Losing My Virginity and Other Dumb Ideas (8 page)

He continued with the questions, ‘So, do you meet a lot of interesting people?’

‘Yes, sometimes. I’ve met the Princess of Monaco, the German Chancellor and the Russian President. But most of the times I’m editing journals, books and other such boring stuff.’

‘No, no. It’s not boring!’ he said.

‘Actually, it’s a misconception that translation simply implies a word by word interpretation of the text. It involves moving the soul of a text into a different body. And not just anybody can do it. It requires a lot of patience and soft skills like being a people person or staying curious about current affairs and which delegates do what,’ I rambled on, trying to sound intelligent for this man.

He stayed interested through the evening and dinner, which was absolutely scrumptious with a spicy pesto-crab fussili that followed the pizza and a tiramisu to end the meal. I went on talking about my life and the places I had visited. I suppose the roles had reversed in a few hours. Instead of him wanting me to sit with him a little longer, I wanted to make the date go on.

I thought that he would drop me back since it was already midnight and we had finished an entire bottle of wine but Greek God just turned to me and said, ‘Come, we need to go to our next destination.’

We were on a private yacht sailing down the Mapusa River. This was the best date ever! The yacht was a dream. It had rooms that would make the presidential suite in a hotel seem inadequate. And here we were, sitting on the deck with another bottle of wine and a personal butler while watching Goa bathed in moonlight. Greek God pointed out all the spots again as we passed through the Salim Ali Bird Sanctuary at Chorao Island, and the villages of Salvador Do Mundo and Brittona. The cruise also took us down the Mandovi River, past the bright night lamps of Panaji–Miramar on one side and the gorgeous Reis Magoa and Aguada Fort on the other. It was really magical.

Another bottle of wine followed and our conversation became sporadic as we just enjoyed each other’s company and the lovely night. I rested my head on his shoulders, surprised at myself for becoming this comfortable with a stranger so quickly. So unlike me, who had always been stand-offish with my earlier dates.

It was around four in the morning when I decided to take a short nap and check out the bed in one of the luxurious rooms. I was fast asleep before we hit the docks and I slept right through till about seven in the morning when I woke with a start.

I felt disoriented and didn’t know where I was for a few minutes and thought I should scream out for help. But then I saw Greek God sleeping in his clothes on a sofa close by and smiled. Then I gasped with fright. I was still on a ‘date’ and my morning breath and morning hair together was more frightening than hurricane Katrina. So I quietly got up and went to the toilet where I freshened up as best as I could. I decided the no makeup, wet-ponytail look would be much better than the grizzly, smeared-mascara one.

When I came out, Greek God had gone and I panicked a little. What if he realized I was a terrible date and had left me to fend for myself?

I walked out slowly to the deck and our personal butler told me to wait till he came out. Apparently he had gone to freshen up as well. It wasn’t like the movies where both parties woke up smelling like roses and looking like daisies. Real people needed to use the toilet early in the morning!

Greek God came out looking fresh as if he was prepared for this, with a new shirt and a day old stubble that made him even yummier than the night before.

He smiled and said, ‘Hey, you! Slept okay?’

‘Amazingly well for an unfamiliar place,’ I said running my hand through my hair. God, why didn’t I have nice hair, I thought. Then I remembered I had spent a fortune on my hair only a few months back and was pretty proud of it then. Why was I feeling so conscious now?

‘Ready for breakfast?’ he asked. I nodded in anticipation. ‘This way,’ he said.

Then he helped me get off the yacht and led me to the beach. I saw a mat laid out on the beach with a basket on the side as I got off.

‘What’s all this?’ I asked.

‘An authentic Portuguese breakfast,’ he replied.

And so I dug into the meal and kept praising his ingenuity for making a woman happy.

‘Oh, you have no idea how I can make a woman happy,’ he said, his eyes twinkling.

Just then I realized, damn, I’m not getting this for free. He wants ‘more’ from me than just scintillating conversation! Obviously my face had revealed my chain of thoughts and he quickly added, ‘Relax. I’m not that kind of guy.’

I had no idea what kind of guy he was! I had been talking about my work, my family, my life, Aditi and I barely knew anything about him.

‘Arjun,’ I started, ‘I know nothing abut you! I’ve been going on about myself for the last twelve hours! I must have sounded like a self-obsessed bimbette.’

He laughed. A deep, throaty laugh that I had become used to by now since he had been pulling my leg with his wicked sense of humour all night.

‘Well, if you spend the next two days with me, you’ll get to know everything you want,’ he said that as a challenge.

But then a thought came to my head—the Princess! I was here on work. I needed to get back.

‘Arjun,’ I said apologetically, ‘I can’t. I have work. And then I’m leaving tonight. I’m sorry. Oh God! I so want to though …’

‘It’s okay,’ he said, getting up. I followed. We really hadn’t finished, but I presumed he was ready for me to leave, so I got up and looked at him expectantly. But he took his card from his wallet and gave it to me. ‘My cell phone number is on that. You call me if you get free anytime. Otherwise, I’ll hope to see you in Mumbai, okay?’

‘Okay,’ I said sadly. This date was ending on a bad note because of me. He had given me his business card. As if what we had last night was a business meeting! I wanted to change his mind about me, us, last night. So I leaned over and kissed him. It was an impulsive gesture and he didn’t protest. In fact, he was quite shocked, but he reciprocated! And the kiss we shared after that was absolutely delicious. It smelt of cologne, Palmolive soap and coffee. It was sweet, not mushy or slimy or like any of the other kisses I had had with those vague men in my life. It felt like ‘the kiss’. The one I would remember for the rest of my life. All girls have had that. It’s the only one you remember every time you think of the kiss that changed your life.

‘I’m going to take my bike back home now. There’s a car that will take you back to the hotel,’ he looked the other way and continued, ‘which is not far from here.’ He said smiling down at me, still holding my waist.

I nodded dumbly.

‘Bye, babes,’ he said, and started walking towards his bike, which was parked on the other side of the road.

‘Arjun,’ I called after him stupidly, ‘thanks.’

And then he was gone. And I didn’t know if I would ever see my Great Love again.

When I went back to the hotel, I was feeling horrible that I had to leave Greek God. I knew he had given me his number but do people actually end up meeting in Mumbai? With everyone having such busy lives and lazy weekends, it seemed impossible to keep the friends you did have, not to mention, take the effort to add new ones.

And the kiss … I just could not get over that kiss. I was hooked. I wanted more. I didn’t know if it was a dream I had or if I really met the love of my life. I had to find out.

I reached the hotel at around 8.30 in the morning and quickly took a shower and wore my business suit so I could be ready for work by 9, as the Princess had asked. But I waited and waited for her to call me, all the while sipping on cappuccino and day dreaming about Greek God. It soon started raining. The monsoon was here. I wanted to jump in joy and run to Greek God. But I had to run to the Princess’s room instead. She finally buzzed me at 10 and I went to her suite on the top floor of the hotel. I waved to the bodyguards on the way and tried to get away from a few photographers who were shooting anything going in and out of her room, looking for a story.

‘Good morning, Your Highness,’ I said upon entering, not sounding like my usual cheerful self. But she didn’t seem to notice.

‘Darling! You know what has happened?’ she said effusively.

I shook my head but she didn’t wait for a response as she stood in front of the mirror holding her hair, ‘I’ve got sunburn.’ She did look a little red but I had just assumed that that was her natural colour. Her make-up artist, sitting on a chair nearby, spoke to me, ‘It’s true. I’m trying to find a foundation to cover it up, but I’m afraid all I can do is cover her with this fake tan gel for now. It will hardly last till she showers again, which I presume would be by this afternoon and then what will we do?’ The make-up artist was speaking in a state of panic.

This was the problem? Lack of fake tan gel. I was going to laugh. Real people had more serious issues. But obviously in the land of the royalty, these were classified as problems.

I tried to keep a straight face and said, ‘Do not panic, Your Highness.’ But Her Highness was already rambling about how she would look to the press and she wasn’t so worried about the Indian photojournalists but the international paparazzi that would splash her photos all around in
People
magazine and call her family poor since she could not afford sun block or fake tan gel. I offered to get her some, but obviously the
only
one that she used was available only in Europe.

‘So the local grocer won’t have it?’ I muttered cheekily under my breath.

I ordered her some breakfast through room service, but she insisted on only having black coffee once all the food came in.

‘There is only one solution,’ the Princess said. The hairdresser and I looked at her as if the ‘Oracle’ would now speak.

‘I need to use that last bit of gel and leave Goa immediately to go to Mumbai, where, hopefully, Roberta, my secretary, will be able to find it or have it flown in by tonight for the dinner party I have to attend.’

The two attendants nodded their heads in solemn agreement and the translator spoke, ‘I think that might be the best, given the circumstances.’

‘I think it’s a shame though that you didn’t get to see the whole of Goa. Such a pretty land,’ I said.

And then she said something that made me want to get up and kiss her which would have meant the bodyguard would have slammed me down and made me into mince meat. ‘Why don’t I relieve you of your duties once you see us off at the airport? You can call the embassy for another interpreter to meet us at the airport and take over when we land in Mumbai. You can finish seeing the land of Goa and come back, on your own money, of course. I won’t be paying for this.’

I didn’t care if she never paid me for anything but she had just given me my life back, so I gave a little yelp that sounded like her dog Fee Fee. Miss Foo Foo’s dog was named Fee Fee! I had to tell Arjun.

‘Yes, Your Highness,’ I ended up saying. ‘Whatever you say.’ And I bowed and exited the room. I was already running back to my room dialling his number in my head.

I dropped the Princess off through a mad rush of paparazzi, a slew of cars and a host of bodyguards. Then after bowing to the Princess one last time, I kissed the ground of the airport and made my way back to the shack where it had all begun.

Greek God was sitting there looking amazing in his stubble and a dark green t-shirt over a light blue pair of jeans, sipping a cup of coffee, which he gulped down as soon as he saw me. Suddenly I felt shy as I approached him. What if I had been thinking about this the wrong way? What if he was here to tell me he was busy?

But soon my fears were quelled as he got up and pulled me closer to him and gave me a long, hard kiss—one that reminded me of the first time and I was tingling all over once again. It had not been a dream after all.

‘We don’t have time,’ he said as he took my hand and led me away from Sunny’s. ‘We’ll sit and drink beer later. Now, I have to show you more of Goa!’

So I let him lead the way for most of the day. And I had a blast. We went straight away to the spice plantation in the town of Savoi Verum, which is ten kilometers north of the city of Ponda and about a half hour taxi ride from Margao. We had lunch and took a tour of the plantation, all the while sneaking away into bushes to steal quick kisses.

At one point, he just took me in his arms and held me real tight. I knew he wanted me because I saw the way he was looking at me. He brushed his hand against my back, sometimes softly letting his palm linger on my arm. When he wanted to comment on something, he would come real close to my ear and whisper, while taking in the smell of my hair. My heart was racing. I wanted so desperately to take him back to the hotel. But I was too shy to say so.

We skipped the ‘Indian Elephant Experience’ and headed out again by early evening to Anjuna beach. The flee market was on and I shopped and bargained to my heart’s content while he stood by holding the many bags and muttering that I was never going to use any of this stuff when I got back to Mumbai. The rain clouds came and went and we had brief showers in between, which made the whole day even more romantic.

We got wet in the rain and found a secluded spot to dry off. The rain seeped through my light shimmer shirt and I saw him noticing my breasts. He caught my arm and pulled me towards him and kissed me deeply. We had a soul connection. I knew it. He tried to put his hand beneath my shirt and I shied away. ‘Please,’ he murmured and I gave in. I was new to this. I wanted his appreciation. I let my hands move across his chest. God he had a perfect body! He kissed me softly. Lightly. On my eyes, my lips, my neck and moved down. Clothes were still on but the tingling had started. I could see he was ready for something more. But I didn’t know if I was. Someone somewhere laughed. He became conscious and the moment was lost.

He smiled and smoothed my hair. Then said, ‘Devons-nous aller?’ (Shall we go?)

And I said most reluctantly and sadly, ‘Sure.’

By dusk we were exhausted since we hadn’t slept the previous night as well. But so much adrenaline was pumping through my chest that I felt by sleeping, I would miss out on the most fun day of my life. We finally sat down at Pattiez for some delicious coffee and cake. We saw the sun set from there and I wondered whether this was just a holiday romance or would we have a longer relationship once we got back to Mumbai. So I decided to ask him some pertinent questions.