Tracey walked briskly on the mud roads, miles of lavender swayed on either side with the aid of swift winds that rubbed on the scent of the blooms drifting gently in the air, kissing Tracey's face with the therapeutic aroma. She ended up in the south of France, all the way from San Diego California, to meet Carl. It seemed like ages since she last saw him, though, it wasn't more than an hour since she spoke to him from the airport, once she got down. She was supposed to take a little detour, to visit Provence, her dream land. The lavender doused fields, the crisp spring air and the many layers of nature that unfolded before her like magic, making her long awaited moments translate into reality. It wasn't easy - none of it. Her busy schedule at work, her family, her preteen and 10 year old begging her to stay back and not go to the 'undisclosed' location and finally, to let her husband of eighteen years to grant the permission to disappear for a whole fortnight. When this time of the year comes, nothing stops her from making that one most awaited trip to some corner of the world to meet Carl.
This time it was Rome. Rome, the Holy city. Being raised a Roman Catholic, no other place in the world held the same prominence as this Eternal city. Being to the place with Carl only added to the charm of visiting the city for the very first time in her four decades of existence. She'd been to far and wide - To India, to Tibet, to Laos and Phuket - and to numerous places in Europe, most of them with Carl, or to see Carl. But this one trip made her experience an anticipation that was not known to her before. Tracey's thoughts take unexpected trails, just like her spontaneous self. She'd been in the medical profession for over a decade now - specializing in Obstetrics. She'd seen hundreds of couples realize their dreams of progeny. She had acted like God, on behalf of him - gently correcting what His nature had inadvertently messed up. She had seen tears of Joy, of heart break and numerous miracles all along and she knew that without divine intervention, all these would have been impossible. Her every success, every failure and every trail had Carl as a witness, directly or indirectly - to her, he was the biggest source of support and inspiration. Nothing or no one in the world seemed to know her better than him. Tracey spent the next couple of days in a cabin that had a lake front - doing precisely nothing but devouring the magic of nature. Then she caught her flight to Leonardo DaVinci International airport, 42 kilometers away from Rome.
She pulled her duffle bag from the carousel and waited absentmindedly, sipping the cappuccino she picked up in the airport. Where did Carl get stuck? His flight from Austin, Texas was supposed to reach here before hers. She knew he is somewhere near her and just when she was about to turn back, Carl came and stood right behind her, saying "boo" in his deep voice.Startled but grinning ear to ear, Tracey turned back to greet him - gently planting a kiss on his cheek.
They both disappear into the crowd, off to hire a taxi to their hotel room near the Vatican, while both of them exchanged animated stories about their kids and families.
It was their 18th sibling reunion and they didn't let anyone else intrude these special moments.
