Untold stories

Hidden Histories

Denzil Jayasinghe

8 min read

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Just now

Sharjah marked a Rex with its relentless sun and the swirling sand. Leaving his sons, Roland and Harish, behind in Sri Lanka, he landed a job as a telegraph supervisor and took up residence in a weathered villa on Khalid Bin Al Waleed Street.

It was back in Colombo that fate had brought Rex and Daniel together. A young apprentice at the time, Daniel’s cheerful spirit and boldness had caught Rex’s eye. This chance encounter blossomed into an unlikely bond. Fate intervened again, landing Daniel a bank job in Dubai. Practicality then dictated that they share a villa in Sharjah with another Sri Lankan named Randy. Adrift in the desert city, the three men found solace in each other’s company.

Daniel filled a void in Rex’s life, a void left by the distance from his sons and a simmering resentment towards their mother. Their shared experiences in the cramped villa, the sand ever-present, forged an unexpected kinship. Daniel’s youthful exuberance and financial security starkly contrasted with Rex’s disappointment in his children’s lack of academic zeal.

In the quiet of the evenings, a silent companionship bloomed between Rex and Daniel in the basement of the Arab villa. Upstairs, the rhythmic lilt of Malayalam spilled from Keralite households, a constant reminder of home.

This unspoken understanding spoke volumes, a testament to the convenience of their arrangement. Rex, however, harboured dreams beyond the villa’s peeling walls and squat toilets. A flat, a fresh start, flickered in his mind’s eye. Memories of his ex-wife surfaced, too, tinged with a bittersweet longing.

The villa’s interior, cluttered with glossy porn magazines, offered Daniel a forbidden world, a stark contrast to his sheltered upbringing. A shared movie projector, a joint investment by the three housemates, transformed their living space into a hidden cinema for porn, a sanctuary in a land devoid of female company and illicit entertainment.

Change, as it always does, found Rex. A modern two-bedroom flat became their new reality. Rex claimed the larger room with a balcony as his own, while Daniel and Randy shared the other. Expenses were to be split three ways. Yet, despite his solo occupancy, a curious thing emerged — Rex never contributed half towards the rent. Furnishings, too, became a point of contention. A new lounge set here, a wall unit, even air conditioners — all shared expenses decided unilaterally. A discussion wasn’t Rex’s forte.

His sons, Roland and Harish, arrived soon after, filling the cramped space with youthful energy. Despite Rex’s dictatorial approach to shared expenses, unity prevailed. Movie nights continued, their cramped living room morphing into an intimate theatre, a world shared by adults, the young Daniel, and the two teenage boys. These shared experiences, pages of porn magazines, and flickering images on a screen offered glimpses into lives beyond their youthful existence. Their thirst for new stories often led them to explore each other, sleeping together, a testament to the spirit of adventure that bound them.

Rex, ever the host, threw elaborate gatherings in the flat. Food and drink flowed freely, and he presented the apartment to his guests. Yet, when the revelry subsided, the burden of expenses — a significant portion of the food and liquor — landed squarely on Randy and Daniel’s shoulders. With practised ease, Rex dismissed it as simply the standard cost of maintaining a household.

His ability to extract financial concessions stemmed from the power dynamic at play. Randy, his subordinate at the telegraph office, and Daniel, still naive to Rex’s cunning ways, were easy prey. It wasn’t long before Randy sought his living arrangements, citing his wife’s imminent arrival.

Months after his sons returned to Sri Lanka, a curious shift occurred. Rex began referring to his ex-wife as his current wife. He even secured a spouse visa for her, and their original marriage certificate was a convenient prop for this charade. The inconvenient truth of their divorce remained buried.

Coleen’s arrival was a revelation. Strikingly fair, with a talent for makeup and hair that turned heads, she stood out. Her clothes, low-cut tops, and skirts that defied convention were points of distinction. In her early forties, she possessed a certain allure, starkly contrasting to Daniel’s mother and his aunties, women of similar age with simpler tastes of elegance. Coleen’s voice, a low, melodious hum, commanded attention. She was a captivating presence to Daniel, a woman brimming with unseen confidence, particularly in front of men.

Rex revelled in this new chapter, introducing Coleen as his wife to everyone. He kept silent about her subsequent marriage — to the young page boy at their first wedding — and her son from that union, a secret harboured back in Sri Lanka. Until then, Daniel’s world had only known marriages that lasted. Coleen’s status as a divorced woman was an unfamiliar truth, one that settled in his mind with a quiet curiosity.

Rex and Coleen shared the same room and bed, enveloped in their world, while Daniel remained in the adjacent room, his awareness of the complexities of adulthood still veiled by innocence.

Initially, folks around Sharjah assumed Daniel was simply a son of Rex and his “wife”, Coleen. The easy camaraderie between the two, the way they shared meals and jokes, fostered this misconception. But whispers began to curdle the truth. Perhaps it was Daniel’s youthful demeanour compared to Rex’s grizzled features, or maybe the way folks noticed a tinge of deference in Daniel’s interactions with Rex. Whatever the reason, the narrative shifted. They were told Daniel was their nephew, a relative who had come to seek his fortune in the desert city. Though a flimsy cloak, this explanation served its purpose for a time. Yet, much like the Sharjah sand, the charade threatened to slip through their fingers at every turn.

Coleen gradually let down her facade of smiles and charm around Daniel, revealing a well of inner turmoil. Drawn to his quiet attentiveness, she whispered about her discontent, casting wary glances at Rex. He remained the same man she’d left behind, his once-welcomed overtures now a burden she endured with a strained smile. In Daniel, she found a comforting ally, a listener who offered empathy rather than judgment.

Confiding in him about unsettling experiences from her past marriage to Rex, the details remained unspoken. But the pain in her voice and the way she recoiled at specific memories painted a disturbing picture. It seemed that Rex’s past behaviour wasn’t what he portrayed. The outings they’d shared, his bizarre habits, his erotic experiments with her and others and the company they kept — Coleen hinted at a reality far from the one Rex presented. These were gobbledygook for the young Daniel.

Desperation flickered in her eyes as she spoke of a new life, a yearning to escape the suffocating present. She mentioned securing sponsorship for her young husband through work connections, leaving a silent question. Perhaps, in this unexpected confidante, she saw a glimmer of hope, a chance to break free from a life that had become unbearable.

The atmosphere in the apartment shifted dramatically when Coleen informed Rex of her plans for Brax, her young husband, to move in. This revelation provoked a stark change in Rex’s demeanour. The once frequent parties ceased, and his mood soured, affecting even the unsuspecting Daniel.

Daniel, ever eager to decipher the tangled web of adult relationships, observed from the sidelines. Rex’s growing hostility and Coleen’s desperation painted a confusing picture, leaving him in the emotional crossfire.

Coleen developed a habit of visiting Daniel’s room unannounced. These visits sometimes coincided with when Daniel might be changing clothes, leading to awkward encounters. These visits always occurred when Rex was absent, working or socialising with friends.

Coleen’s news about Brax’s arrival did not sit well with Rex. His frustration with the situation manifested as a sullen silence, starkly contrasting the apartment’s previously lively atmosphere. The air grew thick with tension as the days leading up to Brax’s arrival ticked by.

As Coleen’s excitement for a fresh start intensified, Rex announced a surprise trip to Switzerland. The timing of this solo vacation couldn’t have been more convenient — or suspicious. His absence ensured he wouldn’t be around when Brax arrived, perhaps hoping to sow seeds of doubt with Brax about Coleen’s living situation with Daniel.

Left alone in the apartment with Coleen, Daniel felt increasingly out of place. Rex’s obvious ploy cast an uncomfortable shadow over their cohabitation. Daniel was caught in a brewing conflict, a silent observer in a game where the rules constantly shifted.

Rex’s friends took every opportunity to jab at him with thinly veiled barbs. Laced with innuendo, their jokes hinted at his supposed advantage in living with a woman with charms.

Brax, a cheerful and easy-going young man, finally arrived in the country. His presence offered Coleen a glimmer and a chance for a fresh start. A few weeks later, Rex returned unexpectedly from Switzerland. His arrival cast a shadow over the newfound peace in the apartment.

Instead of respecting their privacy, Rex made a bizarre decision. He insisted they all share the same room. This meant Coleen and Brax were forced to sleep on the floor while Rex comfortably occupied the bed. The situation was awkward and tense, especially for Coleen, who felt constantly observed.

Rex’s excuse for this arrangement was dubious. He claimed Coleen’s legal status as his wife required them to share a room to avoid suspicion from immigration authorities. However, his actions seemed more like a deliberate attempt to disrupt their newfound comfort.

Shortly afterwards, Coleen and Brax did a disappearing act, leaving the apartment. They’d had enough of Rex’s manipulations and bizarre habits. The once lively space felt strangely empty, the silence broken only by the echo of their recent turmoil. Now, it was just Daniel and Rex — a stark contrast to the bustling household of just weeks before.

Daniel felt a knot of unease tighten in his stomach. The thought of sharing living quarters solely with Rex sent shivers down his spine. Thankfully, a stroke of luck intervened. One sunny afternoon, while on an errand, Daniel bumped into a group of three young men, all a few years older than him. They explained that they were desperately searching for a place to stay. Seizing the opportunity, Daniel offered them a room in his (and Rex’s) apartment. Relief washed over him as he envisioned a more equitable distribution of expenses.

The new arrangement brought a welcome change. Two of the men shared Daniel’s room. The third, a quiet, sleepy man, occupied Rex’s room, sleeping on a mat. The apartment buzzed with renewed energy, laughter replacing the stifling tension. Daniel thrived in the camaraderie, enjoying their company that no longer felt tinged with hidden agendas.

Rex, however, wasn’t thrilled with the new tenants. He grumbled about the noise and the “invasion” of his privacy. Yet, he couldn’t argue with the financial benefit — the rent and bills were now split five ways, a far cry from the days past. Despite his grumbling, a grudging acceptance settled over him. Perhaps he even missed the lively atmosphere of Coleen and Brax in their chaotic way.

Life in the apartment settled into a comfortable rhythm. Daniel and the three young men formed a close bond, spending their evenings huddled around, taking turns to cook and joke, devouring stories that transported them beyond the confines of their desert city, adding a layer of humour to their discussions. Even Rex, on occasion, found himself drawn into their conversations, a flicker of his old warmth returning to his eyes.

As the credits rolled on a particularly moving film one evening, a comfortable silence descended upon the group. Emboldened by the newfound camaraderie, Daniel addressed the elephant in the room. “So,” he began, his voice tentative, “what’s everyone’s story?”

Disclaimer: The above is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. The author has made every effort to portray the characters and events in a fictional and entertaining manner.