries like crabs and prawns,”said Uma.

“Never mind. Maybe I can have seafood as a special treat on my birthday. Once a year, our family can splurge, can’t we?”asked her daughter.

“Yes, we can. So learn to be patient and count the days till your birthday comes round,”advised her father.

LET’S WAIT…