Page 24 of The Love Thief
“At first, I was completely unaware of the drug use, but within months he started going out at night by himself, coming home really late, and clearly not in his right mind. One night I confronted him and he slapped me and knocked me down. I locked myself in the bathroom and called my parents, who came and picked me up immediately, and that was the beginning of the end. A year later, after him promising countless times to be better and do better and completing stays in two more treatment centers, I had to get out, and that was that.”
Maya told me that getting a divorce in India was still a big deal. The divorce rate hovers around two percent because there is still so much social stigma around it.
I asked her if she had been in love with Shekhar.
Maya said she was mostly in love with the idea of being part of a hotel dynasty with a handsome man who seemed to be so together.
The hardest part was getting over her wounded ego and thinking that she had failed because now she was a young divorcée.
Now she wasn’t even sure she wanted to marry again.
Later, we ate our garden salads that were dressed with a creamy, savory turmeric dressing. “So, Holly, enough of this talk about my tragic marriage. I have a proposition for you,” Maya announced, changing the subject as we dug into our leafy meal.
“As I’ve told you, my parents own several five-star hotels, and my current role involves dreaming up new, innovative ways to keep our current hotel clientele excited, as well as maintaining and growing our reputation as a modern cool and chic hub for locals.
They can come, enjoy, and fill our restaurants and bars.
“I’ve got this idea to open a California-style restaurant in our hotel in Delhi, one that features cheeseburgers and .
. . everything from beef and turkey to total vegan.
We’ll also serve hotdogs, fish tacos, french fries, onion rings, milkshakes, and pizza.
I see the décor as a 1950s-style diner with a long counter, bar stools, and cozy red leather booths.
We’ll have Beach Boys music and all kinds of American pop music playing and maybe even add singing servers.
“To make all of this happen, Holly, I need you. I need you to come and be my consultant, to design the menu and train my cooks. And then, when we are up and running and a huge success, I want you to re-create it on our other properties. What do you think?” she asked before taking a long sip of her green iced tea.
Before I could answer, Maya added, “If you say yes, we will pay you ten thousand USD a month plus give you your own suite in the hotel, unlimited room service, and have a car and driver available for you. See, it’s a relatively short-term gig because after the grand opening, your work—at least for the time being—would be done. Please seriously consider it.”
I tried to shut my gaping mouth at the level of trust Maya had placed in me so spontaneously. I wondered if I would ever again be able to be so decisively sure about anyone I had just met. It showed, because somehow my mouth wouldn’t close.
Maya laughed, looking completely amused by my reaction, saying, “I think I know you more than you know yourself. You can shut your mouth now!”
“It’s an incredible offer, Maya,” I said, finally, “but it’s just so sudden. Are you always so quick to jump into a big project with a virtual stranger?”
“It’s true,” Maya admitted. “I’m impulsive, but I have great instincts, and I trust my inner radar.
” And then, flashing a million-watt full-on thirty-two-teeth smile, she added, “Besides, I googled you! According to the La Jolla Light , you’re ‘San Diego’s Hottest New Chef.
’ I believe we’ve been divinely guided to make some serious foodie magic together. ”
Sitting on that outdoor terrace, under the banyan tree, eating the delicious, healthy lunch, I felt a shift in my energy, as if a tremendous weight of worry about my currently nonexistent career had been lifted and replaced with a sense of relief and excitement.
I sensed I was about to step into a new world.
A world that would enliven and challenge my creativity and sense of purpose.
And begin to refill my empty bank account.
And maybe the instincts my new friends in India seemed to have might rub off on me.
I knew I had to pay more attention to their intuitive skills. Well, I do have a ten-year visa , I thought excitedly. When planning to come to India, Auntie had suggested that I buy the ten-year visa for $150, just in case I fell in love with her homeland and wanted to make many more visits.
“This is just the start of what I suspect will become a lifelong love affair with India for you,” she had said. “This way, you are free to extend your stay or to return as often as you wish.”
At the time, I thought it was a silly added expense, but now I knew having the extended visa was already fortuitous.
A rush of excitement filled my chest and shoulders as I absorbed the enormity of the offer.
Perhaps, Maya was my Fairy Godmother, and rather than provide Prince Charming, she waved her magic wand to open up a whole new career path for me.
I knew I would learn a lot just by working closely with her on a daily basis.
“Maya, I don’t quite know what to say. It’s the most mind-blowing and wonderful offer I’ve ever gotten.
It sounds like a perfect project for me, especially at this very moment in my life.
But, give me some time to think it through.
From what you described, I can completely envision it.
I would put up screens and show reruns of an old TV show called Happy Days and movies like Gidget and The Endless Summer .
We’ll transport the customers straight to the heart of Malibu! ”
We brainstormed ideas through the rest of our lunch.
It sounded like an amazing opportunity, but because my biggest disappointment and the reason I was here in India were the result of my big impulsive decision, I told her I wanted to slow down to think it through to its logical end.
We agreed that I would give her my answer after we met in Delhi and I saw the location.
That gave me ten days remaining in Rishikesh before my return flight home from Delhi to LAX.
My options were to take a day or two to spend with Maya before my flight home, or to stay in Delhi and take her up on her generous and astoundingly fun-sounding offer.
Kurt was right. Instant manifestation in Rishikesh was on steroids! Not only had I asked for a new best friend, but she came with a possible solution to the beginning of my future. Where would this opportunity take me?