Perspective - Part 1

My journey started on a beautiful day not far from the mountains. Lingering warmth of the summer radiated the courtyard with a slight nip in the air, promising imminent cooler season. I sat in a chair in the meeting room, nestled in clear plastic. My red coat with its charcoal trim shone as I proudly displayed the beautifully carved lettering on my cover, “Porsche”.

I was in Stuttgart, Germany at a Porsche plant, anticipating the arrival of my new owners. As a forgotten object, I sat, waited, and sat some more until finally the room poured in with people. A couple, perhaps in their 30s or 40s sat next to me, my existence unacknowledged. My patience wearied as I aspired to be free of the plastic wrapping. Finally, the woman reached for me, tore open my suffocating thin layer and held me with both of her hands. She examined me from back to front, tickled me as she unzipped and rezipped my many compartments, and nodded with approval. For me, it was love and I vowed to stay strong for her always. Our adventure was just beginning and I smiled with satisfaction.

Soon we were escorted out of the room towards our car. They threw me in the back, bucket seat and soon I felt the vibrations of that sweet engine pulse through me. Our journey lasted four days through narrow paths, steep climbs, sharp turns, tiny mountain villages, and the vistas, oh so memorable. The Swiss Alps edged by the mighty black forest with their tall pines and the placid lakes placed secretly within the bosom of the peaks drew shrieks of delight from my owners. We made stops for lunches on top of hills in the wine country town in Italy, by the famous waterfalls in Germany, and even a bathroom break in Austria where the men went in the woods.

Nighttime I sat in the dark in my bucket seat, protected against the sweet but chilled air of the high altitude of Switzerland. Night insects orchestrated their symphonies until dawn, when they passed the baton to the cows who grazed the hills. Bells hanging from their necks resounded the sound of their music through the hills, waking everyone up. Other nights the morning sounds of a village waking up in a tucked away mountainous corner of Bavaria entered my sleepless senses. Our last night was back in my hometown, Stuttgart where after an emotional farewell to the Porsche – our beloved car, I carried its emblem along for the rest of my journey.

To be continued...

 

Anaya - Conclusion

She closed down her store a little early and decided to go see him at his parlor before he closed up. She found the shop locked up, but a light still shown inside. Using her keys she entered, and finding the store-front empty, she went to the backroom. Nestled in empty boxes she found a couple, half dressed and in embrace. She recognized Kris’s dark, curly hair, but didn’t recognize the man kissing her husband.

She quietly slipped out and went for a long walk. Reaching the hospital park, now empty, she sat on a bench. In darkness she sat for how long, she did not know. A soft breeze ruffled her hair and nudged the clouds above to reveal a full moon. Light flooded the ground, the bench, Anaya, as she stood up and walked home.

Her mind made up, she set to work early next morning. Her plan unfolded as she researched, talked to experts and filed applications. Without revealing her insight, her intent, her plan, she registered for classes and setup meetings and exam dates. Discreetly, she hired a manager to staff her ice cream parlor as she spent more time away from her store. Routine at home continued as always until the day she received the letter she awaited so eagerly. Yes, she had been admitted into the 7-year program on her path to the field of medicine.

She called a meeting with her husband one evening, all her paperwork in order, her accounts balanced, detailed proposal charted and action plan outlined. She had put her store on the market and had received several offers. She needed his signatures on several documents - the divestiture of their business and of their personal partnership. She informed him of her awareness of his secret, and promised to keep it as such, while setting him free. In return, his promise to her was to continue running the business and sending her parents their paycheck, without informing them of this change. She promised not to interfere in his life and hoped he abstained from prying into hers, but her parents should not hear a word of their new arrangement.

Kris complied, happy to be free from pretense, while keeping his dignity in front of her traditional parents.   He continued to stay in the house which still belonged to his ex-wife. Anaya packed up and moved into campus housing, five years later than she had intended, but on her terms. She invested the proceeds from the sale of her share of the business into liquid, safe ventures, and dived head first into her college books.

Anaya was to follow her dream and embark upon a path of her own choosing, without fear, obligation or guilt to torment her. A dense fog finally lifted and she was free.

 

 

 

The End