Mr. Kadam raised his eyebrow and smiled. ‘It would appear so.’
I looked over at the tiger and grinned. ‘See, Ren, you’re a hero! You’re one of the good guys!’ Ren pricked his ears forward and blinked his eyes, watching me. ‘Thanks for sharing that story with me. I will definitely be writing about that in my journal.’
I tried to pull him back to my original question, ‘But, it still doesn’t explain why your employer is interested in tigers.’
He cleared his throat while looking at me obliquely, stalling for a moment. For someone so eloquent, he fumbled awkwardly through his next words. He answered, ‘My employer has a special connection with this white tiger. You see, he feels he is to blame for the tiger’s imprisonment – no, that is too harsh a word – for his capture. My employer allowed himself to be ensnared in a situation that led to the tiger being caged and sold. He has followed the tiger’s where---abouts for the last few years, and now he’s finally in a position to make amends.’
‘Huh. That’s very interesting. It was his fault that Ren was captured in the first place? It’s very kind of him to continue to be concerned about an animal’s welfare like that. Please thank him for what he’s doing for Ren.’
He bowed his head toward me in acknowledgment, then, hesitating, fixed a somber gaze on me and queried, ‘Miss Kelsey, I hope it’s not too forward of me to ask, but I need someone to accompany the tiger on his journey to India. I will not be able to tend to his daily needs or even travel with him for the entire journey. I have already asked Mr. Davis if he could accompany Dhiren, but he must stay here with the circus.’ He leaned forward on the stool and gestured slightly with his hands. ‘I would like to offer you that job. Would you be interested?’
I stared at his hands for a moment, thinking that a man such as he should have long, tapered, manicured fingers, but his fingers were thick and calloused, like a man accustomed to hard labor.
Mr. Kadam leaned forward. ‘The tiger is already used to you, and I can pay you a good wage. Mr. Davis suggested you as a likely candi-date and mentioned that your temporary employment here is almost at an end. If you choose to accept the job, I can assure you that my employer would appreciate having someone who can care for the tiger better than I can. The entire trip should take about a week, but I have been instructed to pay for your entire summer. I know that doing this for me will take you away from your home and delay your search for a new position elsewhere, so you will be duly compensated.’
‘What exactly would I have to do? Wouldn’t I need a passport and other paperwork done?’ I asked.
He inclined his head toward me. ‘I can, of course, arrange all the preliminaries for the trip. The three of us would fly to Mumbai, what you might still call Bombay. Upon arrival, I must stay in town on business, and you would then continue to accompany the tiger on the drive to the reserve. I will hire drivers and loaders to assist you on the journey. Your primary responsibility will be to care for Ren, feed him, and see to his comfort.’
‘And then . . . ?’
‘The journey over land is about ten to twelve hours one way. After you arrive at the reserve, you would stay there for a few days to ensure he is acclimating well to his new environment and comparative freedoms. I would purchase a return plane ticket from Jaipur, so that you will be able to ride the Jaipur tour bus that goes from the reserve to the airport, then fly to Mumbai and home from there, making your return trip a little bit shorter.’
‘So it would be about a week altogether?’ I asked.
He replied, ‘You can choose to either fly back home immediately or, if you like, you may stay on vacation in India for a few days and enjoy touring before you go home. Rest assured, I would provide for all of your travel as well as any other necessary accommodations along the way.’
I blinked and stammered, ‘That’s a very generous offer. Yes, my position here at the circus is almost at an end, and I would have to start looking for a new job very soon.’
I bit my lip and started pacing, mumbling indecisively to myself as much as to him. ‘India’s very far away. I’ve never been out of the country before, so the idea of it is both exciting and scary at the same time. Can I think about it and let you know? When do you need for me to give you an answer?’
‘The sooner you say yes, the sooner I can make the necessary arrangements.’
‘Alright. Let me call my foster parents and talk with Mr. Davis to see what they think about all this, and then I’ll let you know for sure.’
Mr. Kadam nodded and mentioned that Mr. Maurizio knew how to contact him when I was ready to inform him of my decision. He also said that he would be around the circus for the rest of the afternoon finalizing paperwork.
With jumbled thoughts, I grabbed my things and walked back to the main building. India? I’ve never been to a foreign country before. What if I can’t communicate with anyone? What if something bad happens to Ren while he’s under my care?
Despite all the what ifs that were rolling around my brain, a part of me was seriously contemplating Mr. Kadam’s offer. It was very tempting to spend a little more time with Ren, plus I’d always wanted to visit a foreign country. I could have a mini summer vacation and be paid too. Plus, Mr. Kadam didn’t strike me as one of those creepy men with bad intentions. In fact, he seemed trustworthy and grandfatherly.
I decided to ask Mr. Davis’s opinion and found him teaching the dogs a new trick. He confirmed that Mr. Kadam had offered him the same job and that he’d been tempted to do it.
‘I think it would be a great experience for you. You’re terrific with animals, especially with Ren. If that’s something you think you’d like to focus on in a future career, then you should consider it. The job would look good on a résumé.’
Thanking him, I decided to call Sarah and Mike, who wanted to meet Mr. Kadam, check his credentials, and find out what kinds of safety measures he planned to use. They suggested throwing an impromptu birthday party for me at the circus so they could celebrate with me and meet Mr. Kadam at the same time.
After taking some time to think about the pros and cons, I felt my excitement for the trip melt away my nerves. I really would like to go to India and see Ren settled on the tiger reserve. It would be an opportunity to do something that I’d never get the chance to do again.
I walked back to the tiger cage and found Mr. Kadam already there. He was alone and appeared to be talking quietly to the tiger again.
I guess he likes talking to tigers as much as I do.
Just inside the door, I paused. ‘Mr. Kadam? My foster parents would like to meet you and wanted me to invite you to my birthday celebration tonight. They’re bringing cake and ice cream after the eve-ning performance. Can you come?’
His face lit up with a radiant, delighted smile. ‘Wonderful! I would love to come to your party!’
‘Don’t get too excited. They’re likely to bring soy ice cream and gluten-free, sugar-free cupcakes.’ I laughed.
After speaking to him, I called my family to finalize the plans.
Sarah, Mike, and the kids came early to watch the show and were thoroughly impressed with Ren’s performance. They loved meeting everyone. Mr. Kadam was polite and charming and told them that it would be impossible to accomplish his task without my help.
‘I assure you that we will be in constant communication and Kelsey can call you at any time,’ he said.