The held

Part 1

In the morning it was still dark as we drove toward Delhi from Agra, but I could see the city lights ahead as our car turned onto the highway. The traffic was heavy, and my driver kept glancing at the clock on the dashboard as if trying to make up for lost time. We reached New Delhi before noon, and the first thing I did when we got out of the cab was stretch and yawn. Then I followed the driver to the check-in counter at our hotel. He handed me some papers to sign, and then I gave him a hundred-rupee tip. He grinned and shook my hand while I waited for the clerk to finish checking us in. When she rang her bell three times, signaling that our room was ready, I paid another fifty rupees and began lugging my bags downstairs. My wife was already waiting outside the elevator, and we took turns carrying our suitcases until we finally made it to the fourth floor.

"This place looks very nice," I said, looking around at the warm color scheme and the plush carpeting. "I hope the food is good."

My wife smiled but didn't reply. She was busy unpacking our bags.

I sat down on one of the chairs in the living area and watched as she hung up our clothes. I couldn't help noticing how beautifully her black hair lay against her bare shoulders. I wondered what kind of perfume she was wearing, but then I saw her looking over my shoulder. She smiled and laid down our toiletries on the glass table next to the bed. Then she walked toward me with a tray in her hand and placed it on top of the coffee table.

"Breakfast will be served shortly," she said, sitting down on the couch. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Sure." I nodded and then looked at the tray. It was filled with fresh fruit slices, yogurt, cheese, bread, and a plate of eggs and bacon. There was also a glass of orange juice and a small pot of tea. I picked up the juice and gulped down half of it before I remembered that my wife wasn't supposed to eat anything yet.

She handed me a plastic cup and poured some water into it. Then we sat there quietly watching TV. For some reason I couldn't concentrate on the news. I kept thinking about what I'd learned last night, and I had to keep reminding myself that I was actually here to visit my wife's family. Sooner or later I would have to start talking to them and tell them who I really was. But just then a knock came at the door.

"Come in," I called out. A young man dressed in white entered the room holding a silver tray. He bowed to my wife and then took a seat beside me. He set the tray on the coffee table and then pulled out some glasses.

"Namaste," he said, touching his forehead to mine.

"Greetings." My wife returned the gesture. "How may we serve you this morning?"

"I will take your breakfast order now," the waiter replied. He gestured toward the food. "You can choose whatever you want."

My wife pointed at the eggs and bacon. Then she glanced at the yogurt, cheese, and bread. While the waiter was bringing out the plates, I put some scrambled eggs on my toast and added a slice of cheddar. I decided to skip the bacon since it had been fried, which was probably too much for her to handle right away. After he left, my wife ate a few bites of fruit and a piece of cheese before she went back to drinking water.

"Thank you for getting up early so we could go to the airport," she said, giving me a smile as she sipped her juice. "It was very thoughtful of you."

"No problem," I said. "What time do you think you'll be able to eat?"

"Maybe sometime after lunch." She shrugged. "We'll see how it goes."

I nodded. "Well, we better get going so that you won't miss your flight." I stood up and started pulling on my jacket.