Page 21 of Status Undefined
“The only reason I haven’t is because you’re so annoyingly stubborn.”
“And…?” Daniel waited for me to say something nice.
“Well, umm, I’m not the only one who thinks this, so don’t get too excited… you’re pretty.”
Daniel burst out laughing.
“What’s so funny?”
“You mean handsome? Women are pretty. Don’t you remember the filmPretty Woman?”
“Oh, um… of course I do. I said pretty on purpose. That’s your nickname from now on – Pretty.”
“That’s fine with me. At least I have a nickname! We should celebrate, babe!”
“Right now the only type of celebration you could handle would be in a home for seniors.”
“I can dance! Look…”
He tried to get up, but his legs buckled in pain.
December 21
(visa expires in 24 days)
“Everyone’s speaking Hebrew. Is this an Israeli neighborhood?” Daniel and I were walking on the beachfront in Patong. It was after dark, and all the young Israelis were out partying in the local clubs. I didn’t usually go there because it was very touristy, but I thought Daniel should see it. I gave him a few minutes to post a story for his adoring followers, but it started to rain and he put his iPhone in his pocket. It wasn’t the nicest evening to be outdoors, but I didn’t want to go into any of the nearby bars. I’m not a fan of what they have to offer: alcohol, prostitutes and noise. So we kept walking in the rain, without talking. We passed a graffitied electric box that said: “Have you told anyone today that you love them?” I blushed and walked a bit faster. But Daniel stopped to get a shot for Instagram, shielding the phone from the rain with his other hand.
“Where to now?” We’d reached the end of the promenade, and we could turn right towards the clubs, or left towards the beach. I turned left, operating on instinct. It was darker on the beach and Daniel took my hand and led me to sit on the side of one of the boats pulled up on the sand. The rain gradually got harder, and I wondered if this was fail number two in date location choices.
“Tell me something,” Daniel started to say.
It was one of those expressions that make you hear a song, as if someone pushed “play” inside your head. I tried to keep the song there, but Daniel noticed.
“What?”
“Nothing. What were you going to ask?”
“You’re still as transparent as…”
“Oh alright. I’ll tell you. A song from a movie I watched on Netflix last week got stuck in my head – a duet by Lady Gagaand Bradley Cooper. It starts with the phrase you just used, and it popped into my head.” I don’t know why I was embarrassed to admit it.
Daniel laughed. “It’s called “Shallow,” right?”
“Uh, yes I think so,” I muttered, suddenly aware that this wasn’t sounding good. “But Iremembered it because you said that, not because I think you…”
Daniel didn’t let me finish my sentence. He started singing the song in a soft voice that silencedmy thoughts and lowered the volume of the world around us. After two verses he motioned for me to take over. Ordinarily, I would have refused to sing, but I did – perhaps because of the rain, the darkness, the lyrics, or because I was mesmerized. A few lines in, he started singing with me and soon I couldn’t go on. Nor could he, because I kissed him.
The raindrops soaked our hair and fogged up my glasses. I knew from experience that this was about to become “over-the-top rain.” That’s what I called it when I first got to Phuket, and the name stuck. It really was over-the-top, every time. But we barely noticed. The rain melted us into ethereal beings, occupying a domain invisible to man and unknown to science. Just the two of us embracing in the dark as if there were no outside world, no other people, no time and space. Just us. There was no denying this indescribable phenomenon.
Then the bubble burst, like the pop of a champagne cork. We looked at each other, our faces streaming. The only light was coming from restaurants on the main road. I don’t think we could have moved even if we had wanted to, and not just because we were knee deep in wet sand.
“Not so shallow now,” Daniel whispered, smiling.
December 22
(visa expires in 23 days)
“Are you awake?”
