TELLING PALMS

TELLING PALMS



By Rahim Said (C) March 2013



The Business Class Lounge at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport is unusually crowded. All tables are occupied. Susie Freday has no place to sit. With a cup of coffee in one hand and the wheeled carry on luggage in the other, she scans for empty seats. Not wanting to attract attention, she leans against a wall, sips her coffee and with steely eyes keeps a lookout for that elusive seat. She hopes that someone would vacate a seat soon. Her high heels are killing her. That walk through immigration and standing up in the overcrowded train was too much for her slender legs. This fashionable high heels purchased in London during a recent trip and worn for the first time today is a true test of her patience and tolerance for pain.



Just as she is about to give up and take a seat on her carry on luggage two gentlemen get up and leisurely walk away from a table nearby. Hurriedly, Susie takes a seat. The cushion is still warm from the last occupant. To the remaining gentleman at the table, she says, "May I?"



The guy who is comfortably parked opposite her hardly looks up from his Asian Wall Street Journal, clears his throat and says "Yea, ok!" and continues reading.



Thank God, Susie says to herself, "I am in no mood to talk to strangers". She picks up her presentation materials for next day's meeting and with a big red pen starts editing the pages. All the while thinking why she is still bogged down with hard copies when the whole world is moving towards a paperless society at breakneck speed. Someday, soon, she hopes to influence the old men in the board room to use new technological devices to keep up with the rest of the world.



A ground stewardess in her sarong kebaya approaches and politely says "Miss Susie, I am happy to tell you your request for an aisle seat in the front row of the Business Class is now confirmed by Control. Here's your new boarding pass!".



Susie thanks her graciously accepts the boarding pass and returns to her papers with great concentration deciphering every word that seems to jump out of every page. Her mind however goes to that "Miss Susie", why don't they teach these girls to address passengers properly.



The public address system comes to life and startles her. "We are pleased to announce the departure of our flight to Sydney. We would like to invite all remaining passengers to proceed to gate..." Susie closes her files, stores them in the side pocket of her carry on, stands up, quickly walks to the exit and heads for the gate.



The gentleman at her table follows suit. He walks behind her watching her lovely figure. He notices that occasionally she stops momentarily, adjusts her heels glances around checking out who is watching her and moves on. "What a strange character", he says to himself. He keeps following her towards the gate, admiring her slimness, her swaying hips and her cute bottom. May be her derrière, would be more polite a term, he thinks, digging deep into his French 101. This one is as gorgeous as the young French instructor from Paris that he had a crush for as a Freshman at college.



Susie takes her aisle seat. No sooner has she buckled herself, she hears a voice just above her head, "Excuse me, I am on the window seat next to you!". She unbuckled her seat belt stands up and lets him through.



She recognizes the gentleman, almost uttering out, "Oh, no, it's you again from the lounge. My, what a coincidence!"



Susie says, "Good morning" and in her mind "I hope he is not a talkative bugger!"



Their chests almost touch each other's as he squeezes past her. He gets a close up view of the bosom that he surreptitiously peeked at the lounge earlier. "What lovely breasts!" he says to himself.



Susie brings out her I Pad and proceeds to work, thinking that in seven hours to Sydney, she'll be able to complete some of her outstanding tasks.



The guy next to her on the other hand takes out a thick volume of "Palmistry". Susie has a soft spot for the subject but has never had the time to read about it. Much as she likes to keep to herself, she is intrigued. She thinks she ought to ask him but should try to avoid sounding like a pick up line.



"Excuse me, my name is Susie. I am curious about that book! Are you a professional?" pointing to the book on his table.



"Rizal Ryan Rehman. Nice to meet you. Yes, I am a professional but not at palmistry. It's a hobby. I have read a few volumes by different authors".



Unable to contain her curiosity, Susie "Can you read palms?"



"Of course! My friends seem to think that I take up this hobby as a convenient excuse to hold girls' hands", he smiles broadly waiting for a response from her.



"Well, what about holding mine, then?" says Susie without extending out her palm.



"May be, whenever you are ready" comes the reply. At this point there is an announcement about a minor turbulence. Both remain quiet. Susie goes back to her papers and Rizal continues with his book.



When the stewardesses start serving lunch, Rizal leans over, "I am sorry, I was watching your hands. They are marvelous from a palmist's viewpoint".



Bushing, she replies "Thank you. What do you see in it?"



"Correct me if I am wrong. It belongs to one who is artistic. You are musically inclined and creative, aren't you?"



"Well, please tell me more!" Susie asks and opens out her palms.



"You are warm and friendly person but do not trust people easily. You are an only child", he pauses. Looks for confirmation from her. She nods.



He continues, "You have wealth written all over your palm. Some you already inherited and others will come your way in due course". He stops and waits for her reaction. She smiles.



He goes on," There was someone in your life four or five years ago...? " He raises his eyebrows in her direction. She looks at him blankly.



He closes his analysis by saying, "You will meet someone in the near future and possibly be married around twenty eight!"



She gives him that inexpressive steely look that she wears when she wants to hide her feelings. Inside her mind she keeps on reminding herself not to reach out and give him a whack in his face. How dare he talks about my love life five years ago? How cocky of him to make a prediction that I would be married off by twenty-eight? I will be twenty-eight in nine months and I am not seeing anyone now. What utter rubbish!



Almost immediately he replies as if reading her thoughts, "A palmist forgets what he sees in the palms of a client. I see so many hands that I soon forget. We don't write down case histories in a file like doctors do. In some religion it is forbidden to believe in fortune telling for fear that it becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. What I see in your palms is what the lines indicate. In some cases, the lines change over the years".



She remains thoughtful, merely nodding in agreement. In her mind she keeps repeating his words "you have wealth written all over your palms". You certainly can't change that. Grandma and grandpa willed all their wealth to me when they passed away. That idiot who broke her heart in the first year of college, leaving her for a bimbo! You can't change that either! Damn, I am sorry I asked him to have a look at my palms. I accept, I don't trust people easily and I keep to myself most of the time. What do you expect being raised as an only, lonely child? Besides my parents and grandparents, there's no one I could trust.



She softly responds, "Thank you, you are so good at palm reading. I hate to tell you that you are spot on about my past. The future, I doubt very much!" She pauses and watches for his reaction then continues, "Now that you know a lot about me, would you mind telling me about yourself?"



"I am an only child. My mom is Irish, thus the Ryan. My dad is Spanish-Malay. That is how I have Rizal as my first name. My great, great grandfather was a seafarer, Sheikh Rehman who came to the Malay Peninsular from Yemen. That, I suppose explains the hair on my face that I have endless battles with every morning. I grew up partly in Kuala Lumpur and partly in Sydney. Secondary school in Geelong and college in New York".



When he stops, she remarks, "What a great story!"



"I am a consultant, very much like what you do for a living!"



"How do you know that?"



"It says on your palm", he laughs and quickly continues, "No, sorry I mean on your I Pad", pointing to her name and position on a card pasted on the back of her computer. "What about you?"



Susie smiles, "You know half of my life already. My dad's English, my mum a Malay. Grandparents are gone and I miss them. I grew up partly in Perth where my dad decided to call home after emigrating from Cambridge. We often visit Perth on Australia Day which incidentally falls on my birthday. We have a home there and another in K.L. I went to college in California but my schooling was mostly in K.L. Mum didn't want me to attend boarding school, she's afraid her daughter might get spirited away by a bogeyman".



They go on sharing experiences about consulting, music, books and films. At Sydney airport they wish each other goodbye and go their separate ways.



Later, as Susie Is checking in at a hotel counter, Rizal steps up to the next registration clerk. Both look surprised. Susie calls out "You are not stalking me, are you?"



"Certainly not. I would have offered you a ride if I knew you were staying here!"



"Well, goodnight", says Susie as she quickly moves to the lift and disappears upstairs to her room.



On the first morning in Sydney, Susie is up early. She is happy to be at the fitness centre when other people are still enjoying their sleep. She plugs an earphone into each ear and listens to music from her I Phone and starts a slow jog on the treadmill. It gains momentum and after a few minutes she breaks into a fast run. She cuts a lovely figure. She is tall, slim and well toned. The exercise tights enhance her shapely body projecting an image of an athlete that is likely to grace the covers of Sports Illustrated



At another treadmill a few meters away from Susie's, Rizal starts his exercise routine. She is oblivious to his presence. He too, is busy with his own to take notice of another fitness enthusiast at this time of day. He paces himself from slow to fast while listening to a new exercise app that guides him to maximize his routine. He keeps saying to himself that he should have used this app sooner and is convinced that all his friends should know about it.



Only when they are about to leave the fitness centre do they notice each other. After the normal pleasantries, Rizal suggests, "Care for some breakfast?"



"OK, a quick one, I have a meeting at ten!", Susie replies.



Both enjoy each other's company at breakfast, taking in the view of the beautiful Sydney harbor, the bridge and the Opera House. "May I recommend their freshly squeezed passion fruit juice. It is out of this world!" As he leans forward and pours her a glass, Susie notices his six pack for the first time. Out of his business suit this guy is rather impressive, Susie says to herself. She starts to formulate a question hoping to make it sound impressive but it blurts out simply as , "Do you work out everyday?"



"Yes, religiously", he replies without hesitation. "I never leave home without my jogging outfit".



"Same here... I got to run, Rizal. Thank you for the breakfast. The passion fruit juice is great". Susie gets up and begins to walk away and turns around again when Rizal calls out, "I am buying dinner tonight!"



Susie replies, "I am not sure what time I'll be back. I shall leave you a note at Reception. Thank you for the invite". She quickly moves out of the dining hall leaving him watching her desirable figure disappears into the lift.



Rizal sits awhile at the breakfast table enjoying the view and pondering his spontaneous dinner invitation. He feels he would like to know this mysterious girl who is gorgeous yet unattached. Deep down there is some fondness that he would like to nurture. He has been single all his life and is now fast approaching early thirties. This globe trotting chasing consulting projects may have to end some time soon."Settle down with someone you care" as his parents often suggest. This Susie seems like a suitable candidate.



They have dinner at a restaurant by the harbor overlooking the Opera House. The fresh seafood, the view, the lovely music and the sea breeze set the mood for love to bloom. Susie has not experienced male company like this in a long time, at least since five years ago when she lost her beau to a bimbo in college. Rizal, on the other hand has dated many but Susie stands heads and shoulders above all others. He feels that he must make an effort but not on this first date. He resists an urge to reach for her hand fearing that she might reject him.



After dinner they say goodnight promising to see each other again, soon.



Pressed for time, the next few days in Sydney both have to attend to their professional commitments. They only get to see each other again at the VIP Departure Lounge on their way to KL. Susie cannot hide her surprise. Rizal is ecstatic. Only their sense of professionalism prevents them from hugging each other in public.



Apparently, their return seats are preassigned, so they sit next to each other for the next seven hours back to KL. The journey passes quickly. Seven hours of being close to each other is short and magical to both. They talk endlessly about everything, touching on childhood dreams, fantasies, friends, family and even Rizal's pet gold fish.



Back in KL they date for the next few months. They continue their visits to Sydney to complete their consulting assignments. Sometimes when they happen to be in Sydney at the same time, they share a dinner at the their favorite restaurant or enjoy breakfast over a glass of passion fruit after an early morning workout at the fitness centre.



They are now an item in Sydney and KL social circles. They visit each other's homes and the old folks are beginning to make predictions on the wedding date. Both parents are now thinking out aloud about what their grand children would look like. Would they have blue Spanish eyes or English curls or Malay lips resembling Angelina Jolie and if the child was a boy would he have a Moorish beard when he grows up. Susie gets edgy at the teasing. She now loves Rizal. He returns his love for her in many ways, flowers, presents and earrings, except the engagement ring.



Today is nine months after they first met. Rizal has asked Susie to have dinner at their favorite restaurant by Sydney Harbor. He picks her up in a stretched limousine from the hotel where they first shared their passion fruit and are chauffeur driven to their favorite restaurant. When they arrive, the restaurant is empty. Apparently, they are the only guests for the evening. Susie starts getting curious but does no want to upset Rizal by making unnecessary comments. The manager welcomes them. He produces the best wine that they both love. The musical trio that both enjoy listening to are rearing to go. Dinner arrives in three courses; appetizer, main and dessert.



Rizal says, "In a few moments they will light up the fireworks for you!"



"You are kidding"



"No, I have made arrangement for your birthday"



Susie can hardly contain her excitement, "So, this is what all this secrecy is all about? Renting out a restaurant is rather outlandish just for my birthday, I think. Anyway, my dear Rizal, thank you for remembering my birthday!"



Rizal confesses, "This restaurant booking is my doing. Celebrating your birthday is also part of my plan but the fireworks is the courtesy of the Australian government. It is Australia day. But before the fireworks can I ask them to play the song that you love so much." He beckons the band and they play the song so passionately that it bring tears to Susie's eyes.



As soon as the song ends, Rizal moves closer to her, gives her a peck on the cheek and goes down on his knees. He produces a beautiful diamond ring in a lovely velvet box and asks the question that Susie has long awaited, "Will you marry me?"



She almost falls out of her chair. She pulls him up hugs and kisses him, "Yes, yes, yes!" and he slips the ring into her wedding finger.



All the waiters, musicians and the kitchen staff break out into a loud applause. The band plays and the fireworks burst above the Sydney Bridge, the noise drowning the music. Rizal holds Susie's hand and watches the colorful fireworks burst out in the night skies, brightening up the bridge and the Opera House.



Holding Rizal's hands firmly, Susie turns to him and asks, "Do you remember what you said the first time we met?"



He looks at her with wide eyes. "I said many things, I hope they are all good!"



"About my getting married at twenty eight?"



"Did I say that?"



"Yes, you read my palms, on our first flight. You don't remember that?" He tries but does not recall ever telling her that. "How strange!" he says to Susie. His mind keeps racing back to that first reading. He quickly dismisses that thought and allows lovely sound of music from the trio takes over his senses as it gets louder as the sound of fireworks begin to fade.



He turns to Susie, looks into her eyes longingly and says "Shall we dance to our favorite tune?"



They glide across the restaurant floor while the staff look on approvingly and silently share the happiest moments of this couple's life.