Desde sempre e para sempre Chapter 9

Desde sempre e para sempre

Chapter 9

Gael was typing furiously when he stopped to read what he had written.

Gael: “Puta Merda!”

He had written utter nonsense! He slammed his laptop shut and reclined his chair only to remember that he was in freaking economy class and the chair had already been pushed back to its maximum! He closed his eyes and took a deep breath even though all he wanted to do was scream out loud! He looked to his side, the seat Naina had left vacant and something sparkling caught his eye. He reached for it and realized that it was a glittering pink and gold bangle with tiny bells attached to it…there was no doubt that it belonged to her. 

He couldn't believe it when it made him smile. He rattled her bangle lightly and it made a sweet jingle. Gael closed his eyes and saw her before him as she put her head back and laughed with utter joy; her brown eyes turning the color of exquisite cognac.

Naina was sitting next to Aaji munching on peanuts. She had been silently staring ahead trying her best not to think about him. She had been right about one thing though. Sitting next to Nani was helping her calm down a bit. 

Aaji had given her some space because she had realized that the girl was a bit troubled, rattled, to be more precise. Aaji switched on the in-flight entertainment on the screen in front of her and put on the music channel.

Aaji: “I personally think that Kajol looked her best in this movie, don’t you think? And this song…her sarees and lehengas are so simple yet so elegant and stunning! What do you think? Do you like this movie?”

Naina looked at the screen and froze. That song again! She got up  and left without saying anything.

So what if she was a diplomat? Its not like he was going to meet her again and as much as he would like to, he was not going to “sleep” with this enemy…at least not here…NO! He was never going to see her again! She was a fun company and besides, it was because of  HER that he was stuck in the Economy Class! She must sit next to him if he wanted it! He put the bangle in his pocket and got up…

What was she going to do now? That was her favorite song! Now because of him, she would never be able to enjoy it again! She couldn't even hum it peacefully, forget watching the video! 

She was walking aimlessly when she ran smack into a brick wall.

There was a brick wall on this plane?!

She looked around trying to steady herself. She was in the passage separating the First and the Economy Class. There was no one around…She turned around…

Gael: “Babe, are you okay??”

Forget the brick wall, she was back next to the freaking pyramid in God damned Egypt!

He had not seen her in front of him. Raj had told him that she was in the First Class with his Aaji. He had been preoccupied thinking about how he was going to convince her to come back and sit next to him. Apologizing was definitely not an option…

Gael: “I am sorry.”

That had them BOTH surprised.

Naina: “Sorry?”

He had said it; he was definitely not going to repeat it, especially, when he knew she had heard him alright! 

Naina: “For what?”

Gael: “For running you over and for…the way I behaved earlier…”

Naina: “I am sorry; I couldn't hear you properly…”

Gael: “Being a first class pain about this is not going to help you win the game. Last time I checked, I was leading by 3 points…”

Naina: “Oh! Now you want play my puerile game?”

Gael: “Babe, I am winning! Why would I NOT want to play OUR puerile game?”

Naina: “STOP calling me ‘babe!’”

Gael leaned in closer and whispered in her ear: “What would you rather I call you…babe?”

She pushed him away and stepped back when she saw the older lady returning to her seat. The lady smiled at them.

“I hear they are going to serve dinner soon. We best take our seats.”

Naina smiled and nodded unable to say anything, hoping the lady could not see her blushing…

Once the old lady passed by, Naina looked at Breno.

Naina: “Mr. Chan, call me ‘Naina.’ That’s my name.”

Gael: “Only if you call me by my name.”

Naina sighed: “Fine! BrEEno!

Gael: “Naah! That doesn’t cut it anymore…I like your way better.”

Naina raised one of her eyebrows at him: “You mean the way your Aaji does it?”

Gael walked towards her, pushing her back against the wall, until she was trapped in between him and the wall. He put his hands on both her sides locking her in.

Gael: “My Aaji does not arouse me as you do.”

Naina gasped: “This is highly inappropriate! How can you even say something like that?!”

Gael laughed: “What, the fact that I said the words ‘Aaji’ and ‘arouse’ in the same sentence or that I stated that you arouse me?”

Naina: “BOTH!”

Gael stepped back: “I am a Brazilian. We are crude about these things and we only state the truth. I have no qualms in confessing that you arouse me and I don’t need to run around trees or castigate myself for feeling this way. I am a hot-blooded man and you are a sexy woman.”

It took her a minute to wrap her mind around what he had just said.

Naina: “I…I think…I think I might have given you the wrong impression. I am not like that.”

Since he didn't say anything, she continued.

Naina: “I know we kissed, twice, but I don’t want you to think that I am…I don’t know how to explain this…I believe in love and I believe in soul mates…Whatever happened between us…Let’s just forget it. I don't intend to lead you on. Let’s just be friends because, let’s be real, we are probably never going to see each other again. Then why complicate things? Besides, I don’t think I will be comfortable…”

Gael: “Say no more.”

Naina looked at him, a bit scared and embarrassed, but he smiled at her, and she saw the glimmering white gold in his eyes again. Serenity ensued. She smiled back.

Gael turned around and started walking to their seat. He looked back: “I am hungry, what about you?”

Naina: “Starving.”

She was still a bit hesitant. He stopped and faced her: “Don’t think as your newly acquired friend, I am going to let you win? This game is still on with just as much intensity.”

She smiled back, all qualms vanished: “Bring it on!”

She took her seat and Gael sat down next to her. His poker face had, yet again, done a phenomenal job of concealing the inner turmoil. This time it was not because he had been denied his carnal desire but because he had realized that he had desired her mere friendship just as much.

Naina: “So, how did you get your hands on my passport?”

Gael: “Let’s not talk about it.”

Naina did not probe further. She realized that he had a problem with her profession and it was best she steer clear of anything that reminded him of it. However, the only reason Gael did not want to talk about it was because he did not want to remember how he had gotten his hands on her passport…when she had wrapped her legs and arms around his body in the restroom…

He admired her for being honest and candid with him. He knew that he intimidated her even though she pretended he didn't. He had taken far too many liberties and he was surprised that she hadn't slapped him for his crude behavior or run away from him. She stood up for herself and hell, played him at that! But now that the things had gotten a little out of control for her, she had no problem stepping back and confessing that she was not okay with it. Showed that she had the guts and pride to keep her end up but at the same time knew just when to draw the line. He knew many people who had lost everything just because they couldn't let go of their pride. Pride was a good thing but then there was a reason why pride is considered the original and the most serious of the seven deadly sins. One which involuntarily leads to the others. There was a fine line between the positive and the negative connotation of the word “pride.”

Well, he was a man of his word and he was going to be her friend, nothing else, for the next 12 hours.

Dinner was served and they decided to watch a Bollywood movie since they were en route to Mumbai, sharing his set of headphones, of course. He suggested Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham even though he had never watched it before but it had Shah Rukh Khan in it and it seemed to be something she would like. However, she vehemently refused. He really didn't care what they watched or whether they watched anything at all but she insisted.

Naina: “Let’s watch this one!”

Gael: “It’s a late 70s movie. Your movies are passé anyways.”

Naina: “Excuse me! Just because they are culturally dissimilar does not make them passé! At least, we have a movie industry of our own, largest film industry in the world!”

Gael: “Okay, Mother India! You have a point there. Brazil does not have its own film industry but one phenomenal piece of art and a hundred pieces of imitations…what do you think stands out?”

Naina: “Uhhh…but…”

Gael: “Shhh…the movie is starting...”

He smiled at her as she narrowed her eyes to give him a dirty look. Gael laughed and she lost her dirty look.

The movie had started; however, Gael was more interested in looking at her. He couldn't take his eyes off her! The movie must have been a comedy because she was in splits but he was just laughing with her. Her laughter was contagious and the sparkle in her eyes infected him. Who would have imagined HE was laughing? His real life seemed unreal now. He could not believe that he was Gael Breno Bourgeois!

She ran her hand through her hair and her bangles jingled. He reached for her bangle in his pocket to return it to her but changed his mind. He didn't want to part ways with it yet.

After a while, he really started enjoying the movie. He would still sneak a glance at her but he had to admit that the movie was pretty good. The subtitles were on but he didn't need them. He was fluent in Hindi, something she didn't know and he wanted to keep it that way.

When the credits started rolling, he looked at her.

Gael: “I must confess that was a good movie.”

Naina looked at him surprised. Sure he had laughed now and then but she had expected him to say that the movie was stupid and that he was laughing at it and not because of its humor.

Naina: “And I must confess that you make me wonder.”

Gael: “Wonder about what?”

Naina: “Earlier you apologized for something that I would have never ever imagined a man like you would. THEN when I denied you something that you were interested in, and please don’t take me the wrong way, you were most chivalrous about it. Something again, I would have never ever imagined a man like you would. I don’t think you would have forced me but you would have blamed me for leading you on...which I did! And yet, you were so noble…and FINALLY, you actually confessed that you liked the movie when you had openly criticized it previously. Again, not something I would have imagined a man like you…”

Gale: “You say ‘a man like me.’ What do you mean?”

Naina: “You know; the ‘angry young man’ types.”

Gael: “No, I don’t know.”

Right, she had forgotten that he was not Indian or filmy to be precise.

Naina: “The narcissistic men who let pride control everything. They never apologize because they think they are not capable of making mistakes. When I first met you, that’s exactly what I thought about you.”

Gael smiled: “Even the most ‘accurate’ scientific research can never be just that.”

Naina: “I am sorry, I don’t follow.”

Gael: “Naina, science can never be flawless because of human error. Even if machines are used, there is always a margin for human error because even machines are run by humans.”

Naina: “Okay. But what has that got to do with…”

Gael: “I am a human. I am capable of making mistakes and I am man enough to accept my shortcomings. Perfection is a surreal perception. If it existed, this world would have dispensed with all imperfections a long time ago. So, all those ‘angry young men’ who believe they are incapable of making mistakes are just naïve.”

That blew her mind! He had just ridiculed all the famous heroes, of all time, in movies and TV shows; all the ones she loved because they were ‘angry young men.’ However, he was right! They were all simply immature!

Gael: “Don’t confuse my capability with my ability. I am not incapable of making mistakes but I am able to accept it and I am also able to never reiterate them. I wish I could say that I am NOT able to make mistakes but then I wouldn't be human. You see, ‘capability’ and ‘ability’ are not always interchangeable.”

Naina: “Woah…”

She quickly turned around and pulled her pink book out of her bag. She hurriedly opened it and started scribbling.

Gael: “What…”

Naina: “Shhhhh!!!”

He leaned over to read what she was writing.

“Don’t confuse my capability with my ability.  I am not incapable of making mistakes but I am able to accept it and I am also able to never reiterate them. I wish I could say that I am NOT able to make mistakes but then I wouldn't be human. You see, ‘capability’ and ‘ability’ are not always interchangeable.” – BrEEno (the Brazilian I met on AI 101, 12/12/12)

He grabbed her book and pen. 

Giving her pink pen a dirty look but using it anyways, he started writing in her book. 

“Don’t confuse my capability with my ability.  I am not incapable of making mistakes but I am able to accept it and I am also able to never reiterate them. I wish I could say that I am NOT able to make mistakes but then I wouldn't be human. You see, ‘capability’ and ‘ability’ are not always interchangeable.” – BrEEno (the Brazilian I met on AI 101, 12/12/12) Breno (the sexy Brazilian who orgasmically enlightened me to the point of no return on AI 101, 12/12/12 and now I am forever indebted to him. From this moment, I will worship him. On this day, I give him my heart, body and soul desde sempre e para sempre...  

Naina grabbed her book and her pen and read what he had written. She laughed. 

Naina: "You are so full of yourself! Just because you are able to accept your mistake, able to NOT reiterate them and accept that you are NOT not able to make mistakes, does not make you any less narcissistic!"

Gael: "Touché, Ms. Naina Sanjay Malhotra."

He winked at her as he rubbed it in. She still didn't know what his full name was and she was losing, big time. 

She closed her book and put it back in her bag. She found it cute and left his "correction" the way it was. 

Naina: "Desde sempre e para sempre?"

Gael: "Always and forever."

He looked away and closed his eyes as a lone tear dropped. That was the promise his mother had begged his father to fulfill before she took her last breath. His father had walked away as young Gael stood silently next to his mother's bed clutching her hand in his, refusing to let go. His Aaji, the hired help in Mumbai, had entered the room after his father had left. She had heard the dialogue between the husband and wife or the lack of it. "Ma'am, don't you worry. I will take care of your child. I will love him as my own, cherish and nurture him desde sempre e para sempre." 

THAT was the promise his Aaji had kept. 

HE couldn't believe it that he had brought it up in a mere joke.