Being a poor judge of age,I guessed the Boatman to be somewhere in his mid to late seventies. His beard,long and white, flowed halfway down his chest,complimenting his shoulder-length, gray hair. He was dressed in a long saffron colored robe with a blue headband circling his forehead. He seemed to be in excellent physical condition. Although he was definitely of Indian lineage, his deep, resonant voice spoke impeccable English with a slight British accent.
?It's so good to see you, John,? he continued, looking straight into my eyes.
?What a beautiful accent you have,? I said, following quickly with, ?Will you please join us for dinner??
?Not tonight, thank you,? he replied. ?And the accent is leftover from my Oxford and Cambridge days.?
I turned to Pandayji and pleaded, ?Pandayji, please make him stay. Gideon and Marla will also be joining us for dinner. It would be wonderful for all of us. Please, it won't be any problem.?
Pandayji's eyes lit up as he heard that Gideon and Marla would join us. ?Why don't you stay for dinner, Boatman? It would be nice to meet John's other friends.?
?I really would like to,? replied Boatman, ?But I have some appointments to keep. If more people would walk on water, there would be no need for boatmen, or,? and he laughed, ?if you prefer, boat persons. However, I have a little gift for you, John?
He handed me a small package wrapped in lovely blue paper.?Take this,? he said, ?I think you've been looking for it for a long time. It's only a tiny gift, but I wanted you to have it. But you must promise me you won't open it until dinner.?
?Thank you,? I said as I took the gift, ?Thank you. I promise I won't open it till then. I wish you could stay.?
?I must go now,? he replied.?I'll probably see you again before you leave. But if not, then sometime, somewhere.? He turned to Pandayji saying, ?Thank you, Panday, for giving me the opportunity to meet him. I'm very grateful. See you soon.? He bowed, turned and left.
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?It was great to see her again, but it was totally unexpected. She explained a number of things and said that you would tell me about my financial situation and how best to handle it. And, of course, there's this great secret you keep mentioning. I'm so tired of hearing about it. Isn't it about time that you tell me what it is?? I looked from Marla to Gideon and back again.
?We'll see you at dinner to discuss some of this,? Gideon said.
?Pandayji will be meeting me for dinner. I'm sure he'd love to meet both of you. You were having a long conversation with him last night and, yet, he didn't seem to remember either of you this morning.?
?Thus far,? replied Gideon, ?he has only seen us in his dreams. At dinner this evening, he will get to see us with you. Not to worry. It'll be fun.?
Both of them stood up as Gideon continued,?We'll see ourselves out. Don't bother getting up.?
Marla leaned over and gave me a gentle peck on my lips. She smiled at me, winked and said, ?Remember what she said to you last night.?
They turned, walking clear through the locked door.
?Must be great to do that,? I thought as I fell asleep right there on the sofa.
When I awoke it was almost time for dinner,so I hastily prepared and headed off to the Samarkand.It would be wonderful, I thought, for all of us to be together. My friends and acquaintances have rarely, orever, seen Gideon or Marla and I couldn't help wondering why an exception was made for Pandayji.
In a few minutes, I was walking toward the restaurant when I heard Pandayji's voice call out, ?Hello, John. Over here.?
I looked toward the voice and saw Pandayji and an old, bearded man standing next to one of the large columns that stood throughout the lobby. ?Hi, Pandayji,? I said as I walked over to them.
?John,? said Pandayji, ?I want you to meet an old friend of mine. He's known as the Boatman of Pondicherry and is in town for just a few days.?
?Hi, Mr. . . . er . . . Hi . . . ,? I said as I stretched out my hand toward the Boatman, ?it's good to meet you,? I continued, ?what did you say your name was??
?Just call me Boatman,? he said with a mischievous grin. ?Over the years, Panday, here, has told me so much about you. In a way, I feel as though I know you.?
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John Harricharan has sinced written about articles on various topics from Web Development, Religion and Web Development. Lecturer, entrepreneur and MBA business consultant, John Harricharan is the author of the award-winning book, "When You Can Walk on Water, Take the Boat."