Joseph Kaval 

Full Moons At Noon

“Oh’ my God, how come two princesses here without a foreword!”
“We wanted to surprise you”
Both Razia and Rehna daughters of Sheik Sultan Al Kalpan sprang up and greeted him in Arabic. The sisters were all in smiles. He held their hand and kissed. Still he could not believe his eyes and ears.
“Please be seated”
“You people at first see, then listen, then feel and then believe. We people at first believe, then see them, hear and feel about them. How’s that?” asked Razia
 “It’s very poetic, beautiful. Tell me how did you come?”
“You know, Daddy is still in London enjoying vacation. And London will change him bit by bit. He allowed us to drive out at first with our brother and later alone like other Bahraini girls. A month ago I got my DL. Rehna is still on LD.”
“Like Iranian women, should you always wear chador and tejab? You know, Allah doesn’t have any dress, but he dresses the universe beautifully, not by covering but revealing”
“No. Not compulsory. Not necessary”
As if excited by his words they quietly removed their chador and head cover, folded them neatly and shoved into their handbag. They looked like two full moons coming out of dark clouds in a deep blue sky. Razia aged twenty and Rehna seventeen, the Nature’s two special choices, faced him with their spotless smile. The stream of yellow sunlight streaking though the windowpane creamed their whitish face and bare neck and hands. He noticed that they had nothing of gold on them. They wore taut silk white shirt tucked into their violet frock. They had Bata shoe with white half socks revealing their shapely knees and tender calves. They did not have silver anklets around their ankles. Their dresses were modern and moderate, fashionable but reasonable. They seemed happy and very much keyed up.
“Coffee or tea?”
“Nothing. Are you still busy? Shall we go out? We have everything needed for a picnic”
He paused for a minute.
“Please don’t say you are busy”
“Ok. Just a minute.”
He went inside gent’s room and freshened up and returned
Giggling like jingle bells and twinkling like little stars, the trios went down the stairs.
Razia sat behind the wheel. John sat beside her and Rehna close to him.
 “Where to?”
“Hotel Omar Khayyam” Rehna directed
The black beauty Sedan raced on Manama – Buddhaiya high way towards Omar Khayyam, an oasis in a deserted area close to the sea shore facing Dhahran on the Saudi west coast.
They dined at Rubaiyat restaurant. They feasted on Iranian and Arabic fares with Persian wine.
John was simply carried away by their melodious chattering. They chirped like love birds set out of cage. He was more a listener than a preacher. He felt that their father was becoming liberal and lenient to himself and to his children. They wanted to know more about the world and the peoples around. They never used to go out by themselves ever since the death of their mother Fathima Beevi.
Razia disclosed to him that she wanted to become a teacher. Rehna’s dream was to become an Engineer. They already started correspondence course with Arabian Gulf University. Their brother has taken the lead. His girl friend Ramani was helping them a lot in getting their thinking tuned to the modern thoughts and living ways. They could now speak good English. The seemed courageous and venturing 
“John, you are more learned and experienced than all of us. You are a family friend of us. Help us to become informed and erudite persons. Will you?” asked Razia
“Sure. Do not jump over the fire or the fence. Your father is a nice man. At first earn his confidence and slowly toe him to your line. Then plan the future. Aim at tiny targets and make them bigger and bigger as you go on realizing them. Go steady and win the race”
“When you go on vacation, take us to Kerala and Bangalore. Will you?”
“Why don’t you go to Europe, UK and US?”
“Buhaari asked us to look towards the East not to the West,” Said Rehna
“Yes, your brother said rightly. He is a true Bahraini made in India”
The girls laughed sheepishly
While he was having dessert, he casually asked Razia,
“Baba wouldn’t wait for long. He would ask you to get married”
“Uuum…marriage can wait till I become a trained teacher. John, why don’t get married?”
“I want to. But I don’t have time to marry. I have to unburden and free myself from family obligations…”
“By the time you are free of your family yoke and Razia becomes an independent teacher both of you will become an old bull and an old cow, good for nothing” remarked Rehana sarcastically
Everybody laughed softly and hilariously
Waiter brought the bill and bowls of hot water with lemon pieces in them.
They washed their hands and mouth. They wiped their face with tissue papers.
 Razia paid
“We are hale and hearty. Now to where?
“To our private beach in Al Hoora.” Rehna pointed the direction
They headed for the Al Khalifa beach enclave of green waters under blue sky in Al Hoora.
Under the canopy of colorful sunshade Razia spread a thick blanket. Rehna carried in and placed the kits, picnic bags and thermo box on the sheet. John sat cross-legged. Nearby him Razia lay on her back and stared at the cloudless dark blue ocean immense and immeasurable extending to the four quarters of the world. Her half closed eyes saw the afternoon sun like a tiny moon floating towards the western horizon. Rehna parked herself near her sister and stretched her legs supporting her supple body by her hands on either side. John looked around and afar. There were only few people around in their enclosures. Some were under the naked sun enjoying its shower. Some were eating and drinking under the canopies. Some were fishing. A couple of eagles were floating under the blue sky. The boats that used to ferry the visitors between Al Hoora – Al Salmabad –Al Muharraq were having their siesta in the ferry lulled by the soft and tender hands of the waves. The sea was blue and the water dark green. Where the waves embraced the evergreen shore, sand and water got intertwined and burst into laughter and there was no ending to their delirious mood. It was so the beaches all over the world and even so in Kollam beach
 The sight amused john and relaxed his mind.
  “Rehna, you’re young, studious and aspiring high. Why don’t you have a look into Marine Biology? Read about Scuba diving.”
  “I have done my preliminary. It’s a very fascinating subject and an adventurous career”
“Yea, it’s very exciting, baby. Do you know swimming?”
“No”
“Big hotels have swimming pools and instructors. If you like I can take you to Holiday Inn or Gulf Hotel. Get trained in aquatic games. You could be a pioneer and perhaps the first Bahraini woman in scuba diving and underwater explorations. Think about it”
“Uncle, do you know swimming?
“I’m a son of the Arabian sea. I was born and brought up on her bosom. I learnt it at the age of six”
“Bravo! I’m apprehensive of instructors. I don’t like they touch me. Will you teach me the abcd of swimming?”
“I’ll do. At first talk to your brother and let him call me”
“That’s no problem. I’ll speak to him. I also want to learn swimming” Razia demanded.
Rehna peeped into the sea for some time. She then slowly got up.
“I’ll have a look along the sea shore.” She walked away with one step at a time. It was a swan-walk.
“John, you really care for us.” Razia said. Her left hand held his right hand and squeezed it. She then slowly placed his palm over her face. John twitched. His fingers pinched her nose and swept her virgin forehead, overshadowed her lovely eyes, patted her rosy cheeks, fondled her red lips and milked her earlobes. They snaked over her wide V-neck. They reached just beneath her bra. They stopped short of entering into her open cleavage. He suddenly withdrew his hand as if it got burnt.
“O’John, why? You could go on” she asked.
He did not respond.
“I was feeling extremely light and sensual by your feather touch. I was melting all over my body. A sweet sensation was flowing all over my veins and arteries… And abruptly it was halted, dried off. I ask you a simple question. Will the two streams parallel to each other flowing straight into the ocean ever meet?” She asked.
“No.”
“Yes”
“How’s that?”
She suddenly rolled over and placed her head on his lap and fixed her eyes on his face
“You don’t know?”
He got puzzled and became nervous.
She raised her both hands and held his head and shook it violently twice.
“Twist and turn the globe. Cut canals and connect pipes in between them. They will kiss each other and become one body and one soul and will flow together”
“Wow!” He bent his head and planted a warm kiss on her lips. Her hands locked over his head. She pulled him down over her bosom. He lay across on his back resting his head on her bosom 
“I am sure our Baba will come back a changed man. And a lot of changes will take place in our home. Buhaari will return to us. He will bring in Ramai. They will look after the entire Kalpan Family. Rehna will be on her way to become Marine scientist. The first Bahrain Marineress. I will become a trained high school teacher and the head of our school for girls. Then I will look for you. I am afraid I will ever find you. Will I find you, John?”
“You have already become a teacher. Now you are on the way of becoming a story writer. I am flabbergasted at the way your imagination flaring up! Fantastic!! Razia, listen, my brother Robert will reach here shortly and may join your brother’s business. My sisters also will land up in the Island. The eldest of them is gearing up for traveling to Bahrain. She will definitely join the Sacred Heart School. The younger one will also be a teacher at the Indian school. I will become the GM of my own company sponsored by Kalpan Family. Then I will search for Razia. Will I ever find her?”
Razia roared out and he more loudly. They did not know how long they were deliriously babbling and playfully frolicking. They shared their dreams and hopes.
They saw Rehna coming towards them with a plastic bag in her hand. She was fully drenched in seawater, her white blouse revealing her bra and her silk frock sticking to her panties and dripping sea water, socks and shoes totally dirtied and spoiled
“Look Razia, Rehna already started becoming a biologist”
Rehna emptied her bag on the sand near them. There were two dozen shells of different varieties in shape, color and size. Some seemed to be alive. Some already dead and some hollow
“Rehna, you have done a good job. Did you see butterflies in the sea water?”
“Butterflies?”
“Yes, coloured ones”
“I saw a few near the fishing berth. Those were white, blue, red and black colored fishes of four to six inches long.”
“Did you see any mermaid?”
“What’s mermaid, uncle?” Rehna looked at him quizzically
“A beautiful virgin like you fully blossomed. Up to your groin she is human like you. Then below she is like a fish with fins and tail, no legs.”
Rehna blushed and gaped at him in wonderment.
He got up and sat face to face.
“Rehna, you will smell sea fish and that smell will never leave your body.” he said,  “Go to the cottage. Wash and clean.”
“Take the towel and soap” Razia said and pulled them out from the kit and threw at her
Rehna dragged herself to the cottage
“John, give me a hand and pull me up”
He pulled her up so forcefully that she slipped and fell on her chest. He held her tightly from falling down.
“Don’t give me away” she shouted and stole a couple of kisses from him.
She took the blanket and dusted off the sand. She spread it and sat on it, John opposite to her. She opened the kits and brought out the paper cups and plates and placed them on the sheet. She distributed dates and biscuits. While she was pouring lemon tea Rehna came and sat near John.
“What’s this? No blouse? Where is it?” He asked indignantly
She pointed at the plastic bag.
“Uncle, my bra is also heavily wet, dirty and smelly”
“Then throw it out” shouted Razia
Rehna readily unhooked her bra and let it go. John immediately pulled out a bath towel from the bag and put around her shoulder and covered her and whispered mildly,   
“This is not Las Vegas or a topless beach in California. Don’t be silly and girlish. Thank God, there are no religious policemen around in Bahrain”
Razia pulled out a T-shirt from the kit and fished out her chador from her hand bag and rolled them into a ball and threw at Rehna.
Rehna caught hold of them.
“Rehna baby, shield your name and shame. Chador covers a multitude of our sins” said Razia jokingly and meaningfully
John laughed quietly and others giggled with him profusely   
Their shadows became longer behind them. The sun was downing.    
They saw afar visitors pouring into the beach from all directions, families, couples and children.
Motor boats started moving with their first batch of visitors.
Like a scooter family –father, mother and daughter- they sat around and drank tea with dates and munched cat-tongue biscuit. They chatted lightly, laughed at each other and cracked jokes.
The Sun-god was diving down for ocean’s berth for its rest for the day. The Eastern maid began rolling out her black blanket over Bahrain. Cold breeze became colder and stronger.
They enjoyed the evening.
The big black sedan dropped john in front of the office building
Each one hugged and kissed him.
“Thank you for the company. See you again. Bye”
He waited there until the black Sedan disappeared from his sight. He began climbing the steps upward to the office. The whole afternoon seemed to him like a morning dream and like a stolen kiss of a handmaid. It went off sooner than it came.