In the Shadow of the Sphinx

CHAPTER 1 It was the same old routine, which I could probably do with my eyes shut! Of managing my home and looking after my family. Somewhere down life’s road, I had lost me. It was there, emerging now and then, and yet again disappearing under the burden of an important phase of life, which needed it more than me. Then came a point in my life when everything turned one eighty degrees! My children were away to the University and busy with lives of their own. My husband and I were going through a midlife crisis with which we had been struggling for a long time and we decided to separate, though not legally, for a period till we could settle the crisis, in a civil and mature way. It seemed so cold and mechanical; we had been so in love. I could not think of a moment in life without him. But then life was a bitch, throwing up surprises when you least expected them. In the last few years we had somehow made sure our children were never affected and this had taken a mental toll on me. I just needed to get away from this traumatic situation, and prove to my own self that I was worth something. I decided to search for me, and embarked on a solo trip to Egypt, to see and explore the land of the pyramids, that had enthralled me since my teenage days. I had booked my self on a flexi-customized tour. Soon D-day dawned, I was rushing off to the Delhi International Airport, a little behind schedule due to sorting out the last minute glitches, that we women seem to get a high on! This, compounded with an unexpected traffic jam and a high-on-testosterone taxi driver who weaved in and out of the traffic with madness, made sure that I was almost a nervous wreck by the time I reached the airport. I rushed towards my airline counter with such an intense relief that I almost did not see the suitcase lying in the path, and tried in vain to get my balance, my arms akimbo trying to clutch vainly at any thing that would save me from landing in an ignoble heap on the floor. Wow, what a fantastic start on my road to searching me! As if in slow motion, a pair of strong arms came from behind and stalled my fall, holding me from my waist. My breath knocked out and my mouth open in a silent oh, I fell back in my savior’s arms. I heard a deep sexy voice enquire amusingly, “Lady, are you all right?” I almost died of mortification. His tone made me look and feel like a bumbling idiot. Hardly befitting a woman embarked on a journey of finding her self! Finding my balance, I turned around to look in to a pair of dark brooding eyes set in a strong angular face. His D2E Reena Puri dark unruly hair, liberally streaked with silver, were a little on the longer side. For a man in his early fifties, he seemed to be well kept with a lean physique exuding that same quiet strength of his hands, for I was no feather weight. He was wearing faded blue denims with an off white tee and soft blue suede moccasins, with a nonchalance bordering on arrogance. An almost cynical smile on his sensual lips belied his solicitous enquiry. For a moment, I almost thought of telling him curtly that I was fine and could he please lay his hands off from my waist. Ashamed of being so bitchy, my innate good manners prevailed and I fumbled with my thanks. I was in a tearing hurry to get away from this magnetic stranger, who seemed to have tripped some switch in my inner being. Without any further mishaps, I completed my boarding formalities and proceeded to the Emirates flight gate. I had a two-hour stop over at Dubai, from where I would be taking off for Cairo, safely reaching in the early evening to embark on a fortnight of adventure and self-seeking. Finally my flight was announced and as I stood in the queue to board the plane, my heart almost skipped a beat, seeing the handsome stranger up ahead in the line for business class passengers. I almost smirked, aha, money and attitude, well; there would be no chance of crossing path with him en flight as I was travelling in the economy class. The three-hours-some-minute’s flight ended in no time. Disembarking, my eyes searched for some one and In the Shadow of the Sphinx D3E I mentally reprimanded myself for being a masochist and made my way through to terminal 3 for my onward flight to Cairo. I was told that there would be a four-hour stop over instead of two, due to some bad desert storm over the Arabian Peninsula. Oh no! This was what I hated the most, waiting alone with nothing to do. I still called my husband out of sheer habit, and informed him of the delay of the flight to Cairo. It would take me quite some time getting used to the fact that we were separated. My self-esteem had taken a beating and I was hurting deeply inside. Having done the customary round of walking through the duty free shopping zone, I deliberated on a body massage vis a vis a foot massage. The latter won the day and after a relaxing foot therapy and a fresh coat of nail paint, I was ready to conquer the world. Having run out of what more to do besides window- shopping, I picked up my de rigueur copy of the latest Hello magazine and walked back to the departure gate of my flight. Settling comfortably in a lounger, I was soon immersed in the latest international gossips and trends. However, even that failed to hold my interest after some time, and I looked up over my magazine, and almost froze.