At the sound of the whistle, they started. The two men were more or less evenly matched, but Jack used his height to his advantage. He took a couple of punches but held his ground, and seven gruelling minutes later, he was declared the winner. Brow dripping with sweat, the opponents shook hands and lay down on the rink, too tired to move. Inaya and the other trainer started laughing at the sight.
"C'mon, you two have earned a couple of juices for sure. Let's call it a day," said Inaya. Jack looked surprised, he was expecting an hour of workout more. Catching his look of surprise, Inaya said, "We'll to aqua yoga in the evening. It's too close to lunchtime right now as it is."
Breathing heavily, he headed to the showers to clean up and met her outside on the patch of lawn.
She was holding two kiwi juices and handed them to him with a smile. "That was some great legwork back there, you've made considerable strides. I might even let you spar with me one of these days," she joked.
Jack laughed along with her. He gave her a sideways look and said, "You'd say that we have become friends right?" He waited for her to nod. "I barely know anything about you other than the fact that you're the fittest woman in the world, and probably the most adventurous too."
Inaya bit her lip, she didn't know how to have that conversation with Jack. In his mind, she was an alpha female, and his perception would change when he learned of her past. She was not ashamed exactly, but she hated being vulnerable. Nonetheless, she said, "My family was from Gujarat. We were forced out of our home and my parents came to Mumbai to work. They were both killed in a car accident within the year and I spent several years selling newspapers and balloons on the streets. Until the owner of the gym, Mr Kamble took me in. I started off as a companion for their daughter, but once she left for college, they sent me to work at a gym. And I eventually ended up here, as a trainer."
She didn't look up while saying all this and missed Jack's look of sympathy. "I am sorry," he said. "It must have been very tough."
Inaya said, "Yes, it was. But it's the past. I choose not to think too much of my misfortune."
They sat without a word spoken between them for a while. Jack was piecing together the things that Inaya had left unsaid. That she had never had an education or a parent's love for very long. It had shaped her into the woman she was now, that was certain.
I took so much for granted, he thought. All his travails seemed insignificant in light of her story.
"You know I was working on one of the greatest experiments ever, teleportation, quantum physics?" he asked.
"Yes, I remember you telling me about it."
"Well, the reason I left all of that is that I had a breakdown. And I thought it was impossible. But my time here had literally opened up my mind, and I feel like I will be able to work on it again, and actually produce results."
"That's wonderful, Jack. It sounds like science fiction, to be honest," she laughed, amazed that his regular day at work was trying to conduct teleportation. "I'd love to know how teleportation works. If it can be engineered and controlled, the world as we know it will completely change!"
Pleased that she had grasped the magnitude of the experiment and its possible consequences, he said, "It is science to be sure, but it's not fiction. In fact, fiction and myth ay have some basis in reality."
"Is that so?" she asked, full of disbelief.
"Oh yes, definitely. Star Trek portrays teleportation very cleverly. It is not an exact science by far, but it does give you a take-off point to base your studies on."
"Star Trek?" Inaya asked.
"You haven't seen it? It is one of the greatest science fiction movies of all time. You have got to watch it!"
"Okay, okay," she laughed. "I'll order it." Although she sounded disbelieving, Inaya was keen to learn more about Jack's research. But he refused to tell her more before she saw the movie. "Just watch the movie and tell me what you think," he said.
"It does seem interesting, but it seems as outlandish as our Indian myths coming true," she answered. She was still marvelling at the fact that Jack could talk about teleportation so normally.
"And what exactly happens in these Indian mythologies, may I ask?" said Jack, confused.
"Oh, you'll have to watch it and see," she answered impishly.
"C'mon, do tell," he pleaded.
"No, when we get back to our rooms, I'll watch Star Trek-like you asked, but you have to watch some television shows in turn," she said. "Since I'm doing something you like, you have to watch my favourite shows as well."
"What kind of shows do you like?" Jack asked curiously.
Inaya loved science and discovery channels but was too bashful to say so. Instead, she said, "Oh, the usual, Ramayana and Mahabharata. They're interesting, but logic-defying. Don't search for science in them. These are Indian mythological epics which also try and impart wisdom, or moral lessons if you will."
"That doesn't seem half as interesting as Star Trek," Jack protested.
"Oh no, they are amazing. They have politics, war, romance, adventure and much more. They're literally perfect stories," she said earnestly.
"Okay, they sound more fascinating now," he said. "I'll watch them in the evening, and we'll discuss teleportation tomorrow."