Bona Fide Image IX

There is a difference between being a willing participant in the sexual act, and making love to the one special person that means the world to one. Just as surely as there is a difference in the decadent indulgence of a banquet feast, and the bland and miserly consumption of hospital fare.

The years, tears and heartaches seemed to dissipate when blessed with a magical kiss. Unlike no other because only when one loses and finds that which one thought lost forever, can one truly appreciate the excruciatingly tender bliss of such an opportunity.

Phillip and Linda discovered a seasoned and sizzling passion for each other, which was tempered by experience, and an acute longing, which although perhaps dormant, still was perennial and palpable in the deepest recesses of the mind, and beating heart.

It was as if time had stood still. Nothing had changed in those twelve years since they had last kissed, yet, so much had changed still.

Before Linda introduced Pablo to Phillip, the latter looked startled when he saw Pablo seated on the dinning area. The resemblance was uncanny, and his heart took a leap when Linda confirmed what he’d know at a quick glance.

Phillip experienced a plethora of emotions as he embraced Pablo. He was joyous, yet deeply disturbed that he had been absent from his son’s life, and he from his. He felt that life that cheated him of a very important part.

There were tears of joy, and deep sadness intertwined. He promised Pablo that he would always be in his life. To make good on that promise, he asked Linda to be his wife.

After more than a decade since they first met, and with a son they created from that union, Linda and Phillip made their union official. His son Charles, and his newly acquainted son Pablo, witnessed the happy event.

Bona Fide Image VIII

-“Please mom? Can I stay the weekend with them?” Pablo asked Linda with heartfelt earnest. Even though Pablo was very tall for his age, which made him appear older than his twelve years; Linda was apprehensive about letting him go spend the weekend in the neighboring tribe of his best friend Paco.

Linda hid a smile provoked by the enthusiasm displayed by Pablo, his unusual blue eyes contrasted deeply with the honey shade of his skin, and these were lively as he expounded on the desire to be allowed to go.

Linda knew that the elders of the tribe had developed a special affection towards Pablo, and his insatiable curiosity was appeased somewhat by the tutoring of the wise men of the clan in the art of natural healing, and the instilment of a profound reverence for Mother Nature and of all the species of the rain forest.

Linda rested her apprehension and allowed him to go. He did earn that merit by excelling in his studies, obtained the highest marks, and easily assimilating the subjects presented.

-“Okay, you may go, and I will take a special dish for Paco’s grandfather. I am very happy that you have taken an interest in healing Pablo, do you think that is something you will pursue professionally?”

-“Hmm…I don’t know exactly. I do know that I like to investigate things. I am learning about the medicinal properties of many plants inherent to our rain forest. I think that I would like to assimilate the two and find a way to cure people with what nature provides for us here.” Pablo said after some giving some thought to the subject.

When Linda said goodbye when leaving Pablo in the care of the wise men and his best friend, she was startled when Pablo came running to give her a goodbye kiss and a hug. Something in his expression, has reminded her of Phillip. Except for the pigment of the skin, the marked resemblance was undeniable.


Some things seem beyond repair, no matter how much one would wish they would work. The attraction for Cindy had faded some time ago. Basically after she gave birth to their son, she had stopped trying to make it work. She was settled and married, and Cindy did not feel the need to strive to make their relationship a loving one. There was no real love anyway on both parts, but make the best of her situation, she did. She was considered one of the most fashionable women in the society circles they oscillated in.

To her credit, Cindy was a good mother. She lobbied to make sure that her son Charles got into the most prominent private schools. She knew that even from pre-kinder, the alliances, friendships and clout created from the association to those prestigious schools, would affect her son’s future in a profound way.

Even though Phillip existed in a loveless marriage, his commitment was enduring. It was Cindy who eventually severed the ties, when she happened to be madly in love with one of her opportune lovers. She simply left a note on the refrigerator saying that she was taking a sabbatical for an indefinite period of time.

That sabbatical lasted two months before she called home, and talked to her son. She inquired as to how he was doing in school. She then initiated the divorce proceedings, without attempting to obtain child custody. She felt that she was still young to make a new life for herself. Love and passion blinded her to the pain she caused those who loved her, in this case, only her twelve- year-old son, Charles.

When Phillip was a free man, the idea of searching for Linda once again cemented in his head. Would she even remember him? She most probably would be married with children of her own too. Regardless, Phillip wanted to take this trip which he had halted when called home, all those years ago. He was taking advantage that his son was vacationing two weeks with Cindy in her new home.

Linda had not changed much from twelve years ago. There was a profound sadness and maturity in her eyes, yet the rest was relatively the same. She still ran the kitchen of the tourist inn. They recognized each other instantly when they gazed upon one another.





To be continued…

Bona Fide Image VII

Linda had read in a poem by Neruda, "How short can love be, yet how long it is to forget." A lone tear ran down her face as the adjacent waterfall laughed in glee.

When the heart knows, that is enough. No need to work so hard to create the illusion of happiness. The happiness felt within is genuine and changes in form. Be it from simple contentment, to overflowing joy. On the opposite spectrum, the pain can be gut wretchedly deep.

Linda had had a crash course on both emotions, on a very genuine and profound level. As she sat under the shade of a tree to contemplate her situation; she concluded that she had no regrets. They had loved each other intensely for the duration of two months, and she loved him still. She would harbor the good memories, and harbor the life which resided within.

Now she had to break the news to her parents, and face the reality that Phillip might not ever know of her condition. Since he’d abruptly left two weeks ago, she had not heard from him at all. Phillip had gone back home due to an emergency he had been told.

Linda hugged her knees and nestled her face between those, as the festive waterfall drowned her heartfelt sobs. Even so, the pain was so deep, that it alarmed the birds, monkeys and fauna. They were exalted and alarmed by the grief racking Linda's body as it trembled as if she were dying of excruciating pain.





-“I should not be telling you this son, but you don’t have to do this.” Clare said this to Phillip as he was eating his breakfast. This would be the last day he was living under Clare’s roof. He was getting married later that day.

-“How can I not mother? Cindy is pregnant with my child. How can I make my child a bastard? I just can’t do that.” Phillip said this with the resolution of a man that must face a formidable challenge.

Grasping his hand, Clare tried one more time to dissuade Phillip from making the biggest mistake of his life. –“Phillip you can be a father and be there always for your child, without having to marry the mother. I know that is contradicts tradition and the church, but I know that is not the woman for you! Look how even at this stage she is using the baby to hijack you into submission. She is refusing to sign a prenuptial, knowing that either way, you feel obligated to marry her, and in the event things don’t work out, she will grab a lot of money.

It’s still not too late Phillip to back out. Remember that, and for the records, I don’t give a damn for convention.” Clare said persuasively.

The sunlight filtered into the court room that afternoon. The solemnity of the place gave the caricature of the event an egregious savor. As he observed Cindy’s malicious and triumphant gleam in her eyes, Phillip had the sinking sensation that he was leasing his life to a long prison term.

With pain in his heart he agreed to marry; he was sorry that he was not marrying the girl that he had come to genuinely love.

As they were declared husband and wife, and he took Cindy into his arms to kiss her, he closed his eyes and for a moment he imagined he was kissing Linda instead.




To be continued….

Bona Fide Image VI

Time can stand still in an abstract sense, when we refuse to end the moment at hand, and one becomes acutely aware of such a transcendental moment in our lives. These rare occasions - with so far and few in between - can elevate one to the sublime. An hour, perhaps two can be perceived as just a fraction of that traversed time.

When two soul mates unite, can it be any more splendorous? Such a joyous occasion to celebrate in our hearts! For we walk for years and decades like ambulating zombies on the ardours path of life.

On a visceral level, we fully understand that the search for The One is on, and the comfort and bliss found in those arms, makes it simply all worthwhile. Everything.
Every trial and tribulation, every heartache, every tear shed, every achievement, and even those long journeys brought one to that very moment.
The present moment.

Perhaps it's destiny. Perhaps is an overdue reward. Phillip knew it the moment he took Linda in his arms. Not with primal lust or lascivious intentions, although inexorably it simmered to that point. The natural desire to be close and explore each's territory was a natural derivative of the existing mutual spark from beyond.

Moral restrictions, racial divides, social diversity, had no plan in the Palace of Delight. There was nothing turbid or shameful. Linda instinctively knew that she would not let this magical moment pass. Even if there was no tomorrow for them, they had this memorable moment to sustain them for a lifetime.

She felt such an affinity towards Phillip, that was more than a crush. And besides, she was old enough now to learn of the pleasure of the flesh. She was not the most popular girl in the region, thanks to her limp. If Phillip did not mind her lesion, why did she have to give up on this wondrous moment in her life?

Regardless of her impediment, she was a very passionate girl. She was passionate about life, about nature, her family, and learning secrets which few where privy to. The native tribes had adopted her, for they saw the beauty if her spirit, and she had in time made fast friends with the wise men of those clans.

Looking deeply into each other's eyes, there was no thought to questions or doubt. They were both entranced by each other. As they swam towards the shore, they lay atop a bed of leaves to explore one another, with the wondrous curiosity of a child. They resumed their tender kissing, which escalated in intensity of passionate heat, and intensity, into a flaring hunger to posses and to yield.

Instinct guided where lack of experience lacked. Linda responded with rapturous delight to Phillip's ministrations, as he traced her face and body as an artist's brush paints every minuscule detail of the anatomy - sparing none. She in kind, reciprocated with ardent expediency,and wandering caresses and shameless kisses - everywhere.
Looking into his beautiful eyes, clear and honest like the sky - she was not afraid. They became one in body, and soul. For that rapturous moment, time stood still, and joy abound.

She was glad for once, that she was a woman now. Her lesion did not impede her from offering her silky breasts, ripe and fresh like fuzzy peaches which abound in July - for his nourishment and delight.
She was glad that she had round hips so that he could hold on to them, as if he were steering the wheel of a ship. Her legs wrapped firmly around him and guided him to her, to cleave the ripened fruit glistening under the sun. Deeper, and deeper as if plowing for unknown secrets, until the mind shut down and ceased to function temporarily, and the senses took full domain of the body, as it convulsed like fish out of water.

Linda looked up at the sun with open eyes. Her vision was blurred by the harsh light and stars. Afterwards, she realized, that her body has responded well. She was happy to be alive, and happy to have Phillip in her arms, and still inside.

As the sun abated its furious intensity for the afternoon, their passion as well abated in turn. They held hands as they waded into the crystal clear waters to clean up. Linda felt different; she was a woman now. The blood between her legs which the nurturing lagoon dissolved, and soothed like a salve her still palpitating wound, was testimony to this.







To be continued...

Bona Fide Image V

Man creates an artificial paradise, populating it with things that will distract the mind, and rob precious time. Yet, underneath it all, the commercial mechanism is always churning, with a hawk eye on the profit margins, and not on the perceived value served.

When does the line become a blur between what is real and what is false? What can make one feel truly alive? The cigarette and liquor high is short lived, and can bring detrimental consequences. Casual sex can also give a spectacular rush, if there is a sufficient mutual spark.

Phillip mulled over this as he decided that it was best in his introspective phase, to let the guard down and tranquil the mind. This relinquishing control of the psych, simply allowed the Self to find the absolutely perfect solution.

Phillip silenced his mind by turning the dial to the off position for the lapse of thirty minutes. He allowed his body to float without any course or intent - mindless, as the cascading waterfall, laughed merrily.

Phillip closed his eyes and reveled in the sun’s caress, as the cool water nestled him in her loving arms and lap, while she gently rocked him, and buffeted the external noises. Playfully, she ocassionally lapped at his earlobes teasingly.
Soon, Phillip was induced to a trance-like state.

Phillip reached such a state of internal joy that radiated pure energy which merged with the clear sky, the verdant hills, the sun, and beyond. To galaxies light-years away, and to commute in peace with nature, and the plethora of species inhabiting this small, ailing paradise we call earth. Temporarily, Phillip merged into the lane which connects to all.

Linda sat complacently on the edge of the secluded lagoon; she called the Garden of Eden. She was content to contemplate the wonders of nature, this included Phillip. He made the perfect accessory to this garden of paradise, a testimony to the generosity of God in the creation of such a beautiful specimen of man.

Lured to a languid state of inertia, Linda decided to jump into the water as well. As was customary, she kept her underwear on, and glided into the arms of the cool water topless. Her nubile body in perfect harmony with nature, was at ease with her partial nudity. Her mahogany nipples became erect when the cool water gently supported her breasts, and wet her entirely, like a giant tongue licking a manila envelope.

Phillip’s connection was broken, when he sensed Linda near him. He slowly opened his eyes and saw that she swam towards to waterfall, and back, towards him. Her bright smile and merry eyes spoke to him, even before she reached him.

They splashed and played like playful dolphins for the rest of the afternoon.

The same concept can be applied when one lets the heart proceed, instead of the intellect.

The mechanisms of love are difficult to decipher, yet sometimes, when one quiets the mind, the heart speaks eloquently. In the middle of paradise, it was proper homage to such grace, to celebrate being alive and full of vitality- with a soulful kiss on the lips, and a grateful heart for such an opportunity.





To be continued…

Bona Fide Image IV

-"If it's meant to be, it will happen. Trust me darling, you are free to seek your true mate." Clare attempted to console Phillip.

-"I've decided to take a brake from it all mother. I am taking a year's hiatus from dating and school. I am leaving as soon as my semester is over." Phillip announced to Clare.

-"Where are you going Phillip?"

-"I am going to the Amazon jungle, and to various countries of South America."

-"So far? And isn't it dangerous Phillip?" Clare asked with alarm registered in her eyes.

-"As you've recently mentioned mother, 'If it is meant to be, it will happen.' Everyday when I awake, I trust in the good Lord that it will be a good day. So, don't fret. I feel that I really need this experience, and besides some of my friends will join me later on to visit the carnival in Rio, and Antarctica region. Relax mother; I am a man now, and I need to see the wonders of the world for myself."




After a month's travel, Phillip's appearance was almost unrecognizable from the well-groomed, and studious young man he personified. His hair was long, and he had stopped shaving. He only trimmed his beard when it became so overgrown as to become a nuisance.
His milky-white skin was now tanned to a deep golden hue, like burnished 18 karat gold when the beads of perspiration reflected a light sheen upon his form.
The golden gleam of his skin, deeply contrasted with his blue eyes, as if one had found two aquamarine jewels strewn carelessly on the surface of the hot desert sand, by mere chance.

The amazon jungle was alive and vibrant with lush flora, and exotic species, grotesque, yet, so very beautiful for their uniqueness and rarity. It was a splendorous, orchestrated production. The cascading waterfalls, exotic birds, and mischievous monkeys, created a tumulous chorus, as each sang above the other, in the effort to be supreme.

The heat was perpetually humid, as if one were sprayed by a fine midst continuously which caused the clothing to attached itself to the body as a second skin.

Phillip felt more alive and closer to his primal nature. The regulations and protocols he's always adhered to, were irrelevant in this naked and raw patch of land which had been spared from the crass, and tasteless commercialism.
It was as close to the beginning of time, as could ever be. Where the fittest were predators, yet everyone lived in relative harmony, and complete freedom - until the next day.

Life was certainly not to be taken for granted by the creatures who roamed about freely. Perhaps, they did not fully understand the depth of their plight, yet, did it truly matter, when they lived everyday to its fullest potential? They lived for the moment, no past, nor future mattered, just the simple delight of the sun's caress, and the thankful joy to fill the belly for the day.

The locals were friendly, and full of joie de vivre. Life was simple and uncomplicated. Survival and tending to the basic necessities became imperative. The rest, was not given the escalated import of the industrialized places.

Phillip enjoyed the straw hut where he was staying for a while. It was built above ground, and closeted by fine woven nets to keep the mosquitoes, and giant bullet ants out.

Linda, the owner's daughter always managed to disperse a sweet smile to everyone, even as she hurried with a noticeable limp to cook, and serve the buffet.

Linda was barely twenty, and her skin glistened with the burnish of a mahogany table. Her eyes were as deep and dark as the night, yet seemed so wise and kind. Her frequent smile was serene, yet, radiated a light from within. One did not notice her slight limp, when one focused on her beautiful and serene face.

She had learned English in school, as it was needed in the hospitality industry. She was also able to communicate in basic french, fluent Spanish, and the local dialects. Over the weeks, Phillip and Linda had become fast friends, as there was little to do at night, except to listen to the noise of crescendoing chorus of the crickets.

Phillip joined the other guests for breakfast, and dinner, at the resorts buffet. On one such night, Linda had promised to take Phillip to an exercusion that was not traveled by the tour guides. It was the garden of Eden she had called it.



To be continued...

Bona Fide Image III

-“Mother, with all due respect, you have to stop meddling in my private life. I am sorry you were treated that way, but you brought this upon yourself. Please note that nothing you say about Cindy will deter me from dating her. I am in love with her, and I intend to pursue her.”

-“Phillip, Cindy is a very beautiful girl – externally. But as Plato describes it, beauty is not a thing you perceive with the eyes, as much as it is the pure essence of beauty. ‘It is not of the flesh, and it is everlasting, which never ages or fades.’

I merely hope that you will make the right choice based on your heart, not on your…primal instincts.” Clare said duly chastised.

Love can blind, by selectively focusing on the sterling qualities of the beloved, while ignoring the obvious ugliness.

Phillip and Cindy had been together almost three years, and the pressure was on him to make the romance a formal affair. Phillip intended to continue with higher education, and felt it was not the time to get engaged yet. Yet, perhaps subconsciously the thrill of the chase was gone. When one spent enough time with another, one got to see them through various prisms of light, and then those subtler tones become known.

Late one night on the way back from a soiree, Phillip suddenly stopped the car to listen with undisturbed rapture to Ravel’s Bolero, playing on the radio.

-“Hello, why are we stopping in the middle of nowhere?”A tipsy Cindy inquired.

-“I love this melody; let’s just hold hands while we listen to it.” Phillip offered.

-“There’s not even any lyrics to it!” Cindy whined.

-“Listen, just listen to it. I love this piece because it makes my heart dance. My soul rejoices as this melody triggers, deep-seated memory genes hardwired into my DNA of a time long past. From the time of my ancestors, who bravely answered to the drum beat which heralded the initiation of epic battles. Of a time long ago, where men were brave, loyal, and daring, and risked much to construct the world as we know it now.
Where life was short lived; therefore every day alive was fully appreciated, loves were passionately cherished, and each day was lived to the fullest!

In the flute and in the sensual rhythms underlying it, I can see in my mind’s eye, exotic beautiful women dancing the dance of the seven veils. With their come-hither eyes, and undulating hips, they made powerful men weak, and enslaved them to delirious passion. They danced for their lives, and fortunes.

This melody was created in the celestial spheres, and it came to Ravel upon a dream for mankind to celebrate the sheer joy of being alive!” Phillip said enraptured by the melody.

-“You're crazy, do you know that? I don’t like this crappy music, and it’s going on like forever!” Cindy said annoyingly, as she pulled her hand away from his grasp.

After several minutes, where Cindy’s intolerance of his musical choice was palpable. Phillip suggested the following: -“If you can’t stand this music Cindy, you are welcome to step outside until it’s over.”

Nothing negative that his mother or friends would have said about Cindy, shattered his tolerance for her idiosyncrasies, or disillusioned Phillip - as her repulsiveness of the sublime.





To be continued...