Page 36 of 1000 of You
Whatfascinated him more was the wagon he was riding. It moved with incrediblesmoothness, with none of the typical jolts or bouncing he was accustomed tofeeling. It seemed to skim over the rough terrain the way a bird soars in theair without flapping its wings.
“Dr. Tripp?Did you hear what I said?”
He glancedover to see a young man riding beside him. The man appeared to be in control ofthe wagon, although there were no reins in his hands. Instead, he grasped apair of rods, which he moved upward and downward, and from side to side, makingtheir wagon move accordingly.
“Forgive me.I was lost in thought. What did you say?”
The mangrinned. “I said I’m grateful you’re allowing me to accompany you on this dig,Dr. Tripp. I mean, if this site ends up being what you believe it is, it’sgoing to be monumental! I mean, think of it, a previously unknown civilizationthat dates back thousands of years!”
“Who didyou say we were meeting when we get there?”
“Dr.LaurisBeccali. She’s with theIstanbul Institute for Cultural Studies. She’s the person responsible forgetting us permission to do this dig.”
The momenthe heard the word “she”,Muamwondered ifBeccaliwould turn out to beGova.He wanted to ask more about this dig, whatever a dig was, but judging from whatthe young man had said, this event had been his doing. Until he andGovagot back together, he needed to keep his ears open andtry to glean as much information as he could.
Hecontinued to stare out over the desert. There wasn’t another living creature insight. Sighing, he pondered what kind of death he andGovawould suffer way out here. Seeing the never-ending plateau of sand, he wonderedif they would be swallowed up in its searing, granular depths. Or maybe theirend would come from a completely unexpected source, like a man with a weapon, ora wild animal. There was also the possibility they would be stranded out hereto die of starvation or thirst. There was no way either of them could predicthow much they would be forced to suffer, or if they were meant to suffer. Afterso many countless lives, they no longer held out any hope of surviving thiscurse. Long ago, they had decided they had no choice but to continue throughoutall eternity living in bits and pieces. Praying to exchange at the most asingle kiss and a quick embrace before meeting their extermination.
The godshad condemned them for the rest of time for a crime he andGovahad committed, whatever it was, and may never discover.
“We’regetting close. GPS says the camp is right ahead,” the young man remarked.
Muamsat up in his seat to scan the horizon. Before long,something colorful appeared. Brightly hued tents arranged in clusters. Specksof red and blue, orange and purple, with stripes and patterns, to make themeasily visible against the unending bleached sands.
Theirvehicle slowed and lowered to the ground at the same time.Muamglanced over at where several more of those strange-looking wagons weretethered. Many lives ago he’d learned that some wagons no longer needed a horseto draw them. Rather than try to understand the reason why not, he’d learned toaccept the changes he faced whenever he awoke in a new body. A few he’d managedto grasp, but most remained mysterious and unexplainable. A type of sorcery hefigured he’d never learn about.
At theirapproach, three figures emerged from the tents to watch their descent.Muaminstantly recognizedGova.Her luscious black hair was tied back, and she wore a pair of light blockersover her eyes as he did, but he knew it was her.
As theirwagon settled on the sand, sending puffs of dust into the air, she ran towardthem, a partial smile on her face. She had yet to verify it was him inside, andheld herself in check just in case it wasn’t him. Or, if it was, if he had yetto awaken.
There wouldbe no hesitation when they met. He would pull her into his arms as he alwayslonged to do, and kiss those wonderfully full, honey-sweet lips. If theircompanions were astonished by their actions, so be it. It made no difference.Not when their deaths could be heartbeats away.
The cleartop of the wagon lifted, andMuamjumped out of theseat. Taking off his light blockers, he threw them to the side as he racedtoward her. She met him halfway, her arms tightening around his neck as helifted her off her feet.
“Gova!”
“Husband!”
She claspedhis face between her hands and kissed him, taking it as deeply as they couldunder the circumstances. He wasn’t aware of anything else but the feel of herbody against his, and her soft, warm mouth. After a while, he gently loweredher to the ground, his eyes never leaving hers.
“Forever,”he whispered.
“Forever.”It would always be their promise to each other. Their pledge of love.
Engrossedin each other’s presence, they remained oblivious to their surroundings untilsomeone loudly cleared a throat.
“Uhh, Dr.Beccali? I didn’t know youand Dr. Tripp already knew each other.”
Caressinghis face again, she responded to the man. “Actually, it is a long, long, verylong story. You see, his name isMuam. My name isGova. And we have been living and dying through hundreds oflives because of a curse.” Drawing her arms around his waist, she pressed hercheek to his chest. “How long do you think we have, my beloved?”
He alsoembraced her, lightly kissing the top of her head. Her scent wafted up to him,and he closed his eyes as he savored it. That was another thing that neverchanged. Besides their appearance, her own womanly smell remained the same.Even when blinded to where he couldn’t gaze upon her face, or deafened to thepoint where her voice was lost to him, her scent was always there to comforthim. Enough to give him strength to face their next life.
Someonetittered uncomfortably. “This is…rather out of the ordinary. Doctors, please.Gova,Muam, or whatever you’recalling yourselves. Can we at least go inside the tent where it’s cooler and,uhh, sort this out?”
Muamgrinned at her upturned face. “It makes sense to getout of this heat, my love.” She nodded, and they followed the other men inside oneof the larger tents, their arms around each other’s waists.
Instead ofrugs, there were several tables with odd boxes scattered on them. But therewere also a few stools and chairs. He andGovatooktwo of the chairs and seated themselves side-by-side, their thighs touching.She grasped one of his hands in both of hers, holding it in her lap as theyboth waited patiently for the rest to sit.
One manimmediately got to the point. “Dr.Beccali…Lauris, I’ve worked with you for nearly five years. Younever once mentioned having a husband, or referred to yourself by any othername. What is going on here?”
