The Girl in the Gym

Sweep me off my Feet

Once it was finished she went down to the hotel lobby where they had a quaint café with high arched windows looking out to the sea. She ordered black coffees for both of them and then waited. Ten minutes later, Jack was standing in front of her.

"How did it go?"

"Quite well, I think," she replied.

"You're really going to make me wait to read it in print," he said in mock hurt.

Laughing, she batted at him, "Yes, I will. Thanks for the treat by the way. I've ordered coffee, but let's look at the food menu."

Jack gave her a searching look before saying, "We can get to in a few minutes. First, I would like to speak with you about something."

Inaya stilled, she had an inkling about what it could be. He wanted her to move back to Germany with him. She could already envisage his arguments. But she couldn't leave, she could never leave. This was her home, for better or worse. She opened her mouth to dissuade him but he held up his hand.

"Please, let me start first. I think you know how I feel about you," he said, raising his eyebrows. She didn't respond, so he continued. "I have been falling in love with you since the moment we met. You have literally made me into a better man. When I'm with you, I feel fresh and happy, like I can achieve anything in the world. And I don't want to put an end to this feeling. I have thought long and hard about this, and I want to share the rest of my life with you. Will you give me the chance?"

"Jack, I...I feel the same way. But..."

"Before you say anything else, I want you to know. I have made the decision of staying in India permanently. Your life is here, and I can build my research here as well. What do you say?"

"I..yes! I say yes!" she exclaimed, and he took his hand and kissed her deeply, not caring that they were in public.

"Inaya, you have no idea how happy you've made me," he said. "You have given me the inspiration to work again. I love talking about insane and crazy theories with you. You feel like my soulmate in every way. I want to marry you."

"I feel the same, Jack. I don't know when or how it happened, but you have become the most important person in my life. I'll be honoured to marry you."

It was a moment of quiet happiness and peace for both these lost souls. When they had met each other, they were filled with cracks. But being together had healed the fissures in their souls, and they could feel the happiness emanating.

They finished their coffee and walked out hand in hand. There was some sort of commotion going on, but the couple was too wrapped up in themselves to notice or care. That is until they were surrounded by a mob of angry-looking men and women. They tried to sidle past them but were roughly pushed back. Alarmed, Jack tried to push Inaya behind him but she swatted away his hand.

"What's going on?" she asked in a stern voice.

Several voices were heard from the crowd.

"What's going on?"

"We'll tell you what's going on. Shameless women like you are meeting men in a hotel in broad daylight."

"You are spoiling the image of our culture."

"What's worse is that you're consorting with a firang!" a woman screeched.

All this was being spoken in Hindi and Jack was bewildered. "What the hell. Get out of the way!" he roared at the crowd.

"We're the Love Jihad. The Anti-Love Squad! And we're going to put an end to unmarried couples meeting in public."

"They are nuts. Completely moronic," Jack huffed. But Inaya had gleaned a better measurement of them. They were nothing but fundamentalists, but an unruly mob was one of the most dangerous situations in the world.

"Look you, we're not hurting anyone. Just let us pass if you know what's good for you," said Inaya. Instead, they drew menacingly closer. "IT's your last chance, I don't want to get violent," she warned. "But I will if you back us into a corner."

It looked like they were operating with a single brain but without any logic. Inaya kept her cool and dealt with them forcefully. She shoved and pushed, punched and kicked until nobody was standing in their way. Jack seemed reluctant to fight but he body shove a few that were coming too close to Inaya. Most of them limped away, a few lay there unconscious. Unbeknownst to Jack and Inaya, one of the onlookers took a video of the entire fight. Almost immediately, the media and police swarmed the place and started questioning them. Once they had convinced that it was purely self-defence, the police left. The journalists, realising that the couple would not say anything to them, also left.