Getting to Nirvana {editing}

Chapter 24

"Letting go gives us freedom, and freedom is the only condition for happiness. If, in our heart, we still cling to anything - anger, anxiety, or possessions - we cannot be free."

― Thích Nhất Hạnh

Chapter 24

Nirvana

After I'm done talking to my guardian I search for Daniel. To my surprise he's still meditating, deep in concentration by the fat laughing Buddha statue.

I plop down on the lush green grass next to him.

"So how did it go?" He asks curiously when he notices my appearance.

"Good." I state simply not elaborating any further. I don't want to end up telling him I'm leaving in a week. Saying it to him will just make it seem even more real and I'm not ready to face the hard cold truth just yet.

He nods his head solemnly as if I've just given him some profound answer and redirects his gaze to the picturesque sunset increasingly sinking lower and lower in the colorful sky.

While his face is turned I can't help but admire his physique. His cerulean eyes and tanned skin. The slight stubble on his jawline. His unruly curly brown locks and the light smattering of freckles on his nose. Even his imperfections like his slightly crooked teeth, ears that are just a tad too big on him and his tall awkward frame I find endearing.

"You done staring?" He questions suddenly a broad smirk on his face.

I scoff and quickly avert my gaze away for him embarrassed at being caught looking like a creeper. "I wasn't staring at you. I was staring at the hot guy past you." I quickly remark trying to save face.

Daniel looks past him to see who I'm referring to and his smirk widens even further. "Oh yeah he's definitely a cutie."

The man he's referring to is a pudgy white hippy looking guy in his mid fifties with long dirty blonde hair fashioned into a ponytail and incredibly long encrusted toenails sticking out of dirty ripped brown sandals.

Unfortunately he's the only guy I could be referring to because he's the only one within Daniel's circumference. My cheeks heat up. "What? He's my type." I respond defensively.

He just lets out a raucous laugh. "I know I'm physically appealing to maybe 65 percent of females my age Nirvana. You don't have to pretend that you're not attracted to me."

"In your dreams." I mutter as I repeat the most cliche comeback ever.

"Whatever you say." He responds in condescending teasing tone as he nudges me with his elbow.

After a while a wave of fatigue washes over me. I just realized how truly tired I really am from the numerous events that transpired today. "We should go." I suggest as I let out a yawn.

"Ok." He nods his head in agreement. "But first let me just give a run through of everything we did today. See if we accomplished everything we set out to do." He then proceeds to pull the crumpled and folded piece of paper from his faded levi jeans, and holds it up to his face dramatically likes its just as an important document as the declaration of independence. I roll my eyes. He knows we already did everything.

"Okay First we climbed the Eiffel Tower and almost died. Well you almost died, I ended up having to carry your three hundred pound self on my back."

"Im 115." I shoot back slightly offended.

He continues on undeterred. " Then we bought berets and ate baguettes in a cafe like stereotypical french people."