Kali was sitting at the cafe table on the waterfront and saw Ethan on his banana bike. As he got off his bike he could see the shine in her face. He walked up to her and said hi and kissed her on the cheek.
“Wow, cool wheels.” Kali said.
“Thanks.”
“Where did you get the bike from?
“I bought it yesterday off this cool kid.”
“Was his name Halo?”
“Yes.”
“Cute kid, nine, hair up to here?” Kali put her hand to her shoulder.
“Yes!”
“He’s my little nephew. I’m staying with his mom, my sister.”
“Oh man, that’s crazy. What are the chances?”
“Meant to be I guess. How did you meet?”
“I had a problem with my car. (I’ll elaborate on that story another day, he wisely thought) I had to walk from the garage and then bumped into Halo and his mates. He had a cool banana bike and I bought it.”
“That is surreal.”
“I think he now wants to buy his friend’s bike, a girl called Apple.”
“The intermixed world. I’m glad we don’t really know each other’s past people in our lives but I like it how the ones we do want to know come in quite smoothly.”
“Yeah a clean past with a new beginning that has ancient ties.” Ethan smiled at her and just stared. He couldn’t rush but he wanted to get cozier with her, she smiled back.
“You look pretty cool on that bike.”
“I know,” he said in a smart way.
They looked at one another and Ethan noticed the sunlight that glared from behind Kali, poetic in its appearance. It was just there, like the time when they first met and she had a sparkling view behind her. Here it was again, the light was behind her and it made Ethan squint his eyes a little.
“How is it that the sun has come glaring in from behind you again?”
“I don’t know how I do it, Ethan.”
“Maybe you have magical powers.”
“I might have some of those.”
The waitress came over and took their order and their meals arrived pretty fast and enough time had passed where they felt okay. It was like they needed some time to settle at the intensity and excitement of seeing each other again. Then Ethan decided to tell her about his night.
“I dreamt of you last night.”
“Oh…tell me.”
“I normally wouldn’t tell you since we’ve only just met, so for this moment can we pretend we’ve known each other for a bit longer?”
“I like that, we can just take a trip to the future now, two weeks ahead, be there, be here and now and let them combine. Tell me Ethan!”
“Okay I’m Ethan from the future. No..I’m back right here now.” Kali had gone quiet and it was making Ethan a bit nervous. “Okay I’ll tell you,” he said.
The way she looked directly into his eyes was making him shy. So he just said it.
“At the time it made the most profound, perfect sense like a different understanding in that dream world or spiritual world. It came in where I just knew everything. You were there and so perfect, nothing but love, no opposites, just your soul. You gave me this symbol that meant everything, it was deep and meaningful and out of this world. The symbol fitted into a part of me, like a perfect fit, or a fit that only happens one in four billion or something. Then I suddenly awoke, as the day goes by, the details fade. It’s like too beautiful and out of this world to stay in this human mind, though at the time of waking from the dream, you feel as if you have just been born, or clicked into finding the ultimate knowledge…that was my dream, well not really a dream, just our souls meeting up and remembering. The beautiful world of the ether.”
“Wow, I’ve heard about the ether.”
“It’s a beautiful place.” Especially when you’re there. She heard his thoughts.
Kali looked intense, she was going to say something when a Great Dane dog ran over to Ethan out of the blue. It was a huge, grey one and it just wanted to jump up and play. Ethan patted the dog, then he got up and played with it, play fighting. With Ethan playing, the dog became more excited and a lot more hyper. Kali decided to get up, mainly just to watch and be social and be close to Ethan. The Great Dane saw her and ran at her, it just wanted to play, but this was a huge looking dog and Kali was scared. Ethan wanted to protect her but he knew he might make it worst if he ran at them both. The dog was nearly the same size as Kali. She mildly waved her hands around as the dog playfully jumped around her wanting to play. Ethan then gave a startled, playful jump towards the dog, a playful motion which the dog noticed and ran towards him. Ethan was happy it was away from Kali, but it was almost funny to watch. The dog looked like a magical creature almost with its size. It was the biggest dog Ethan had ever seen. It just looked sweet for Ethan to watch. He knew she was safe. The owner seemed a bit surprised by it all and called the dog over but the Great Dane kept returning to play with Ethan. Ethan gave the dog a hug. It didn’t really want to leave him, it wanted to keep playing with her new friend. The owner kept calling for the dog, unsure who was crazy the dog or Ethan. Eventually the dog returned to his owner and Kali and Ethan returned to their seat.
“You’re okay?”
“I was a little unsure, it’s a beautiful dog but very big,” she said.
“It was very funny to watch. The dog was nearly bigger than you.”
“Dogs must really love you. You weren’t afraid at all.”
“They always sense what you feel. I could sense her playfulness and she sensed mine. She was such a beautiful dog, I might have to wash my hands though, she goobed on me a bit.”
Ethan had dog saliva on his arm and hand. He went to the bathroom and Kali sat by herself. As she was sitting there waiting for Ethan, a middle aged man walked by. She recognized him briefly but found it difficult to know where from. His name was Nile, he also taught at Booker University. They had a brief conversation in the staff room once. The kind of conversation where only one would remember the details, and for the other, it would be vague and leave the memory fast.
Nile was bland in his appearance, he had no style or charisma. He was polite but not a good energy that Kali picked up on.
“Kali, hello!” Nile said, full of enthusiasm.
Kali looked at him trying to recall who he was at the same time slightly annoyed about being disrupted from her peaceful thoughts and waiting for her Ethan.
“Hi,” she replied.
“We had a two minute conversation in the staff room before running to class the other day. My name is Nile.”
“Oh yes.”
“So good to see you.”
“Thanks.”
“How have you been?”
‘I hardly fucken know you. “I’m well.”
“Great. I’ve been well. Lovely day isn’t it?”
“Yes it is.”
Then it went silent. Kali didn’t bother to fill in the gap, she didn’t care. It was an awkward silence but she was fine to let him get himself out of it.
“You’re looking great.”
Again nothing but awkward silence. After waiting too long Nile continued talking.
“I was wondering... since you are here today and in San Fran by yourself, we could catch up, have a drink or a coffee?”
“No thank you.” Kali said so fast that she surprised herself with the speed of her words.
“I did mean it as friends.”
“Sure.”
“I did.”
“Sure.”
“I di...di..did,” stuttering his words.
“Well Nile it’s a complete, solid no on all levels.”
He stood there unsure what to say, Kali said Bye and Ethan returned.
“Hey you,” Ethan said to Kali and he noticed immediately the energy shift.
“I was just walking off,” Nile said to Ethan.
“Okay,” Ethan said and stared at him so intensely that it made Nile almost hop as he walked away. He saw some
thing in Ethan’s eye’s that scared him, they were just authoritative and he felt intimidated and then realized as he left he had forgotten to say good bye to Kali. But he didn’t really care he just wanted to get away from them both now.
Ethan took his seat next to Kali.
“You’re okay, sweetie?” he said. Sweetie just came out.
“I’m fine, sorry you probably picked up on the strange vibe.”
“I did. Who is the clown?” Ethan felt a little protective. But it was fun for him to say the word, ‘clown.’
“I know him from school, only met briefly, two minutes and I could hardly remember and now that I do, I remember having absolutely nothing to say to him, and then he comes over like I know him so well and asks me out.”
“If the soul has nothing to say to the other person it just shuts up, I’ve learnt to just go with that and say nothing.”
“I like that idea, so I tried to politely bump him off, until I was forced to be direct and then he’s like, Oooo I was just asking as a friend, and I’m always so polite when someone does that, too polite, instead of just saying how I feel and saying get the fuck out of here clown!”
Ethan laughed.
“Yeah just hand him some balloons and a wig when you see him next time at college.” Then going a little deeper continued talking. “Maybe that was it though, he just came in like an actor to play the part, so you learn to just be you... direct, honest, beautiful.”
Kali looked introspective and made a cute, “Hmm.”
“And if you learn the lesson, the universe, your heart, your soul, stops bringing it to you.”
“Yeah.”
“It just stops when you learn the lesson.”
“Really?”
“It does. You’ll still have dickheads around in life, but a shift happens on another level. You’re on the cusp of completion and I understand learning lessons can be painful sometimes but as you know it does eventually smooth out when you acquire all the wisdom and knowledge. I did mean it when I said for you to be direct and honest and beautiful. Cause it is, and it’s you and don’t change yourself for anyone. You just need to be your soul and you are and that is pretty special”
They stared at one another and Ethan looked at her with so much adoration. She noticed the way he looked at her and his eyes told her a heavenly story that had depth and deep love, she could fall into them, she really could, they said only love will ever be with you. All she could see was love when she looked into those green eyes of his.
“You made me say a lot today,” Ethan said.
“I told you I have special powers.”
“I know.”
“How did you become so wise?”
It was a question that needed no answer. They stared at one another, knowing every layer of their mystic self’s would unravel in its divine time.
~~~~
Ethan paid the bill and they walked off. They followed the walkway that was next to the water. Not too long after they came to a few row boats for hire. How cool they thought.
“You row. I’ll give directions,” Kali cheekily said.
Ethan smiled and paid the guy and they jumped into their row boat. It was a calm day and the water was still. Ethan rowed while Kali laid back and enjoyed the view and the water. She liked how she could just watch Ethan row. Here was her chance to just stare at him. She was lying down using her jacket as support to have herself looking up and looking right at Ethan.
Ethan could hear the sound of the water as he glided through. Then he smiled to himself when he really delved into the moment. He was with Kali on a romantic boat with her lying down, how perfect the world could be sometimes. Right now everything was just right, he couldn’t ask for anything more. How the moment could change. In life there was the mundane, the grind, the adventures, the pain and then there was this type of high where a new level came in and made you feel light on your feet. Life was joyous in this realm and he wanted to stay here forever. He never wanted to feel pain again. He just wanted to get to know Kali, love her. But it was one step at a time. This was the beauty of it all getting to know one another, not skipping the friendship at the beginning which most humans did.
“I bet your mom is young at heart,” Kali Said.
“She is, young physically too. She’s only 42, she had me at 19, just me. My dad died when I was 4, though my mom was not with him then, so I don’t really remember him that well. So it’s been me and my mom a lot.”
“Does she have a partner now?”
“No, she has been single for the last two years. Beautiful looking woman, I feel it would take one beautiful soul to have her. There is someone coming, I can feel it.”
The boat floated around and then stopped as it hit the sand bank.
“Thanks for coming into my dream last night,” he said.
“You’re welcome, I can’t remember, maybe I’ll try.”
They stared at one another. Ethan moved closely to her and Kali wondered if he was going to try and kiss her. They hadn’t spoken about her husband, it had been so removed in Ethan’s presence for Kali. It just seemed to be part of another place that didn’t exist anymore, not when she was with Ethan. It was like a fairytale world, this new life of hers, but eventually she would have to face the reality, her truth, her situation and the complex web that possibly could be building.
When Ethan leaned forward he could sense her thoughts and he liked moving in and seeing her feel something, wondering what he was going to do. He looked at her and the truth of how he felt towards her made him act perfectly to the situation. It was like they had their own rhythm and all Ethan could do was flow with it, all he had to do was be with it and it felt powerful. It was like her love was bringing the god out in him. Being around her was just easy, so easy. Like in the ether where he just flowed, now he was doing the same in the world’s conditions. They were like two twins molding together. At this time they had to be apart physically, a foot apart, to be precise, though with that range separating them physically, they were coming to together, metamorphosing into one with all they did. It would only be a matter of time before that oneness they felt would dissolve the physical gap.
They decided to row back to the shore and for the first time really Kali spoke about her old life. She knew it was hard for Ethan to hear, but she had to talk to him about it. She wanted to be open and she also wanted to connect with Ethan on every level, not partially. She couldn’t talk to her husband about so many things. It seemed funny to her now how in romance people could often relax, say so much, say I love you and give themselves to one another, at the same time it brought up so many barriers and the one you supposedly loved was the one you definitely couldn’t share everything with.
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