Journey From the Summit Page 7

  As we waited for a taxi to take us back to the airport, we noticed another very strange activity. People seemed to be randomly throwing paint at each other! Stray dogs ran round excitedly with green streaked coats, and old men laughed and smiled as children threw pink splatters at them. The ground was covered in all the colours of the rainbow where people had thrown paint everywhere. We jumped into the taxi, wanting to avoid what seemed to be some kind of mass Indian paintballing game without the guns! However, our taxi was stopped by a gang of lads who were out playing ‘Holi’. Being foreigners, our immediate reaction was to wind up the windows and take cover! This, however, was clearly not expected behaviour.

  Our driver simply grinned as the youths wedged his door open and tipped a pot of yellow paint on his head. We then drove off.

  ‘Holi’, the Hindu harvest festival is held every year in March and marks the end of winter. Everyone takes the paint throwing in good humour and no one minds being covered in multi-coloured splashes – in fact, it is both a compliment and a blessing to be doused in paint!

  It was a relatively short and easy internal flight to Goa. The boys had booked us into a hotel for the first couple of nights, to give us time to find our feet.

  In the taxi from the airport to the hotel we passed Panjim Prison and I felt a huge wrench in my heart, knowing that Saul was in there. I longed to see him, but knew I had to wait. How could I be so close to him, and still so far away?

  After the filth of Bombay, Goa was simply paradise. Even in the fading light of day we glimpsed the promise of its beauty under the darkening skies. I couldn’t wait to see it in daylight; I knew just by how I was feeling that I would be enchanted beyond my wildest dreams.

  The hotel was clean and simple but palatial compared to where we had stayed so far. With clean bedding, shutters that kept the mosquitos out and the scent of tropical flowers floating through the spacious rooms, I could almost begin to enjoy the beginning of my trip to Goa.

  The next morning I awoke and for the first time I smiled. I felt closer to Saul then I had in months and knew that today I had a very good chance of seeing him. Adam had told me not to hope too much as he may be being moved to another jail today, but I couldn’t quite repress the rush of hope I felt. I stepped out into the Goan sunshine and allowed my senses to be aroused by the sheer beauty of the place. The warm morning breeze brought the sweet perfume of the local flora mixed with the delicious salty sea air. Tropical flowers, some the size of human faces, seemed to smile in welcome. Behind the hotel gardens I could see the beach. The palm trees were languidly swaying in the ocean breeze, and beneath them the carpet of golden-white sands stretched down towards the azure blue of the Arabian Sea. Part of me felt like running down to the beach and splashing into the crystal blue water. I wanted to feel my feet sinking into warm soft sand as I ran and know that in seconds I would be bathing in the sparkling ocean, but for now I was happy to drink in the sight and wait for news of the reason I had come here.

  Adam, had risen first and been out on his bike, to find out what was happening with Saul’s situation before we got up. By the time he returned Daniel, Cathy and I were sitting enjoying a cup of morning chai on the hotel’s verranda. He beckoned to us to join him for breakfast in a little restaurant a few metres away. I wasn’t hungry, I just wanted to go and see Saul, but knew I should have something to eat.

  As we sat down, he ordered us some juice, “Floss, I know you are dying to go and see Saul, but I’m afraid you are going to have to wait another day. He is moving today.”

  It felt like the end of the world. I knew it was just one day, but I had travelled so far, and waited so long to see him, and he was so near, I thought my heart would burst with waiting. He took my hand and looked at me. That was when he told me that Saul didn’t even know I was here in Goa.

  “He thinks you’re still in Thailand. Tomorrow you can see him, surprise him, and cheer him up in a way that only you can.” he said kindly. “He has been so downcast. It will be just the tonic to lift his spirits. Spend today relaxing, so that when you see him tomorrow you will be calm and strong for him.”

  I knew he was right. I had to shake off my disappointment and look forward to tomorrow in the knowledge that I could surprise him, and hopefully make him happy.

  The day dragged. Although I was in the most beautiful place, I may as well have been anywhere. We walked on the beach, ate at another beach restaurant in the evening, and watched the most stunning sunset as it melted into the velvety sea, but all I wanted to do was go back to the hotel to sleep, to make tomorrow come quicker.

  Chapter Ten

  Finally tomorrow came. I was up, showered and dressed before anyone, and felt like a child on Christmas morning, waiting for everyone else to get going.

  At last Adam got up and after a quick shower, we jumped on his motorbike and headed off to see my Saul.

  Panjim Prison, a converted asylum, was a good half an hour away by bike. The jail was a large whitewashed building with a central courtyard flanked by rows of cells on three sides. The fourth side, facing the road, housed the entrance and offices.

  Adam walked in and spoke quietly to the guards, who nodded and gestured to us to follow him into a small room. Then, Adam turned to me and told me to stay behind him. He walked ahead of me into the room and I heard him announce that someone very special was here. He grabbed my hand and pushed me in front of him.

  Saul stood looking at Adam and then registered that I was standing before him. For what seemed like an eternity he didn’t speak, just stood open-mouthed looking at me as if I was a hallucination. Then I saw tears sparkling in his eyes as he reached for me. I hadn’t even noticed that I had tears streaming down my own cheeks, as I tumbled into his arms, feeling like I was at last in the place I had so longed to be.

  “Oh god, Flossie,” he whispered brokenly into my hair.

  I had dreamt of this moment, when I could see him and hold him again, every single day since he had left. We clung to each other afraid to let go, both of us knowing we were where we belonged. The guards made a futile attempt to separate us, clearly not happy about our open display of affection. They soon realized that nothing could keep us apart, and decided to let us be for those few precious moments. Eventually we sat down still holding onto each other, and declared our love for one another over and over again.

  For the first time since arriving I really looked at him. The horror of what he’d been through and the things he’d endured were so apparent on his face. The last time I’d seen him he’d looked alive, and full of excitement for his impending trip – yes he’d been filled with sadness too, at leaving me, but the exhilaration he’d felt for the trip they’d been planning and saving for had been undeniably radiating from him. Now, he couldn’t have looked more different. He was so pale his skin had the translucent hue of someone deprived of sunshine for too long. His dark hair, once so shiny, was now dull, hanging lifelessly around his pallid face. His strong frame now looked undernourished and scraggy. How I longed to take his hand and pull him into the sunlight. Without it, it seemed as though his basic human rights were being refused him. His eyes, although they sparkled now with love and emotion for me, were ringed with dark shadows that divulged sleepless nights and anxiety.

  “Why have you come here?” he said, at last finding the presence of mind to allow speech. “I was coming to Thailand to meet you, I never wanted you to see me like this. I’ve let you down so badly, Flossie, I’m so sorry.” His voiced cracked with emotion.

  “Saul,” I whispered and put my fingers to his lips. “I couldn’t wait another day, I had to come. I’m here to help get you out. I’m here to take you with me,” I breathed.

  “Oh Flossie! I can’t believe you are really here. Is it really you? I’ve dreamt of you every day, maybe I’m imagining you?”

  “Saul, I’ve been so desperate to see you. I haven’t slept in weeks worrying about you! I’ve longed for this moment for months. I just wish it wasn’t here. I want to be
alone with you so badly,” I whispered, trying not to be overheard.

  “You look so beautiful Flossie. I have you imprinted in my mind, but seeing you here, in the flesh, you are even more beautiful. This is the best thing that’s happened to me since I got here.” He cupped my face in his hands, looking into my eyes.

  “Saul, how are you my darling? Really, are you okay? Are they treating you okay?” I asked the questions that had played on my mind so much.

  “It’s not the Ritz, Flossie. At least it’s not Bombay though – nothing was as horrific as that,” he said managing to make light of it. “But I’m okay. This place is probably the worst in Goa – I’m not even supposed to be here, it’s supposed to be temporary, so hopefully they’ll move me somewhere better, or better still let me out!!” he smiled.

  “Oh Saul! I’m going to help Adam and Daniel, and we are going to get you out, and then you and I can be together!”

  “Thank you for being here, I can’t tell you how happy it’s made me to see you,” he smiled. Then his expression changed, darkening, “Floss, I have to tell you something. Your necklace that you gave me to look after for you – it’s been stolen. We are not permitted to wear jewellery of any kind in here, and so I had to take it off. I kept it with me all the time, knotting it to the inside of my sarong so they wouldn’t see it; the only time I took it off was to wash. One day I came back to find my sarong had been meddled with, and your necklace was missing. I searched everywhere, and questioned all the inmates threateningly, to try and get whoever had taken it to own up, but no one did, and I couldn’t find it. Flossie, I can’t tell you how angry I feel about it, I’m so sorry.”

  I searched his troubled eyes and knew how terrible he felt about it. “Saul, it doesn’t matter. I’m here now, and all I want is you, I’m not bothered about the necklace, that’s replaceable! It was just until you and I could be together again, and now I’m here and that’s all that matters.”

  “Forever Flossie. When I get out of here, I never want to be separated from you again.”

  All too soon the short visit was over. It was time for us to say goodbye again. Always goodbye.

  There were more tears from us both as the guards told us visiting hours were over. We gripped each other tighter than ever, kissing through our tears, and being forced apart, now by two pairs of hands. Eventually they tore him away from me and the pain of our severance was physical. I watched them lead him away from me in handcuffs, as he twisted in their grip to look at me and hold onto my image for as long as he could. I hadn’t even noticed that Adam had left the room, to afford us at least a little privacy, although the guards had allowed us no such freedom. Adam came back in and I collapsed into his embrace, more overwrought with raw emotion than I had ever thought possible.

  Adam took me out for lunch after our visit, as I couldn’t face going back to the hotel as yet. Besides, Cathy and Daniel were on a mission to find us a house to rent, as staying in a hotel would soon deplete our funds.

  I sat back and stared out over the balcony on which we sat drinking iced tea. I barely touched my toasted sandwich. Adam decided to take this opportunity to tell me what had really happened to Saul.

  They had been going out for the evening. A whole bunch of them had gone to a local restaurant for some supper before going on to a beach party. The restaurant was full. People sat around the tables laughing, drinking and talking on the balmy, moonlit open terrace. The vast majority of the restaurant’s clientele sat around smoking joints or pipes. Very few of them were not getting stoned, as out here everyone was doing it, and it seemed to be an accepted form of socialization in the same way that drinking was. The restaurant staff appeared to find it acceptable behaviour too. The evening had a relaxed easy buzz to it.

  Then, suddenly from nowhere, two vans full of local police arrived at the restaurant, approaching it abruptly from both sides of the open terrace. They charged onto the terrace grabbing customers at random and searching them for drugs. Most people were quick enough to drop what they had on the floor or throw it away from them, before the police got to them. Saul was one of the few who weren’t quick enough. He was caught red-handed, along with three others. They were hauled into the vans and driven off before they even had a chance to speak for themselves.

  Adam explained that they all thought they would be held overnight and let go the next day, but it was not to be. They had decided that the region needed to clamp down on drug use, and make examples of those they had caught.

  Adam wasn’t even sure where they had taken him. He had no idea about the laws or how the system worked in this country. He needed help but had no idea where to look for it. He spoke to a couple of local guys. They told him where the local holding cells were.

  The next day he went to find Saul. When he arrived at the cells, the police would not let him in. No visitors, unless they were next of kin.

  Adam panicked. He couldn’t even get word to Saul. He knew Saul would be worried about what was happening and somehow had to let him know that he was on the case and he would not leave him.

  Everyone was being very supportive and wanted to help. One of the friends they had made since arriving was a girl called Jess. They had both got to know her and she too was concerned about Saul’s arrest. They needed a way to get information to Saul. Here’s where Jess came in. She would pretend to be Saul’s girlfriend. Hopefully they would allow her in, even though she wasn’t actually next of kin, and she could pass on a message to Saul. It was worth a try. At first they didn’t believe her and didn’t want to allow the visit. Jess turned on the tears. The jailers were not used to women being anything other than reserved and obedient. Her outward display of emotion unnerved them, and they relented. She was able to get in and see Saul and reassure him that help was on its way.

  Adam had some money left and the next day he went to the jail to speak to the arresting officer to request Saul be released on bail. Eventually, bail was set, and he was able to leave the confinement of the cells on the condition that he reported back in two weeks’ time.

  But then they made a big mistake, and this one was going to make Saul’s plight a whole lot more complex. They left Goa and travelled to Bombay, where they tried to board a flight for Thailand. They figured the system was so antiquated that by the time the authorities realized he hadn’t reported back to the prison, they would be safely out of the country. They had been misinformed that the system still worked on old-fashioned ledgers, when in fact they had very recently brought in a very state-of-the-art Interpol computer system. They hadn’t bargained for this. The system was so new that Saul was the first felon to be caught trying to leave the country! He was making legal history – no way were they letting him go! Saul was rearrested as he tried to board the plane, and placed in a holding cell in Bombay – somewhere that was far worse than the comparatively comfortable cells in Goa. Adam went on to confirm some of the things that Saul had told me in his letter, reminding me just how horrible it must have been for him. That must have been the longest week of Saul’s life, before he was taken back to Goa.

  However, now he had attempting to jump bail to add to his felonies. Having made legal history, they had no choice but to make an example of him.

  Adam realized the outcome seemed bleak and that there was now a much higher possibility that Saul could go down for the full sentence, which was ten years. Adam was stricken with fear for his friend, and began to feel the ambush of full-on pressure. This was when he realized it was more than he could take on alone and called Daniel, Saul’s older brother in the States. He hadn’t wanted to get Saul’s family involved, but he knew that he was running out of money and he needed support.

  Daniel had been brilliant. As soon as Adam called him, he arranged a sabbatical from his job, telling them he didn’t know how long he would need to be away, packed his bags and came as soon as his visa was through.

  They knew the system was corrupt and that there were loopholes. Bribery was a way of life. It just boiled down to
money and wit – somehow they needed to outwit the system.

  Although I had known much of what had happened from Adam’s phone calls and Saul’s letters, it made sense to hear the whole story from day one. I sat and listened as the whole tale unfolded, feeling equal measures of pain, sadness, fear, and even a twinge of jealousy at Jess’s involvement even though I understood that was the very least I needed to worry about. I couldn’t believe after everything they had gone through – and I say they because only now did I realize how much Adam was suffering too, and how much Daniel had sacrificed for his brother – that Saul was still in prison, and no nearer to being released than before. He was only on remand, not serving a sentence and already he had been imprisoned for two months. No one knew what would happen.

  Daniel had arrived with more money, which meant more buying power for bribery and subornation. That was how it worked in this country; that was the dangerous game they were playing.

  Adam was tired and was glad of both Daniel’s and my arrival. It meant he didn’t have to bear the whole burden alone anymore. I realized, as I sat there feeling so wrapped up in my own heartache, that I needed to be strong – strong for Saul but also for Adam; I was here to help, not to weep and fall apart. My arrival for Saul, for Adam and for Daniel, needed to be a positive, not as someone else for them to need to take care of.

  Adam explained to me that when I went to court when Saul’s case was up again in a few days, I needed to act as though I was not his girlfriend, as that would make liars of them all. Jess had gone on to travel elsewhere now, but as far as the arresting officer knew she was still his girlfriend, meaning I could not be. The jailers I had seen this morning knew nothing of the charade, so it hadn’t mattered there, but in the courtroom it would be different. Saul knew this and, although it would be difficult for us both, I knew it would be my first real test of strength.