Splintered Lives (5 page)

I don’t have long to wait before I see Taj again because he is coming home for the celebrations.
 
Sahida tells me they have heard from him and he has sent a letter to me brought by his sister.
 
I can’t wait to open it. It says

My darling Sarah,

I can’t wait to see you on Friday; I have been thinking of you all the time here in
Kathmandu
and wishing for us to be together again.
 
I love the closeness we have found so surprisingly quickly and the commitment we seem to have together.
 
I miss the things that make us smile. I miss you on your mountain, sat on the terrace you have made into a lovely shaded haven by planting the apple tree and encouraging the wild flowers to grow profusely all around.
 

  
I will see you on Friday.
 
All my love

Taj

Our meeting is courteous because his family is there and they are also glad to see him.
 
I am waiting for the time when we are alone and I can feel his strong arms around me.
 
We all attend the festival together.
 
It is a joyous affair. The Goddess is carried through the streets of the village and there is much merriment.
 
The people sing and dance. Taj and I join in the dancing and we have a wonderful time.

We then all go to Pokhara where they have their own Goddess and we again enjoy the carnival spirit of the evening.
 
Taj drives me home in his four-wheel drive car to my mountain cottage.
 
We smile sweetly at our neighbours who are just about to go to their beds after the excitement of the day.
 
We go out to the terrace at the back of the cottage where we can see the lights of Pokhara.
 
We sit there and drink a coffee I have made for us.
 
Even though it is dark there is a moon over the mountains and the night is magical with the perfumes of the wild flowers and herbs I have planted to enhance my cooking.
 
He moves towards me and we fall into each other’s arms.
 
The intimacy of our minds as well as our bodies carries us to a heaven neither of us had experienced before.

The morning is misty with the aftermath of the village bonfire where food had been cooked the night before.
  
I awake in the arms of Taj and reflect quietly on the beauty of his face. His long eyelashes curl on his cheek and there is a dark shadow on his chin. The bristles are soft and silky as I place a kiss on his sensual mouth.
 
He opens his eyes and I see the love he has for me shining there.

“Good Morning darling,” he says, “How are you feeling?”

“Wonderful” I reply.

We snuggle down together in my little narrow bed and the whole world seems to hold its breath.

We are shaken out of our reverie when we see the time. Taj has a six-hour drive to get back to Kathmandu where he is on duty at six o’clock.
 
He has to go and I decide to go with him.
 
The school is closed for five days for the festival and I shall only be kicking my heels around the village.
 
We have a hurried breakfast of eggs and I pack a few things into my haversack.
 
Julian had invited me to stay at the hostel there if I ever wanted a change so I thought that was where I would stay but Taj would not hear of that and said I shall stay with him in his small apartment near to the hospital.

Chapter 4

I am excited at the prospect of being with Taj for a few days and as we drive along by the fast flowing river I tell him about my nephew, Mark, coming to see me.

He is pleased for me to have one of my sister’s children visiting me and he is looking forward to meeting Mark.
 
Our few days pass too quickly and although Taj is on call all the time we do find a little time to be together.
 
Whilst Taj is working I visit Julian at the headquarters of V.S.O. The building houses his living quarters where his wife and young son live so I get to see his family again.
 
I met them when I first arrived and Sue, his wife, had been positively welcoming because she was so pleased to have an another woman from the same country as herself.
 
She loves the life with Julian in Kathmandu but she sometimes longs for a friendly chat with someone from her home country.
 
It was nice for me to have someone to whom I could confide so I told her of my involvement with this wonderful man.

“Come again soon. “Sue shouts as she waves me off from her doorstep.
 
“And bring Taj next time.”

“I will.” I reply, waving back as I pass through the gate.

I get back to the apartment after visiting a small supermarket that Sue has told me about.
 
The shop is very small after our own supermarkets, nothing like Sainsbury’s, and very limited in its goods but I manage to stock up a little in household goods like soap and other necessities.
 
I also buy fresh vegetables and a small chicken so that I can make Taj a farewell dinner.
 
I have booked a flight back to Pokhara for the following day and this will be our last night together for quite some time.
 

He manages to get home in time for a meal with me but then he has to go back as there has been a road accident in the centre of Kathmandu and all hands has to be on deck.
 
We cling together as he leaves and I know that I will not see him before I have to fly back to Pokhara.
 

I arrive at the airport in Kathmandu where I have to pass the passport control and the clerk has an officious streak and has a lot of questions as to my credentials.

I patiently answer, trying not to lose my temper and I am then reluctantly allowed to pass through.
 
I take up my seat on the plane and as we fly above the Himalayas I am amazed at the beauty of the mountains and I feel emotional, my spirits rising as I see the magnificence of it all.
 
I remember the time Taj and I have had together and feel the wonderful love we have to share.

Chapter 5

Life at the school is now back to normal and I receive letters from Taj brought by Sahida who will pick up any letters from the Post Office in Pokhara and bring them with her when she comes to school on her scooter.
 
I have also heard from Mark to say he will be coming to see me at the end of June when he will have finished his “A” levels.
 
Time has passed for me and I have less than a year before my time in Pokhara is ended and I shall have to decide what I want to do next.
 
I know I don’t want to leave Taj but I feel awkwardness when I see his parents as I feel that they do not approve of our relationship.
 
When I mention this to Sahida she says that her parents are very liberal in all their views and that she loves me very much.
 

My life is wonderful.
 
I enjoy my teaching and my friendships with the village people who include me in their many activities.
 
My nearest neighbours are a lovely family and I have their son, Raj, in my class.
 
He is always hanging around me and his mother is forever scolding him but I love his company and I am learning a lot about their culture and language from him.
 
I see Taj as often as I can. He comes to me whenever he has a spare bit of time from his busy schedule.
 
Our closeness is wonderful and I feel his nearness whenever I think of him.

Mark is arriving shortly and I am feeling very excited at the prospect of having him staying in the bunkhouse in the village.
 
He is intending to stay a week before he sets out on his trek.
 
Like all boys, he has many friends and two of them are coming with him.
 
I have arranged their accommodation and I am planning a welcome party for the three of them.
 
I am hoping that Taj will be able to attend and Sahida has promised to help me prepare a party that will include the village people. There is not that many of them and with the apples from my tree and the herbs and vegetables from my fertile garden I should be able to attempt to make a lovely feast.
 
One of my neighbours has chickens and he has promised to sell me three.
 
I have had an oven now for three weeks as the electricity supply has been extended to all the village houses.
  
Our water supply is now in place brought at the expense of our American benefactor, as well as, the hard work of all the villagers who live on our mountain.
 

Today I have received a letter from Taj to say that he will be able to come to the party and that he will stay for the weekend. I am so happy that my nephew will meet Taj so that when he goes home he will be able to confirm the wonderful description I have given them of my lovely man.
 
I write regularly to my mother and my sister so they know how I feel about Taj.
 
They are very open-minded and they are happy for me.
 

The day has arrived and Mark and his friends are here in Pokhara.
 
They are all three very tired as they thumbed a lift on an old truck from Kathmandu.
 
They had to load and unload it for the ride and it wasn’t the smoothest of rides.
 
The rest of the way they had trekked.
 
After giving them some soup and a hot drink, I took them straight to the bunkhouse, as they were dead on their feet.
 
Introductions will wait until tomorrow.

I awoke to a beautiful morning. I have a great lot to do today. The chickens were already cooked, that’s how I made the soup I gave to the boys last night. SahiIda and I chopped the vegetables and made quiches.
   
The chickens have been roasted and cut into pieces, as many as we could divide them into.
 
I have little room in my cottage but my neighbours are keeping some of the prepared plates that I have covered with cloths to keep in cool places ready for the celebrations.

All the villagers are helping with the preparation and the children from the school are moving any tables and chairs we can borrow for the older people to be comfortable.

Mark arrives in the midst of our preparations and I hug him to me because I am so glad to see him.

“How’s everyone at home?”
 
I ask him when I at last let him out of my arms.

“Meet my friends, Keith, he is the musical one and he’s brought his guitar.”

“Here’s Jack, he is the cheeky one and he’ll make you laugh.”

I shake hands with Keith.
 
We smile and he has a twinkle in his deep blue eyes.

“Pleased to meet you.” He drawls in a soft Irish accent that immediately reminds me of my friend Ann.
 
Ann and I haven’t been in touch for some time and I remember that it is my turn to reply to her letter.

I turn to shake hands with Jack who gives me a wolf whistle and a cheeky grin.

I tell them that all the activity they can see around them is for them and that the whole little village has been invited to the welcome party, they look quite taken aback but they all grin and look pleased.
 
As they are young and healthy men, they have forgotten their arduous journey and are ready for the party.

It is now lunchtime and I have Mark and his mates sitting on my terrace overlooking the valley.
 
They are really impressed with the views and the blue sky and the warm sun.
 
Sahida is with us and the boys are very impressed with her as well.