Twin Souls. Raimon Samsó
a bleak landscape. I knew it since I saw it reflected in her eyes. I broke the silence, joked; forced a smile and got her to laugh. And when she did, her lips stopped resembling a heart and in reward showed her perfect teeth.
I insisted, of course, but she didn’t allow me to pay the dinner tab.
-Jodie, that is not a way to run a business - I disapproved while storing my wallet.
- In this case, what do you think it was: pleasure or business? – She smiled again. And when she did, a six scale earthquake ran through my body.
- That soon, you don’t give me any clues…
I wasn’t going to have them. Jodie, as I was to discover, was not a woman who made things easy.
Of course I didn’t tell her about my long wait weeks before in front of the art gallery. I was ashamed to recognize that my time had no value over the prospect of seeing her again. When we said goodbye at the door, I proposed we saw each other again. All I got was a sports date. At least it’s something.
We agreed to meet the next day. Early in the morning, on Ocean Avenue, to run for miles next to the beach.
-At six thirty? –she proposed.
-At six thirty –I accepted.
Even though she went to bed every night close to sunrise, because of her work, Jodie had the habit of waking up very early to do her double session workout: jogging at the beach and yogapilates at the gym. I had forgotten about the gym a long time ago.
-We should take care, much or more, the soul as we do the body, don’t you think? – Jodie asked
I smiled. We said goodbye at the restaurant door.
-Jodie, Is there really no Mr. Wright? A woman like you… -I asked.
She closed her eyes, pretended to revolve her memory as if you do with stuff in the attic, and smiled:
-If that was the case, I think I would remember it
The next day, just as we had agreed, we met at the avenue that accompanies the beach. When I got there, she was already making stretching exercises on the grass.
-Do you feel asleep? – She said while compensating it with a funny wink.
What in the hell did that question mean? It was exactly six thirty in the morning. I was on time. I wasn’t late, however she had arrived early.
- I actually got up before five to leave some things fixed before going out – I lied
-Oh! ... I see –without sounding amused.
Who was this woman whose thoughts seemed to be a couple of steps ahead of mine?This same question a kept repeating in my head the months that followed.
We began to run shoulder to shoulder, so close that I could almost hear her heartbeat doubling on mine. Jodie was very agile and of sporty constitution. Her body showed strict care. Without a doubt she had good physical form, since she kept the tone of the conversation thoughout the jog. She talked and talked without the run affecting her capacity to do both things at once.
- I sense in you a woman whose inner life is very intense. Is it not? – I asked interchanging my words with my breathing.
- I try at least. Let’s say that I like to know the «whys». And now that you mention that word, as a painter, do you know the meaning of what we call intuition? You know, that inner voice that knows it all –she asked.
- Look Jodie, I believe in the work and in the fact that no one is going to give you anything. Nothing comes wrapped up like a present in which you only need to open it. I relieve in elaborate ideas…
-You probably put a lot of effort into everything, right?
She asked surprised.
-Try being more receptive. This will help you enormously in your work. Through intuition, your personality comes in contact with your soul, and that leads you to an infinite organizing intelligence that I call God. And it does not matter what your religious beliefs are. Aren’t you happy to know that you are not alone in this world?
Then she added:
-…It’s not about some mystic thing, or a guessing ability. Think about it, how would God allow you to confront your needs without giving you the means to satisfy them? How can you be challenged with a question without being given the answer? ...
To the right of our jog, the ocean. To the left, the boulevard with its tall and thin palm trees. Beyond, the buildings are aligned with a strange mix of art-deco and radicalism styles. An infinity of runners crossed with us panting and indifferent.
- You tell me.
- Maybe intuition – Continued Jodie – is the encounter between two ideas that together acquire a complete sense, which they separately did not have. What I do know is that the solutions that the universe proposes are always better that the ones the ego disposes.
I recognized her amazing capacity to get my interest.
Because of the way she said stuff? ... Maybe it was that. What she expressed was new and strange to me. She seemed very sure of herself, and above all –and that sensation always repeated itself in her presence – gave the impression that she only exposed the tip of the iceberg. After running for about five miles, maybe six, I proposed that we took a rest. She smiled understanding the weakness of my strengths.
Jodie augmented that every person possesses their own intuitive style. She talked about archetypes, a subject I knew nothing about.
-In which one would you include yourself, Victor? – She wanted to know.
- Should I signal the correct option with a cross? Because I don’t think I have an answer to that question right now.
We continued to run side by side. It had become morning already and little by little the city awoke. In that scenery of blues, us, two insignificant people talked about matters of which I had never talked about before. Once I had heard about the West Coast being the capital of the phenomenon of waking up from a conscience to a new era – in English new age- Now that I was there… Was Jodie going to be my wakeup call? ...
- There’s always a reason – she said – for you to go through what you are living. Everything has a meaning when you learn to relate your outer experiences with your inner needs. We have a lot of questions, but also many answers. The question is to pair them correctly so that everything makes sense.
That reminded me of the e-mail message I got the evening.
-Jodie Another amazing… concidence?, by the way, where do you live?
-Near the Sea Palms restaurant where I work.
-Can’t you be more specific? Some coordinates would do, something more exact…
-Slow, Ok?
-Ok, Ok –I said somewhat disgruntled -.No details, which would be too intimate, only vague stuff… I understand.
-I’ll race you to the Pier –she yelled while she ran away at an amazing pace.
Jodie began with a sprint that literally left me nailed. I finally stopped, breathless, panting, bent on my knees, while she took off at a great speed. I tried to recover my breath while thinking about how unsettling Jodie was and the stuff she said. In every sense, that woman took my breath away.
And March went on.
Like a heartbeat.
Chapter Six
During the weekends I usually cook. I don’t dispose from many utensils, but I take advantage of my resources and workaround. I like to cook because it relaxes me. When my hands are busy, my mind follows them. I enter in a state of presence. That is the miracle of the here and now.
I had her cell phone number written in