Meeting Max (19 page)

More chai was poured.

“Ganesh, he will bring a tent, set it up, and put a plastic sheet over the sand so the insects don’t bother you,” Jalish explained. “There are many what we call dung beetles there. You will have plenty of food to cook. Ganesh will dig holes in the sand for you and fill them with wood. You will have pappadum and other snacks. Please, we will take care of everything, and we will not be disappointing you.”

Jamir chimed in. “It is good then. We will give you plenty of dry wood for fires, warm jackets for the cold evening desert air, and sleeping bags. Also, if you don’t mind, we would like to send some food already made that would be difficult for you to prepare in the desert, such as chapati, and we will send nice spices. You will also have rice cereal with dried mango and toasted coconut. You will like it very much in the morning. Just add it to hot water. It will be tasting very good. It is a pleasure for us to have you as a third brother.”

“Thank you. I feel honored.You’ve thought of everything.”

Jamir went on. “I’m sure we will add a few surprises as we think of something. Give me time to make the arrangements with a special person who knows how to do exceptional things in a very nice way. We can have everything done by early afternoon tomorrow. I’ll talk to Ganesh now. It will be a two-hour drive for you to be arriving to this secluded place.”

***

The Jeep took them along sand swept roads. They arrived in the late afternoon at a spot in the desert surrounded by nothing except sand and a deep blue sky. Ganesh set up their tent and placed a cooler filled with food inside along with items that didn’t require cooling. Their phones were charged and a waypoint was entered on their GPS indicating the position of the tent.

A camel driver introduced them to their camels, but said that the introduction would be limited because they had never been given names.

“Rick, how about Lancelot for your camel?”

“Only if you’ll be my Guinevere.

“I will, and thank you for the honor of being your queen.” She said, beaming. “It’s settled then?”

Rick smiled. “It is.”
I love this woman

Ganesh left. They were alone. It was now late afternoon. They kissed under a teal blue sky as the sun sat straight ahead above the tan desert sand. Evening brought a mild breeze that brushed along the dunes, erasing the sandy rivers of ripples accumulated during the day.

They walked Lancelot and Guinevere to a flat spot, where they stood, motionless, as Rick and Elena sat and held each other, watching the sun as it sank into the cooling sand.

Elena heaved a deep sigh and spoke in a voice just above a whisper. “Look where we are. I’ve never seen such beauty. It’s a gift for us to be together. I’m glad it’s our first day. Beginnings are always special because the rest is yet to come. I think we became soul mates on the plane. I still feel that way.”

“I do too. It’s nice having a soul mate. You’re my first one.”

“I look forward to the time ahead of us. I want it to unfold slowly so I can cherish every moment. Do you think I’m a romantic?”

Rick looked at her and smiled.

“We’re the same that way. There’s just something I have to put behind me first.”

“Is it some kind of obstacle you have to overcome?” Rick said. “If it is, it’s my obstacle too. Is it the secret you were telling me about on the plane?”

“It is.”

“Another man? You can be open about it.”

“No, definitely no,” she replied, smiling. “You men…”

“Well, let’s talk about it now. We’ll do whatever is necessary to work it out. There’s always a solution. Whatever it is, it will be okay in the end.”

“I’ll tell you everything when we get back to Jaisalmer.”

“Why not now? We’re alone, it’s quiet. We can talk it out.”

“When we get back, Rick. As soon as we get back. Let me have these days together. I’ll tell you everything when we return, and we can put it behind us and go on with our lives.”

“Go on with our lives
together
?” Rick questioned.

“Yes, of course. I don’t have reasons for how I feel. You’re good for me, Rick. What would it be like if we fell in love?”

“I think it would be fun. We would be good together. Being soul mates is the best start. Have you read
Romeo and Juliet?”
Rick asked, smiling.

“Romeo and Juliet, eh? You think we’re a couple of teenagers? I feel like one and it’s okay. Let’s just leave out the final scenes...too tragic.

“Love is so mysterious and elusive. We read about it in novels and poetry, hear it in music and see it in movies. If it’s in all these things, then it must be the most desired feeling human beings would ever want and need. When you spoke of Romeo and Juliet, I hummed the strains of the love theme in my mind. My heart melted. I want to listen to it with you, Rick. I think I love you now.”

Rick reached for her hand and kissed her. “I love you too.”

They sat and watched the sky fill with the colors of the sunset until stars were everywhere. A cold breeze swept over them. They pulled each other closer and remained silent, huddling as it got colder. Lancelot and Guinevere kneeled nearby and formed dark silhouettes against the sky

Elena asked, “Why did you never marry?”

“I just never found the right woman. I did want to meet someone, but my search and hunger for love took me down all the wrong paths.”

“I took those same paths, so I know how you feel. Life isn’t easy. Sitting here together is just where I want to be. Tell me what you’re thinking.”

“I’m thinking about the story of a man out in the woods, racing around and trying to catch butterflies using his net. He tries for hours but never catches one, until he stops running and stands still to enjoy his surroundings. Then a beautiful butterfly gently lands on his shoulder, flapping its wings.”

“Nice. You can’t always chase after life. Sometimes beautiful things come to us unannounced. I love butterflies. It’s my favorite stop at the zoo. By the way, I spoke to my parents this morning and told them about us. I said we had good feelings for each other.”

“What did they say?”

“My mother was funny. She said, ‘Well, he’s not a doctor, but a college professor will do’. She knows me. She knew it would give me a good laugh. My mom did tell me something about my father, though. His heart condition is getting worse. His pulse rate is low, and he was passing out. He now has a pacemaker.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I hope he stays well. I’m sure the pacer will help”

“He’s seventy-two. I hope he will be okay. I’ll call them again in a few days.”

They sat on the sand, a world away from any other place on earth, and kissed again. He unzipped her light jacket and explored her slim body with his hands. Soon, a full moon settled on the horizon and more stars filled the sky.

They walked back to their tent. It was lit by a glowing lantern, making it look like a soft, yellow gazebo. The sand cooled beneath their feet as its heat raced off into the atmosphere and the breeze became colder. The tent was their home.

Ganesh had dug some holes in the sand so they could cook their food. Rick dug a deep hole in the sand closer to the tent, filled it with small twigs, surrounded the top with stones for a pot to rest on, and started a fire. The vegetable curry and hot tea warmed their insides, taking the edge off the cold night.

Rick kissed Elena and tasted the exotic spices which still lingered on her soft lips. Then she leaned back on the blanket and looked straight up into the night sky.

“Rick, this is amazing.All I can see are stars. I feel that if I reached up, I could touch them.”

“To be in this magnificence is a gift.”

“A gift we’ll always share.”

“Always.” Rick hesitated. “Is it really just us? Do you have a boyfriend? You mentioned Aidan once.”

“He is a friend, a good friend, but what you and I have is what I need in my life.”

“Well, I guess we each had our share of friends and lovers.”

“Not me,” she said, shaking her head.

“Elena, you’re beautiful and intelligent, and you mean—”

“Stop, Rick. The past is over. I want what we have now.”

Their tent was made of yellowing-white canvas with a large round dome open on the top. They went inside their tent to escape the cold

“What, no private bath?” Rick said, glancing around the small enclosure.

“No, it’s not the Taj Palace, but we have a lot more...a whole desert to ourselves. It’s not something a hotel could pack into one of their rooms.”

Rick smiled.

Elena turned off the Coleman lantern, allowing only the full moon and stars to shine its light on them through the opening on top of their tent.

Rick looked at Elena’s face. It was lit by moonbeams. He held her close, kissed her curry-flavored lips, and slid her jacket off. He kissed her again, deeper. Her breasts pushed up against his chest. Rick savored the silence.

They made love, felt their passions explode, and fell asleep in each other’s arms.

***

Morning came. They kissed wearing sleepy eyes, soft smiles, and made love again. The sun was strong and the sand was still cool. Elena put on a pair of khaki shorts and a black T-shirt with a picture of a Kingfisher bird emblazoned on the front. They sat on a blanket and Elena pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them. She looked down, tears flowing from her eyes.

“What is it, Elena?”

“I care for you, but I’m afraid. We have to talk when we get back to Jaisalmer.”

“Let’s talk now,” Rick insisted as he wiped away the last traces of tears from her face. “If it’s something that’s important to you, then it’s important to me. Please, let’s talk about it. We’ll put our heads together and find a solution.”

“Please, Rick, we’ll do it when we get back. I promise you, we’ll talk about it then. I’m probably overreacting anyway. I’m sure things will be all right, but for now, let’s enjoy our time together.”

“Okay, we’ll have time to talk in Jaisalmer. I love you, Elena. I don’t want to lose you.”

“You won’t, ever,” she said, putting on a weak smile.

“You know, we haven’t done much together,” Rick said, helping her up from the sand, “except ride on an airplane and have dinner in the desert.”

“You left out last night.”

Rick smiled. “Last night was the most beautiful experience I’ve ever shared with anyone. It was all new for me, as if I had never been with anyone else. A slice of heaven.”

“It’s been a long time for me too,” Elena whispered. “I have to tell you, I fell in love when we met.”

“Love at first sight?”

“You had me with your first words. Yeah, maybe it was love at first sight. It’s the best kind.”

“I felt the same way, but remember you have to tell me the secret you’re holding.”

“I’ll tell you when we get back. Please don’t press me again. For now, we have today.”

Rick smiled. “Today and tonight too?”

“Tonight and every night,” Elena said, winking.

Rick watched as Elena heaved a deep sigh. She pulled him closer, closed her eyes, and whispered in his ear, “I never knew I could be filled with so much desire. You made me feel so beautiful and wanted. We were both intensely out of control at the same moment, in a place we’ve never known, feeling each other’s passion.” Elena looked at him with her arms folded in front of her and a broad smile on her face. “I see you’re in deep thought. Did you drift away?

“On the contrary, I was very much with you. Have you noticed we’ve only been talking about us? Is that normal? I thought we’d get to a discussion of evolution by now,” Rick mused.

Elena answered with a huge smile. “We’re the ones who are evolving, Mr. Smart Professor. That’s what I want to do. Talk about
us
, our dreams and our future...everything. We share something that many people want but don’t have. We’re lucky. Rick, I had a beautiful dream about us. It was so real, and even after I woke up, the dream went on as I sat on the edge of the bed.”

“Tell me.”

“In the dream, I had to leave Jaisalmer for a while. I don’t know why, but we agreed to meet somewhere later at some distant place. It was painful for me to be away from you. I cried and my heart ached. In fact, I was able to see you with tears dripping down your face, but I knew we would meet again, and that made things okay.”

“That was it?”

“No, there’s more. While we were apart, you went to Bombay to look for your son, and you found him, but after you met him, your eyes were full of tears. Maybe they were happy tears, but you looked so sad. I don’t understand that part. Maybe that’s not unusual. I can never figure out my dreams, but I did meet your son. I don’t remember how that happened. When I saw his face, he looked like you, except he had blue eyes, dark hair, and a beard.”

Rick had no idea what the dream meant. “We know we have to go to Bombay. There are many nightclubs there and Bollywood as well.”

“We’ll go and look for him together. I know we will find him.”