The day the boss mistook me for a peon and took me to an important meeting

Realizing his mistake, Kulasinghe invited me to participate at the meeting despite my role as briefcase carrier

- 

On that particular Monday, my fiance had an early start at Shaw Wallace and Hedges, a private sector firm with its offices about two kilometres south from the State Engineering Corporation SEC, where I worked. Having accompanied her to her workplace, I arrived very early, 6:30 AM, to an open and empty office. There were no hordes of security guards in 1970s and there was an open-door policy at SEC, one could say. A single watcher (as Security Staff were then called) manned the entrance. He greeted me and off I climbed stairs and to my desk. How times have changed in the period to 2020 regards security!

I was dressed in spotless white longs, white short-sleeved shirt, white socks and black shoes. Within 10 minutes of my arrival, SEC Chairman Kulasinghe came up the stairs hurriedly to the second floor. He was in white shorts, white shirt, knee length white stockings and black shoes. So, there were only two people in the building, both on the same floor, and both in white with one difference - he was in shorts.

I was standing near the entrance door to the floor. I had come down to check on a friend, but the floor was empty. Chairman’s office was on the same floor at the rear end and in more salubrious surroundings. I could sense an urgency as he looked excited. He proceeded to inquire in a commanding fashion with the conversation being entirely in Sinhala:

“Where is Gunapala?” (“Kohede Gunapala?”)

“Looks like he is not in, Sir!” was my reply. (“Sir, Gunapala thama wedeta avilla ne wagai”)

“Where is Sirisena, then? “ (“Ko, ehenan Sirisena?”)

“He is also not to be seen anywhere, Sir” (“Eyath kohewath penne ne Sir”)

“You check in the canteen” he ordered: he was clearly annoyed. (“Thamuse Gihilla canteemma balanawa”)

I had a ready reply as I had been to the canteen downstairs about five minutes earlier for a cup of tea. The doors were shut with a notice on it in all three languages announcing its opening time.