Dharma and the Wheels of Life, a Buddhist thought. (hardcover)

The shelves were lighted up with bulbs all over the roof, polished wooden slabs and all non fiction titles classified together on the author’s name. I stood there and read the names of the books and Cathy, whom I went out with for the first date, looked outside the window while she played with my hair. She had done that three times since morning. I guess it was her habit. I didn’t mind it so I let her roll her fingers in my hair. I looked at the Dharma and the Wheels of Life, a Buddhist thought, hardcover with a very attractive front photo.

“Looks interesting” I said while flipping the pages.

“I think its all fake” she said quickly from back and kept looking outside.

“What makes you think that” I continued reading the about the author page.

“I know it, I have seen it” she said busily.

She had stopped rolling her fingers in my hair and walked close to the window. I noticed the book was written by a Buddhist monk who had also done some post graduate work at Harvard. His photo was very deceiving. He had an orange robe on with no shoes, but under his name I could see three different degrees and a fellowship of many societies which I had only read and seen in the news. I wondered how Cathy knew about this author and why she said he was fake. I felt like buying the book and also get more information about the author.

I called Cathy and asked “What makes you think it is fake”

“You will have to see it for yourself” she said while looking outside. I looked at her. She was just nineteen. I saw the exuberance and the enthusiasm I had when I was nineteen. She wore blue jeans and colorful shirt, with a bandana and the necklace of wood and plastic turtles. I smiled at her colors. She did not at all looked like someone who would read Dharma and the Wheels of Life, a Buddhist thought.

I read the introduction of the book, and the last two pages of the first chapter, something I always do before buying an unrecommended book. I walked to the cashier to check out and looked for Cathy. She was nowhere near that window. I called her on her cell phone. She hung up. I called her again to find a busy signal.

I was a little surprised with her disappearance and hanging up the phone. I came out of the shop and saw there was a security guard sitting there. I asked him if he saw a girl wearing that colorful shirt walked out of the store.

He said “Yeah, that kid ran after the limping beggar. She said the beggar was faking a broken leg and she wanted to take a picture of him. She told me that she saw the beggar walk straight from inside the store. She went that way” he laughed and I looked at the security guard wondering what was outside the window.