by Ann Patty
“Truthfully? That seems like an eternity away,” Atsa agreed and then reasoned, “Forever, is only in earth time. Our love has no boundaries or limits, Terra. Never will. You'll see.”
Terra adored Atsa's romantic nature and how he wove spirituality inside logic, wrapping it into a morsel that was neat and tidy and easy to understand.
The not so awkward moment found Terra inside Atsa's arms, sobbing. She was trying to be strong but it hit her hard. This moment of theirs was now relegated to their memory banks. Atsa wrapped his strong muscled arms around her shoulders and placed his forehead to hers. His eyes were misty but he held firm not to cry. Atsa swooned over Terra, caressing her hair, brushing his lips across her brow, just touching to reassure. Both entranced, the lovers held this embrace for a very long moment. When reality crept back in, they pulled apart like Velcro and stared at one another smiling. With only a simple nod from Atsa and a lip blown kiss from Terra, each returned to their vehicles. Atsa led the way back to the highway and Terra followed. Seeing it during the daylight, she was in incredulous wonder at how she ever arrived at her predestined spot that guided her to meet Atsa. But then the universe arranged it because she had asked.
Fly Boys
Once at the main road, Atsa turned south and waved from his open window. Terra turned north heading to the next destination which was homeward bound. It was getting late. Terra's stomach was growling. She was skirting reservation land. Up ahead was a well-worn cafe with a sign flipped to OPEN. The billboard sign had airplanes and helicopters painted around the edge. The sign pointed down a primitive road, one worth exploring. There were actually trees at this establishment and after the first bend it became apparent this was a flight center. With, of course, a cafe out front that was handy to its attendants. The cafe had a low profile roof line and it was aged. Peeling blue paint that had faded from sun exposure, but otherwise the building was clean inside and out. Several hangars out back housed mechanical repairs and protection for aircraft of those who could afford it. Being the only facility of this sort for many miles, the center was active.
Terra parked in front of the cafe under a tree for shade. Only a couple other cars were in the lot. Pulling the front door open, Terra was fascinated with the interior facade. It was typical of the 1960s. It was a testament to the vintage of the airport, although, the hangars out back were quite new. Terra walked in. She saw: A black and white checkered linoleum floor, an eating bar with spinner red stools, and high backed booths lined up next to the windows. The little cafe was tidy and clean. Terra spotted an end booth next to the window and claimed it. A young waitress brought a menu over and handed it to Terra. Something hot off the grill sounded heavenly. A bacon cheeseburger deluxe with two patties was ordered. Then, Terra went to the ladies' room to clean her face and hands, and use a real toilet for the first time in a week.
The oversized burger came with all the trimmings, fries, and a vanilla shake. More than Terra could possibly eat, but later leftovers would be just as good. As Terra was chowing down, three fly boys … men of the airport, took the booth in front of her. Since the booth backs were high, Terra did not see them. And they did not see her.
Terra eavesdropped on their conversation because they made no fuss about lowering their voices. Probably didn't even know Terra was on their back side. Nonetheless, Terra found their idle gossip not unlike what women banter on about. The talk was just geared around airport business. After a bit, when the guys got their lunches and a few beers each in them, their talk turned lively. Each took a turn telling a tale, true or not, of their most insane flying experience. One of the guys had quite a tale. One that perked up Terra's ears. She sat on the edge listening to his every word.
“Yeah, my tale tops both of yours,” the last fly boy gloated. “About eight months ago, right at dark, these two dudes approached me with a proposition I could not refuse. They said they had a body bag full of ashes and other personal relics of their grandparents. They said their last wish was to have their ashes and their stuff dropped over this certain area.”
“Now wait a minute. You dropped stuff out of your rig? That's illegal,” stated another comrade.
“That is what I told them too, but they said they would pay me handsomely when the job was done. And upfront they gave me a good faith down payment. They handed me $1000 in cash and said there would be more. Who am I to argue? I took the money and told them to load up.”
The pilot who was telling the story was in his mid-thirties, as Terra could detect in his voice. He had a few beers and was a bit inebriated, so he was getting more animated as his story progressed.
“Anyway these two dudes had coordinates all mapped out for me. Told me where they wanted to make the drop. It was out there in reservation land. Made me nervous. As we were passing over this one area, the spot with all those big boulders they opened the door. Get this. They removed a young man's body from the bag and threw him out! The kid had red sneakers. That is all I saw. Now I'm thinking they are going to whack me too. But then I was the only pilot.” The men in the booth all laughed.
Terra could not believe her ears.
The pilot continued, “When we got back and landed, I wasn't sure what to say or think. But the guys were cordial and put another $5000 in the palm of my hand as they shook it. All they said was that gambling debts had to be paid. They said I could understand. That they were sure of. I did tell them to take their black body bag and anything else they came with. They actually complied.” Shaking his head as he recollected that night, the other two flying friends came up short. All they could muster was taking another guzzle of beer and raised their hands to beckon another round.
And there it was. All things DID get answered in time. Terra would never have to ponder where the red sneakered body originated from, and where it disappeared to. She alone had all the pieces to the puzzle. And the puzzle would remain locked inside her head. With money left on the table and the remaining part of the double cheeseburger boxed up, Terra quietly slipped out of the cafe. The drunken fly boys didn't even pay any attention to Terra leaving. Returned to the safety inside her truck, she drove off and then headed back down to the main junction towards one more back road heading north.
The Purpose Driven
The following year, Terra found purpose again. She returned to Seattle. She cleaned out all her belongings from Scott's garage. In fact, Terra had a sale on the spot selling every shred of evidence to her past life. Leave no trace was her new motto. She sold everything and anything that she could not tote with her. That included selling her truck. Having stayed with her best girlfriend for the last bit, the last Terra saw of her was when she dropped Terra at the airport.
Terra was on her way to helping people in third world countries. Terra had a degree in English as a Second Language. For the first time, this degree plus her work experience was helping her to find a new vocation. Life had begun for Terra when she had left Seattle and Scott behind. That one day shy of a full week living as the Navaho did, off the land re-calibrated Terra's priorities. No longer did she want or need things. All Terra needed was her passion and to find her purpose.
For the next twenty-one years, Terra traveled from one foreign country to the next. She was quite revered within the community organizations who hired her services as an ESL training coordinator. The first few years, Terra committed herself to learning the inner and outer workings of the organization where she was hired. It was not long until she became recognized for her insights and skills for training methodologies. Terra found her niche in setting up ESL coordination and training services, and then began to expand. Her reputation grew and so did her clientele. Terra set up her own company employing ESL instructors. Together with her band of employees, Terra would gather contracts of various lengths. Due to the specialty nature the company was mobile. Terra did not mind the nomadic lifestyle. Although at times, Terra did dream of having a nice, neat, tidy little desert house to call her own. Well, someday.
Letters fro
m Terra to Atsa found their way to him every few months at first. Atsa reciprocated. They each talked of their lives and projects they were working on. Both always ended their letters with a tidbit, a sacred memory of their time together. Terra and Atsa slowed down their letters after about the third year of separation. It was hard to keep their week alive when time was melting it away from their grasp. Terra had told Atsa that he should move on and find another love. Distance was too hard on a couple. Their letters slowed, but never stopped. Once a year on the anniversary of their week spent together, each would receive a letter from the other. Inside they would both vow to see the other on their twenty-second anniversary.
For the first few years, Terra was obsessed with building her business base. Every new job was a challenge because each location had a new set of logistics. There were always new requirements, which meant extended education for her staff before they could be productive. But after the routine got settled in and a core of devoted employees stuck by Terra, life gathered a sense of normalcy. It was about this time that Terra started taking small breaks with sideline sight-seeing adventures. She used these trips to scope out employ getaways and to help with their burnout. The nature of training in a third world country could be very intense. Terra liked to reward those who worked for her. A getaway trek was the perfect rejuvenation tool.
It was along one of these safaris where Terra met Matthew. He was the tour owner and he was testing out a new gig in the outback. After a many year slumber, Terra caught onto the whiff of Matt and without prompting they became smitten. Over six years, they became lovers extraordinaire. Even when Terra's assignments took her far away. Matt would expand his company into where Terra had an ESL territory. And she would travel to be with Matt almost compromising herself and her duties. Many times, Terra based her contracting locations on the proximity to Matt. For six years the two lovers played this catch me here if you can game. Perhaps the reason their relationship worked so well was because of the variety, unpredictability, and instability of it all. If truth be told, their relationship was not a rock solid foundation of consistency. Never had been.
A mutual end found Matt and Terra at odds. Terra's business had opportunities in some new, very far off locations. Terra had warded off these companies before. But she could not ignore the growth and financial rewards that could come from these affiliations now. Terra made the decision to reach out and accept these unique assignments. Matt was less than thrilled, but he was in transition as well. He was entertaining offers on his company. There were no future guarantees for either Terra or Matt. One thing was for sure, both were more motivated by their own business dealings, rather than each other. So their partnership dissolved as easily as it came, six years hence.
From there Terra decidedly took up random lovers. It suited her lifestyle much better. Not that there were many, but she did find one lover, Kevin, to float in and out of her life over an eight year period. That suited Terra perfectly. It gave her someone to look forward to now and again, but not dwell on. Someone who was independent himself and let Terra be who she wanted to be. No commitment and such freedom was a gift from heaven.
Terra continued to build her consulting practice over the years. She was adept at finding new opportunities of growth and expanding upon them. A keen sense of business savvy found Terra gathering a nice personal portfolio. She liked her independent wealth. No one could dictate the whereabouts of her financial state except her. Terra was aiming to retire at fifty. In the back of her mind she had hoped that she and Atsa could settle down together, somewhere in a nifty curvy little desert dwelling. She envisioned a two bedroom adobe that was high on a bluff. The stucco was the color of a desert sunset mixed with ribbons of yellows, pinks, and purples across the walls. The interior of the house would be curves, no sharp edge walls, and no doors except on the bathroom. The walls would be the thickness of like a straw bale house. Each room private and yet open. All defined by lines and partial walls. The walkway and patio would have tile that contrasted the house. The kitchen she envisioned held open spaces, not cupboard doors, but a huge pantry. The master bedroom would be tucked behind a curved wall. The other bedroom would serve as an office and exercise room. Her imagined house was one that Terra kept seeing in her mind's eye, and it was perfect. Every time she mentally revisited this house of hers, it was always the same. Terra's vision held a correctness of quality, and its outline and earthbound quality was unsurpassed. This confirmed that her house was out there somewhere in this tangible time.
Terra's intuition continued to serve her well, especially with business decisions. Once in a while she would steer wrong because she was indecisive. But, overall Terra was talented with her knowings. The locals often found Terra fascinating and called her the white goddess. Many times Terra found herself in the audience of the Shaman tribe. She accepted their blessings and readings even though there was no translation. It was fine. Terra could feel their energy. The words conveyed held an attitude of sincerity unlike any other force. Their body language was powerful and spoke a universal language of love. The Shamans were guided by higher powers and instinctively knew what blessings to bestow. Terra believed each Shaman that she encountered was reconnecting her back to her innate abilities within, and also back to the earth. Terra's journey was that of continuously finding new passion that refueled her purpose.
Homeward Bound
Terra was now fifty bridging fifty-one years old. She sat back in a first class flight seat as she left another world behind. She had built a consulting business from scratch and true to form, Terra sold it. The time had come. Terra was happily involved with all aspects, but when an interested employee came forth with an offer, well, it was meant to be. The sell off was right. The company would be owned and run by a person who had been Terra's right hand man for years. He had come into an inheritance and wanted a working investment. Terra in good conscience could step out, almost. Terra made a deal to stay on as need be, fill-in, via e-mail or phone. That was no intrusion. Besides within a few months, Terra figured her services would not be needed, and that was fine too.
With only the clothes she wore in, and now almost the same in return, Terra traveled light. She had hours of flying to ponder her next steps. She had bought a brand new Toyota Rav4 sight unseen. Platinum white, it was waiting to be picked up. Quite a luxury compared to the inadequate transportation that she had been used to. Terra would take a shuttle from the airport directly to the car lot. Easy enough. Her flight would put Terra back at Sea-Tac airport early in the day. Then getting the SUV sale wrapped should not take too long. After all, cash was king and the deal should not take too long to close. By afternoon she would be off to get new clothes. Not too many items, just some jeans, shirts, socks, shoes, a sweater, coat, toiletries — all the essentials to travel. Later that day, her GPS would take her to the house where Terra would be renting a private room for a month, maybe more. It was just a place to crash and sleep for a while, then regroup.
The twenty-second year anniversary was coming up next month. Terra would not miss it for the world. It was funny how the timing of selling her business worked out. She had just figured on taking a vacation from her business to come back to the States, but this permanent homecoming was by far better. Who knew what adventures lay beyond or with Atsa. Terra had written Atsa a letter a few months back. Not the customary on their anniversary date letter. She just wanted to keep him primed. She realized Atsa did not know how to contact her with her being in transit. No worries there. In the meantime, Terra did have a couple of engagements at the local colleges concerning the ESL programs she set up. She would be plenty busy consulting and training until it was time to go see him.
Terra's physique was as lean and lithe as she was twenty-two years ago. There was one difference. Her hair was cut shoulder length with bangs now. It was practical when one was on the move in the jungle. Otherwise, Terra was still fit, tan, and retained her dark hair color. She did have a few crow's feet and her hands were time worn, but T
erra weathered well. She ran all the details of the next steps in her head. Over and over. It was just like her to plan, organize, and get her life in order. This part should be a snap. Back to the States, coming home was easy, except she knew areas of the city had grown and with it the population. No worries. It was only temporary at best. Random thoughts drifted in and out slowly, then faded out as Terra fell deep into sleep.
Navaho Night
The tip of Terra's forefinger dipped lightly upon the crystalline pool. Her fingernails lightly tapped the water until ripples edged outward. An anomaly of nature this pool stood as a remnant of earth untouched, and lost to only a few. Terra was among the privileged few to have taken a raw dip at this spot.