The Girl in the Gym

Jigsaw Puzzle

All through the aquatic yoga session, both Inaya and Jack were preoccupied with thoughts of what they had discussed. After the high of chasing a probable theory, everything else seemed like a let-down. For a moment Jack was afraid that she would laugh at his hypothesis or not even believe his vision. But his fear was unfounded. If anything, all these months of conversation with her had taught him that she had a sharp curiosity and a keen mind. She was as well read as any of his colleagues, if not just as educated. She loved to talk about zany inventions and implausible discoveries in science and technology. She was also very well versed in ancient history and loved reading about archaeological finds through the ages. She, in turn, loved hearing him talk about his work back in Germany. And since they didn't really talk about their feelings for each other, this was the safest and most interesting topic of conversation for both of them.

Jack was thinking about bridges. Inaya's mention of the childhood stories that her mother used to tell her made his try and picturise it. In a sense, what he was trying to build was a bridge across empty space, it might not be tangible, but it had to be a set path through which the photons or even an object could travel. Her story jogged something in his memory, but he couldn't zero down on it. It kept eluding him until he remembered his dream that he had, but that was not a bridge in the sky? Or was it? Maybe it was a road. He wracked his brain to remember the dream which was splintered into fragments by now, but he couldn't recollect anything memorable. He shrugged off the peculiar feeling which bloomed in him right after he remembered the dream. Chalking it up to a late night and a lot of calorie burn, he let it slide. Still, the other bits of information still swirled in his brain. It felt like he had a thousand pieces of a jigsaw puzzle in his brain but could not piece it together, no matter how hard he tried. They went through the motions of the exercise, but neither of their hearts was in it really, so Inaya called for an early end to the session. They ate a quick lunch and headed off in different directions.

After walking a few paces Inaya stopped and called out, "Jack?"

Jack halted and turned around, "Yeah?"

"Do you mind if I cancel our evening session? You can join one of the group classes if you want to," she said.

"Oh. No, that's fine. I'll go for a jog or something. Is everything alright?" he asked, concerned.

"Yes, everything is fine. I just need the evening off. Thanks."

"Sure, take care," he said, then waved goodbye before heading back to the library. He wanted to download some journals that had been published in the past year, as well as request his former assistant to email him some notes.

Meanwhile, her morning's conversation with Jack made Inaya even more restless than she had been. His talk of science in mythology had given rise to exhilaration in her mind that she was unable to comprehend. She went back to her room and switched on her laptop to do some research of her own. She read up on quantum entanglement, dark matter and even alien conspiracy theories. It aligned with what Jack had been telling her about. Then she turned her attention to scientific advancements mentioned in the ancient Indian texts. There was so much data on the internet that it took her a while to sift to some of the more credible sources. A couple of hours went by, and she was still glued to her laptop screen, hunched over on the edge of the bed. Dusk had fallen without her realising it.