‘Why do you want to go to the States?’ she asked.

‘I want to see what America is like,’ pat came his answer.

‘ How do I know you will come back?’ she wanted to know.

Time was running out. You usually got only a couple of minutes to convince the interviewer that you are a wealthy guy with a fat bank balance. And that you have a terrific family waiting for you to come back.

She listened to his spiel with a wooden expression.

‘ Well, I see you don’t believe me,’ he said at last, ‘ Even if I don’t get a visa, no hard feelings, Christina.’

She looked up sharply. She had already started to lift the ‘reject’ stamp over his passport.

‘ How do you know my name,’ she asked.

He looked into her eyes, ‘ Christina Woolford, isn’t it?’

Her hand wavered in mid air, then she put aside the stamp.

‘ Mr. Gurung, how do you know my name?’ she repeated,

‘ I know more, Christina,’ he answered, ‘ You live in Florida, right?’

‘ Somebody at the Embassy must have told you,’ she ventured.

‘ I don’t know anybody here,’ he said truthfully.

She didn’t know what to make of it.

Her second posting had landed her in this country of desperate people wanting to escape an uncertain future. They would go to any length to get a visa.

Shrugging her shoulders, she picked up the stamp again.

‘ Look at me, Christina,’ the applicant commanded, ‘ I can tell you more.’

She looked up again.

‘ I see a sixty- year old. White hair,’ his black eyes were locked unto her blue ones, ‘ Your father. He stutters.’

‘Yes,’ she found herself whispering.

‘ A brother. Six feet two,’ his voice was hypnotic, ‘Ralph or Raphael.’

‘Raphael,’ she spoke almost to herself.

‘ I also see a lover,’ he spoke confidently now.

She couldn’t resist it, ‘ What’s his name?’

‘ Al, or something like that. Army, ’ he answered.

‘ Amazing!’ she exclaimed, ‘ It’s Albert. He’s a marine. How do you know all this?’

‘ That’s amazing,’ she repeated, ‘ Can you also prophesy?’

‘I’ve been finding lately that I know about things before they happen,’ he affirmed.

‘ What do you prophesy for me then?’ she asked eagerly.

‘ Not now Christina, maybe later?’ he said.

She was disappointed. She looked at him thoughtfully. Her face brightened up again.

‘ Look Mr. Gurung, ‘ she said, ‘ I’ll give you a visa, but you’ll have to promise me one
thing.’

‘ What?’ he asked.

‘ That you’ll marry me,’ she said matter of factly.

He was stunned. And pleased. But of course he knew he wouldn’t marry her.

‘I’ll be going back in two months time,’ she explained, ‘ We’ll meet in Florida and get married. That way you’ll get to stay in the States.’

‘ Why would you marry me?’ he asked innocently.

With a smile, she replied, ‘ I want to market your unique talent. Set up an establishment in Las Vegas. It will be called ‘ The Mind Reader’. I tell you Mr. Gurung, we’ll make a killing.’

He nodded his head in agreement.

Two weeks later he was standing on American soil. Christina’s brother came to pick him up at Miami Airport.

‘ Chris called to say to take good care of you,’ he said as they drove back to Florida, ‘
Said you’re a special friend. You’ll be staying with us.’

Christina called almost daily. Two months to the day she was home.

‘Raphael, where’s my friend?’ were her first words.

‘Gone to New York I think. Right Dad?’ her brother answered.

‘ Yes, th-that’s what he said,’ her Dad replied, ‘ He left yes-yesterday evening. Said he wanted to vi-visit some friend there.’

A frown crossed his daughter’s brow.

Two weeks on and he still hadn’t returned. She had half a mind to go look for him in New York, but it was such a big city, she wouldn’t know where to look.

‘ My mind reader, where the hell are you?’ she asked herself time and again.

The mind reader was in New York all right. At the moment he was in a restaurant on Fifth Avenue, talking to a beautiful, oriental looking woman.

‘ You know how much I love you Farida,’ he said in a husky voice.

‘ I love you as much, my handsome soldier,’ she replied.

Just then, a heavy- set man came up to their table.

‘Hey Johnny boy,’ he said in a loud voice.

‘ Hey Al, when did you get back?’ Gurung asked.

‘This morning,’ Al took a seat, ‘ Got your message.’

‘ Thanks for everything Al,’ Gurung said.

‘ She fell in hook line and sinker,’ Gurung replied,‘ But you better get back to Florida fast. You’ll have to nurse a broken heart.’

‘And broken dreams too,’ Al returned.

‘I feel sorry for Chris,’ Gurung said.

‘ There was no other way. I asked her to give you a visa but she refused. Of course I mentioned you only as a good friend,’ Al said, ‘ Said it would be unethical. Imagine! Anyway, she’ll never know.’

‘ If you hadn’t given me the idea, I would never have made it here,’ Gurung said, ‘ And you know I can’t live without Farida.’

‘ I can just imagine that,’ Al replied, ‘ Your love goes way back Johnny.’

‘Ten years Al, ten years,’ agreed Gurung.

‘ Thank God I met you in Beirut,’ Farida said softly, ‘My dashing Gurkha with the blue beret.’

‘But now you’re an American citizen, right?’ asked Al.

‘Yes, well, at least since yesterday,’ replied Farida, ‘And thanks to you we can be together now.’

‘ Aww, you’re embarrassing me,’ Al protested, ‘ How can I ever forget that Johnny boy here saved my life? You told Farida about the mind reader stuff?’

‘ She knows, Al,’ Gurung answered.

A little while later Al got up, ‘ I’ll leave you love birds then.’

Gurung got up too and shook his hand, ‘ I’ll call you in the morning.’

As Al walked away, Gurung called after him, ‘ Al, forget about that girl in Baghdad, what’s her name? Yes, Laila. Christina needs you more.’

Al stopped and turned, ‘ How do you know about Laila? I haven’t told anyone.’

Gurung smiled, ‘ I can read minds Al.’