Later that afternoon, he visited me on the terrace. He smiled as we sat down.
‘Miss Kelsey, how are you faring? These burdens you’re facing must weigh very heavily on you, especially now that we know we have more journeys to take.’
‘I’m okay, really. What’s a little bug juice between friends?’
He smiled, but then his expression became serious again. ‘If you ever feel pushed too far . . . I just . . . don’t want to endanger you. You have become very important to me.’
‘It’s alright, Mr. Kadam. Don’t worry. This is what I was born to do, right? Besides, Ren needs my help. If I don’t help him, he’ll be stuck as a tiger forever.’
Mr. Kadam smiled and patted my hand. ‘You’re a very brave and courageous young lady. A finer lady I haven’t met in a long, long time. I hope Ren sees how lucky he is.’
I blushed and looked out at the pool.
He continued, ‘From what I have gathered so far, we need to go to Hampi next. That distance is entirely too far for the two of you to go alone. I will accompany you on the journey. We’ll leave at first light tomorrow. I want you to rest as much as you can today. You still have a few hours of daylight left. You should relax. Perhaps take a swim. Do something for yourself.’
After Mr. Kadam left, I thought about what he’d said. A swim would be relaxing.
Changing into a swimsuit, I slathered sunscreen over me as best I could and dove into the cool water.
I swam several laps and then flipped over on my back and looked up at the palm trees. They towered over the pool, and I lazily floated in and out of their shade. The sun had dipped down to tree level, but the air was still warm and pleasant. I heard a noise from the side of the pool and saw Ren lying at the edge watching me swim.
I ducked under the surface, swam up close to where he was, and then popped out of the water.
‘Hey, Ren.’ I splashed him and laughed.
The white tiger just harrumphed at me, blowing out some air.
‘Come on. Don’t want to play, huh? Okay, suit yourself.’
I swam several more laps and finally decided I’d better go in because my fingers had turned into wrinkled prunes. Wrapping a towel around my body and hair, I made my way up the steps to shower. I emerged from the bathroom to see Ren lying on the rug. There was a silvery blue rose on my pillow.
‘Is this for me?’
Ren made a tiger noise that seemed to mean yes.
Crushing the flower to my nose, I inhaled the sweet fragrance deeply and flipped over on my stomach to look at the tiger at the side of my bed.
‘Thank you, Ren. It’s beautiful!’ I kissed him on the top of his furry head, scratched him behind the ears, and laughed as he leaned into the scratch. ‘Would you like me to read you some more Romeo and Juliet?’
He lifted a paw and placed it on my leg.
‘I guess that means yes. Okay, let’s see. Where were we? Ah, Act II, Scene III. Enter Friar Lawrence and then Romeo.’
We had just finished the scene when Romeo kills Tybalt when Ren interrupted.
‘Romeo was a fool,’ Ren said, suddenly back in human form. ‘His big mistake was not announcing the marriage. He should have told both families. Keeping the marriage a secret will ruin Romeo. Secrets like that can be the downfall of any man. They’re often more destructive than the sword.’
Ren sat there quietly, wrapped in his own thoughts.
I asked softly, ‘Should I continue?’
He shook off his momentary melancholy and smiled. ‘Please.’
I repositioned myself to sit up against the headboard and pulled a pillow on my lap. He changed back into a tiger and leapt up onto the foot of the bed. He stretched out on his side at the bottom of the huge mattress.
I started reading again. Every time I read something Ren didn’t like, he flicked his tail in annoyance.
‘Quit twitching, Ren! You’re tickling my toes!’
That statement only inspired him to do it more. When I got to the end of the play, I closed the book and peeked at Ren to see if he was still awake. He was, and he’d changed back to a man again. He was still lying on his side at the foot of the bed with his head propped up on his arm.
I asked, ‘What did you think? Were you surprised at the ending?’
Ren considered his answer. ‘Yes and no. Romeo made some bad deci-sions throughout the entire play. He was more worried about himself than his wife. He didn’t deserve her.’
‘Does the ending bother you that much? Most people focus on the romance of it, the tragedy that they could never be together. I’m sorry if you didn’t like it.’
Ren’s thoughtful faced brightened. ‘On the contrary, I quite enjoyed it. I haven’t had someone to talk with about plays or poetry in . . . well, since my parents died. I used to write poetry myself, in fact.’
I admitted softly, ‘Me too. I miss having someone to talk with.’
Ren’s handsome face lit up in a warm smile, and I suddenly became preoccupied with a string on my sleeve. He hopped off the bed, picked up my hand, and bowed deeply.
‘Perhaps I will read some of my poetry to you next time.’
He flipped my hand over and pressed a soft, lingering kiss on my palm. His eyes twinkled with mischief. ‘I leave you with a holy palmer’s kiss. Goodnight, Kelsey.’
Ren quietly closed the door behind him, and I tugged the covers up to my chin. My palm still tingled where he’d kissed it. I smelled my rose again, smiled, and tucked it into the arrangement on my dresser.
Wiggling under my covers, I sighed dreamily and fell asleep.
13
Waterfall
The next morning I got up and found a half-full backpack by my door with a note from Mr. Kadam. It said that I should pack three or four days’ worth of clothes and to include my swimsuit.
The swimsuit, hung overnight, was dry now. I tossed it in my bag, included a towel for good measure, piled the rest of my things on top of that, and made my way downstairs.
Mr. Kadam and Ren were already in the Jeep when I hopped in. As soon as my seatbelt clicked Mr. Kadam handed me a breakfast bar and a bottle of juice and sped off.
‘What’s the hurry?’ I asked.
He answered, ‘Ren has added a detour to our trip and would like to stop somewhere on the way. The plan is to drop the two of you off for a few days and then return to pick you up later. After that, we will proceed to Hampi.’
‘What kind of a detour?’
‘Ren would prefer to explain it to you himself.’
‘Hmm.’
From the look on his face, I knew that no matter how I wheedled him, Mr. Kadam would not divulge any details. I decided to set aside my curiosity about the future and focus on the past instead.
‘Since we’re in for a long drive, why don’t you tell me more about yourself, Mr. Kadam? What was your life like growing up?’
‘Alright. Let me see. I was born twenty-two years before Ren in June 1635. I was an only child born to a military family of the Kshatriya caste. So, it was natural for me to be trained to enter the military.’
‘What’s a Kshatriya caste?’
‘India has four castes, or varnas, similar to different social classes: the Brahmins are teachers, priests, and scholars; the Kshatriyas are rulers and protectors; the Vaishyas are farmers and traders; and the Shudras are craft workers and servants. There are also different levels in each caste.
‘People of different castes never mingled with one another during any part of their life. Their entire life was lived within their own group. Though officially outlawed for the last fifty years or so, the caste system is still practiced in several parts of the country.’
‘Was your wife from the same caste as you?’
‘It was easier for me to continue my role as a retired soldier who was highly favored by the king, so the answer is yes.’
‘But was it an arranged marriage? I mean, you loved her, right?’
‘Her parents arranged it, but we were happy together for the time allotted to us.’
I stared at the road ahead of us for a moment and then glanced at Ren, who was napping in the back.