Desde sempre e para sempre
Chapter 25
Chapter 25
All three whirled around to encounter the new participant in the commotion.
Aaji clutched Gael’s hand, that was a very familiar sound and a cherished endearment she had longed for: “Breno, my family…”
Aaji: “Maya!”
She swung past Naina and Gael and hugged her dear old best friend!
Aaji: “Maya! You…Maya…I…”
Dadi: “Where have you been?! Did you forget about us so easily?!”
Aaji: “NO! Never! It was just that…I mean…I couldn’t…”
Dadi: “Oh! Just give me another hug!”
It was not just Aaji who remembered that voice. Gael was actually overwhelmed and, he, couldn't believe that he even was. Those had been his best days even though they had been shrouded with much deceit and sorrow. He refused to turn around. He hoped she didn’t remember him. He started walking away…
It had been an unfamiliar word but not an unfamiliar sound for Naina
Confused, she asked: “Dadi? What is happening…you know her…”
Aaji: “Dadi?! Naina called you Dadi?! Breno, Naina is Yaya’s grand daughter!”
Gael froze.
Dadi looking at Gael’s back: “I can never forget those silver eyes, you know.”
This couldn't be happening. He refused to turn around.
Naina: “Yaya?? What in the world…”
Dadi: “Breno…”
He started walking away once again but this time he hoped to get in his car and drive all the way to Rio.
Dadi: “Where do you think you are going, Mr. Gael Breno Bourgeois?”
He should have never lied to Naina.
At that very moment, when his past had already overwhelmed him, his only instinct was to turn to his side only to look at Naina.
Naina was flabbergasted. First of all, she couldn’t understand why these people knew each other. It seemed like there was a lot of history between them but how was that possible? And why didn’t she know anything about it if it had meant so much to them like it clearly did!
And then the last question was really…
Naina: “Excuse me?!”
She had been standing between the two old women and this man…this man who was actually…
Naina: “What…Who did you say he was? What is his name?”
Aaji: “Naina? Are you all right? It’s Breno…you know that…”
Naina: “No, I mean what did she say his full name was?”
He was never one to run away. Although, he had been doing just that a few seconds ago. Well, the only reason he was running away was that he had not wanted her to know that he was Gael Breno Bourgeois, not because of the stupid fiasco on the plane but because he did not want to reveal his negative reality to her which came along with his occupation. But then he had also realized, very recently, that he wanted to make her his woman, his Naina. And the least he could tell her, to start with, was his name, his full name.
Yes, he figured out all of this as he spoke the next few words.
Gael: “She said that I am the shuggy duggy quack quack you have been looking for. Sorry.”
Naina: “Sorry? Sorry! You are the one who made me rush to the airport to catch that early flight, you are the one because of whom I had to skip all the ‘to-dos’ in my planner for before the flight, you are the one because of whom I couldn’t even go to the parlor…”
She agitatedly stabbed her pointed finger at him with every accusation she made against him.
Gael: “Perdoe-me, por favor! I am the one who paid for everyone’s flight and double for those who were inconvenienced, I am also the one who LET you sit in the First Class and then willingly moved to the Economy because you wanted me to and I am also the one because of whom you could be with your beloved Dadi before the clock struck 12 on her birthday!”
Naina: “Oh! Forget all of that…you sat there right next to me the whole time and just lied to me?!”
Gael: “Naina, no! I never lied to you!”
Naina: “You never told me that YOU are Gael Breno Bourgeois, the big fat elephant!”
Gael: “Hang on, I never told you that I WASN’T Gael Breno Bourgeois either. You were just busy talking and I didn’t think it was necessary to tell you that you were talking all rubbish!”
Naina: “…oh, please!”
Gael: “…AND I didn’t tell you that I am the big fat elephant because, hello, look at me! Do I look like one to you?”
It was already quite clear to Naina that Gael looked like the man of her dreams and so she didn’t want to dwell on his looks at this very moment.
Naina: “Uhhhhhhhhhh….WHAT do you mean you LET me sit in the First class? I was bumped up at the check-in, it had nothing to do with you!”
Gael: “It had everything to do with me! Those people had no authority to bump anyone to the First Class because there were NO ‘empty’ seats!”
Naina: “No empty seats?! Oh for crying out loud…it was just the three of us in the entire First Class!”
Gael: “I bought out the First Class.”
Naina: “Oh…”
But as soon he had mentioned his Aaji, Naina was reminded of her surrounding and the others present all around them. She was also reminded of…
Naina: “Dadi! What is happening here?!” She pressed her temple… “I feel like I am going to have a big headache…”
Dadi: “Well, it seems like this story is quite interesting…”
Naina: “What story?”
Dadi: “I will get to you later…first, Gael, stop behaving like a brat, turn around and face me. Let Yaya have a look at you.”
Naina unable to be silent: “What is Yaya!?”
Gael finally conceded and came close to her, Naina followed him.
Gael: “How have you been, Yaya?”
Naina with a grimace: “Yaya!”
While Gael was not done behaving difficult, Dadi couldn’t wait to embrace him.
She scolded him as she hugged him: “‘How have I been?’ he asks! Did you hear that Tai? It has been 15 years since you… 15 years! Look at you Gael! You have grown into such a tall and handsome man! Well, there is no surprise there…”
Naina: “Excuse me? 15 years since what?”
Dadi: “Naina! Stop with all the questions… don’t ruin the moment! Lata, I told you na, Tai and my Gael will come back home one day…and what better day could they have chosen…”
Lata came forward: “I can’t believe it…after all these years…I have heard so much about you…both of you…I can’t even begin to imagine what you must be feeling Mayaji…and Tai, it’s such a pleasure to meet you! I absolutely insist you to come and meet my daughter and her fiancee first! They just got engaged you see…It will be an honor!”
Aaji: “Oh! It’s YOUR daughter’s engagement! I would love to meet them!”
As the three ladies turned around and entered the hall, Naina grabbed Gael’s hand as tight as she possibly could, although it was nowhere close to how he had held hers only a few moments ago. She dragged him all the way to her residence building, made him climb all the stairs up…she didn’t stop until she was inside her home…she let go only once she had locked her door.
As soon as she turned around,
Gael: “Great, I was just thinking about how we were going to deal with all this tension between us…(he made a play of unbuttoning his shirt)…I like the way you think…”
Naina: “Oh please! You just refuse to communicate like an adult!”
Gael: “THAT would have been a VERY adult communication!”
Naina: “Just WHO are you? Or better yet, WHO do you THINK you are!?”
Gael: “Fine! But I don’t know what’s the big deal! My name is Gael Breno Bourgeois and I am still just the stranger you met on the plane! We meet a lot of people…you think everyone you meet in the passing gives you all the correct information? How was I supposed to know we were ever going to meet again?! I am sure when you look back you will find all of this funny! Stop trying to make a big deal about it!”
Naina had opened her mouth to spill out an angry reproach, however, she stopped herself. He was right. He was just a stranger…
Naina: “You know what…you are right…what does it matter to me who you are and what you do…”
With that, Naina turned around and left the room.
Gael: “Wait…I didn’t mean it like that!”
But it was of no use. She had already left the house slamming the door shut behind her.
Gael slumped on the bed and sighed. Well, that had gone very well. So much for making her his Naina. He had successfully established that they were strangers and that’s how he liked it to be…
He looked around. It was a pretty room. Very pretty. Definitely’s a girl’s bedroom. There were two large suitcases by the window. He definitely remembered the heavy suitcases.
This was Naina’s room!
It was an elegant white room with hints of pink and gold dusted here and there. He got up and looked around. There was a large four poster bed in the centre plush with a soft white comforter and a bunch of white and gold frilly cushions on top of the pillows. There were two large windows adorned with white and pastel pink curtains in the room. One of them even had a comfortable window seat. A large pile of books was on the table next to the window seat. He could already imagine Naina sitting by the window, her hair and the soft curtains slightly moving to the dance of the sweet summer breeze. Reading her favorite book and twirling a few strands of her loose hair…
Naina didn’t even notice that she had already reached the engagement party and was standing by one of the pillars lost in her thought until Jaya called for her.
Jaya: “Oye! Naina…are you alright?!”
Naina: “Yes..yes…why do you ask?”
Jaya: “Just…what kind of a girl friend are you? Don’t you want to look at my ring…and be jealous?!”
Naina laughed: “Of course!” She grabbed her hand and made a big show of ogling Jaya’s ring.
Naina: “It’s a gorgeous ring! Honest! I am so happy for you! I love you!”
Jaya: “Awww! I love you too!”
Aaji came over to the two girls. She had already been introduced to Jaya but congratulated her once again.
Aaji: “Naina beta, have you seen Breno? I don’t see him around…Maya has been asking for him and this man I tell you… sometimes he gets so lost in his own world, he doesn’t notice people or things around him…”
Jaya laughed: “I just met him and even I acknowledge that part of his!”
Naina faked a smile. What had just happened between them was still too fresh…not between them! Nothing had happened between them! It was just her…SHE was the one so lost in her own world…
Aaji: “ Oh, there he is!”
The girls turned around and saw him approaching them. He had a very grim expression and his eyes…they had turned the unnerving grey yet again.
Breno: “I am leaving now. I will send another car for you for whenever you are ready to come back to the hotel.”
Aaji: “Breno, Maya wanted to spend some time with…”
Breno: “Later. Convey my apologies.”
With that, he left the place. He had not even acknowledged Naina’s presence let alone look at her.
Jaya: “What happened to him?!”
Aaji: “It’s his work. It’s…”
Maya: “Wasn’t that Gael? Where is he going?”
Aaji: “He will be back, Maya…come, I would like to have some tea…”
As soon as the two ladies left…
Jaya: “Naina, did you see that?”
Naina: “Huh?”
Jaya: “What was with the attitude?”
Naina just shook her head: “Forget it, Jaya! It’s your big day! Let’s concentrate on that!”
Gael got in the car and slammed the door shut.
Gael on the phone: “John, is it true?”
John: “Unfortunately, yes. They have caught him and they now also have a price on you…”
Gael: “They ALWAYS had a price on me…”
John: “India should be OK, right?”
Gael: “Should be. For now.”
John: “We are so close. All our assets are in the right place.”
Gael: “Good. Tell them the mission is a go.”
John: “Perfect but you need to make some ripples in the sea.”
Gael: “It's time for Gael Bourgeois to come out to play.”
