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Tell me about your husband Rahter, Lalita?"

The question takes o"

"But you re?"

"Yes" I sit silently for a moment "I was almost twenty e met Three or four times a year merchants used to pass by that portion of India that is non as Rajastan We lived between the desert and the jungle The merchants would sell us hats to keep off the sun, herb potions to drive away the bugs Rama was the son of a merchant I first saw hi a small child how to fly a kite We had kites in those days We invented them, not the Chinese" I shake my head "When I saw him, I just knew"

Ray understands but asks anyway, anxious to dwell on ht of what happened at the beach "What did you know?"

"That I loved hiether" I smile at the memory "He was nahth avatar, or incarnation of God Lord Rama was married to the Goddess Sita Krishna was supposed to be the ninth avatar I worshipped Lord Vishnu froot to meet Krishna Any?way, you can see how Raether Maybe our union was destined to be Raht?ful pauses" I glance over "He even had your eyes"

"They were the same?"

"They did not look the same But they were the same You understand?"

"Yes Tell me about Lalita?"

"Lalita is one of the names of the Goddess as well It means &039;She who plays&039; She was up to mischief the moment she came out of my womb Ten months old and she would climb out of her cradle and crawl and walk all the way to the river" I chuckle "I re with a snake in one of the small boats our people had Fortunately the snake was asleep It was poisonous! I reh "You wouldn&039;t have known me in those days"

"I wish I had known you then"

His res My hands fidget on the steering wheel "I wish s," I whisper

"Do you believe in reincarnation?" he asks sud?denly

"Why do you ask?"

"Just curious Do you?"

I consider "I know Krishna said it was a reality Looking back, I believe he always spoke the truth But I never talked to him about it I scarcely talked to him at all"

"If reincarnation is a reality, then what about us? Are we evolving toward God? Or are we stuck because we&039;re afraid to die?"

"I have asked myself the same questions, many times But I&039;ve never been able to answer them"

"Can&039;t you at least answer one of them?"

"Which one is that?" I ask

"Are you afraid?"

I reach over and take his hand "I don&039;t fear death for myself"

"But to fear it at all-isn&039;t it the same difference? If you trust Krishna, then you must trust that there is no death"

I force a sht"

He s of suicide I just think we have to look at the bigger picture"

I squeeze his hand and let go "I believe Krishna saw all of life as nothing more than ain this world daunted him Even when I held his companion, Radha, in my clutches, he never lost his serenity"

Ray nods "I would like to have such peace of mind"

"Yes So would I"

His reaches over and toucheshair "Do you think I am Rama?"

I have to take a breath My eyes moisten My words come out weak "I don&039;t understand"

"Yes, you do Did I come back for you?"

There are tears on my face They are five thousand years old I reed ain How I hated hi that to me Yet, had I never become a vampire, I never would have met Ray But I shake my head at his questions