The Scientific Indian

I promised to be very discreet.

"A couple of years ago, I was involved with an underground group - a little bit of a pseudo-anarchic establishment. It was very immature, run by undergrads, had initiation ceremonies, that sort of thing. "

"Obviously, we routinely broke the Great Taboo - you'd hold hands, or kiss with others. Then people tried to invent newer ways to break - there was even a contest for it. People began to hunt for a lot of contraband from the past in hopes of inspiration."

"It wasn't very serious, a form of being rebellious for the sake of it."

"And then a few people fell ill, with similar symptoms. One of them was sick for about three months. That scared us off, just sheer fright arising from this guilt of breaking the Taboo, and especially because of the mindless impunity we had shown. What if it was related? What if this was punishment?"

"Looking back at it, I'd say it was nothing: perhaps a minor affliction from sharing stuff, being in close contact. If we had thought of it rationally, we wouldn't have panicked. But as I said, we were immature, grown-up kids at best."

"However, I never ventured into all that again. I figured that life as it stood right now was well balanced, and I didn't really want to upset it. I don't really know what I'd have got out being in close physical contact with other humans. Come to think of it, I don't remember feeling any particular affection for any of that lot. And I did not really get anything from that social contact. I didn't learn anything from that particular form of interaction. Apart from our naivete, we were independent people, just like anyone else these days."

He shrugged, and gave a wan smile.

"Chaiim, well, thanks for sharing that memory with me. Itís safe with me. I must confess that in comparison to your excursions in life, mine has been spent in a black cocoon. When I grew up, I never thought much of challenging these social norms, and preferred my chosen worlds. Okay, I mustn't get your lunch cold. Thanks again. We'll get back to our work on Friday."

Saying that, we switched off our respective screens.

I had meant to call Nina again after a hurried lunch, but I must have dozed off. It was about four when the gentle stirrings on my wrist awoke me to the Wire. She was calling.

"Did I wake you up, Ty?", she asked

"You did, Nina, but I'm glad you did."

"I got your message in the morning, but I was outside the house since last evening and wasn't carrying my tablet. Only now did I dash back to get it, and came out again. You want to know where I've been?"

"Where?"

"A friend of mine told me about this off-the-record place where you could get some really old microfilms, movies from way back."

"Helia didn't stop you?"

She chuckled. "I pulled the wool over her eyes. Anyway, coming back to this. So I got hold of a few yesterday and have been randomly leafing through them. Have you seen any of these?"

"No. Heard about them, of course. But that it is such an old-fashioned form, isn't it?"

She looked a little disappointed at that.

"It is a little quaint. But some of it was so wonderful. It is such a pity no one makes these motion pictures anymore. One of them was especially great. It's called 'Casablanca'."

"This is a place in Africa, right?"

"Yes. It's a love story - these two people meet in a bar, and later we find out they were in love with each other. It was, I don't know, so natural. I'm probably babbling here."

I was feeling a little uneasy.

"Nina. You shouldn't watch such things if they upset you like this."

"No Ty, no. You don't understand. For the first time, I felt as if I had met people who knew how I was feeling. You keep telling me to read more, to reason our state..."

"All for your own benefit", I cut in. "All that Socialist talk - you should be careful. Most of that lot are such airheads that they can't tell their right hand from their left."

"C'mon Ty. How many of them do you really know? It's just prejudice - and it's a shame you of all people should be talking like this."

She was right, of course.

"You don't seem to get it, Ty. I don't think we are meant to go through life never to get close with others, to touch them, to feel them. At least, not me. I feel I have a gift. I can care for people. But for that, I don't think I can do that being so cut-off from everyone else. I don't know how you, or anyone else I know, does that. "

I was silent. I had nothing to say.

"I'm sorry if it goes against every instinct of yours. It's not as if this is a fad, a growing-up thing. I honestly feel that way. I don't think any amount of thinking about it will repress that. I'll just be living in extreme denial. I wanted you to know how I feel."

"Nina, you're an independent person. Just because I'm related to you doesn't give me the right to tell you what do to. I'm sorry."

"See Ty, it's not just that you're related to me. You're more. You're a direct ancestor. I'm part of you. You must have felt strongly enough about me to have looked me up. Hardly anyone does that for their children."

I got up and looked out at the bright orange sky outside as the sun prepared to sign off for the day.

"Ty, sorry, if I've been ticking you off". The familiar tease in her voice was back. "I know I am going to break the taboo, I am meant to. I'd like you to be the first person I touch. Would you be able to suffer that for me?"

I turned and looked at the screen as my daughter sat in her car, simply staring back.

Ten minutes later, she was outside my study.

"I didn't think we should mark this surrounded by sofas and papers", I beamed.

She followed me to the park outside, where in the distance, stood my favourite piece of earth. As I did that, I heard Carlito speak through my tablet telling me some people were driving up in a few minutes and to stay away.

It only made me walk faster. Behind, Nina started to jog to keep up. Carlito began to grow more urgent and started to plead and then shout.

I stopped, grabbed a surprised Nina by the hand, and we began to run to the dead tree before anyone could stop us and before the sun took the golden greenery down with it.

END.