Chapter 25

 Later she informed him that her fiancé had gone back to Auckland after their disagreement, and how she had one more day in Sydney to herself. It was potentially dangerous information given their connection, and they decided to sit at one of the restaurants by the water and think about their next move. 

They found a place with a duo playing guitars, and heard the song “Into the Mystic” by Van Morrison echoing into the afternoon. It seemed like the perfect song in the perfect place, and he felt a mixture of excitement and caution as they took their seats.

“Look, this all seems kind of perfect, and I’m happy to be spending time with you again,” he said. “But I’m still not clear where we stand. Maybe you can help me out?”

“Look John. We didn’t decide anything permanent if that’s what you’re asking, but I don’t love him and I don’t want to be with him. But like I said, in our culture, it’s complicated. Can’t we just enjoy the gift of this day together? We don’t get an unlimited supply you know.”

He thought for a moment about what she said, and realized that he did in fact agree with her. Life had taught him that much. But his instincts were also telling him something else. Warning him.

“The truth is I’d love nothing more than to sit here and enjoy some wine, some Van Morrison, this beautiful day. And you. Mostly you. But really everything I said all those months ago remains the same. I don’t think it’s right to steal someone's hope. So help me understand. Why don’t you just end things with your partner if you don’t love him anymore?”

“I know that sounds easy for you, but for us it goes back to our lives in India. Our parents. Everyone who knows us. I am a doctor and a professor and an author, but in their minds I would still be damaged goods if I walked away from him now.”

He was about to respond when he heard The Piano Man coming from the stage. Billy Joel. The music he had fallen in love to so many years ago back in Chicago. He’d had enough of the conversation for right now, and grabbed her hand and whisked her to the front of the stage for a dance.

They danced cheek to cheek to the song, and sang along with the rest of the crowd.

‘And we’re sharing a drink they called loneliness

Cause it’s better than drinking alone.’

Right now, dancing with this beautiful woman under the crisp blue Sydney sky, was indeed better than drinking alone.