Meeting Max (31 page)

Chapter 27

It was time for Rick to return home. He left India on a clear night on a flight from Bombay to New York. He saw the stars out in full force as he looked out of the window. A lonely dark cloud floated by and he kept his eyes focused on it until it passed. He tried to sort out the heartbreaking events in his life, but his brain wouldn’t let him go there. He thought of Gandhi, closed his eyes, and meditated.

He examined the good things that had happened in his life. It began with his search for Eric, without which there would be no new friendships, no love-filled nights on the desert, no visions of Gandhi, and no rich vibrant colors of India. He thought of Julie, who was with him in his heart from the very beginning. Despite the pain he felt, his life had been enriched and fulfilled during the past few months.

Sometimes pain is necessary.

As far as India went, it wasn’t quite Kipling’s India that he’d experienced. The Raj was long gone, but the flavor of the country and the sensitivity of its people lingered on.

Rick ate an assortment of Samosa appetizers, and, after four glasses of Cabernet, he fell into a deep sleep and dreamed he was in the desert with Elena. It was a cold night. They sat in front of a fire and kissed. Flashing thoughts of them together sped through his mind and piled up like a collage. Rick would always keep Elena in his heart. He awoke to the sound of a woman’s lilting Indian accent.

“Sir, would you like some breakfast? Croissants, eggs, coffee. We will be landing at JFK International Airport in one hour.”

“Yes, thank you, I’ll have it all, and please, a tall glass of orange juice.”

The plane sank gently through the heavy cloud layer until the Manhattan skyline revealed itself in the morning sun. Rick soon joined a sea of quiet, impatient passengers as they began their single file march off the plane. JFK was all dressed up in its splendid Christmas attire, and he noticed a few snow flurries floating down.

After he left the airport, Rick looked at the people in Manhattan scurrying about to get to their jobs, shopping, or just enjoying themselves. As busy and crowded as New York City once appeared to him, what he saw now was in stark contrast to the hordes of people in Delhi and Bombay.

He rode to his apartment in a gleaming yellow taxicab. The driver did not dart in and out of traffic, what little there was of it. Much was taken out of him during his time in India, but it was replaced by new values, understandings, and people. His never ending ache remained.

When he got home, he unpacked his backpack and realized he didn’t have a picture of Elena, not one. He sat on the edge of the bed and cried.

We never took pictures. We thought we had a lifetime to do those things.

The next morning, he called Cheryl. He knew she had already located Sarah and Max.

He wanted to see Max, but wasn’t sure how that would sit with Sarah. There was no one else who could tell Max about his father’s birth parents, only Rick. Still, he procrastinated and put off calling her.

I should have married Julie. It could have worked out, but I never let it happen.

The agony of questioning his bad judgments about Julie, Eric, and Elena haunted him. Now there was Max, his grandson, who now had a grandfather who could tell him how his father came into this world so there would be no blank spaces when Max looked back to examine his life.

By choice, Rick spent the holiday season alone, lost in his sorrow, trying to come to grips with all that had happened, sorting out his thoughts and feelings.

Days before the late January school session started, he finally called Sarah.

“Hello, this is Rick Newman. Is this Sarah?”

“Oh, hi. Yes, I’m Sarah. Eric told me about you. I’m glad you called.”

“I’m so sorry about Eric.”

“Thank you. It’s not easy for me. I loved him. Condolences to you as well. I was sorry to hear about Julie.”

“Thank you. Did I get you at a bad time?”

“No, not really. I was just grading some papers. I teach at the local high school. I have time to talk. Max is at his uncle’s.”

“Well, we have something in common. I am a teacher too. I know how terrible you must feel about losing Eric and how difficult your life must be. My heart goes out to Max as well. I would very much like to meet you and Max, if that’s possible.”

“Of course, that would be a good thing.”

“It’s just that I think it would be important for Max if I…”

“Rick, you don’t need a reason. Max is eight and he knows his father was adopted.”

“I see. So, does he know what adoption means?”

“Yes, he’s a bright kid. Even though Eric and I had strong differences, you’re Max’s grandfather, and he does need family.”

“Thanks for that, Sarah.”

“I really felt bad when I heard about Eric’s birth mom. She was so young.”

“Yes, I was devastated when I heard the news. We had something beautiful together, but circumstances changed, and we split. I still have second thoughts about that.”

“I know it’s not easy for you. Eric was too young when he left us forever. I don’t know what he was thinking. He probably was in such a bad state. I’ll never understand. All Max knows is that his father got sick and died.”

“If there’s anything I can do for you, please let me know.”

“Thank you. I’m not doing that great. It hurts. I miss Eric and I don’t think time will make a difference. Eric and I got married when we were very young. We started college soon after. He was a chemistry major and I was in an education program. Eric told me you guys had quite a long chat, and he couldn’t believe how much you had in common. Did he say anything about me?”

“Just that you were a good mother and…”

“Well, that’s hard to believe. He usually badmouths me to everyone. We are divorced, in case you didn’t know, and we had spent a lot of time in court fighting over visitation. Eric was addicted to drugs, really
addicted
. I felt I had to protect Max because Eric was unpredictable. That made him angry and he fought me every inch of the way.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that.”

“I loved Eric, but there was no way he could have any kind of relationship with me or Max with that big wall of drugs between us. It’s amazing that he even made it through college, but then again, he was brilliant and could learn anything on his own. I guess he told you he was a sound engineer. He made over two hundred albums, but kept his name off the credits. He had his reasons.”

“Yeah, he told me, but I didn’t know he’d made so many recordings. We felt a strong connection when we talked on the phone. We found we had the same philosophy about life and shared a passion for music. Maybe that’s why Eric repeated the expression
nature over nurture
so often.”

“Tell me how Eric came into this world.” Her voice broke. “You’re the only one who knows.”

“In a few words, Eric was born out of young love.”

“Why didn’t you stay together?” she asked softly.

“Even though we had agreed that adoption would be the best thing for the baby, after the adoption took place, Julie became severely depressed. Maybe I should have been more understanding. We kept in touch and always said we had to find him. We never tried. Then she died, and I made the journey alone.”

“So sad, but It’s good that we talked.” she said, her voice weak. “Well, you have Max now.”

“Sarah, thank you.”

“I mean it,” she said firmly. “He misses his father terribly. They truly loved each other. You’ll like Max when you meet him. He’s a sweet kid.”

Rick didn’t know what to say. She sobbed and he listened as she took deep breaths. For a moment, there was silence.

“Let me know when you think it would be a good time,” Rick said. “You have so much pulling at you, so when you’re ready…”

“Rick, I think it would be a big help for you
and
Max to get to know each other, and for him to know that you gave his father life. He has nice grandparents on my side, and Eric’s adoptive father is very caring, but he lives so far away. You’re his grandfather too, and you’re part of the family now. It would be wonderful for Max, and it would make things easier for me. How would next weekend work for you?”

***

The following weekend worked out fine, as did all the weekends after that. It was easygoing from the beginning. Eric’s belief in
nature over nurture
seemed to be true. Grandpa Rick often helped Max with his homework and Max proved to be a good student.

That summer, Rick visited Mr. and Mrs. Weisz and they spent an afternoon over lunch reminiscing about Elena. They wanted to know more about their relationship, what they did together, what India was like, and how she died. Rick beamed as he spoke to them about the magic of India. He answered all their questions, but glossed over the sensitive details.

Rick liked her parents and he saw Elena’s face in her mother. As they talked, Elena was brought to life again. He recalled Gandhi’s words when Rick told him about her.
Love is God’s gift.
He left with several pictures of Elena.

The year passed quickly and Rick busied himself with school activities and his time with Max. Winter recess was near and Rick asked Sarah if he could take Max skiing for a few days. She agreed and was happy that Max had a part of Eric in his life.

“It was Eric who had Max on skis as soon as he could walk,” Sarah said, “and he’s good at it.”

Together, grandpa and grandson took the long drive up to Stowe, Vermont, bypassing some of the other ski towns along the way. Rick liked Stowe. It was the ski capital of the east. It was old and established. In the crisp air, he breathed in the history of the charming town as they drove by the small shops that offered old time friendly service.

They arrived at Auberge de Quatre Saisons de Stowe, a ski lodge close to Mt. Mansfield, which was run by Pierre and Adrianne, a young French couple from Bordeaux. It accommodated about twenty guests. Max and Grandpa Rick had dinner, sat by the fire for a while, and went to bed early.

The next morning, they ate hotcakes and maple syrup, then they made their way to the slopes. It was cold and sunny with a solid blue sky. Fresh snow had fallen during the night. They brought their own skis and boots and soon found themselves on a chairlift heading for Easy Mile, a beautiful trail surrounded by snow-dusted pine trees.

Rick felt good being on his skis again. He was at home on them. Max shivered a bit as they took the chairlift to the top, but there were no complaints. The chairlift was always a good place for conversation as it ambled its way slowly to the top of the mountain along the steel cable. The sunlight danced in and out of the snow-laden pine trees as the chairlift moved along.

“I love this, Grandpa. It’s cold, but I love it,” Max said excitedly as he tapped the snow off his skis with his poles.

“We’ll both warm up as we start skiing down.”

“Can I take my jacket off if it warms up later? My sweater is pretty heavy.”

“Sure, let’s see how it goes.”

Rick felt good when Max asked his permission to do the smallest things. He was a respectful kid and seemed to have a natural ability for sports.

They peeled off the chairlift, stopped at the top, and soaked up the mountainous surroundings in the crisp, cold air. A few random snowflakes fell. They skied between the tall pines on each side of them as the trail twisted and turned, offering its challenges.

Rick watched Max skiing in front of him. He was young and his legs were like rubber as he moved his body from side to side, carving his way down the snowy terrain. Rick knew the happiness he felt.

They skied all morning, then took the quad lift to the top of the mountain and walked to the Octagon Café. They passed under the knife-like icicles over the entrance, and, once inside, found a table near the fireplace and kicked off their ski boots to allow their wet socks to dry.

Soon, they wrapped their hands around cups of hot cocoa, served by a cheerful teenage waitress. To Max’s delight, Rick ordered cheeseburgers and cokes for their lunch.

“My mom doesn’t let me have burgers and cokes too often, but I love them! Thanks, Grandpa!” Rick smiled and thought about how Julie had loved them too.

“Grandpa, you’re a pretty good skier.”

“Well, I’ve skied a lot over the years, but I couldn’t keep up with you.”

“Stowe is great. Have you ever skied here before?”

“Yes, once, with your grandmother.”

“Did she like it?”

“She loved it. She was an outdoor person, like you.”

They finished their lunch and skied the rest of the day. That night, after dinner, they walked along a snowy trail in the woods toward an almost full moon which sat, tucked, in the evergreens. The moon lit up Max’s face as they walked and talked along the trail.

“Grandpa? I don’t know if you know, but my mom got engaged.”