The BBC broadcasts had the usual cast of talking heads discussing the killing of al-Qaeda members in Kathmandu by a group opposing the Nepalese government. Was this an indicator people at the grass roots were turning against the Muslim extremists? Was it possible the Hindu world was fed up with Muslim extremists? Could groups like the Bahadur Thapa Battalion spring up in other countries and join the war against terrorism and extremists?
The association of Bahadur Thapa, a Nepalese war hero, with the incident stymied the police, who have not been able to find any trace of him. The main reason, they say, for searching for the westerners is to locate Bahadur Thapa. The reference to the Bahadur Thapa Battalion is also mystifying. The broadcaster then moved on to other subjects. Kathy told Arjun she was ready to drive whenever he wanted a break. Hours before the sun came up, everyone was sound asleep, except Kathy.
She enjoyed driving down this historical route with the huge banyan trees spreading their limbs over the road from either side, making a tunnel of living branches that had sheltered millions of travelers in their long history. The roadside was marked with dying cooking fires and Brahmin bulls, raising their heads and looking unseeingly into the car lights, patiently waiting for morning and better grazing elsewhere along the road. India was truly the land of mystery, much more so than China. A softness and beauty permeated India that China just didn’t have and never would.
She thought, maybe something is wrong with me. I am never happier or feel freer than when I’m driving down a road that doesn’t seem to have an end. The road sings to me. I can think so clearly. I want to be with Jack forever, but I am terrified of the thought of settling down and everything that means. If he asks me to marry him, I will and hope for the best.
Kathy drove on in the night and watched the dawning light sweep over the landscape. The mystery of the night was gone, driven away by the hustle of travelers resuming their journeys and the sounds of the awakening day. Kathy guessed they were no more than three or four hours from Delhi. The fuel gauge showed less than a quarter tank, so she began looking for a petrol station.
Arjun, sleeping beside her, awoke and told her 15 miles up the road was a good petrol station near a place serving breakfast. The rest of the passengers began to stir. Bernadette was the last to awake. Kathy spotted the petrol station and pulled into the pumps. Arjun took care of the refueling and payment. Back in the van, he pointed down the road on the left side to a large cottage-style building with outdoor tables under individual thatched roofs. Everyone headed for the restrooms. Arjun staked out a big table and ordered hot tea for all, knowing the coffee would be awful.
Jack waited for Kathy outside the ladies’ room, and when she came out, he gave her a morning hug, asking her if she had driven most of the night. She said, “How about all night? Is that worth another hug?”
Jack grinned and said, “What am I ever going to do with you?”
“The answer is to love me and feed me. Nothing else is needed.”
Arjun announced at breakfast he didn’t think it was a good idea for him to drive up to the Oberoi and let them all out, so he was going to drop them off at taxi stations, and tomorrow they would put Kathy’s plan into action.
Another three hours put them on the outskirts of Delhi. Everyone needed a bath and a change of clothes. Jack had to admit even his tough guy image really didn’t resist moving back into the suite at the Oberoi. Arjun pulled up a block from a taxi stand and Bernadette got out.
The taxis pulled into the Oberoi and dropped off three bedraggled westerners with almost no baggage. The doorman on duty recognized Kathy and gave them a grand welcoming. Jack cancelled Anita’s suite and told management they would check out tomorrow.
Kathy couldn’t wait to get in the pool. Jack joined her at the pool. He swam some slow, lazy laps, stretching and relaxing his large muscle groups. An excellent swimmer, Jack had done his share of lifeguarding and teaching to earn extra money in the summers. However, when it came to a 50-meter race, Anita could swim away from him, and Kathy beat him consistently by a few strokes. Anita had tried to tell him to move through the water, not to fight it. The words sounded good, but he didn’t have a clue what they meant.
Kathy swam up beside Jack and said, “You know we have almost no clothes. That’s the way I like it around our room, but we do need some duds, especially some of those wonderful sandals. So let’s go play married couple and shop. Yes! I knew you would like that.” She grabbed Jack by the hand and dragged him out of the pool.
Three hours later they returned with the hotel car loaded down with packages, including some canvas suitcases. Bernadette had spent the day resting and reading in her room. When they went to dinner, they discovered Bernadette had also shopped. They’d spent a fortune but agreed they felt and looked much more civilized. Tonight was a night to rest and play. Tomorrow at 10:00 a.m., it was back to work.
Facts and Fictions 