“You always have a certain way of positioning things... but it’s not that simple. We can’t just dump either of them if we’re in the Himalayas. We could get lost. The Himalayas can be very dangerous. We have to be careful.” Gerua thought about what their host had told her.
“Gerua, can you forget about KK, please…babe?” Kally urged Gerua. “You trust Tony, and he is the MMA guy. We are going with him and not KK. So you should feel safe. Besides, we don’t have a suitable alternative. Mr. Anaya has only offered to ‘point us in the right direction’, but now we have a real opportunity to travel with someone who loves you and possibly meet a real super yoga guru. So let’s just go and take it from there.”
Gerua knew that Kally’s words made sense. For now, traveling with Tony and KK was the best available option. They would have to take some risks if they were going to find yoga. She hoped that her brain was not fogged because of her feelings for Tony. By the weekend, they had made their choice. Gerua and Kally were going to travel with KK and Tony to the Himalayas. They didn’t see KK until the following Sunday morning when both KK and Tony came to pick up Gerua and Kally in KK’s SUV.
Gerua and Kally thanked the Anayas for their hospitality. Mr. Anaya reminded Gerua to take caution and asked Kally to be careful. Mrs. Anaya asked them to return soon. They thanked their hosts for their concern and assured their return. Gerua noted that Mr. Anaya seemed to be frowning at KK, and she wondered why. As they drove out of Delhi, Gerua forgot all about the Anayas and their cautionary advice. She sat happily huddled close to Tony in the back seat.
CHAPTER 6
ACCEPTANCE
The countryside housed numerous villages, and the areas around the villages were extensively farmed. Many of the villages they drove through were lined with small clay and brick homes of different sizes and crowded markets with small shops. Children played barefoot alongside domestic animals. Both Kally and Gerua observed that these places had more people than they were designed for. They also noticed saffron-clad ascetics called sadhus walking barefoot or wearing wooden sandals called khadau. KK and Tony gave them a running commentary about where they were and where the sadhus were heading.
The drive was long and tiring. Tony and KK took turns driving. Eventually, everyone fell silent as they drove on toward their destination. KK and Tony decided to break the journey and get some rest. The next leg of the trip was uphill on sharply curving roads with sheer drops on the edge. Tony was totally against driving after dusk because he thought it was not safe. KK agreed, and they halted at a palace that had been converted into a hotel a few miles off their route. They had dinner, and then Tony and Gerua went for a walk on the palatial hotel lawns. Kally excused herself and went to the room Gerua and she were occupying to get some rest. She lay down on the antique bed and fell asleep immediately. KK headed to the bar for a nightcap. KK had a drink and then headed to his SUV and drove out of the hotel. Gerua and Tony were too busy with each other to notice his absence.
KK drove uphill for ten minutes and parked the SUV at a roadside truck rest area. He then scaled the hillside on foot until he reached the man who was waiting for him. The man was a young ascetic with long matted jet-black hair and an untidy mustache and beard. He wore a saffron-colored cotton wrap around his waist like a towel and had a necklace of shiny brown beads that seemed to be made of bone in his hand. His body was covered with ash. He was an aghori. They spoke in hushed tones with a sense of purpose and urgency. After conversing for ten minutes or so, the young ascetic picked his trident and mounted his horse. The horse had an unusually long scruffy mane, a long bushy tail, and triangular hooves designed to grip and trod uphill.
KK headed back to his SUV and drove back to the hotel. He went to the room, which he was sharing with Tony. Tony was still with Gerua, just as KK had suspected. KK knew that Tony was hopelessly in love with Gerua. Even though KK himself was terribly attracted to Kally, he could not touch her for now. He had to sacrifice his feelings so that Kally and Gerua could be dealt with when the time came, in a manner dictated by his master.
Tony walked with Gerua on the palatial lawns. The palace had been made on a man-made plateau. It had taken many workers, many years, to level the hilltop and then construct the palace on it. The palace was covered with pearl white marble. The floors were also white marble, with inlays of mother-of-pearl in exquisite designs along the borders and on the skirting. The walls were decorated with antique side furnishings and with paintings of the kings and queens, their families who lived in the palace over centuries past. The palace had only been recently remodeled and converted into a hotel. The lawns were more than sixteen hundred feet in length and extended for a thousand feet behind the palace. Magnificent marble fountains spaced evenly lined the center of the lawn along the entire length. The bushes were beautifully trimmed into shapes of animals and birds. Immaculately tended trees and plants had been planted strategically to flower at different times of the year. Beyond the lawns was a valley with a gentle stream flowing through it. Beyond the stream, bathed in the moonlight, was a hillside covered with lush green trees. The moonlight made the palace facade glow. The palatial hotel was designed for luxury, indulgence, and romance.
Gerua and Tony walked to the end of the lawn. Tony took Gerua’s hand and squeezed it gently. They sat facing each other on the thick knee-high wall bordering the lawns. Gerua looked at the stream below and realized what was coming. Tony was silent as he caressed the backs of Gerua’s hands with his thumbs. She looked up and met his gaze as he leaned forward and kissed her. Gerua responded hesitatingly.
“Gerua, I think I am in—” Tony began earnestly. “Tony, please...”
“Gerua, just hear me out,” Tony pleaded. “I don’t know why, but I was mesmerized by you the moment I saw you. My feelings for you grew with each moment I was with you and more so when I was not with you. I have never felt so strongly for anyone in my life. When I got home after dropping you at West End from the airport, I kept on thinking about you. I couldn’t get you out of my mind. I couldn’t wait to see you again. I was elated when you came to the party. And even though I had to pay attention to my other guests, all I could think about was you. Every day since I met you, my feelings for you have grown. I lay awake late in the night, my heart aching fondly for you knowing that I will be with you the following day. I wanted to tell you earlier what I felt but was unsure of your reaction. I am so glad and relieved that you agreed to come north with us. I probably would have canceled if you hadn’t come. I would rather be with you as long as I can. I am hopelessly in love with you, and I want to be with you always. I am hoping you have a place in your heart for me.”
“Tony... I care about you too, but I don’t want to see you hurt or hurt myself. I am a practical person, and I want my logic to prevail over my feelings for you, which are pretty strong. I came with you because I trust you and believe in you, but I don’t envision a future for us. I am apprehensive about where we are going. I am also worried about Kally. She is determined to find yoga. But I have mixed feelings about KK and his guru. Perhaps I am being overly cautious. I really hope this trip will work out well.” Gerua smiled, gently squeezing his hand. “Tony, I am here because of you. Does that make any sense?”
Tony smiled back at Gerua as he pulled her closer. “No, it doesn’t. But the way I feel about you, I wouldn’t know how to make sense of anything anyway. Right now, all I can think of is being with you. I would do anything to be with you, even leave the UK.” He kissed Gerua again. “And please don’t worry. I will take care of you and Kally.”
Gerua straddled the short wall she was sitting on, turned her back to Tony, and leaned back into his chest. Tony put his hands around her waist, entwining his fingers in front of her stomach as they snuggled silently.
They sat there, savoring the moment, lost in their emotions. Gerua stroked the back of Tony’s arms and said, “We should get some sleep. We have a long journey ahead. We’ll have plenty of time together.” Tony nodded, and they stro
lled toward the palatial hotel, holding each other intimately. They kissed outside Gerua’s room before saying good night. Seeing Tony walk into the room Tony and he were occupying, KK got into bed hurriedly. When Tony entered, KK pretended to be fast asleep. Tony did not realize that KK had been watching them.
Gerua woke up suddenly, sitting up in bed, trembling. She felt breathless, her heart thumping in her chest. She had a terrifying nightmare. Kally had fallen into a raging river of bone-chilling white water, and Tony disappeared while trying to save her. She had seen Kally hit her head on a rock and get washed away by the waters, the force of frothy flow swallowing her. Kally had resurfaced briefly, only to be swallowed by a huge demonic horse-like creature. Gerua wanted to help her but KK held her back.
Gerua looked at Kally sleeping on the single bed to her right. In the silence of the morning, she could hear Kally gently snoring. Relieved, she stopped trembling as her heart slowed down and her breathing stabilized.
She couldn’t fall back to sleep. After a while, her mind drifted to how close she had gotten to Tony last night. She smiled to herself. She was being too cautious as usual. She looked at Kally again and wondered why she couldn’t be more like her. Kally wouldn’t have been hesitant like she was and probably not got involved herself.
Soon, it was dawn. Gerua got up, washed, and was about to wake up Kally when she heard a knock. It was Tony at the door.
“Good morning.” He saw Kally still sleeping. He kissed Gerua. “Hi, sweetheart. I hope you slept well. We should leave within the hour. Can you wake up Kally and ask her to get ready?” Tony kept his voice low.
“I heard that. I’ll be ready in less than half an hour. Can we get something to eat? I am famished,” said Kally, sitting up in bed.
They all regrouped in the coffee shop, had their breakfast, and were on their way within the hour. Late that evening, they arrived at Leh, a city in a cold desert at eleven thousand feet above sea level. The thin air initially made both Gerua and Kally a little breathless, but they acclimatized quickly. They decided to spend a couple of nights in Leh, so KK could make further arrangements for their journey up the mountain. KK had arranged for the group to stay at another palatial hotel.
After a restful night, the following morning all four of them visited Buddhist monasteries. Tony and Gerua spent most of their time together, and they all got back to the hotel by late afternoon.
Back in their room, Kally demanded to know what was happening between Gerua and Tony. Gerua knew that Kally would ask her, and there was no point in hiding what was going on between them; it was obvious. Gerua told her everything. Kally displayed unabashed joy upon hearing Gerua. There was a knock on the door, and Kally opened it to Tony.
“KK has gone out to get provisions for the climb tomorrow. I thought I’d come and spend some time with you.”
“I was just going to go soak in some scenery. Why don’t you stay here with Gerua?” Kally winked. And a few moments later, Gerua and Tony were alone in the room.
“So what is it you want to do?” asked Tony awkwardly when they were alone.
“Come here, you...” Gerua extended her arms toward Tony. “I’m all yours,” she said, her bright green eyes alluring. Tony complied joyfully.
The phone rang an hour or so later. It was Kally. “Can I come to the room now?” she asked Gerua, her voice mischievous.
“Ten, maybe fifteen more minutes. We’ll see you in the lobby. I’m really hungry,” said Gerua huskily, clearing her throat. The three of them had dinner at a nearby restaurant.
CHAPTER 7
ASCENT
A day later, KK had arranged for climbing equipment—ice picks, pitons, ropes, warm jackets, small portable tents, food and water, etc. They assembled at the coffee shop at the hotel. “OK, guys, tomorrow morning we are heading for the longest glacier in the Karakoram. It is seventy-six kilometers long, and it’s the second-longest in the world’s non-polar areas. I hope you have done some climbing and know how to breathe in thin air. You did fine here at Leh, which is barely two miles above sea level, but at nearly three and a half miles high, it will be another story. Anyway, if you would need, I have portable oxygen bottles to help you breathe, and there are more oxygen tanks at a higher elevation. But we have to get to over sixteen thousand feet, or more than three miles high, to find those. Hope you are up to it.”
“We’ll be fine. Both Gerua and I have experience in climbing,” Kally announced with pride. “We have been climbing since high school. We both made it to the summit of Mt. Shasta, which is over fifteen thousand feet.”
“Great. I’ve made all the arrangements. We’ll leave early in the morning as soon as the sun is up. We need to use the early hours, hopefully when the snow is hard. I have arranged to be dropped at the bottom of the trail. From there, we’re on our own,” KK said, confirming the plan.
They left the hotel when it was still dark and reached the base camp the next morning. As they began their ascent, Tony narrated his piece to Gerua and Kally, “The Karakoram is a large mountain range spanning the borders between the northwestern extensions of the Himalayas. This range has many peaks over five miles high. The range is the most heavily glaciated part of the world outside the Polar Regions. Asia and the Indian subcontinent wouldn’t be what they are without these awesome mountains.”
“Please be careful and stay together and follow my instructions. The Himalayas do not like to be conquered. The dangers here are many. The obvious ones are breathing problems, hallucinations, frostbite, rock falls, avalanches, severe dehydration, starvation and of course, falls,” stressed KK.
During the climb, there was almost no conversation. Even though it was not winter months, conditions could turn dangerous. The upper peaks were covered with snow and ice and looked down majestically at the glaciers. The climbers moved slowly, their backpacks and equipment weighing them down. The first part of the trek was relatively safe. By evening, they managed to climb a few thousand feet and had reached a point where retreating would be more chancy than continuing. Even at this altitude, it was getting difficult to breathe.
Before embarking on a lengthier section on the face of the mountain, they decided to camp. It took them ages to make camp. The wind made it harder, and they were freezing and hungry. It was still daylight when they ate. They camped for the night and began their climb again early next morning.
With each passing hour, the climb became more difficult and ascent slower. As they camped for the night, the weather began to deteriorate, and they saw lightning strike the mountain ridge north of them. The temperature dropped, and Kally and Gerua huddled close together in their tent. Gerua had a creepy feeling about KK, and as she and Kally lay in their sleeping bags in the dark, she let Kally know about it. Kally listened without commenting. Gerua wondered how KK could be so unaffected by the environment. It was as if he was a mountain man. She knew that the Nepalese Sherpa living in the lowlands of Mount Everest had bodies perfectly adapted to the altitude. They could outperform even the most experienced and acclimatized climber.
Gerua thought about Tony and wished she could be with him. She knew Tony was camping alone tonight. But she also knew that she had to stay with Kally. She put aside her anxiety. She had to be strong for Kally, who had already fallen asleep, exhausted. Gerua closed her eyes too and unable to think anymore, soon fell into a dreamless sleep.
By the second day, both Gerua and Kally had to intermittently use oxygen bottles. Tony told them to conserve their oxygen as there was a limited supply. They had to rest periodically to acclimatize. Gerua couldn’t help but notice that KK was really comfortable at these heights, and the conditions did not faze him at all. KK must have huge lungs, Gerua thought. The thought that it was perhaphs his yogic skill that was helping him did not even cross her normally brilliant mind. She saw the discomfort on Tony’s face and knew that he was also facing difficulty breathing even though he was a trained martial artist.
The weather changed abruptly again, and this time fo
r the worse. The wind picked up. The wind was so strong that it pushed them backward. Taking a step forward was now a herculean task. The freezing cold made it even harder. Soon, adding to their woes, fine snow also started blowing directly at them. Even though they wore snow goggles, there were times when it was impossible to see the person in front. They tethered themselves to one another with KK in the front, and then Kally, followed by Gerua, and Tony at the rear. Soon, it became impossible to climb, and they decided to stop. Suddenly, the snowstorm hit with such force that it became impossible to do anything, let alone make camp. With no protection of any kind, they paused and braved the storm.
They all squatted, waiting for the snow to subside. Gerua and Kally nestled together praying that the storm would subside. Tony sat behind Gerua and Kally feeling helpless, his hands around their waists as they huddled tightly together.
KK sat in front, seemingly unfazed by their predicament. Other than KK, no one had the strength to think about anything other than wishing for the storm to subside. KK smiled to himself at their plight. He had always known he would deliver the women, achieving what was expected of him, and would be rewarded with what he had always wanted. He felt elated.
After what seemed like an eternity, the mountain gods relented. The storm began to calm down, and the winds subsided a bit. It was still snowing, but the subdued wind enabled them to camp. After they put up the tents, KK took out the kerosene stove and ignited it. He warmed up some water and added soup cubes in it. They all drank the soup gratefully as the liquid warmed them from inside. Somewhat nourished, they retired to their tents.
Sometime later, Kally abruptly scrambled out of the tent into the freezing darkness. She was breathless, and Gerua was terrified, not sure what was happening. Kally was having serious breathing problems and she was freaking out. Gerua shouted for help. Tony and KK rushed out of their tents. KK got to Kally first.
Dwandv:: The Battle for the Gate Page 5