Chapter 9 Ideals and Turmoil
Dr. Tony Jolly rang the bell to Dr. Maria Gutierrez’ apartment on the westside, as he thought about the westside story, one of his favorite movies.
Maria opened the door. “Hi Tony, welcome! Wow, such beautiful roses, my favorite. How did you know?” She led the way through the hallway as Tony followed Maria to the living room.
“I tell you. it’s difficult to catch a cab tonight. All public transport is shut down.”
“I heard. I was getting lots of messages all day about how hard it is to get around.” Said Maria.
There were lots of pictures of Maria’s extended family and pictures of her own childhood on the wall in the living room.
“Wow, Maria, these pictures are wonderful.”
“I will tell you all about the pictures after dinner. I’m still cooking. So, feel at home and there is water and juice on the table.”
“Can I help you with anything?” Asked Tony.
“Sure, I am almost done. Maybe you can help me with the salad.”
Tony took off his jacket and followed Maria to the kitchen.
“Any news from India?” Maria asked.
“Nothing yet. I hope we will get some response later tonight or tomorrow.”
“Don’t worry. She is going to be fine... OF course, it would be great to have her come home.”
“Thanks Maria, I appreciate it. I’m concerned about the pandemic getting worse.” Tony responded.
“Sure, I also worry about my son. It’s natural.”
“So, do you cook often?” Tony asked.
“Cooking is like therapy for me. Plus, it’s much better than what you might get in restaurants.”
“I totally agree. My cooking is kind of experimental. I just mix everything. Veggies, fruits, nuts, beans and whatever I can find the fridge. Very simple and practical. That’s the beauty of being vegan. I used to be raw vegan which is even easier to prepare. Just cut and serve.” Tony cut the veggies and different ingredients and Maria checked on the vegan lasagna as they talked.
“I learned this online. It’s the first time I make vegan lasagna. Hope you like it.”
“I am sure.” Tony commented.
Over dinner the conversation continued.
“Wow, Maria, this is great. I love the lasagna.”
“I’m glad you like it, Tony.”
“What do you usually do when you are home?” Tony asked
“Well, I do a little bit of painting and a lot of reading. Recently I have been learning about Baha’i from Dr. Kaviani and his wife once a week. I joined their study circle on Zoom.”
“That’s interesting. I wouldn’t mind joining your group. If it’s ok.” Tony said.
“Well, I think Dr. Kaviani would be delighted to hear that. Him and his wife are just wonderful. I have learned much from them during these study sessions and I love the concept of the unity of mankind.”
“I agree. unity is critical going forward. We are a global community. This pandemic is going to be a test of how we can work together worldwide to control the virus.” Tony shared his thoughts.
“Absolutely, we need to educate people that we need to work together to build a better world.”
“Exactly, in fact, we need fundamental changes to our education system, the supply and demand economic models is not working for lots of people and the consumption patterns are causing the climate change.” Tony paused for a few seconds as he took a sip of water and then continued.
“Well, most of our activities are designed around individualism and materialism. Most people don’t have the time to socialize or build communities or even focus on personal development.”
“I am totally with you on that. Tony! The big question facing us is about the purpose of life.” said Maria.
“Could I ask you a personal question?”
Maria smiled. “You mean so far it was not personal?”
They both started laughing. “Well, you know what I mean.”
“Sure, I know.”
“What do you look for in a relationship?” Asked Tony.
“Wow! that’s a tough question. You mean in general?”
“Well, just trying to get to know you better.”
“I think couples need to connect on different levels to stay connected and have a deep relationship - Spirit, Mind and Body. At least 2 out of 3. Ideally all 3… it’s a growing together kind of process.” Maria said.
“How would you define spiritual?” Asked Tony.
“What you believe and standards you subscribe to. Like truthfulness, to be grateful for what we have, kindness, honesty, joyfulness, generosity, caring, and ultimately unity in diversity. What we believe defines our lives and how we treat each other.” Maria Explained.
“Wow, Maria, that’s great. I love that. What you are saying is so true and so important. Our society needs to focus more on the spiritual values. I hope you can talk to Jenna when she comes home. She is also very focused on spiritualty.”
“Of course, I would love to.” Maria responded as she nodded her head in agreement.
Maria and Tony had a wonderful time as they shared ideas and got to know each other better. It seemed like they were off to a great start in their relationship even though the world at large was moving towards chaos and confusion. The virus was making life difficult, and the future was full of uncertainty.
What would happen next? How will this virus come to an end? Will there be a vaccine to protect people against the virus? Would a vaccine solve the issue of pandemic?
Dr. Jolly was able to get an Uber to go home. However, as he got close to his building, the road was blocked. There were cops everywhere. The car was stopped by an officer.
The Uber driver rolled down his window by the roadblock. “Officer, I am taking this gentleman to his home on 87th.”
The officer came closer. “This area is blocked. You must go around. There is an active shooter up ahead.”
The Uber driver quickly made a U-turn. “I tell you, we got too many guns in the wrong hands.” Uber driver said.
“I agree with you. it’s unbelievable. Hopefully, the lawmakers will take the necessary steps to address the issue of gun control and banning assault weapons.” Dr. Jolly said.
After some maneuvering through the streets of New York, Dr. Jolly was able to get home.
He checked his emails and sure enough there was a message from Dr. Singh at the Ministry of Health in India. “Dear Dr. Jolly, it’s great to hear from you. Your daughter should be safe where she is at the meditation center in Mumbai. However, as you might know, currently our country is in lockdown to stop the spread of the virus. I will check to see if there are any flights to the U.S. and see if we can arrange for your daughter to get on the flight. I will keep you posted as we have more information. Sincerely, Dr. Ravinder Singh.”
There was also a message from Dr. Kaviani. “Dear Tony, I just heard from a Baha’i Friend in New Delhi. It seems like there are strict lockdown measures and it’s extremely difficult to travel or visit anyone. However, they are checking to see if there are friends in Mumbai close to the meditation center where they might be of assistance to Jenna. I will continue contacting friends and will let you know as soon as I hear from them. Regards, Vahid.”
Dr. Jolly sent a message to his daughter - Jenna. “Hi honey, how are you doing? Any updates?” But there was no response.
The news from around the world was about turmoil as the number of infections kept rising and the death toll had now reached over 80,000 – a tenfold increase from just a few days ago.
There was news of unrest in some parts of world as the governments were trying to enforce lockdowns and restrictions.
Hospitals in various countries were being overrun by massive number of infected and severe respiratory symptoms. The speed of spread of the virus was just mind-boggling.
Dr. Jolly checked his phone messages and Emails one more time before getting ready for bed in the hope of news from his daughter. But there was nothing there. As he got in bed and turned off the light, he was thinking that maybe he needs to go to India and find a way to bring his daughter home. He thought of a private jet or a boat out of Mumbai. Lots of thoughts and ideas were going through his mind as he fell asleep.
© 2022 Ramses Rashidi
"I just mix everything. Veggies, fruits, nuts, beans and whatever I can find the fridge." YES! Finally someone understands my rhapsody on haute cuisine - even if it is just a fictional character!