A Bend in the River of Life

by Budh Aditya Roy

  Kim became very busy. Nonetheless, she snatched every opportunity to pass by Rana’s table, enquiring if the order was placed; if the food was good or if he was happy with the service and the like. The more he watched Kim, the more astonished he became about her inexplicable likeness with Keka. Rana finished the food. It was delicious. He did not leave anything on the plate. He then had couple of coffee while watching the Chinese cabaret, which was basically sorcery and the tricks of the fingers. Finally, choosing a time when Kim was alone, he came out of the restaurant and bid goodnight to her, adding that he would come back next evening at about the same time. She beamed from ear to ear and said she would be very pleased to see him back and would reserve the same table for him. Rana had no doubt that Keka’s photo also surprised her a great deal and stirred her curiosity.

  The first thing that Rana did on returning to his room was to read the program of the seminar, which would begin with the registration of the participants at two on the next afternoon, followed by a two-hour reception starting at four. He thought that the timing of the reception was perfect. He decided that he would go back to the rooftop restaurant at the end of the reception to see his departed wife’s look-alike insatiably. He then watched the television for some time and went to bed. Keka’s picture came to his mind as it often did during that phase of his life. Then his thoughts shifted to Kim. He wondered how he would interpret his encounter with Kim. Was it a mere coincidence or could it be that Keka and Kim belonged to same genealogy?

  He pondered, it was quite possible that Keka and Kim shared the same ancestry; that someone in Keka’s family broke away from the main stream of the family and landed up in the Far East for some reason, as it happened in countless cases in the River of Life through the ages. The most notable among them in the recorded history was Joseph, son of Jacob or Israel, who by a quirk of fate drifted from Shechem to King Pharaoh’s court in Egypt and rose to be the second most powerful individual in the country next only to the King. So it should not come as a surprise if there was a striking resemblance between the two members of Joseph’s Egyptian and Jewish families separated by hundreds of miles and years.

  Next morning and early afternoon Rana went out for a tour of Taipei and did some shopping also. As the evening was approaching slowly, he was feeling more and more excited with the prospect of seeing Kim again. He went to the registration of the Seminar and the reception at the scheduled time, but kept an eye on the watch also. Having complied fully with the requirements of the seminar, Rana came back to his room, freshened up and left for the roof-top restaurant at about six-thirty to be able to catch Kim before the restaurant would be terribly busy.

  Kim was talking to the bartender and few other employees. Rana walked straight into the bar. Seeing him there she came running and greeted him, “Good evening Mr. Roy, I guess you will like to sit at the same table.”

  Returning her smile, Rana said jovially, “If that’s not a problem for you.”

  Kim said, seemingly pleased, “No, not at all.” Then, perhaps to test him she asked, “Mr. Roy, I am glad that you are back here, but won’t you like to try our other restaurants and bars also?

  The way she asked the question gave an inkling to Rana that it was premeditated; that she also gave sufficient thoughts into the previous night’s chance encounter. However, to make his intentions crystal clear to her, Rana said with unreserved bluntness, “Kim, you know that after last night’s astonishing encounter with you I come here not for food or drinks, but to see you.”

  Kim did not expect that blunt response. Nevertheless, she felt flattered and blushed. She gulped and with a little pause said, “I am so lucky!”

  Rana said, “I don’t know who is lucky.”

  She smiled and changing the subject, asked, “Should I order the same drink for you, Mr. Roy?”

  To check her memory, he asked, “Do you remember what I took yesterday?”

  Kim answered, “Campari and sweet vermouth punch.” She added further, “Let me just place the order first and then we will talk.”

  Rana thought Kim was a consummate sales professional. She got her priority right before her impulse to carry on with the conversation. Rana could make out that her curiosity was boosted to such an extent that she couldn’t help talking.

  Kim came back fast and said, “I apologize for the interruption, Mr. Roy.”

  He said, “I understand very well that you have to keep your business running too.”

  She said, “You are a very congenial customer. I wish everyone else were like you.”

  He said, “Thank you for your compliments.”

  With a little pause he continued, “Kim, I know that you will be busy in a few minutes. As such, let me tell you my selfish interest. You already know that I want to see you on and on for your amazing resemblance with my departed wife whom I used to love very much. Besides, you yourself are so pleasant to talk to. I want to spend an evening with you. Do you have any evening off this week?”

  Kim said, “Mr. Roy, I sincerely thank you for your interest to talk to me. In fact, since we met last night I thought about your departed wife many times. What a strange coincidence! It stupefies me. I also wanted to meet with you but I could not tell you that because we are not allowed to develop friendship with our customers more than what is required by the job. I am off tomorrow evening, but we cannot meet in this hotel.”

  Rana said, “Kim, you tell me where you want to meet and I will be there.”

  She said, “Mr. Roy, I think the best place to meet would be a restaurant. However, before I decide the place, let me know your preferences for food and drinks so that while carrying on conversation with me you can also enjoy the food and drinks.”

  He said, “Kim, you take me to the best Chinese restaurant that you know in Taipei; I have no preferences.”

  Kim said, “Okay Mr. Roy, I will give you the name, address and the telephone number of the restaurant in a few minutes. It’s well-known in Taiwanese community. Any taxi will take you there. It is about twenty minutes’ drive from the hotel. I will give you my telephone number also, in case you need to call me. However, please do not call me from the hotel. We will meet there at seven in the evening. The meeting should be like a chance encounter.”

  Rana said, “Trust me Kim, I will behave as if I never saw you before.”

  Meanwhile, the drink was served. A little later Kim came back and gave him a card with the address, telephone number and a hand-drawn road map to the restaurant. Rana thanked her very much. He could not help noticing that whatever Kim did, it carried a distinct professional touch.

  Kim then said, “As soon as the restaurant opens, I will take you there. Meanwhile, enjoy your drink.”

  In a short while, she came back to take Rana to the restaurant. She did not forget to offer her services to carry his unfinished drink to the other side, despite his refusal the previous evening. That was a mark of her professionalism. When he was seated comfortably, she asked,”Mr. Roy, would you mind if I help you choose your dishes today?”

  He said, “Kim, it would be my privilege.”

  So Kim selected the food with his concurrence and placed the order. She also kept him advised that because of the special recipe used to cook that dish, its preparation time would be a little longer.

  In about five minutes she came back and said, “Since the waiting time is longer, would you like to have another drink?” She added, “Of course, this drink would be on the house.”

  Rana said, “Kim, do you want to make me drunk?”

  She giggled and said, “Just two small drinks would not make you drunk. In any case, tonight you don’t have to go anywhere except a few floors down.”

  Rana smiled and said, “Kim, you are a polished sales person.”

  Kim took that as an assumed consent and ordered another drink for him. Food was also served without much delay. It seemed Kim was on top of the Chef.

  Little later she dropped by the table and asked, “Mr. Roy, I hope you like
the food.”

  Rana responded, “Kim, how can I not like your selection? The food is excellent and many thanks for your initiative.”

  Kim appeared to be relieved. She said with a smile, “I was a little apprehensive if my selection would spoil your dinner.”

  Rana re-assured her, “No, no, I am really enjoying the food. I only wish you could also join me.”

  Kim said apologetically, “You know I can’t. But don’t worry, tomorrow we’ll enjoy.”

  Before leaving the restaurant he said, “Kim, thank you once again for your wonderful hospitality. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow evening.”

  Kim said, “Likewise and good night.”

  Next evening, after his Seminar Rana prepared to go for his appointment with Kim. She was right about the restaurant that she had chosen. The taxi driver knew it very well. He said it was among the best in the town. It took about twenty minutes from the hotel as Kim suggested and he reached the destination ten minutes before time. As he entered, He saw Kim talking to a middle aged gentleman. She greeted Rana and introduced him with the gentle man who happened to be the owner. The owner himself led them to the table which was reserved for them. He thanked Rana for choosing his restaurant and hoped he would not be disappointed. Before leaving them to enjoy the evening, he asked Kim not to hesitate to call him in case she needed any help.

  Rana then turned his attention to Kim and said, “My best compliments to you Kim for your exquisite ruby-red gown.” He commented further, “You look infinitely more beautiful in this gorgeous outfit than your usual business suit.” He remembered simultaneously that red dresses also used to unfold the beauty and elegance of Keka, but refrained from mentioning that to Kim lest it would put a damper on her enthusiasm. Nevertheless, she was flattered by that spontaneous appreciation.

  She said, “I decided to wear this dress tonight because I thought you might like it. Studying you couple of days, I can read your mind.”

  Rana smiled and said, “Then I am in trouble.”

  She said, “You will never be in trouble with women because your mind is clean and simple.”

  He said, “Thank you for that profound statement. Perhaps you are right. I try not to hide anything and speak the truth.”

  Kim said, “I will never forget that astonished look on your face as you saw me the first time. And when you showed me your deceased wife’s picture, I knew you were as genuine as a diamond. Can I see her picture once again please?”

  Kim looked at the picture very carefully and said, “I am really amazed at the resemblance! How can this happen?”

  Rana said, “I have no idea. However, there is a reason why God brought me here under the pretext of a seminar for this chance encounter. We will never be privy to that, but it will keep resonating in our minds as long as we live, for God does not want the human beings to know more about the intricate matters of life and death and the beginning and end of human relationships. Naturally, God would not like to give the key to His kingdom to any human being. However, it is not outside the purview of possibility that you and Keka might share the same genealogy and I would like to tell you the story of Joseph from the Bible in this context.”

  He then narrated the story of Joseph to her and told her his own interpretation as he visualized in his own mind the night before. He said, “Joseph, the son of Jacob or Israel was sold by his wicked brothers to an officer of Pharaoh, the King of Egypt for a paltry sum. So by a quirk of fate Joseph drifted from Shechem to Egypt under difficult circumstances. But by a twist of luck he landed up in Pharaoh’s court and rose to be the second most powerful man in Egypt after Pharaoh himself. So it should not come as a surprise if there was a striking resemblance between two descendants of Joseph’s Egyptian and Jewish families separated by hundreds of miles and years.”

  Kim said, “Mr. Roy, it is wonderful to know that you think about these matters so deeply. I have no hesitation to say that your interpretation is bound to be correct, because there is no other explanation for such striking resemblance between your deceased wife and me.”

  Just at that moment the waiter appeared to take down the order. Kim was pretty much on top of their menu signifying that she visited that restaurant often. She ordered a mix of dishes so that both of them could taste a variety of delicious food.

  As the waiter left, Rana said to her, “I know you as Kim Wang only. Please tell me more about yourself so I can get to know you better.”

  Kim said, “Okay then, let me start from the beginning. I was born in mainland China. When I was about a year old, my parents were obliged to run away from China for not supporting the Communist Movement there. Under the circumstances, like most of my people my parents also came to Taiwan, which used to be known as Formosa at that time. It was not easy for my parents to settle down in a new place without a proper shelter and food under the chaotic situation of the civil war. However, with a stroke of luck my father got a good job at the American Military Base. His pay and benefits at the Base were very good compared to a job with a Chinese employer and we had a good life.

  I remember having good time with my parents and despite all the difficulties related to the civil war, my early childhood was pleasant. Because of my father’s job at the American Base, we used to get American and Japanese products in plenty at a cheap price. I used to get nicest toys and dolls that were beyond the means of ordinary Chinese people. Anyway, my father became ambitious. He wanted to become rich. He quit his job with the American Base for a better life. In partnership with his best friend, he began a business that used to supply a whole lot of things to the Base.

  Soon he became well-to-do. Ironically, that was the beginning of the end of our family peace. That was a self-inflicted tragedy. My father took a liking for a younger woman at the Base and gradually moved away from my mother and me and began living with that woman. To start with, he used to give our living expenses to my mother. But after a couple of years when he had children with his new wife, he stopped giving any money whatsoever. My mother started a grocery store on one side of our homestead, which is an hour’s drive from our hotel.

  Her small venture was successful because there were no markets close by and not many shops around our place either. My mother never stopped sending me to school. I used to help my mother during my off-time and my mother always paid me for my work. I have had an excellent relationship with my mother. Be that as it may, I graduated from the High School and completed the Bachelor of Arts degree in Hospitality Management from the University of Taipei before joining Hamilton International Hotel as a Trainee. Because of the odd hours of duty at the hotel, I rented an apartment near the hotel. Nevertheless, even today I spend my off-days and vacation time with my mother and help her as much as I can.

  Despite my father’s estrangement, I still love him, because having a mistress in spite of being married is not uncommon in my society. In my country, men are machos. They always try to keep control over their women. Though he virtually abandoned me and though I am not dependent on him, my father still wants to impose his control on me.”

  Food was served, bringing a pause to the story-telling. Perhaps that was the most delicious Chinese food Rana had ever had. While eating the sumptuous food Kim said, “Mr. Roy, you heard my uneventful story. I am also curious to know about you.”

  Rana said, “Kim, I think that your story is one of the most compelling that I have ever heard. Though no two stories could be exactly alike, perhaps my story is almost an exact replica of yours. However, in all fairness, I will fulfill your curiosity.”

  So Rana also narrated his story to the rapt attention of Kim. He said, “You might know that the British India was one large country before independence. Because of its size it used to be called Indian Sub-Continent. But colonial British Rulers divided British India into India and Pakistan before declaring independence to them. My family, which originally came from the Pakistan side of the border, left our hearth and home and ran away to India for the safety of life and limbs. I
was not even three at that time.

  But even before the partition of the country when I was not even two my parents also separated. My mother went to her father’s place, but I was told that she had passed away. Consequently, I was brought up by my grandma and a young aunt from that tender age. My mother came back when I was nine to the utter surprise of my family. I was horrified to see a dead person coming back to life.

  Despite encountering many inconveniences and injustice in exile and parental disharmony, I graduated with Honors in Economics and got a job with American Inter-Continental Bank. As you can see, I still work with them. I met my departed wife Keka while vacationing at my aunt’s place in Darjeeling on the Himalayas. I courted her for five years before our marriage was solemnized. We had a good life together. I have a son and a daughter with her as you already know. They love me very much and they are my life. As I told you, my wife passed away one and a half years earlier and I feel her absence all the time.” He added, “Kim, this is my humble story. What else you want to know?”

  Finally, Kim wanted to see their pictures once again and he obliged. While looking at the pictures, Kim kept shaking her head in total disbelief at the uncanny likeness between her and Keka.

  Kim and Rana found a lot of commonality in their uncommon childhood. They were merely three and one respectively when they were uprooted from their place of birth under the siege of hostility. Both of their families had to abandon their hearth and home in their flight to safety and survival. To cap it all, both had suffered unspeakable mental agony in the disharmony of their parents. Both recounted their unpleasant memories of childhood to the uneasy attention of the other.

  An extra-ordinary friendship, therefore, was in the making at a time when there was no diplomatic relationship between their two countries. For friendship is the product of the ecstasy of mind, the greatest gift of God to His greatest creation mankind. The mind in its rapture knows no boundary, no border, and no bondage. The ecstatic mind sees no barriers of race and religion or creed and culture. The afflicted mind seeks a common ground of fellowship out of the rubble of tragedy. Mind is like the bird of the endless sky, gliding past the mountains and valleys, and dales and deserts; migrating easily from one place to the other of its choosing; often soaring high above the sky and then diving down to its earthly nest in a joyous expression of its boundless spirit. Nay, mind is like the air of the space, invisible but free-flowing; pervading everything in earth’s orbit. There is no limit to which mind can soar. In its most expansive state, mind can even merge with Eternity. Yet mind is nothing by itself. It needs a vehicle, a human frame to take its flight of fancy. Without man mind does not exist. Conversely, without the mind man does not remain man anymore but is degenerated into a beast. At the dinner table, the minds of Rana and Kim were in perfect alignment. They were not only relating to each other, they were glued to each other. Their dreamy minds were even weaving a glossy picture of the future.