Denzil's Stories

  First times A big brother helps to the joys of life Denzil Jayasinghe 6 min read · Aug 22, 2022 1 C yril ayya was a good friend to me from my teen years.  Ayya means big brother in Lankan, undertoned with respect and loyalty.  I had a great affinity with Cyril, who cared for my well-being. Four years older than me, Cyril understood the world around us better. The youngsters rallied around him. Early on, I figured that he never took advantage of his friends. He’d often call out my occasional brash behaviour, advising me to tone down my cocksure actions. I knew that he did it with good intent. There were times when  I was in trouble , he bravely came to my rescue. Like when I was  waylaid by a mobster  or taking me home  when I was pissed drunk . There was a huge trust bank between me and dependable Cyril. He lived in our neighbourhood, and we hung out together, me often reaching out for his counsel. Now, let us not get into too much detail. When I was...

#MeToo Read this story with three distinct episodes and figure out who the winners and losers are. It took me a lot of courage to write this story of grit with three seemingly unconnected segments. Stay with me till the end for the synopsis. The stories contain sexual violence. 1st episode in junior high school W hen I was in high school, grades nine and ten were  a drama  of their own. But, in a same-sex boys-only premium school in Colombo city, I learned to adapt quickly to the new environment. Within a short time, I made many new friends, and life went on. Only sometimes. There was this big boy, Mangala, from another class. He was a bully and lived close to the school. He was over eighteen years old and a gangster. He roamed the school unhindered, being the bully he was. He was famous for abusing younger boys. The boys avoided him on school grounds out of fear should they draw attention to them. On his radar was my friend, Merrill, a handsome boy with good looks. Mangala wa...