think?" he asked. "Are you going
to come to the Cape or not?"
I knew that he was getting frustrated with my uncertainty and yet
I felt an obligation to go. If for whatever reason I couldn't walk away then I
knew that I had to go.
"Well, maybe I can join you for part of the time," and
for the moment we left it at that.
Two days had passed since I had arrived in New York and people
were still welcoming me home. The phone rang at work and I answered it
professionally never expecting who it might be. The delay on the phone told me
the call was distant and I assumed it was a colleague from Singapore.
"Hello," the voice said, as I wondered who it was,
faintly detecting the accent. "How are you," he continued. "Do
you recognize who this is?"
My heart started beating not believing my ears that we had
actually made contact through our efforts.
"Oh my G-d, hi, how are you, where are you, from where are
you calling?!"
My excitement was quite apparent as my shell slowly shed, but he
had called and it was hard to contain myself. It was the guy from Germany that
I had met in Indonesia, a guy by the name of Tristan.
"I'm actually calling from Canada, I arrived in Montreal last
night," he said. "I got your message on my machine two nights ago,
but with the time difference it was too late to call. I flew out the next
morning, well, and here I am. Anyway, I'm glad you called, how are you?"
Totally flustered and unsure of where to begin, I replied,
"I'm fine and it's good to hear you too, but I don't care what you say,
you still sound British to me."
We both laughed at that and filled the next few minutes with
stories of our last days in Asia. I interrupted us for a moment, in order to
keep my promise, and called him back to save him the toll. The miles apart
were clearly unnoticed as the playful banter remained. We exchanged friendly
sarcasm and the challenge was quite refreshing. I could even hear his smile
but missed seeing it nonetheless. The conversation was free as if we hadn't
missed a beat, until suddenly, there was a pause of silence. It was obvious
that there were still unspoken words and a lot remained to be said. The
question he was about to ask was imminent and my answer was still unclear.
"So, is there a chance that you might be around when I arrive
in New York next week?" he asked.
He surprised me with his question because I knew that it masked
what he really wanted to know. I told him I still wasn't sure but then felt
obligated to explain.
"Tris," I began. I had never used that name for him,
but somehow, it just felt right. "I thought you might be confused by my
phone call, I mean, given my situation and all. I wasn't sure what you were
thinking or if you understood my thoughts. Considering this call is long
distance, I want to speak quickly and be direct and honest with you." I
laughed and added, "Otherwise, this call could cost us a pretty penny."
"OK, I understand," he responded with a chuckle.
I began, "Well, I don't know about you, but it's not every day
that I meet someone and have such an immediate chemistry with them. I don't
mean to blow it out of proportion, and I don't know exactly what you're
feeling, but it just wasn't a feeling I could easily ignore," I risked
saying.
I was about to continue, but he stopped me by saying, "If I
didn't feel the same way, I wouldn't be calling you right now."
"Really?" I asked, somewhat coyly.
"Yes, really," he said.
"So I wasn't dreaming?" I pushed for confirmation.
"No, you weren't," he responded.
I breathed a sigh of relief. I had no idea of what the future
held, but at least I had read him right. The feelings we had, we shared.
He continued, "When I got your message I hoped that you were
calling, well should I say, for other reasons than because you just happened to
be in Frankfurt. Because you know, that is, actually, what your message said.
I didn't want to get my hopes
to come to the Cape or not?"
I knew that he was getting frustrated with my uncertainty and yet
I felt an obligation to go. If for whatever reason I couldn't walk away then I
knew that I had to go.
"Well, maybe I can join you for part of the time," and
for the moment we left it at that.
Two days had passed since I had arrived in New York and people
were still welcoming me home. The phone rang at work and I answered it
professionally never expecting who it might be. The delay on the phone told me
the call was distant and I assumed it was a colleague from Singapore.
"Hello," the voice said, as I wondered who it was,
faintly detecting the accent. "How are you," he continued. "Do
you recognize who this is?"
My heart started beating not believing my ears that we had
actually made contact through our efforts.
"Oh my G-d, hi, how are you, where are you, from where are
you calling?!"
My excitement was quite apparent as my shell slowly shed, but he
had called and it was hard to contain myself. It was the guy from Germany that
I had met in Indonesia, a guy by the name of Tristan.
"I'm actually calling from Canada, I arrived in Montreal last
night," he said. "I got your message on my machine two nights ago,
but with the time difference it was too late to call. I flew out the next
morning, well, and here I am. Anyway, I'm glad you called, how are you?"
Totally flustered and unsure of where to begin, I replied,
"I'm fine and it's good to hear you too, but I don't care what you say,
you still sound British to me."
We both laughed at that and filled the next few minutes with
stories of our last days in Asia. I interrupted us for a moment, in order to
keep my promise, and called him back to save him the toll. The miles apart
were clearly unnoticed as the playful banter remained. We exchanged friendly
sarcasm and the challenge was quite refreshing. I could even hear his smile
but missed seeing it nonetheless. The conversation was free as if we hadn't
missed a beat, until suddenly, there was a pause of silence. It was obvious
that there were still unspoken words and a lot remained to be said. The
question he was about to ask was imminent and my answer was still unclear.
"So, is there a chance that you might be around when I arrive
in New York next week?" he asked.
He surprised me with his question because I knew that it masked
what he really wanted to know. I told him I still wasn't sure but then felt
obligated to explain.
"Tris," I began. I had never used that name for him,
but somehow, it just felt right. "I thought you might be confused by my
phone call, I mean, given my situation and all. I wasn't sure what you were
thinking or if you understood my thoughts. Considering this call is long
distance, I want to speak quickly and be direct and honest with you." I
laughed and added, "Otherwise, this call could cost us a pretty penny."
"OK, I understand," he responded with a chuckle.
I began, "Well, I don't know about you, but it's not every day
that I meet someone and have such an immediate chemistry with them. I don't
mean to blow it out of proportion, and I don't know exactly what you're
feeling, but it just wasn't a feeling I could easily ignore," I risked
saying.
I was about to continue, but he stopped me by saying, "If I
didn't feel the same way, I wouldn't be calling you right now."
"Really?" I asked, somewhat coyly.
"Yes, really," he said.
"So I wasn't dreaming?" I pushed for confirmation.
"No, you weren't," he responded.
I breathed a sigh of relief. I had no idea of what the future
held, but at least I had read him right. The feelings we had, we shared.
He continued, "When I got your message I hoped that you were
calling, well should I say, for other reasons than because you just happened to
be in Frankfurt. Because you know, that is, actually, what your message said.
I didn't want to get my hopes
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