Tell My Dad (9 page)

T
wo hours later
, Harrison sat on a pile of rocks overlooking the Himalayan Mountains spreading from north to west and watched the sun setting. Bright-orange light radiated around the mountain and gently mixed with the dark-blue sky. A loud bell sound from the Monastery reverberated and produced a sense of tranquility. Monks and guests scattered all over the place stopped what they were doing and started walking toward the monastery. Trent, the guy standing on one leg earlier, emerged from his cottage and walked toward Harrison.

“Hey, buddy, hear the bell? That’s the dinner bell!” Trent grinned.

“I assume there will be a bell for breakfast and lunch as well?”

“Nope.” He shook his head. “Only for dinner. We do group meditation before dinner. That’s why monks try to gather everyone in the ashram.” He noticed the question in Harrison’s face and then added, “
Ashram
means school. For us, that building…” He pointed at the monastery. “That is the
ashram
.”

When they reached the front entrance, they were greeted by a group of monks standing in line. Trent signaled Harrison to follow him to the open space area inside the monastery.

There were about fifty guests sitting on the rocky floor of the open space in one long row. Each of them faced an empty silver plate and a small silver bowl.

He heard another bell. Trent looked at him and pointed at the empty space on the floor. They sat without speaking a word. A monk came toward them quickly and placed silver plates and bowls in front of them.

The monks scattered around the monastery lined up together and sat directly opposite of guests. No one spoke a word, although all the monks smiled using their eyes. A few of them placed wooden bowls in front of them and started drumming those bowls gently with a wooden stick.

A monk, presumably a leader of the pack, said something loudly. Harrison did not understand a word of it. Then, all the monks started humming “Ohm…”

Trent Trainor shot him a quick glance before closing his eyes and humming the mantra along with the rest of the crowd.

Harrison wanted to hum along but felt weird saying something he did not understand. Every soul inside the building had closed eyes and was chanting “ohm.” A gorgeous full moon was clearly visible. There was no roof above. He wondered what would happen to the group dinner party on the rainy days.

The chanting continued. He slowly closed his eyes to go with the flow. Monks seemed to be chanting a little more slowly and differently than guests. He wondered how long the chanting would go on. He felt hungry and remembered the burrito-like food he had eaten before his trekking adventure to the monastery. The burrito disappeared into a tunnel, and a divine aroma filled the air. Chanting was no longer a noise. He felt complete darkness, as if someone had switched off all the lights. The chanting gently reverberated in his head. He wished the chanting would continue forever. He did not feel hungry anymore.

A bell sounded in the distance, then, another.

He opened his eyes. Everyone had stopped chanting.

“Thank you for meditating with us,” the leader of the pack said. “We all want to thank God for providing the food to us. We are all blessed to live the life we have. Every day is a blessing! Please close your eyes again for a minute and count your blessings. Think about your family, parents, spouse, children, and friends. Think about how God has enriched your lives.”

Harrison closed his eyes. In the middle of the darkness, Taryn appeared, wearing a white bridal dress, in the backdrop of the church in Las Vegas. Then, she waved and smiled. Two men wearing FBI coats sat across from him and said, “We are sorry for your loss.”

Count my blessings? I have none.

He tried to control the tears bubbling from his deep-blue eyes and failed. He bawled from his stomach. His sudden crying bounced off the monastery’s walls and touched the hearts of everyone inside.

S
tanford University came
to full life as students started walking briskly toward the main quad. Taryn pushed her bike pedals quickly and maneuvered her way to avoid bumping into students walking fast to reach their classes on time. She locked her bike in a bike stand just outside McClelland Building and stared at the lock for a second. Two bikes had been stolen the previous day. Bike thefts had become quite common at all the universities, especially Stanford. The complex was open to anyone. Any John Doe could casually walk in, kneel over the wheel as if he were inspecting the tire pressure, pick the lock, and loot the bike in less than two minutes. The bike stand was not visible from the busy road. Thieves could use the quiet lane behind the main building to work their magic and disappear with the bike.

She pulled on her lock one more time to make sure it was secure. Then, she started walking toward the rear entrance of McClelland. She let the door close behind her and climbed the stairs to the third level. She turned left and walked into room 301. The door sign indicated the name of the class that was in session: Advanced Derivatives. Taryn slowed her pace, smiled at the students sitting closer to the door, and looked around. The classroom was small. Desks were arranged in conference-room style. Professor Larry stood in the center of the room with a clicker in his hand and gestured Taryn to the empty chair to the left of him.

She walked around the room, lowered herself into the plastic chair, glanced to the left, and smiled at a young man in blue jeans and green T-shirt. His eyes lit up.

Professor Larry pulled up a PowerPoint slide on the projector screen. Lots of charts were displayed on the screen. “To continue on where we left off yesterday, here is a quick look at all the advanced options. The top left shows covered call, then covered puts, then uncovered puts, also known as naked puts…” He paused for a moment to let the laughter die down. He adjusted the brim of his glasses and scanned the class. “Wall Street always tends to be sexy. Some genius named this type of derivative as naked put to catch folks’ attention. Then, the name stayed on!” he said with a little smile. He continued the lecture for the next ninety minutes.

The class ended at forty-five minutes past eight o’clock. Taryn placed her right elbow on the desk and turned her gaze to the young man. “What was that about?”

“What?” Harrison looked puzzled.

“You kept on sighing during the class. Stress getting to you again?”

He shook his head. “It’s not stress. It’s the professor’s accent,” he said in a low voice. “The class is hard enough to understand with all these
calls
and
puts
. His accent makes it even more difficult.”

Taryn giggled as she grabbed the laptop and shoved it into her backpack. “Understood. Don’t stress out too much, Harry! Care to grab a coffee?”

“Sure.”

As they walked toward the door, Professor Larry looked at her and raised his hand. “Taryn, can I talk to you for a minute?”

“Yeah, sure.” She signaled for Harrison to wait and walked closer to the center of the room.

“I have a TA position opening up. I need someone to take care of financial accounting. The course starts in the spring. Are you interested?”

“Yeah, sure, of course!” She wanted to scream with joy.

“Good. I’ll email you the details.”

“Thanks!”

She observed the spark in Harrison’s eyes as they moved down the stairs and raised a brow.

“TA? That’s super cool! Is that course for undergraduates?”

“Yeah, I put in my request last quarter. I’m glad it came through. It’s going to help me with the bills.”

“Yeah!” he said as he opened the door leading to Carlos Street. “I’m super happy for you!”

“I can see that in your pretty blue eyes!” Taryn smiled and walked out.

A group of graduate students walked to the business center across the street. She crossed her arms and looked up at the sun, which was partially covered by the clouds. “The world is so beautiful, isn’t it?”

“The world is even more beautiful with ice cream! Let’s go celebrate your TA award!” He smiled.

She was mesmerized by his smile. His teeth protruded a little when he smiled, which added more charm. She looked into his eyes and hugged him. “You’re a good friend, Harry!”

“I’m bribing you with ice cream so that you will help me with those fancy derivatives.”

She giggled. “
You silly
. Let’s go.”

As they walked toward Green Library Cafeteria, she asked, “What are you doing for summer? Going to Brazil again?”

“No. I asked my parents to visit me here. I am seriously trying to get into Goldman Sachs. Can you believe these guys are so selective even for interns?”

Taryn nodded as they turned right onto Galvez Street. “All these people are like that. Well, the Stanford name gives us a strong edge though. My sister works in McKinsey. She promised me that she would get me in there.” She shook her head and laughed. “She never keeps her promises. So, I don’t have too much hope!”

I
t feels
like I proposed to you just yesterday!” Harrison said as Taryn kept trying to pacify their little daughter.

“Hmm…did you say something?”

He laughed. “Oh, God! Now that April is born, you’ve totally forgotten me. Whatever I say, I have to repeat many times before it sinks in for you!”

She was not sure if he was sarcastic or angry or both. “Hello! I have to keep reminding you.
You
are the one who could not wait for a child!” She gently patted his head.

He hugged Taryn and kissed April’s forehead. “Yeah, I wanted the child. But this little girl stole you from me!”

“Well, she needs Mommy for the next few years.”

“Really? My sister told me that girls need moms
forever
. Hmm, maybe except during the teen years.”

“She’s just six months old! You’re talking about the teenage years already!”

“You know, with the speed our life goes…I wouldn’t be surprised if April turned thirteen tomorrow!” He was silent for a second before asking, “What happened with the McKinsey interview? Did those people call you?”

Taryn shook her head. “Yes and no. They are interested, but they’ll need some time. My sister promised me that it would be Okay. I
still
don’t trust her!” Her wide grin showed bright white teeth.

“Your sister may surprise you. You never know!” After a moment of thought, he said, “Are you sure McKinsey is the right choice? You would need to travel a lot. Are you okay with that? You should find something that does not involve travel, at least until April goes to school.”

She leaned on him and kissed him. “You know, I am kind of obsessed with McKinsey. I don’t know why. But it feels like that is my destiny.”

“It’s not
destiny
. It’s just your obsession! You want to show you’re as good as your sister.”

“Whatever you want to call it! But if I get McKinsey, I will take it!”

He half-smiled and nodded.

* * *

A
pril played
with Barney and friends in the living room. Taryn kept an eye on her as she poured the coffee into a small porcelain cup placed on the kitchen island. She looked at Harrison and hesitated for a moment. “I am going for a conference in New York on Sunday. I’ll be back on Tuesday.”

“Oh, not again!” He sighed. “It’s been a year since you joined McKinsey. You’ve taken more than ten trips already. Why are these guys asking you to travel every month?”

“Well, because I am the smartest! You know what? I’m actually excited about this. I haven’t been to New York for almost twenty years.”

“Well, yeah, I guess.”

“What are you worried about?”

“Well, I am going to miss you for three days. April is going to miss you a lot.”

“I’m going to miss April more than she would ever miss me! I think we should have delayed kids, you know, until we were settled into our careers. What do you think?”

“Isn’t it too late for that discussion?” He hugged her from behind and kissed her.

“No time for romance, Harry! Go and get ready for your wonderful commute!”

* * *

S
an Francisco’s
airport buzzed with hundreds of passengers in Terminal 2. A tall brunette in Gate 22 announced, “We’re boarding for flight number 71 to New York in a minute. We request first-class passengers and families with infants to come forward.”

Harrison hoped Taryn would change her mind and cancel the trip. “Do you really need to go?”

She didn’t reply directly. Instead, she hugged and kissed him before handing April over to him.

April started crying and leaped back to Taryn.

“Oh, baby! Don’t cry. Listen, I’ll be back in a minute, you know. I need to go in and check if everyone is inside the flight and run back to you, okay?”

Harrison laughed. “That is so lame!”

She squeezed his hands. “April is so sweet. Dad will take good care of you. I will be back soon.”

She stopped before entering the gate, turned around, and winked at Harrison. “Be a good boy, Harry! Bye, April!”

He just realized that he had not seen her winking for a long time. The twinkle in her eyes mesmerized him.

* * *

H
e got
a call from Taryn on the following Tuesday. “Sorry to wake you up early. I’m at JFK. Flight leaves in thirty minutes. I can’t wait to see you!”

“Tell me about it! April is asking me when you’re coming back every five minutes.”

She laughed. “Really? I’ll be there soon. Bye, honey!”

“Bye!” He hung up and looked at the clock, which flashed 5:45 a.m. He had been awake until midnight taking care of April, who had a high fever and kept asking for her mother. He stretched his legs on the couch, closed his eyes, and drifted to sleep. It was nine o’clock when he woke up. He walked to April’s bedroom and slowly opened the door. She was still sleeping. Her temperature had come down a little to 101º Fahrenheit.

He walked to the kitchen and poured coffee into a tall mug. The coffee would compensate for the lack of sleep. He thought about calling the nanny to ask her to come in sooner but instead decided to call his manager. He pulled the mobile phone from his pajamas and dialed. “Hey, Greg, I need to take the day off. My daughter is not well. Sorry for the short notice.”

“Actually, I am advising everyone to work from home today. Did you see the news? There was a terrorist attack in New York.” Greg’s voice was shaking.

“What? In New York? My wife is there.”

“Don’t worry. Taryn will be okay. Where does she stay?”

“She should be in the air by now.”

There was silence on the other side, uncomfortable silence. Greg finally broke it and asked, “Which airline did she take?”

“United.”

Again, there was silence. “Greg, is there anything wrong?” He hated the silence.

“Hmm, nothing, do you know the flight number, Harrison?”

“Flight number 93. What happened? Why are you acting weird?” He was agitated.

There was silence again.

He abruptly hung up without waiting for Greg’s response and then called Taryn.

Her phone kept ringing. No answer.

Terrorist attack.
His heart raced fast like never before.

His head hurt as he sat on the corner of the couch and fired up the television remote on the side table. The television screen showed September 11 in the top right. Breaking news kept scrolling at the bottom of the screen.

United Flight 175 and American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the World Trade Center. United Flight 93 crashed into a field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, killing all passengers and crew aboard.