2Promises

by Phil Armstrong

  Sanjeev merged into the familiar road to the airport, “You are flying domestic first, right Miss?”

  “Yes 8.40am, Jet Airways to Mumbai,” said Beth confidently.

  “Plenty of time,” said Sanjeev glancing at his new watch. Occasionally Beth would catch Sanjeev looking down at his wrist in disbelief. Half way through his route to the airport Sanjeev entered a familiar stretch of road. “Miss, Miss, all I need now is the girl!” Sanjeev laughed as he pointed to the Citizen Eco-Drive billboard. Beth laughed with him. The traffic started to thicken around the airport.

  “If I can avoid the stray dogs and pigs on the runway I should be off soon,” said Beth retrieving her backpack from Sanjeev as they stood at the airport check in gate.

  Sanjeev had gone as far as he could without a passport and a flight itinerary. “Miss, I wish you a safe flight, it was my pleasure to serve you,” he said bowing his head slightly.

  “Sanjeev, I’ve had to follow your customs since I’ve arrived here. I hope you understand, in my country when you leave someone that has helped you as much as you have, we do this.” Beth moved in and gave Sanjeev a big hug.

  Sanjeev went stiff not knowing what to do or how to respond. He smiled and looked a little flushed. With her backpack thrown over her shoulder Beth turned toward the check in counter. She left Sanjeev and looked backwards once to see him walk away. Beth was impressed by the Jet Airways check in staff. They could all have been participants on a reality show, India’s top supermodel. The young women were immaculate in their striking yellow blazers contrasting with their dark hair and tanned faces. Beth had a smooth check in process and received an apology for not having a business class seat available on her flight. The young woman assured Beth that she would be sat at the front of the plane affording ample legroom near a bulkhead. Beth did not know what a bulkhead was but she thanked the woman who was clearly trying to please. It was an early flight yet it looked as if it was going to be full. Beth received her boarding pass. She had requested “no meals” and the attendant confirmed this. Beth thought this was easier than trying to politely decline the food offered. She could see the attendants face skew as she realized Beth had no meals booked for her entire journey.

  The attendant looked up and asked again, “Sorry Miss, just to confirm again, no meals on any flight?”

  “That’s correct,” said Beth confidently.

  “Have a safe journey Miss and thank you for flying Jet Airways.”

  Beth finally made it to the plane. The aisle was full as she tried to locate her bulkhead seat. She was seated in a row of three facing a wall at the front of the plane. Beth felt self-conscious being the only western female in a plane full of locals. The plane contained a few Indian women but was mostly comprised of men. Delaying the boarding process was an elderly man who struggled to get his bag into the overhead. A very attractive flight attendant dressed in a long yellow jacket and black skirt arrived promptly. She assisted the man and he thanked her. It was clear from his accent and his Dallas Cowboys tee shirt that he was American. He sat promptly in an aisle seat. As Beth walked by he caught her eye and gave her a reassuring nod of the head. Beth smiled in response and advanced to her seat. Her row of three seats had an overweight Indian man slumped into the window seat. He glanced up at Beth and seemed to dismiss her instantly before she could acknowledge his look. She looked at her ticket again and heard a loud “Yes” echo inside her head. She realized she was positioned in the aisle seat. Beth pushed her backpack into the luggage overhead. She sat in the aisle seat and stared at the wall. The flight was cramped and the seats were small. The middle seat remained empty and Beth managed to lean back and eventually fall asleep.

  * * * * *

  Chapter 10: Kaigara, Japanese for Shell

  “Are you there, Subra? I don’t have much time on this flight,” thought Beth. Subra did not respond and it was starting to annoy Beth. She concentrated and could feel a small energy signature that she recognized. She focused intensely and could finally feel Subra. It felt like she was pulling him into her immediate consciousness.

  “On your way to Toronto?” inquired Subra.

  “Don’t you want to talk with me?” thought Beth. “You seem to be hiding these days.”

  “Sorry, that’s not the case. I have something important that you need to learn. It will help you as you concentrate on finding the portal,” offered Subra.

  “All right; I’m all ears.”

  “I don’t know that quote?”

  “It’s an expression, it means I’m listening. Go ahead we don’t have much time,” thought Beth.

  “Listen to me carefully,” Subra was talking but it sounded to Beth like she was listening to a radio with weak batteries. Subra would start strong then he would fade and the volume would fluctuate like a weak signal. She focused on his voice, as she knew this was going to be important from his tone.

  “I found you Beth because of your aura. Everyone has an aura. It’s an energy source than emanates from your body. Head dresses worn by Native Indian Chiefs and Mayan priests are thought to represent flames coming from their heads. These are thought to represent auras. Old paintings in Italy, Greece, India, Egypt and more, show halos around the head, often golden in color. People have tried to photograph auras starting with Kirlian, a Russian.” Subra was rushing to get the information into Beth’s unconscious mind. “Many people today accept the fact that auras exist and many claim to be able to see them. You have a strong Indigo aura. This is rare; it means caring, nurturing and humanitarian qualities. You’re a perfect choice for this current assignment from Anwar. This man sitting next to you in the window seat; has a mostly Red aura. That stands for sensuality, vitality and aggression,” explained Subra.

  “What does Gold mean?” asked Beth.

  “Unlimited potential, you won’t see too many of those. There are many ways to see or feel auras. You will need to develop this technique quickly. I firmly believe it will help you in your future quest. When you can see auras you will see many colors within the aura. A single color will always be dominant. This is called the ground color. You have a ground color of Indigo but occasionally you also have a small amount of Blue and Yellow,” explained Subra.

  “You have me curious, Blue and Yellow?”

  “Blue is teacher, traveler and seeker of wisdom. Yellow is creativity, intellect and slyness,” explained Subra.

  “Slyness, no way. You made that up,” thought Beth.

  “Just seeing if you’re paying attention, this is important. I need you to start to develop an ability to see auras. You’re an Indigo ground so this should come naturally and easily for you. You just have to be taught how to hone your ability. I want you to grab a white piece of paper. In a soft light, place your forefinger tips together and stare at them for about 10 seconds. Slowly start to move your fingers apart and try to see the thread of energy between them. Most people stop seeing the thread when they get to about half an inch apart. Keep honing this until you can see energy between your fingers on the same hand. You are predisposed to seeing this you just haven’t looked before. Practice this for me and I will talk with you again when you sleep. This will give you something to do when you get bored. Just to mess you up a little bit. Most people say they see the auras using their third eye, the mind’s eye. Beth you should wake yourself and try to practice this,” Subra’s voice faded.

  Beth was curious why Subra felt strongly she would need this skill. She sensed that same old familiar feeling. It was at its strongest when Subra faded away and it annoyed her that she could not identify the feeling. Beth jolted herself awake and shuddered as she regained consciousness. The man with the Red aura looked at Beth with disdain.

  “Wonder what I did wrong?” thought Beth.

  A shrill pinging noise sounded above her head and the announcer could be heard through the intercom. Beth could not understand it was clearly not English. After the announcement completed an English sounding voice with an Indian accent followed. She info
rmed the cabin that the captain had illuminated the fasten seat belt sign. She instructed passengers to prepare for landing in Mumbai.

  “I’ve been sleeping for almost two hours,” thought Beth. “I must have been really tired. Pure energy isn’t what it used to be,” thought Beth.

  The Jet Airways plane landed in Mumbai within minutes of its stated time. The attendants donned in their elegant long yellow jackets wished passengers a pleasant journey as they left the plane. Beth saw the man with the Red aura. She did not expect him to push her in the back as he rushed past scampering up the boarding ramp.

  “Red means aggressive,” thought Beth. “Maybe I should practice this aura thing.”Beth took her time walking off the plane; she had four hours to kill. She walked past the “Welcome to Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport” sign and smiled. She recalled the Dum Dum story and thought, “Yeah, I bet this is known as Mumbai Airport!” Beth saw a familiar stylish yellow coat worn by another potential super model. “Where do they get these girls?” thought Beth.

  “Hello Miss, are you connecting to a flight out of India?” she asked.

  “Yes, to London Heathrow.”

  “Are you flying Jet Airways?”

  “Yes,” said Beth as people barged by her.

  “You should have your boarding pass already with your travel documents. You’re in terminal one domestic you need to follow the signs to terminal two international where you’ll find your gate. You’ll need to go through security,” said the attendant. Beth followed the signs and paused to look at her paperwork. The woman in Kolkata had slipped three boarding passes into her card folder. She found the Mumbai to London boarding pass but the gate information was empty. Going through security was the part Beth least liked. She recognized the American man from the plane near the front of the line. She imagined him traveling through London to get to Dallas. At security Beth was pulled out of the line and motioned to go into another line. They seemed to have one line for men and another for women. Once through the scanning machine she was invited into a canvas screened off area and told to step up onto a wooden box.

  “What are they doing?” thought Beth.

  A woman in a uniform patted Beth down. Beth laughed to herself as she wondered where she would smuggle anything in her tight jeans and tee shirt. Even Lord Ganesha made a bump when he was tucked into her pocket! She was then ordered to regain her place and pick up her scanned backpack. She glanced over at the men’s line and saw the American in a state of semi undress standing high on his wooden box. No canvas screen was afforded to hide the men’s blushes as they were patted down. Beth retrieved her backpack and headed into the waiting area for terminal two international. She walked towards an illuminated board to see if she could recognize her flight number and find her gate. As she looked up into a list of destinations she spotted London, Flight 118, on time, gate 323. Beth headed for the 323 sign in the distance. When Beth arrived at the gate she was surprised to see that it was full of people of all ages. She glanced up at the board behind the yellow jacket at the check in desk. “Brussels” it read.

  “These people are going to Brussels, I have hours to kill,” thought Beth.

  Beth walked around the terminal building; she browsed the stores, fingered through some magazines and bought a paperback book. It was a slow moving spy novel set in Berlin. Beth practiced her finger aura reading technique but garnered strange looks and stopped quickly before yielding any results. She glanced down at her watch; she smiled as she thought of the Citizen Eco-Drive that Sanjeev was proudly wearing.

  Her mind wandered and she imagined Sanjeev leaving the airport and dodging the stray dogs to return to the taxi. There, in the distance was an Indian super model wearing a beautiful yellow jacket and dripping in gold jewelry. Her sultry eyes locked onto Sanjeev and his head wobbled provocatively. He flashed a smile as he glanced at his watch. It was very important to know what time it was at that moment. The super model gazed at the watch and was instantly mesmerized by its beauty and power. She could not resist and pledged her undying love to Sanjeev. Beth chuckled out loud and a small Indian man dressed in a smart tunic gave her a solemn look.

  Beth continued to stare at her watch, it was 10am local time and she still had hours to kill. This was going to be a long day but Beth was trying to keep a positive attitude about it.

  * * * * *

  12.30pm - The United Way Charity Black Tie Gala - The Royal York Hotel, Toronto, Canada.

  Ms. Kaigara Tanaka laughed and leaned closer to the Premier, “Please excuse me, I really must be going Mr. Premier. Thank you for a wonderful evening.” Kaigara bid farewell to the premier, his wife and the remaining couple at her table. She looked around the charity gala main ballroom decorated in a gold and black theme. The ballroom guests were now starting to thin out as the late hour and dancing started to take its toll. She picked up her black satin purse and began to make her way over to the exit. Kaigara was an elegant woman, slim and shapely. She worked out at a local upscale women’s health club, had a private dietician and used a personal trainer. Most people would describe her as driven.

  Kaigara was wearing a black evening gown that flowed as she walked. It was tied at the neck and had elegant crystals sewn into the dress. Her long gown covered the tops of her stunning black high heels. At this point in the evening they were starting to pinch her feet. She wore a simple thin rope of gold around her neck. A large diamond was suspended from the elegant rope accompanied by matching diamond earrings. A gold Cartier watch hung loose from her left wrist. Kaigara had a Swarovski crystal brooch in the shape of a Swan pinned to her gown; it shimmered as it reflected the light. Kaigara would normally be seen with her long black hair pinned up in a severe business look. Tonight she had it styled where it fell naturally and flowed onto her shoulders. She looked desirable. A successful businesswomen in her mid thirties she commanded attention. Kaigara was educated at the London School of Economics; spoke English, French, Japanese, Mandarin and Cantonese. She was the only daughter of a prominent Japanese socialite and a respected Canadian/Japanese business entrepreneur. Kaigara was raised in Yokohama and Toronto, educated in London and lived in Toronto.

  Kaigara had deep piercing brown eyes and a smooth complexion that made men stare at her exotic features. She had a combination of a strong western face with traditional Japanese bone structure. She was beautiful and she knew it. She walked from the ballroom smiling and nodding her farewell to various guests. She walked into the coat check area and found a quiet place to lean against a wall. Kaigara opened her purse and retrieved her Blackberry device. Twelve new email messages it proudly announced. She examined her inbox but her eyes stopped at a note from Rose Akhter. The email heading read “Urgent: Potential new investor.” Kaigara read the email quickly. Rose had received an unannounced visit from a Miss Beth Martindale. Beth had asked many questions about the work being done and the foundation. She headed a large charitable organization and wanted to meet with the Chairperson of the Reika Foundation. Miss Martindale would be traveling to Toronto immediately and would call the office to arrange an appointment. She seemed serious.

  Kaigara was immediately suspicious; some times reporters will pose as investors and dig around to try to expose misappropriation of funds or to find an angle on a story. Wasting money on helpless causes is the favorite angle these days. Kaigara was slightly annoyed as she started down a wide carpeted hallway. Guests were milling around and retrieving their coats. She spotted David Attman and his wife Gloria. David was a prominent investment banker and Gloria was a journalist.

  “Perfect,” thought Kaigara. “Gloria, David, how wonderful to see you both,” faked Kaigara. Her greeting was met with equally fake smiles and handshakes. They asked how she was doing as they struggled to dress in light raincoats.

  “I’m doing some work with Beth Martindale, have either of you worked with Beth?”

  Beth was a mystery and this couple knew most of the money people. This irked Kaigara and she became more suspiciou
s. She bid goodnight to the Attman’s and turned her attention back to her Blackberry. It was late but that did not matter. She clicked on her address book and pulled up J.P. Webster. J.P. was perhaps the most connected guy in the city. His reach extended into New York, London, Hong Kong and Beijing. J.P. owed Kaigara a few favors after she had pulled his clients out of a tricky spot. If you were a some-body then J.P. would know you or knew someone who knew you. She clicked the green call button and the ringing tone started.