.....Three Years Later, 2006

….Three Years Later, 2006

By Karen Ciesielski-Motta

His feet clapped on the smooth wet sand. Its black shine made it appear metallic but still, it clung to his feet like dark rich soil. Ocean breezes assailed his nostrils bringing the smells of rotting seaweed and humid salt water mixed with a delicious aroma wafting from his to-go bag of food. Before heading to the remote Nelayan Beach on his rented e-bike he had stopped off at Hungry Bird cafe for a popular Bali meal and a cup of their locally grown and roasted coffee. Indonesia had been growing coffee since the 1600’s when beans were brought by way of Dutch traders and colonists.

His body felt relaxed and energized, his thoughts on what was to come. His long and gangly figure loped along the beach with clumsy strength . He was 170 pounds of hairless flesh and bone; as sinewy as a rawhide chew. It was his first day in Bali and Canggu was their designated meet-up. It had been three years since Brian and Mindy were together, having met in the frigid air of Murren in the Swiss Alps where they, coincidently, were getting over a broken heart. It was serendipitous and frankly, kinda weird that two jilted souls should choose a James Bond scenery to get over their heart breaks! Brian and Mindy met at the foot of Schiltoon Peak waiting to board the cable car that would glide them up the mountain with views of Mont Blanc to the left shining white in its postcard perfection. Both were intent on getting to the PizGloria revolving restaurant in order to visit the Bond World 007 exhibit.

The other factor, even weirder than the aforementioned, was their mutual need for sensory stimulation from their surroundings. They were both sensation seekers who had learned to channel their need to experience sights, sounds, smells and tastes through travel destinations guaranteed to satisfy any tactile junkie. Strangely though, their lives spent in a pool of exquisite feelings and sensations did not match their often flat and unattached feelings. They had trouble relating to other people; but give them a walk inside a bakery and they would come alive to the smells of sugar and chocolate in a fresh baked croissant. Brian became enraptured, blissful with a sublime joy of his tastebuds firing and his salivary glands gushing with a Pavlovian response. Mindy’s expression remained blank but her nose twitched and savored scents like a bunny with a carrot. Fresh baked bread, still warm, entered the olfactory cells of each and they felt an immediate sensation of orgasmic desire to eat the bread with thick gobs of butter and lingonberry jam. Or, put them in front of a romantic fireplace in a darkly cozy lodge and they would kindle a romance with the fire. Mesmerized by the red, blue and orange flames they could endlessly delight in the burning and crackling logs shooting out red sparks. Mindy and Brian would become enraptured by the shadows playing as the fire light made them dance on the floor and walls.

All this was their shared delight that led to naught but a sense of camaraderie; never more than a curious interest in what each other’s sensory reaction might be. Needless to say, their first meeting three years previous never blossomed romantically. The emotions they felt were outside of themselves as a distraction from a lost love they both felt they would never get over.

As Brian walked the deserted beach, his thoughts turned to memories of Mindy. Her soft plump arms that draped conically down to her hands; her hands with their delicate pink-tipped seashell nails balanced off her strong short fingers. Lovely. Her sad eyes (his favorite color of blue with gray flecks) drooped into a sad sack expression as her heavy lids hung half closed. Their thick blonde lashes only accentuated her sleepy look. When she smiled, which was rarely, her upper lip snarled back and exposed her faded yellow teeth. To Brian, she was a beautiful human form. She stimulated his senses when he thought of her now as he anticipated seeing her again. He was hoping that this feeling was desire and that it would continue to grow into something more this time as they were together.

For the past three years they had continued to communicate on Skype. Brian lived in Connecticut and Mindy was in Norway. A typical Skype call would entail eating something together like Pop-Rocks and then sharing their response.

“It felt like a fairy was stomping around on my tongue!”, Brian giggled.

“It has me all choked up-cough!Cough!”Mindy hacked. “I think I breathed some PopRocks into my lungs!”, she managed to choke out.

Another sensory experience with Miracle Berry tablets went awry when Brian decided to drink a glass of vinegar which tasted like sweet apple juice from the berries effect. His stomach was not fooled as his mouth was and it revolted violently, causing Brian to spew all over his laptop- short circuiting their Skype chat. Mindy was fine as she only nibbled the bitter lemon peels and grapefruit rinds. She discovered her favorite Miracle Berry sweetness induced sensation was to lick cocoa powder which magically transformed into tasting like chocolate confectioner's sugar.

Oh yes! Those were good times he reminisced as he started eating his campur bali and sipped the bitter black coffee. He sat on the damp sand staring at the steady surf and watched a sea vessel run low along the horizon.

Hearing footsteps approaching, he turned to see Mindy walking at a relaxed pace toward him, her long pink arms swinging gently to the rhythm of One two buckle my shoe, three four shut the door- the kinder rhyme chanting into his head as she moved. She carried a take-out sack with the Hungry Bird logo on it. He smiled to himself: It was happening again, those lovely coincidences of their psychic connection. After three years they were picking up and still matching their serendipitous choices.

Maybe this time some romance would enter their sensory delights? Brian was hoping so and he was not disappointed as Mindy arrived and sat down next to him. Her snarlish grin was slightly askew as she grabbed his hand and kissed it, then began kissing all the way up his arm to his shoulder, onto his neck, then cheek- finally planting a big wet one on his curry flavored lips, her blue/gray eyes never leaving his.