Boxset: Destiny Decides.. & Destiny Embraces..

by P. G. Van

  “Got it,” Nick said looking at me.

  “It’s odd looking at you on the phone,” I said laughing.

  “Get used to it, Sameera,” Nick teased.

  “Okay, I am going to hang up now. How about I call you after I am done with the check-in?” I said to Nick smiling.

  Mitch pulled into the departures section of the beautiful San Francisco International Airport. He opened the trunk taking my bags out and refused to let me carry any of my bags.

  I smiled and started to walk towards the entrance and turned and asked, “Mitch, you can’t leave the limo parked there”.

  Mitch laughed and said, “That’s okay Ms. Nick. I have someone that is going to park the limo.”

  “Mitch, we could have parked and walked,” I said surprisingly.

  “Right, Nick would have totally appreciated that,” Mitch teased.

  As we walked towards the airline check-in counter, Mitch cleared his throat and said, “Ms. Nick. I know it’s not my place to say this, but Nick is going to be miserable.”

  I took a deep breath and said smiling, “Mitch, I appreciate your concern, and I am counting on all of you to take care of him while I am away. I am glad he has good friends to watch out for him. Thank you.”

  Mitch looked at me with gratitude in his eyes smiling back at me and directed me to the check-in aisle for the first-class counter. I looked at Mitch and said, “Mitch, are we in the right area?”

  “Yes, Ms. Nick,” Mitch said looking at my ticket that he had in his hands. I frowned internally and decided to talk to Nick about this later. I insisted that he book an economy class seat for me, and I remember making a huge deal about it and paid for the ticket myself. I didn’t know how I felt about these luxuries and the luxuries being imposed on me. These few unwanted things were part of my relationship with Nick.

  Mitch handed me the boarding passes and my passport and said in a low voice, “Have a safe trip. Ms. Nick. Hope your grandma feels better soon.”

  “Thank you Mitch. Please take care of Nick for me,” I said fighting back tears as I gave him a hug. Mitch patted me gently on my shoulder and said in a soft voice, “I will. I promise.” I smiled at and turned my back to him to hide my tears and the twisted pain that was building up inside my stomach.

  I walked towards the security gate as my heart fought to turn around and go back into Nick’s arms. I took in a deep breath and handed my boarding pass to the airport authority team member at the security entrance. I passed through security and every time I had to run through another round of patting as I refused to take off my waist chain. I explained to the security team the whole deal about it being an ancestral piece of jewelry, and that it was not something I would remove.

  After the security hoopla, I sat down at the gate and called Nick.

  “Nick, what did you do?” I asked him on the phone.

  “What, I need some context,” Nick complained.

  “I only paid for an economy class seat and how is it that I have a first class ticket?” I said accusing him.

  “You paid for your ticket, and the travel agent upgraded it to a first class ticket,” Nick mocked.

  “How many of your miles did you have to use for the upgrade?” I asked Nick.

  “It doesn’t matter. We have miles to use them,” Nick said dismissing my question.

  “You know how I feel about things like this,” I said to Nick in a soft voice.

  “There are a few things that I will not compromise. Your safety, security, and comfort, plus you need your beauty sleep,” Nick said firmly.

  “Okay,” I whined, and I heard Nick laugh on the phone. His laughter instantly warmed my heart.

  “Please be careful in India. I am a bit freaked about that Rajput family,” Nick confessed.

  “Nick, don’t worry,” I said comforting him and added, “I will call you once I get on the plane. I need to talk to Nate now.”

  Nate and I chatted for a few minutes before the boarding was announced.

  “I still can’t believe you are actually going to India, and I can’t believe Nick let you go,” Nate said surprisingly.

  “Nate, you know he is the only reason I am able to go,” I said smiling to myself.

  “What you and Nick have is so special and unique that I just don’t understand you two sometimes,” Nate said with pride.

  I laughed and said, “Please take care of yourself. I will be your proxy in India for all the wedding preparations.”

  “I will miss you, Meera. The boys are of no help when it comes to wedding stuff,” she complained.

  “Remember, I have a fancy phone that Nick gave me so you can call me anytime,” I said smiling.

  “Yeah, yeah, yeah,” she mocked.

  “How long will you be in Hyderabad?” Nate asked.

  “I will go to the village with Nani and Thatha after mom and dad leave,” I said.

  “Nate, I need to go,” I said when I heard the announcement for boarding.

  “Miss you Meera. Muaaah,” Nate said and I smiled to myself and hung up the phone.

  I slowly stood up and gathered my stuff to walk towards the boarding entrance. The feeling I had when I saw Nick leave me to go on a trip started to take over.

  I smiled back at the flight steward at the entrance as I was handed off to the first-class cabin crew. I was directed to go left into the fourteen-seat cabin. My initial reaction was to turn around and run out and almost as if Nick knew what I would be doing, my phone started ringing. The flight attendant smiled and took my bag to stow it away as I answered my phone.

  “Nick,” I said my voice shaky.

  “Are you on the plane, Sameera?” Nick asked, his voice calming me.

  “Yes,” I said my voice still trembling.

  “I need you to take a deep breath and relax,” Nick said as if he could see how I looked sitting down in my seat next to the window.

  “Nick, this first-class cabin is awesome and overwhelming at the same time,” I said to him whispering.

  “I am so glad you like it,” Nick said, and I could tell that he was smiling to himself.

  “Nick, I honestly have mixed feelings. This is in a way freaky. I can’t afford these things on my salary,” I said to him softly.

  “Yes, you can,” Nick teased.

  “That’s right. I am the lazy-ass business partner of yours that takes the profits,” I said laughing.

  “Now you are being silly,” Nick taunted.

  “I know. It would have been so much fun if you were with me. We could have been in those pair seats in the center aisle,” I said to him as I looked over at the center aisle.

  “Ohh don’t say that. I am going to kick myself for not going with you,” Nick said his voice clenched.

  “Nick, I feel spoiled now. I paid for an economy and got a first class,” I said grumbling.

  “Now, stop whining, kick back, and enjoy,” Nick said his voice firm.

  “I can’t wait to be back in your arms,” I said fighting back tears.

  “I will be counting days, Sameera,” Nick said his voice flat.

  “I love you Nick. Be good and take care of Nate for me,” I said to Nick.

  “I love you too baby. Be safe and call me anytime. Okay?” he said his voice elevated,

  “Yes. I am going to hang up now. I will call you as soon as I land,” I said to Nick.

  “Take care, love. Please don’t forget that my heart is beating for you,” Nick said

  “Bye, Nick,” I said blinking my eyes to fight back the salt-water rush in my eyes.

  I took a deep breath and looked out of the window while I calmed myself. The best part about being in the first-class cabin was that it allowed for complete isolation except for the overly caring flight attendants. I took advantage of the full-on encapsulation with the sliding doors and fully flatbed to lie down to think about what I was doing, and how this was going to affect Nick’s and my relationship.

  I pulled the soft blanket over my feet closing my eye
s to relax and braced myself for the sixteen-hour flight.

  “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. This is your captain speaking. We are now approaching the Dubai International Airport…”

  “What,” I said out loud and sat up to look at my watch.

  I literally slept for fifteen hours on a sixteen-hour flight. My throat and mouth felt dry, and I reached for the bottle of water in the mini bar of the seat. Some of the features in the super luxurious cabin were borderline ridiculous, but I was thankful for having the mini bar as part of the seating in this situation. Four hours from Dubai, and I would be in India.

  I called Nick as soon as I reached Dubai. He answered immediately and said, “Hey. Did you reach Dubai already?”

  “Yes, and I slept all the way here. Thanks to you,” I said knowing that I would not have slept for that long if I were sitting on the plane.

  I spoke to Nick for a few more minutes and headed to the gate to board the plane to Hyderabad, India.

  As the flight from Dubai touched down on the hi-tech airport in Hyderabad, fond memories of my childhood came rushing to me. I could barely contain my excitement as I stepped out of the flight and a light breeze hit my face. I smiled at the familiar feel of the damp warm early morning air. The local time in Hyderabad was three in the morning as I walked up to the immigration officer.

  “Good morning. Welcome to Hyderabad,” the immigration officer said politely.

  I handed him my passport and the immigration forms and said smiling, “Good morning.”

  The immigration officer checked the paperwork in silence. He handed me back my passport and my customs forms and said, “Ms. Swaminath, would you please follow me? I can take you through customs.”

  “That’s very nice of you, but you should help out all the families waiting in line to get through immigration,” I said smiling at him.

  The immigration officer looked at me with surprise and said smiling, “I will have someone cover for me.”

  I followed him to the baggage claim section to collect my bags. I stood there eagerly waiting to get my bags so I could go out and meet my stepdad and mom.

  “Hello Ms. Sameera,” I heard a male voice address me from behind.

  “Yes,” I said as I turned around to look into the eyes of a well-dressed elderly man. He smiled at me and said, “Welcome back to India.”

  I looked at the elderly man with a puzzled expression, as I did not recognize him and said, “Thank you.”

  “Ms. Sameera, you don’t know me, but we know you and have been looking for you for a while now,” the man said in a very calm voice and added as I looked at the police officer standing just a few feet from me, “There is no need to be alarmed.”

  “Please call me when you have a few minutes, and we can discuss,” the man said smiling and handed me a piece of paper with a phone number on it.

  I took a deep breath looking at the piece of paper and said in a firm voice, “I will call you to discuss, and I would like to put an end to the alarm and concern you have caused with your search activities.”

  *****

  My stepdad came to receive me from the airport. His eyes started tearing up when he saw me walk out of the baggage claim area almost an hour after the flight landed.

  “Only my Meera is capable of a bold step like this,” my stepdad said planting a kiss on my forehead.

  “Daddy, this is the least I can do for Nani and Thatha,” I said smiling at him.

  “You look great for someone who traveled for twenty-four hours, Meera,” my stepdad observed.

  I smiled to myself and did not say anything. I called Nick as soon as we got into the car.

  “It feels so good to hear your voice baby,” Nick said immediately after answering the phone.

  “I know. Daddy came to pick me up, and we are on our way home,” I said to Nick cheerfully.

  “I am so relieved now,” Nick said. At that point, I decided to keep the interaction that happened with the elderly man at the airport to myself.

  I hung up the phone, and my stepdad gave me the latest on the wedding preparations they were able to start sooner than planned. He also gave me an update on the move preparations and the plan for my grandparents’ move to the village.

  “I am glad you are here to help them out, but what about your career, Meera?” my stepdad asked as we rode home from the airport, almost forcing me to think through all of the things that may be impacted.

  “Nothing is more important than family. I have the confidence that I will be successful in my career in spite of a small hurdle like this,” I said confidently. My stepdad smiled and put his arm around me.

  “Daddy, aren’t you going to ask me about Nick?” I asked curiously wondering why he had not brought up our relationship.

  “I don’t need to ask you about Nick, sweetie, and I am not worried about you two. You two were made for each other,” he said smiling.

  I smiled at him said, “Thank you, Daddy. I love you.”

  Thirty minutes later, we pulled into my grandparents’ driveway. I bolted out of the car as soon as the car stopped leaving behind everything I had with me in the car.

  “Nani,” I screamed from the entrance of my grandma’s bedroom fully aware that it was just five in the morning.

  “Meera, my baby,” my grandma said tears in her eyes as I put my arms around her hugging her tightly.

  “Nani, I am the dancer of the family and how is it that you managed to hurt your ankle?” I said teasing her.

  My grandma smiled at me as I wiped the tears off her cheek and said looking at me, “I am so glad you came. I feel much stronger now.”

  My grandmother had the perfect balance of sweetness and strength and was my role model. She was one of the very few women that graduated from medical school during a time when women had just started to enter into the medical profession. She was able to convince her traditional south Indian family to let her leave home to pursue her medical degree and fought for the love of her life. My grandpa and grandma met in college and fell in love. Their love was so deep and pure that my grandma chose to let go of all her maiden ties when her family did not accept her proposal to marry my grandpa.

  “You have no idea how strong you are, Nani,” I said smiling and putting my arms around her.

  Holding my granny in my arms, I thought back to the memories of her convincing my mom to move on with her life after my dad passed away, and I still remember the words she told my mom.

  “Our only son is no longer around, and we cannot see our daughter suffer,” my grandma had told my mom. “The girls need a father, and you need a partner to grow old with you.”

  The life my mom, Nate, and I have today is because my grandparents loved us enough to let go of us to be part of my stepdad’s family.

  Loved us enough to let us go. My eyes started to fill up with tears as Nick’s beautiful face flashed in front of my eyes. I caused him so much pain by leaving him, but he was strong enough to let me go for my happiness. I knew he was the one for me.

  *****

  “Nick, you look so tired,” I said looking at Nick on the small phone screen.

  “I am, Sameera. Too much travel this week,” Nick said lying down on the bed.

  “Where are you, Nick?” I asked as his background did not seem like the bedroom at the apartment.

  “I am at the family residence,” he said and paused for a few seconds and added, “I could not sleep in the apartment without you. I moved here couple days after you left.”

  It had been two weeks since I came to India and a week since I came to my grandparents’ ancestral village. I took in a deep breath hoping to stabilize my fast beating heart and said, “I miss you too, Nick.”

  “Me too, baby, and I am very proud of what you are doing for your grandparents,” Nick said looking straight into my eyes.

  “It’s my responsibility, Nick. This is the least I can do for them,” I said smiling as my heart warmed up to what Nick said to me.

  “Sameera,
where are you?” Nick asked suddenly.

  “I am out in the mango farm for my morning workout,” I said wondering why he asked.

  “Okay, but why do I see the top of the trees in the background?” Nick asked looking concerned.

  I laughed out loud and said, “That’s because I am sitting on this boulder that is in the middle of the farm.”

  The boulder has been in the mango farm forever, and Nate and I would climb up the boulder to sit and enjoy the view from the twenty-foot high solid rock. We would use the natural cracks and exposed layers on the slope on the face of the boulder to climb up.

  “I feel very uncomfortable with you being on that boulder,” Nick confessed.

  “Nick, relax. I can climb this boulder and get off the boulder with my eyes shut,” I said in a teasing tone.

  “You are in a remote village in India, sitting on a boulder,” Nick said taking in a deep breath and said smiling. “I really don’t know what I can do to relax.”

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  “Meera, it looks like the rain may start anytime now. Do you really need to go for a run this morning?” My grandma asked as she sipped her morning tea. I took a sip of my warm orange zest tea and said smiling, “Yes, Nani. The running is what keeps me calm and composed. I am sure I will be back before the rain starts," and added, winking at her, "Do not try to take a bath by yourself.”

  “I can actually do it myself now. It was difficult initially, and I was glad it was you that was helping me," my grandma said smiling at me and touched my cheek. I smiled back at her and took her fragile palm to my lips.

  “Why is it that you wear those anklets when you run? It’s an odd combination,” my grandma said teasing me.

  I looked at the anklets that Nick’s mom had gifted me and smiled to myself thinking of Nick. I needed to survive another week of despair before he arrived. I had finally figured out how to take the anklets off by myself, and have been wearing them every day for my run. When I didn’t respond, my grandma smiled and said, “Okay. You don’t need to tell me, if you don’t want to.”

  “Nani, these are the anklets I wore when I did a mini performance a few months ago. I wear them so I can build the strength to perform at Nate’s wedding,” I said smiling and lying through my teeth when, in fact, I wore them so I could feel Nick’s presence around me.