by Leena Clover
“It’s the same pile of rocks we saw earlier.”
“This is millions of years of evolution, son,” Dad said, sounding disappointed.
He’s always ready to get into a pedantic mode.
“You see those different layers? The green, the brown, the red? They are all different types of rocks. Most of it is sedimentary rock from the Paleozoic period.”
“Okay Dad!” Jeet said.
He had spotted an outcropping of rock he wanted to climb. He went off with Tony, ordering me to take plenty of pictures when they scaled it.
The next stop was another five miles away. This one had awesome views of the Colorado river. I realized I was witnessing something that was so much bigger than myself. I breathed in the cool, fresh air and took a good look around. Motee Ba and Pappa were standing arm in arm, pointing things out to each other. Dad stood a few feet next to Sally, staring at the view in between stealing glances at her. Sally had her usual angelic smile on her face.
I heard a yell and turned to see Jeet and Tony waving at me from a distance. I began taking pictures, purging my mind of any thoughts of Swan Creek.
We finally reached the Desert View Watch Tower which is the last point on the trail. Tony, Jeet and I rushed to the top to take more photos. The view from the top was mesmerizing.
“How was it?” Motee Ba asked when we finally went down to the car.
“Outstanding,” Jeet told her. “Don’t worry. We shot a video and Meera clicked plenty of pictures.”
I turned to take a last look at the tower and stumbled. Tony caught my arm. I grabbed his hand and pulled him along as I walked back to the tower.
“Where are you going now, Meera?” Dad asked with irritation. “It’s time to go.”
I ignored him and rushed to a point at the base of a tower.
“See that?” I asked Tony. “That’s what I’m talking about.”
“I don’t see anything,” Tony said, looking around.
I pointed to a small flower with a curve drawn below it, sort of like a smiley. It looked like the flower was smiling.
Tony shook his head.
“That’s just a silly doodle. Come on! Didn’t you see all those drawings on the walls inside?”
“They are historic drawings – art. This is not art.”
“Exactly!” Tony put his hands on his hips. “It’s vandalism, Meera.”
“You still don’t think this is important?”
“Maybe it is some kind of secret code,” Tony said. “So what? What’s it got do with you? With us?”
Dad called out to us again. His pitch was higher this time.
“Uncle Andy is trying to be patient,” Tony warned.
I followed Tony back to the car and got in.
“Why are you sulking now, girl?” Pappa asked as I slid in next to him.
“We have an hour’s drive to the sunset point,” Dad said, reading from a map. “We have to get there by 4:30 if we want to get a good spot.”
It was a little over 3 PM.
“What about lunch?” Pappa complained.
“I have an idea,” Motee Ba said eagerly.
She whispered something to Sally. Sally smiled back, nodding her head.
“Take us to a picnic area,” Motee Ba ordered Dad.
We parked near a different area this time. Luckily we could snag an empty table. Many like minded people were hogging all the picnic areas along the road.
We scampered down and Motee Ba directed the boys to unload a bunch of bags from the car. She handed me a knife and chopping board and a bunch of onions. Don’t ask me where she got the onions from!
One of the coveted qualities of an Indian bride is the ability to chop onions really fine. So of course Motee Ba has trained me in this. I had a pile of chopped onions ready within minutes. A few tomatoes were added and I made quick work of cutting them down too.
Tony was emptying a two pound bag of puffed rice into a big plastic bin.
“Are we making Bhel Poori?” I cried.
Motee Ba smiled, clearing up the mystery. A cheer went up. Bhel Poori is one of our favorite snacks. It’s hot, sweet, tangy and just yum. Tony and Jeet began dumping some fried noodles and snack mixes into the container. In went the onions and tomatoes. Sally handed me cans of boiled potatoes. I chopped them and they went in too. Then Sally handed me fresh green Hatch chilies and I diced them fine before adding them in.
Motee Ba began mixing everything up with her hands. She actually forgot to bring spatulas!
Finally the coup de grace was delivered. I opened a big bottle of date and tamarind chutney and poured it over the mix in the canister. Everything came together to form Bhel, one of the most popular street foods of India.
“I didn’t know we had all these fixings with us,” I said, chomping down a big handful to taste the seasonings.
We ladled this out in big paper bowls and everyone sat back to enjoy the Bhel.
“You know, I took your mother to Chowpatty when we first met,” Dad said, sounding sentimental.
Chowpatty is an iconic beach in the city of Mumbai, formerly Bombay.
“We shared a cup of Bhel and I told her about life in America.”
He looked at Sally. For once, Sally wasn’t smiling. She had a speculative look on her face.
“How do you like your Bhel?” Dad asked Sally.
“It tastes familiar,” she said.
My Motee Ba said a small prayer under her breath and smiled at Sally. Maybe this trip to the Grand Canyon would be memorable for more than one reason.
Chapter 16
Everyone seemed to be in a good mood after the meal. We shuffled back into the car, wasting a few minutes over who wanted to sit where.
Dad kept glancing at his watch.
“We’re going to be late.”
“Relax Dad, it’s just 30 or so miles to that sunset point,” Jeet said, reading from a brochure.
“Wait for a few minutes, Jeet,” Dad said grimly. “You’ll see what I mean.”
Dad took the wheel and we merged onto the road. A mile down the road, another car got in ahead of us. Cars joined the main trail road from the numerous scenic points and picnic areas that dotted the road. They were all lining up to watch the sunset, of course.
“Is there only one place to watch the sunset from?” I asked.
“There are a couple of places,” Dad said. “But you see how many people are here?”
My phone emitted some kind of beep and grew silent. I had begun to think of it as my phone now, although it was currently resting in Tony’s pocket. I looked at him hopefully and he shook his head. I guessed he wasn’t going to risk annoying Dad.
“What’s that noise?” Pappa asked.
No one said anything.
Five minutes later, we had barely covered a quarter mile. Cars stretched ahead of us bumper to bumper now.
“It’s 4 PM,” Motee Ba said.
“I know, Ba!” Dad said, frustrated.
He turned around and frowned at Pappa.
“You just had to stop and eat, didn’t you? We could have eaten after we reached Hopi Point.”
Pappa put a lid on his mouth for a change and didn’t say a word.
We covered another mile and came across more cars trying to merge in from one of the scenic overlooks. A light drizzle started and a groan went up.
“That does it!” Jeet chortled.
The phone dinged again and I forced myself to ignore it.
“We’ll have to spend one more day here if we can’t see the sunset today,” Dad began. “You can’t come to the Grand Canyon and not watch the sunset. We may never come here again!”
Tony and Jeet exchanged looks. They were getting impatient to get to the next point of the trip.
“Sounds boring,” Jeet began. “We’ve already seen all the rocks we can today.”
“We can take in a trail tomorrow,” Dad said eagerly. “Nothing too strenuous. Just a 2-3 mile one. The view changes as you head down into the cany
on, Jeet. There are vistas below that can’t be seen from the top. Don’t you remember the movie?”
“Exactly! We already saw the interior of the canyon in the movie.”
The drizzle eased up and a watery sun peeped out. Maybe it would have mercy on us after all.
There was another ding and Dad banged his hand on the steering wheel.
“What is that sound?”
“I think it’s my phone,” Tony admitted.
“There must be a missed call,” I added boldly. “The phone will keep beeping until I check it.”
Dad waved a hand in the air, giving me permission. But I noticed his ears were turning red. I grabbed the phone as soon as Tony pulled it out of his pocket and flipped it open. It wasn’t from a saved contact but the area code was Swan Creek. Then I recognized the number from that morning.
“It’s Leo,” I said, just loudly enough for Tony to hear it.
“Why is that boy calling you?” Dad demanded.
“I don’t know, Dad!”
“Didn’t I ask you to stay away from anything related to the Charlie Gibson business?”
“He just got out of jail,” Pappa explained. “Maybe…”
“What?” Dad cut him off. “That kid was in jail? How do you know that?”
Dad seemed about to burst.
“Have you been talking to that kid, Meera?”
“No!” I said, putting my arms up.
I wasn’t lying. Leo hadn’t been reachable by phone all this time.
“He’s her latest project,” Jeet butted in. “She’s talking to all kinds of people for that kid.”
Sally put a hand on Dad’s arm. Some kind of magic juice must have flowed into him. I saw him almost shake with rage but he didn’t say a thing.
I was more worried about what Leo wanted. Had there been a break in the case? Or had they arrested him again?
I held the phone up in the air and waved my arm to and fro, trying to catch a signal. A bar appeared for a fraction of a second. I pressed dial but I lost it again. Another missed call notification had come through in that time.
“Why is Leo trying to contact me now?” I wondered out loud.
My tension made me forget everything else.
“He should have reached Sylvie’s by now,” Motee Ba said.
“I’ll call the diner,” I said.
Then I remembered there was no way to do it.
“Maybe you’ll get a signal at Hopi Point,” Motee Ba offered.
Dad was silent all this time. It was a sign he was really mad at me. I would have to deal with him later.
We finally reached the parking area for the sunset point and scrambled out.
“It’s just 4:45PM, Andy. Lots of time for sunset.”
Dad pointed toward the crowds already thronging the spot. People sat along any vantage points, or stood at the railing. There didn’t seem to be any empty spots closer to the edge.
“We can enjoy the sunset from right here,” Motee Ba reasoned.
“Let’s walk over there, Granny,” Tony smiled, taking her arm. “We’ll try to squeeze in.”
“We’ll get our turn,” Pappa said, tapping his cane.
I lagged behind a couple of steps as everyone started walking to the summit. I flipped Tony’s phone open and waved my arm around once again, trying to get the phone to connect. I switched hands, restarted the phone, popped open the battery and slid it in again, and finally banged the phone against my leg in frustration.
“No use! There’s no signal here!” A guy told me as he walked across, waving his own phone in the air.
The girl with him gave him a quelling look. The guy sighed and put the phone in his pocket.
“Might as well enjoy the view,” he told me as he walked away.
We reached the railings and a couple of people moved, making room at the railing. Pappa and Motee Ba clutched it and thanked them. Now we could take turns and each get the full 270 degree view of the sun setting across the valley.
Dad looked around, trying to gather our group close. His eyes bulged when he saw me staring at the phone screen.
“Do you have no shame?” he said coldly. “Put that phone away or I swear I’ll toss it down there.”
“It’s Tony’s phone!”
Sally pulled Dad away from me and pointed to something over the horizon. Tony crossed his arm and gave me a look loaded with disappointment.
I finally gave in and slapped the phone into his hand.
The sky had darkened a bit and the sun was emitting its last few rays before going down. A rainbow split the sky and a gasp went across the crowd. People were taking pictures like crazy. Tony was taking a video, and Jeet was asking the grownups to pose for photos. A deep orange glow shone over us, and shadows played along the canyon ridges, creating a new picture every minute. The sky was a flaming canvas of orange, pink, mauve and every color in between. I felt my heartbeat slow as I took in everything. My mind cleared of every thought as the blood orange orb of the sun gradually sank out of sight.
Sally took my hand and pulled me close. Jeet had asked another tourist to take a group photo of all of us. We smiled at the camera and I realized I was grinning ear to ear.
Tony took more pictures of the Patel clan. Dad and Sally posed, and Dad asked for a picture with Sally, Jeet and me. Then Tony and I posed together.
“That’s enough,” Pappa said finally, tapping his cane. “Let’s get going.”
We turned around for a final glimpse of the canyon. No one wanted to leave. The air had turned chilly and we were shivering in our jackets. Everyone wanted something hot to drink so Tony drove to the Grand Canyon Village. We still had an important task ahead – shopping.
After adding t-shirts, caps, shot glasses, fridge magnets and other sundry items portraying the Grand Canyon to our shopping cart, and a considerable dent in Dad’s credit card, we finally started the drive back to the hotel. I had quietly picked out a T-shirt for Leo. He needed something to cheer him up after the ordeal he had been through.
We grabbed some munchies from the market and sipped hot coffee. Everyone was ready for a hot meal by the time we reached the town of Williams. We chose to have dinner at the hotel’s restaurant again. This gave us a chance to freshen up a bit.
I had completely forgotten the phone and the missed calls. Dad was purposely ignoring me but I hardly noticed. He’s preoccupied most of the time anyway. And he is also mad at me for some reason or the other.
I had ordered a traditional dinner with potatoes and vegetables. The creamy mash was heavy enough to make me drowsy. A fresh lemon meringue pie called to me and I wasn’t about to ignore it.
“Please tell me we’re not waking up at the crack of dawn tomorrow!”
We were back at the hotel, standing outside our room.
“Your Dad said we’ll meet for breakfast at 9:30,” Motee Ba assured me.
Everyone heaved a sigh of relief.
I collapsed on my bed and dozed off, too tired to think of anything. Tony was shaking me awake the next instant.
“Meera, wake up!”
“What is it? Is it morning already?”
I tried to force my eyes open. The room was dark except for a small bedside lamp and the flickering lights from the TV. Jeet was fast asleep. Tony was waving his phone in front of me.
“There’s a bunch of missed calls here. I thought you might want to check them out.”
The clock read 11 PM. I went into the bathroom and splashed some water on my face. I walked to the vending machine in the hallway and got a can of soda. The cold fizz was refreshing. I seemed to get a second wind after the short nap.
Back in the room, I stared at the list of calls I had missed. Many of them were from Leo. Why was he so desperate to get in touch?
I dialed the number in anticipation and crossed my fingers. There was no response. I redialed after waiting a couple of minutes.
I looked up at Tony, shaking my head.
“Must be asleep by now, Meera. They
are an hour ahead of us.”
I hoped that’s all it was. Why else would Leo not answer my phone?
Chapter 17
“Do you think he’s alright?” I couldn’t hide the fear in my voice.
“Of course he is. What about the other calls?”
Tony pointed at his phone. It seemed like the whole world had wanted to talk to me.
“Some are from Stan, and some are from Becky. One of these is Sylvie’s home number.”
“So maybe Leo forgot something, then he called from Sylvie’s place to let you know he was fine.”
That was one reasonable explanation, but there could be so many more.
“What about Becky?”
“Didn’t you ask her to talk to people? She’s just checking in.”
“It’s too late to call her back, I guess.”
The phone rang just then, startling us. It was Stan.
“Where have you been, Meera?” he said gruffly.
It looked like Stan wasn’t getting much sleep either.
“The phone was out of range. What’s the matter, Stan? Looks like you called. More than once.”
“I’ve been working on some of your leads,” he said.
Based on his tone, I didn’t think he had any good news.
“I checked with Charlie’s bank. He withdrew his usual 100 dollars last Wednesday. So nothing out of the ordinary there.”
There wasn’t any question of how Leo got hold of the money.
“About Don Collins,” Stan sighed. “He was having dinner with his mother that evening. And then they watched TV.”
“So they are each other’s alibi? That’s convenient.”
“And she insists she saw Leo running away.”
“Is that enough to put Leo in jail?”
“Things don’t look good for the boy, Meera. His finger prints are on the knife. A witness claims he was seen escaping from the crime scene. And no one else will speak up for him. By the way, I checked the lights. There’s a motion detector there, with a floodlight attached to it.”
“What if someone came forth saying they spotted Anna elsewhere at that time?”
“That’s just wishful thinking. What if one more person says they saw Leo jumping out of the window?”
