"My First Day in Colombo… CHAPTER 1 When I was working in Thiruvananthapuram, India, in the early 1990s, my company sent me on an assignment to Colombo, Sri Lanka. Two personnel from our local agency in Colombo picked me up from the airport and took me to a hotel on Sunday evening. They departed after confirming they would pick me up from the hotel at 8:00 a.m. the following day. Sri Lanka was in the grip of a civil war in the 1990s, and my deputation was amidst this crisis. The sound of the waves lapping the shores enticed me to take a walk on the beach, which was a walkable distance from my hotel. So, I had a quick shower, and as I stepped out of the bathroom, there was a knock on my door. The knock on the door persisted. I was preoccupied with dressing and couldn't open the door immediately. The knock resumed, and this time, it was more forceful. I sensed something odd because this knock was not from a hotel employee. They wouldn't knock so hard. Within seconds, the knock became verbal but polite: "Please open the door." After quickly putting on the clothes that came into my hands, I opened the door. My heart skipped a beat when I saw two people in uniforms, and my guess was correct; they were the cops. But why had they knocked on my door? Two hotel staff members accompanied them. In those days, I never had the convenience of carrying a cell phone, so I couldn't contact the employees of our local agent, who had dropped me off. To be continued.... ©Krishnan "