A Woman of Substance (Rev)

The fisherboat had just passed between huge boulders near the shore of the tiny island. Kalibri was said to be the visible top of an submerged mountain that jutted up above the ocean.
Ajay turned towards the fisherman who had taken him over in his small boat and told him to be back on the Monday at 10 am a week later. The man muttered  muffled "yes boss", touched his cap briefly and sailed his craft back across the expanse of sea to the mainland.

Ajay picked up his back pack and headed up the slope towards four rather lonely looking houses standing there . After he had knocked at the first one, a rather old lady, shrugging her shoulders indecisively suggested that he should go to the fourth house. which was empty. He could sleep there

For the next six days, Ajay walked around the upper regions of the peak. First of all, he'd been struck by the total absence of sound. There were no blaring radios nor the sound of hooting cars. Even the pounding waves were too far away to be heard. Slowly but surely he was becoming totally at peace and began to think about the true meaning of life. He also began to think about where his own life was heading.
Soon he began to have outrageous ideas. He felt sure that a tree that he had seen was really a "philosopher's tree" and that he should sit under it and have a Plato-like question and answer discourse. He did so and immediately ran into trouble.

Question one was "are you happy?" and although he immediately answered yes to that he was then immediately beset by a great feeling of uncertainty. The question began to haunt him.
Question two was "why do you get up in the morning?" At that moment, he realised that he really had no reason to do so. It dawned on him that his life was a joke. Even his three girl friends were really a kind of farcical status symbol.

The days passed slowly and by the sixth day he had nearly completed his circuit of the mountain top and he was on his final way down.
That was when he spotted a sign half hidden in some shrubbery. It read "Shoemaker". Filled with curiosity and with a little time on his hands, he followed the little path indicated. Soon he passed a wheat field, some apple trees, a vegetable patch and a flower garden. He heard the cackling of chickens and ringing of cow bells. There was obviously a well run small farm nearby.

Then he came to a log cabin house with a large verandah. After he had knocked on the door he was taken aback by what he saw when it was opened. He stared at the woman in the door way without making any movement while his mind raced at high speed. He felt strangely excited It was as if he was suddenly far away doing something very thrilling like water skiing and diving off a cliff into a mountain pool.
Making a supreme mental effort, he brought himself back to the present. He looked at the woman. She was not that pretty and her figure was just so so. But her eyes. Wow! Her eyes. They were deep. They were mysterious. Only after a while did he become aware that she was speaking.
"Hello"
"Oh I'm sorry. Yes hello."
"Did you want to see the shoemaker?"
"Yes yes. That's it. The shoemaker."
"Do you want a pair of shoes."
"Yes absolutely. A pair of shoes."
"Walking or business?"
"Business please."
"Well that's OK then. Please sit down. You

The scones were delicious and the tea was superb. He had never realised that tea could have such a stimulating fragrance. Somehow intoxicating. His mind once again wandered off and he had to pull himself back to the present again.
"Excuse me madam. Do you want to measure my feet now?"
"My name is Kestri, by the way. No I don't measure feet. We'll talk for a while and then I'll know what kind of shoes you'll need."

"That's funny. You don't measure? You just talk? What will we talk about?"
"Oh anything. What about art? What kind of art do you like?"
"Art? I've never thought about it. Wait. I've heard about the Mona Lisa."
"Ah yes, what a masterpiece? What about the Impressionists. Or what about Persian art? Is that more in your line?"
"No, I can't say that. I find that when I look at Persian art my eyes travel all over the place. There's no main area to focus on Perhaps I just don't know enough about it."

"Hmmmm...that's really a very interesting observation. To the untrained eye there's some truth in that. Do you know that there's an artist that I despise and that I'd gladly attack with all my might. He's a most diabolical beast. Do you know whom I mean?"
"No. No idea."
"Well it's Picasso. Do you know that three people around him committed suicide and in the end he began to draw the most vile drawings ever put down on canvas."
"Oh. Is that so? You know, I never knew that."

"Well then another thing. Tell me what kind of music do you like?"
"Music. Oh hell. Rhythm and blues. Pink Floyd. Stuff like that.
"What about some of those Bollywood melodies?"
"Yes several spring to mind. I Iiked some numbers in Lagaan and Pardes."
"And what about that great musical Sur?"
"Oh hell yes. There were some incredible music pieces in that movie."

She looked at me with what aeemed to be an increasing interest.
"You know I was immediately sure that we shared that love."
"Now tell me what you think of this?"
"What?"
"I'll show you. Wait. I'll have to go and get something from inside."

She came back after a few minutes holding a nut brown violin. She stood on the lawn facing away from him looking towards the sea some distance away. She probably didn't play for longer than a minute before she turned to face him again.
As she smiled, he felt that he had become weightless. He felt himself drifting away. In desperation he grabbed onto the sides of his chair to steady himself.
She burst out laughing. To him it was a most beautiful sound.
"Don't worry Ajay. It's all settled. I know what shoes to make for you."
"I'll make some supper and then you go to bed. There's a spare room here. Don't worry. There are no neighbours here to gossip about you."

The next morning Ajay awoke early, washed and shaved. He dressed. Combed his hair and walked out onto the verandah. He was surprised to see Kestri already there staring intently away into the distance. Without turning her head she said "sit down and let's have breakfast".
She then walked over to a side table and picked up a pair of brand new shoes.
Ajay stared at her. "My god, don't tell me that they're ready?"
"Yes they are. My father, who taught me, insisted that I should never keep a customer waiting."
As Ajay took the shoes, he stared in wonder at Kestri. She seemed to have become quite attractive in the meantime. His eyes traveled over her body involuntarily.
She told him to put whatever he thought the shoes were worth in a ceramic jar on the side table. Ajay did so, said a hurried farewell and then walked down to the rocks where the fisher boat would soon be arriving.

Ajay wore his new shoe to work every day. He now had a pleasant word for everyone. This was something new. Often he would go over to the learners and help solve one or other problem. They were all surprised by this as he had never done so before.
He then phoned his one girl friend and asked her if they could go somewhere so that they could discuss a book of John Donne poetry that he had bought. He asked his second girl friend to go with him to see a movie on the life of Vincent van Gogh. His third girl friend was stunned when he invited her to an evening of Ghazal music. All three began to look at him askance and wonder about him.

He began to stay at home more often than before and could not stop reading book after book. In fact, he found it so difficult to put the books down that he would read until late at night. Sometimes came to work with dark rings under his eyes.
He began to enjoy his new more serious lifestyle but there was an increasing restlessness. He could not find an inner peace. He was being driven by an irresistible force. As a result, a month after he had returned to the city, Ajay was again at the small harbour bargaining with a fisherman to take him over to the island.

There he raced up the slope of the hill, down the small path and was soon knocking on the door of the log cabin. When Kestri appeared in the doorway he was overcome by her appearance. He wondered whether he was beginning to imagine things. Her face was radiant and she had the figure of a Bollywood star.
She smiled. "Ajay you always take so long to say Hi."
"Oh I'm so sorry. Am I being rude? Hello Kestri. How are you?"
"I'm fine...and I can see that you're too. Go and sit down and I'll bring some tea."

Once again he seemed to become intoxicated by the fragrance of the fresh tea,
He could hardly restrain himself. "Kestri. I've so much to tell you. Do you know what? I've been to an art exhibition. Do you know the Russian artist Ripon"?
"Oh Ajay. What a treat that must have been."
"And you won't believe what I've been reading. Books and books."
"That's such great news. Tell me about your shoes. How do they fit you?"
"They're magical. I can't wait to put them on in the mornings. When I wear them everything goes right. In fact, I've come for more shoes. I want two pairs of boots, two more pairs of business shoes and two pairs of sandals."

"Oh my. That's a big order. You'll have to stay two nights if you want all that."
"It's OK Kestri. I'll stay three nights. Don't want to stress you."
'Well that's a deal then. You know where your room is. The orchard is full of fruit and the chickens are laying like never before. We won't be short of anything."
"Kestri, you're a marvelous woman."
"Ah Ajay, That's the first compliment that you've ever paid me. Thank you."
"Is that really so. Well it won't be the last, I assure you."
"I'd like that."

For two nights she worked diligently. During the day they walked through the fields together. They discussed everything under the sun. From politics to environmental issues. Sometimes they wondered how various artists would paint the sunset that they were looking at. Once when Ajay mentioned Picasso she gave him a playful punch and asked him not to mention that name again.
On the evening of the third day, she announced with a broad smile that she had no work for that night as she had completed the whole order the night before.
"So we have a night with no pressing engagements."
"Yes. Isn't that wonderful? Why don't we sit on the bench and talk. The sun is setting and soon the moon will be above us."

They sat close enough together for him to feel her warmth. He put his arm around her and attempted to draw her closer to him. She turned to look him squarely into his eyes.
"What will you do if I say don't do that?"
"Oh I'll move away."
"Is that what you would have done with your other girl friends?"
"Oh hell no. I wouldn't have taken their no for an answer."
"Well now you did."
"I'll tell you Kestri. It's different with you."
"How so?"
"It's because you're a woman of substance."
"Is that what you truly feel?"
"Yes. With all my heart."
"Then hold me."