So, can you?
“I don't know. I was trying to go home, just in case I could. Then I thought of you. I saw your face in my mind and boom - “
Poof.
“Boom, I'm here.”
Poof.
“What?”
Poof, it's called 'Poof.'”
“Fine, poof, I'm here.”
Thank you. Just to me? My stomach hurts. Does yours?
“No.”
Huh. That doesn't seem fair.
“Shut up. Every time you poof I feel it.”
“So, it's him? He's causing it?” chimes Jamish.
“Yeah, I think so.”
“Well that's annoying.”
“Can you come back here now, Penny?”
“Yeah, Quiche. Sorry.”
The two women make their way back to the living room and plop down on the sofas. As they do, the drinks in their glasses swirl and crash against the side shooting upward. As the beverage falls back down into the thin flute, a single droplet of Prosecco juts up and out and falls toward Penelope's leg. She calls out, “Diego.” Poof, to the kitchen she goes. The droplet lands softly onto the seat cushion.
Ow, stop.
“Don't you wish. Why can I only go to you? Can you go anywhere?”
Yeah.
“That doesn't seem fair.”
“It's not. I can't even go to him. He can come to me though. I was driving and he showed up in my car. Freaked the hell out of me.”
You screamed.
“No, I didn't.”
“Penny, can you come back here? Please.”
“Sorry, Qisha. I'm coming.”
Oh my god. We weren't introduced. Penelope, Qisha, this is Jamish, and I am Diego.
The three offer a sheepish, “Hi.”
Great. Now we're all friends. I have an idea. You like Indian food? Desserts, specifically?
“Who me? Yeah. I went to India when I was a kid. My aunt married this Indian guy and they had a party for like a week. There was this dessert, Gulab - “
Gulab Jamun! Yes, I love those. It's early in India. We could get some fresh ones.
“How?”
I have an idea. I think we are connected. Not you and me, but all of us. The stomach aches and such whenever one of us poofs.
“I can't poof, I just get the stomach aches.”
“I don't like this idea, Pen. Please don't.”
“Don't what?”
Come with me to India. Here, lemme search for a place that has them. Diego begins searching through candy shops that carry the sweet milky treat. Here! I found one. It's called Standard Burfee. Just think of India. I don't want to make my way there from Thailand. Besides, you guys will hate me.
“I guess. We were in New Dehli.”
Oh man, good thing I only looked there.
“Um, you do know India is huge, right? It has over a billion people. A billion,” Qisha says as she makes her way to the kitchen, Prosecco bottle in her left hand and her stemless flute in her right.
Jamish raises his whiskey and nods at her,“He doesn't think much before he speaks.”
Um, rude. Both of you. Yes, I know it's big. The map I have in my room says it's about the size of Texas, and I've been there.
“Texas!? Are you kidding? Check your privilege. India is much larger than those Western maps portray.”
Oh? My bad.
“Yeah, it is your bad. You need to think before you speak.”
“Cheers to that. I like your new friends, Diego. Oh, and Qisha, is it? Feel free to call me by my actual name, James. Diego is really the only person that calls me Jamish.”
Can we just get back to dessert?
“Sure. I remember a hotel. Imperial something or other.”
Okay. Let me search it on my phone. Yeah, there's a place called The Imperial New Dehli. It's not even that far from the sweet shop. Awesome! Now just really picture it in your mind. Let's see if I can make my way there.
“Fine. I remember the color of the building. There was this planter in the lobby and a big blue couch.”
Stay there. Just focus on the couch.
“It was curved. Nobody was sitting on it. There were so many people there and nobody was sitting. It was soft to the touch, like suede. It was one long cushion. I traced it with my fingers from one end to the next. Then I went back and sat down in the center.”
What did you see when you sat down?
“There was the front desk. There were clocks from all over the world.”
Wow, that's a great memory. Very vivid. The Imperial. The Imperial. The Imperial.
On the third, he disappeared. The three that remained froze. Jamish and Penelope's stomachs turned for a moment, but they were mostly used to that by now. Qisha seemed unfazed and surreptitiously takes a sip from the bottle in her left hand.
Diego, now sitting on a couch in New Dehli shouts in glee. Security is quick to notice and asks him politely to quiet down. He approaches the desk and asks for the WiFi password to map himself to the dessert shop. The woman behind the counter smiles widely and offers the guest password. Diego returns the pleasantry and then dives into his phone to map himself to his final destination. He pushes the door leading out onto the street and begins poofing along until he reaches the shop. Standing out front, he closes his eyes and tries to call out into the ether for Penelope. Penny. I'm here. I don't know if you can hear me, but please, come.
Several minutes pass and the three that remain in the apartment stand in awkward silence for several minutes.
“Um, Pen, why do you remember that so well?”
“That was the last time I saw my aunt and her new husband. She was my favorite aunt and she stayed there.”
The kitchen, again silent, begins to fill with anticipation. Penelope stands from her seat and places her glass on the table. “I think he's calling me. Do you guys feel that?”
“I sure don't. You better not leave me here with James.”
“I don't feel any more at ease about this than she does. Yes, please stay.”
“I'll be right back.” Penelope closes her eyes, breathes in deeply and as she exhales the sounds of the room heighten. Then silence for a split second, followed by the warmth of the sun enveloping her and the bustle of the street filling her ears. She opens her eyes and standing before her is Diego. Excited, he grabs her hand and pulls her into the sweet shop.
Look! You made it! I made it! I can't believe it. I called you. You came. Did you hear me?
“No. I just sort of felt like you wanted me to come. I didn't even think it was real or possible. I just closed my eyes and thought of you.”
You thought of me?
“Well, your name. I said your name. And here I am.”
Oh. Well, I'm glad you made it. Think we can get Jamish and Qisha here?
“I have no idea. Let's just get the desserts and go home.”
Fine. I already did though. Now, let's go home.
As the word home rolls off his tongue and falls from his lips, their eyes fight to adjust to the moderately lit kitchen from the brightness of the sun that beat on them moments ago. Jamish and Qisha are there and again, the sound of silence fills the room. The flicker of the fire beneath the pot of potatoes battles the rolling boil in the pot on top of it. The sizzle of the meat against the skillet provides a steady backdrop to the symphony of dinner. They all take turns catching each other’s gaze. The resolution of connectedness fills their hearts and weighs on them.
“Um. What now?” Jamish offers to break the silence.
Well, let's start by eating these Gulab Jamun, while we wait on dinner. When it's ready, we sit down and have a nice meal, then maybe play a board game or two.
They all nod in approval. Penny and Qisha head back to their seats in the living room, Jamish goes back to preparing dinner. Diego sits down for a brief moment before unpacking the treats and passing them out.
Jamish calls from the kitchen, “Would you ladies like some Scotch? I know you have that Prosecco, but we have a couple bottles of Scotch.”
“Quiche, you want whiskey?”
“You open your bottle yet?”
“No, I just had some of yours.”
Loudly, Qisha calls back, “No thank you, we're good.”
“Okay, if you change your mind, it's here.”
In a hushed tone, “I don't know why you're trusting them.”
“Look, me either, but I was just in India. India. I was there. Forget that we were just at home like an hour ago. Besides, you know me, if I can monetize this, I sure as shit will.”
“That's my girl. I love you.”
Diego comes in with a small plate in hand, places it down on the coffee table next to them. The crackle of the needle tickling the spinning record at the end of its recording fills the room. Diego looks over, Ever heard of the Harmonicats? This is a piano only instrumental of some of their work. He makes his way over to the record player. He lifts the cover, resets the needle and pauses a moment as it begins to play. He turns back to his guests and looks for approval. They wait a moment and then pinch their lips together and nod. Content, Diego retrieves his controller and turns off his game system. He takes one of the treats from the plate and eats it whole. He sits down in one of the comfy chairs and traces the shape of the room with his eyes to avoid looking at Penelope and Qisha. They return to whispers and sip their drinks to the sounds of the record player.