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.
