by Collen Houck
After figuring out where to go, I marched off in a huff. “Come on, Fanindra. Let’s go find Mr. Kadam.”
CHAPTER 23
It was early dawn. The sun was just peeking over the horizon. I stormed off through the buildings of Hampi and allowed the momentum of my anger to carry me halfway back to Mr. Kadam’s camp. Ren followed along behind me somewhere quietly. I couldn’t hear him, but Iknew he was there. I was acutely
aware of his presence. Ifelt him. And not the tiger part of him. It was theman that I could feel. Almost as if he were walking next to me.Almost as if he were touching me.
I must have started walking down the wrong path because he trotted ahead, pointedly walking a different direction. I muttered, “Show-off. I’ll walk the wrong way if I want to.” But, I still followed after
him. After a while, I made out the Jeep parked on the hill and saw Mr. Kadam waving at us.
I walked up to his camp, and he grabbed me in a brief hug.
“Miss Kelsey! You’re back. Tell me what happened.”
I sighed, set down my backpack, and sat on the back bumper of the Jeep. “Well, I have to tell you, these past few days have been some of the worst days of my life. There were monkeys, and Kappa, and rotted kissing corpses, and snakebites, and trees covered with needles, and…”
He held up a hand. “What do you mean a few days? You just left last night.”
Confused, I said, “No. We’ve been gone at least…” I counted on my fingers, “at least four or five days.”
“I’m sorry, Miss Kelsey, but you and Ren left me last night. In fact, I was going to say you should get some rest and then try again tomorrow night. You were really gone almost a week?”
“Well, Iwas asleep for two of the days. At least that’s whattiger boy over there told me.” I glared at Ren. He stared back at me with an innocuous tiger expression while listening to our conversation. He appeared to be sweet and attentive, as harmless as a little kitten. He was about as harmless as a porcupine. Actually, the porcupine analogy probably fit me better. I was bristling. All of my quills were standing on end so I could defend my soft belly from being devoured by the predator who had taken an interest.
“Two days? What happened? No. Wait. My curiosity will have to wait for later. You are obviously exhausted and probably injured. Why don’t we return to the hotel and rest? We can try to get the fruit again tomorrow night.”
“But, Mr. Kadam…” I unzipped the backpack, “we don’t have to come back. Wegot the fruit.” I pulled out my blanket and unfolded it, revealing the Golden Fruit nestled within. He gently picked it up out of its
cocoon.
“Amazing!”
“It’s a mango.” With a smirk, I added, “It only makes sense. After all, mangoes are very important to Indian culture and trade.” Ren huffed at me and rolled on his side in the grass.
“Indeed, it does make sense, Miss Kelsey.”
He admired the fruit for another moment, then carefully wrapped it in my blanket again and placed the blanket in my bag. He clapped his hands together. “This is very exciting! Let’s break camp then and head
home. Or perhaps it would be better to go to a hotel so you can rest, Miss Kelsey.”
“Oh, it’s okay. I don’t mind getting back on the road. We can stay in a hotel tonight. How many days will it take for us to get home?”
“We will need to stay over two more nights in a hotel on our trip home.”
Momentarily alarmed, I glanced at Ren. “Okay. Umm, I was thinking that maybe this time if you don’t mind, we could check out one of those bigger hotels. You know…something that has more people around. With elevators…and rooms that lock. Or even better, a nice high-rise hotel in a big city. Far, far, far away from the jungle?”
Mr. Kadam chuckled. “I’ll see what I can do.”
I graced Mr. Kadam with a beatific smile. “Good! Now let’s be on our way. I can’t wait to take a shower…,” I opened the door to the passenger side then turned and hissed in a whisper aimed at Ren, “
in my nice, upper-floor, inaccessible-to-tigers hotel room.”
He just looked at me with his innocent, blue-eyed tiger face again. I smiled wickedly at him and hopped in the Jeep, totallyforgetting to open the door for him. He just calmly trotted over to the back of the Jeep where Mr. Kadam was loading the last of his supplies and leapt up through the back. Another leap and he was in the back seat. He leaned in the front, and before I could push him away, he gave me a big, wet, slobbery tiger kiss right on my face.
I sputtered, “Ren! That isso disgusting!” I used my T-shirt to swipe the tiger saliva from my face and turned to yell at him some more. He was already lying down in the back seat with his mouth hanging open, as if he were laughing. Before I could really lay into him, Mr. Kadam, who was the happiest I’d ever seen him, got into the Jeep, and we started the bumpy journey back to a civilized road.
He wanted to ask me questions. I knew he was itching for information, but I was still fuming at Ren, so I
lied. I asked him if he could hold off his curiosity for a while so I could sleep. I yawned big for dramatic effect, and he immediately agreed to let me have some peace, which made me feel guilty. I really liked Mr. Kadam, and I hated lying to people. I excused my actions by mentally blaming Ren for my uncharacteristic behavior. Convincing myself that it was his fault was easy. I turned to the side and closed
my eyes.
I slept for a while, and when I woke up, Mr. Kadam handed me a Coke, a sandwich, and a banana. I raised my eyebrow at the banana and thought of several good monkey jokes I could annoy Ren with, but I kept quiet for Mr. Kadam’s sake. Instead, I immediately dug into my sandwich and drained my Coke in one long drink.
Mr. Kadam laughed and handed me another one. “Are you ready to tell me about what happened, Miss Kelsey?”
“Sure, I guess so.”
It took the better part of two hours to tell him about the long tunnel, the needle forest, the cave, the Kappa, and Kishkindha. I spent a long time talking about the golden tree and the monkeys coming to life.
I ended with the Kappa attack and Fanindra biting me.
I never mentioned that Ren was a man the whole time. In fact, I downplayed his presence in Kishkindha altogether. Whenever Mr. Kadam asked me how this or that was accomplished, I answered vaguely, or said lucky we had Fanindra, or lucky we had the gada. That seemed to satisfy most of his questions.
When he asked for more details about the Kappa attack, I just shrugged my shoulders and repeated my mantra, “Lucky I had Fanindra.” I didn’t want to answer any weird questions about Ren. I knew he’d probably tell his side of the story when he became a man again, but I didn’t care. I kept my version factual, unemotional, and, more importantly, Renless.
Mr. Kadam said we’d be stopping at a hotel soon, but he wanted to find a good place to leave Ren first.
I demurred, “Of course,” and smiled a sickly sweet smile back at the attentive tiger.
Mr. Kadam worried, “I hope our hotel won’t be too far away for him.”
I patted Mr. Kadam’s arm and reassured him, “Oh, don’t worry about him. He’svery good at getting what he wants. I mean…taking care of his needs. I’m sure he’ll find hislong nightalone in the jungle extremelyenlightening .”
Mr. Kadam shot me a puzzled glance, but eventually nodded and pulled over near a forested area.
Ren got out of the Jeep, came around to my side of the car, and stared at me with icy blue eyes. I just turned my body away so I wouldn’t have to look at him. When Mr. Kadam got back in the Jeep, I peeked out my window again, but Ren was gone. I reminded myself that he deserved it and sat back against the seat with my arms folded over my chest and an intense expression on my face.
Mr. Kadam spoke softly, “Kelsey, are you alright? You seem very…tense, since I last saw you.”
I muttered under my breath, “You have no idea.”
“What was that?”
I sighed and smiled at him weakly.
“Nothing. I’m fine, just drained from the trip is all.”
“There’s something else I’ve been meaning to ask you.”
“Yes, what is it?”
“Did you have any strange dreams while in Kishkindha?”
“What kind of dreams?”
He glanced at me, worried. “Perhaps a dream about your amulet?”
“Oh! I totally forgot to tell you! When I plucked the fruit, I fainted and had a vision. It was of you, me, and some evil guy.”
“Then it was real. I was afraid of that.”
“Who was that guy anyway?”
He cleared his throat. “His name is Lokesh. He’s the same dark wizard who cursed Ren and Kishan.”
My mouth gaped open in shock. “He’s stillalive ?”
“It seems he is. It also appears that he has at least one part of the amulet. I suspect, however, that he has all of the other pieces.”
“How many pieces are there?”
“There are rumored to be five altogether, but no one really knows for sure. Ren’s father had one piece, and his mother brought another piece into the family because she was the only offspring of a powerful warlord who also had one. That’s how Ren and Kishan both ended up with a segment.”
“But why have a vision of him after all these years? I mean, what does it have to do with me?”
“That’s just it, Kelsey. You are helping Ren break the curse, and that man is the one who cast it. I’m worried that he now knows of us. Ofyou , in particular. I was hoping that something had happened to him, that he wasn’t alive anymore after all these years. I’ve been searching for him for centuries. Now that he’s seen us, I’m worried that he will resume his search.”
“You really think he’s that persistent?”
“I know he is.” He considered, “Perhaps it is time for you to return home.”
“What?” I panicked.Return home? Home to what? Home to who? I had no life at home. I hadn’t even thought about what would happen after we broke the curse. I guess I’d just assumed that there was so much to do that I’d be stuck here for a couple of years. Dismayed, I inquired, “You really want me to go home now?”
He saw my face and patted my hand. “Not at all! I didn’t mean Iwanted you to leave us. Don’t worry.
We’ll figure something out. I’m just speculating for now. I have no immediate plans to send you home.
And, of course, if and when you do go, you may always return whenever you wish. Our home is yours.”
I felt my panic subside, but only halfway.Maybe he’s right. Maybe I do need to go home. It would be much easier to forget Mr. Superhero if I were on the other side of the planet, right? Heck, he’s the only young male I’ve been around for weeks, not counting Kishan. It would be healthier for me to get out and meet other guys anyway. Maybe if I did that, I’d realize this whole emotional connection I feel with him isn’t really that strong.
Maybe my mind is playing tricks on me. Maybe I’m not as attracted to him as I thought I was. He can’t reallybe that good looking. He can’t reallybe as perfect as he seems to be. I’ve just been isolated, that’s all. When all you have is Tarzan and some monkeys, Tarzan looks pretty good, right?
I’ll just get over him. I’ll just go home and date a nice, normal computer geek or something and forget all
about old what’s-his-name. Oregon was full of aspiring computer engineers who would be much more on
my level. Guys I could go out with and people wouldn’t stop, point, and whisper, “What’s he dating her for? He could have anyone.” Or worse, they’d mob him and try to take him away from me.
I continued this line of thought, listing my reasons for staying away from Ren, and stubbornly rededicated
myself to avoiding him. The only problem was my rebellious, weak mind kept drifting back to how safe I
felt when he held me. And what he’d said when he thought I was dying. And the warm tingle that lingered
on my lips after he kissed me. Even if I ignored his beautiful face, which was next to a Herculean task, there were many other dazzling qualities for my mind to dwell on, and those thoughts kept me occupied for the rest of the drive.
Mr. Kadam pulled into the drive of a fabulous five-star hotel. I felt frumpy in my week-old, ripped, torn,
and bloody clothes. Mr. Kadam seemed nonchalant and was happy as a clam when he handed over the keys to a valet and accompanied me into the hotel. I kept my backpack close, but our other two bags were handled by hotel staff and taken up to our rooms.
Mr. Kadam filled out the necessary forms and spoke quietly with the lady at the front desk in Hindi.
Then he gestured for me to follow.
As we passed, I leaned over and asked the lady, “Just out of curiosity, youdon’t take pets. Am I right?”
She seemed confused and looked at Mr. Kadam, but shook her head no.
“Great…just checking.” I smiled back at her. Mr. Kadam tilted his head in puzzlement but said nothing.
He must think I’m off my rocker.I grinned and followed him to the elevator. The staff person inserted a key into the slot at the top of the elevator button pad and turned it, which automatically closed the door, and selected our floor. We got out and stepped directly into our room, the penthouse suite.
The staff person left us, and the elevator doors shut. Mr. Kadam told me that he’d be staying in the bedroom to the left and that I would have the suite on the right. He left me to myself with the admonishment that I rest and eat in whatever order I chose and that food would be delivered soon.
I walked into my beautiful suite with a king-sized bed and laughed giddily. A huge Jacuzzi tub was set in
the middle of my private bathroom. I quickly kicked off my dirty tennis shoes and decided to shower first and then soak in the Jacuzzi. Stepping into the hot shower, I soaped my hair four times and then applied
conditioner and left it to soak in while I scrubbed my skin raw. I dug my fingernails into a bar of soap and
wiggled them back and forth to get the dirt out. I paid special attention to my feet. My poor, knobby, blistery, sore feet.Oh well, maybe Mr. Kadam will spring for a pedicure later.
After I felt thoroughly clean, I wrapped a towel around my hair, slipped into a robe, filled the Jacuzzi with hot water, poured in bubble bath that was conveniently provided, and started the jets. The scent of juicy pears and just-picked berries rose in the air. Its smell reminded me of Oregon.
Sinking into that tub was the best feeling in the whole world.Well, the second best feeling. I was annoyed
that the memory of kissing Ren popped into my mind, and I quickly dismissed it, or tried to. The more I relaxed in the tub, the more my mind seemed to dwell on it. It was like a song that got stuck in my head, and, no matter what I did, it kept coming back to me.
The kiss played over and over. Despite my best efforts to eradicate it, I felt myself smile at the memory.
Ugh! What’s that about? I shook myself out of my reverie angrily, and I reluctantly got out of the tub.
After I dried off and pulled on a pair of shorts and a clean T-shirt, I sat down to brush out my hair. It took a long time to get all the tangles out because I’d had it in braids and hadn’t brushed it out for several
days. The brushing was soothing. It reminded me of my mom. I sat back on my king-sized bed and just enjoyed the feel of pulling my hairbrush through clean, wet hair.
Later, I ventured to the shared space and found Mr. Kadam reading a newspaper.
“Hello, Miss Kelsey. Are you feeling refreshed?”
“I feel so much better; I can’t even begin to tell you.”
“Good. There’s a late dinner under the cover over there. I took the liberty of ordering you something.”
“I lifted the lid and found turkey, cornbread stuffing, cranberry relish, peas, and mashed potatoes.”
“Wow! How did you get them to do this?”
He shrugged. “I thought you might like something American for a change, and that�
��s about as American as it gets. There’s even apple pie for dessert.”
I picked up my dinner plate and the glass full of icy lemon water that he knew I liked and sat down next to him with my legs tucked under me to eat.
“Did you eat already?”
“Yes, an hour or so ago. Don’t worry about me. Enjoy your dinner.”
I dug in and was pleasantly stuffed before I’d even had the apple pie. I swirled a piece of roll in my gravy and said, “Mr. Kadam? I want to tell you something. I feel guilty about not telling you before, but I
think you should know.” I took a deep breath and went on. “Ren was a man the whole time we were in Kishkindha.”
He set down his newspaper. “That’s interesting. But why couldn’t you tell me this before?”
I shrugged a shoulder and hedged, “I don’t know. Things weren’t exactly…smoothbetween us these past few days.”
His eyes twinkled as he laughed with understanding. “Now things make sense. I wondered why you were acting differently around him. Dhiren can be…difficult, if he chooses.”
“Stubborn, you mean. And demanding. And…” I looked out the window at the nighttime city lights and muttered, “lots of other things.”
He leaned forward and took one of my hands in his. “I see. Don’t fret, Miss Kelsey. I’m surprised that you’ve accomplished so much in such a short time. It’s hard enough to undertake a perilous journey, let alone with someone you are just getting to know and are not sure if you can trust. Even the best of companions can have falling-outs when under such great duress as you two have been. I’m sure that this is just a temporary setback in your friendship.”
Ourfriendship was not exactly the issue. Still, Mr. Kadam’s words gave me some comfort. Maybe, now that we were out of that situation, we could talk it out and apply common sense to the problem. Perhaps I could be the bigger person. After all, Renwas just starting to communicate with people again. If I could just explain to him how the world worked, I was sure he would understand and be able to move on to a place where we could still be friends.