Only in the blissful company of a woman that a man becomes a gentleman. Only in the serenity of a woman's presence, his living shelter becomes a home. Only with the touch of a woman's gentleness, his son soothes to deep slumber. There was a woman in his life, once upon a time. Yoessel remembers vividly that her sparkling eyes shamed the stars above; that her curly uncombed hair sends chills through his spines; that her mere presence in his Room 115 in ITC hotel turned his living apartment into a nicest home; and that her soft kiss implanted a blissful joy in his unquenchable heart, forever. It was the best of times.

Falling in love with a woman from Vietnam was the last thought he had while he landed in Schiphol airport in a fine autumn day. But then in his first day at ITC, he brushed aside with the unknown stranger by name, Nguyen Phuong Thi Hoa. It was by sheer coincidence and luck that they were brought together in one outdoor practical session, few weeks later after the first encounter. Perhaps, Yoessel was encouraged then onwards to seek the life that it shall forever last in his life. There was no reason why he wanted her desperately. But it is the twist of life where sometimes some things happen for a special reason oblivious of your cheerful heart and against the best reason of your head. That is why some lovers call "Love is blind". That is why many lovers fall into the abyss of love, aftermath of which is too unbearable to feel the excruciating pain. It is a story of many thousands of lovers and it will be the story of many more thousands of lovers. Love has always been cruel to some men and women. So to Yoessel in those fine autumn days. For the next two months, he happily accepted her denial yet he carried her books, umbrella, even her bag while walking to and from ITC academic block. They became good friends.  In her presence, there was no other world. Even today, he ponders over and over again on those unclosed chapters of short love story in Enschede, in the Netherlands.

Only 15 days remained for Yoessel to return to his country, after three months of living a new story in Enschede. Like any other Bhutanese, he has to buy some gifts especially for his sister who wants a nice pair of winter boots available in plentiful in Enschede town. One sister wanted an Italian olive oil to bathe her sweaty hair.  Against his sinking purse, he has to fulfill the desires of his sisters for he is the only privileged sibling to have ventured outside the borders of his country. Those gifts were neatly wrapped by the shopkeeper. His sisters would be pleased to receive these wonderful packages from their lovely brother.

On his way back from the town to the ITC hotel, by sheer chance, he called Hoa from the booth in the reception hallway to say her goodbye. To his surprise, she felt quite sad to see him leave very soon. He knew in her voice she wanted him to stay longer. There was a silent message in every word she spoke to him. The evening was irresistible and unstoppable for a young man with cheerful heart, with every heart beat desiring last days together in her joyful company. There was no other way to quench his empty heart listening to her voice. The only way was to hang up the phone and run eight storeys upstairs to Room 817 where she lived. There was no purpose whatsoever to present in front of her apartment door. But there he was ringing her door bell still gasping for breath. She was still in the phone, not knowing that he had left the phone. She half-opened the door. To her surprise, Yoessel was standing there without a purpose.

Reluctantly, she let him in against her conscience saying not to let this gentleman into her life and destroy her other life.  But she is also a human like him. The morality cannot rule the likes of lovers in such times. It is the palpitation of cheerful heart beat that overrules the moral grounds that she has been resisting to his love for all these bygone days. But that ominous moment was the final opportunity for him to share the transcendental world in her lone companion. There was no one to bother him. There was no one to bother her in that very blissful togetherness. It was the first night of the fifteen nights together. The first kiss was implanted on her lips and on his, the imprint of which still rouse my sensation today in this cold winter days of Calgary. The beginning of the painful separation began after two hours as he has to leave her in pristine nakedness on her bed. He silently sneaked out of her room leaving behind the pair of boots with a message, "Please, try this on". He always wanted to buy a pair of heels for a woman he loves. He always wanted to sip a coffee sitting alongside with the woman he loves. That was the time to forget her sister and rejoice the opportunistic moment to treat another woman wholeheartedly. Even if it means to be cursed by his sister when she finds out how she lost her nice boot to another woman.  It is a worthwhile sacrifice.

Man adores to see a woman tomorrow wearing the gifts he bought yesterday. The boot fitted perfectly on her slim legs.  Yoessel can only adore her walking beside him for he has completely fulfilled in wining her love. But the future ahead is bleak in all sense as he has only fourteen days remained to board a plane home. The separation is always a nuisance in his life. The thought of impending separation kills the new lovers every moment.  But the blissful night together, of every remaining nights, uplifts the two mutated hearts night after night.  Against their wishes, the fifteenth night unfolded so fast. Of all the nights, the last night was a special gift for the two lovers. The world ahead is uncertain. Tomorrow they will part their ways never to see again. It was not known then. It is always a joy to live in the reminiscence of the sizzling last night of Enschede. There she was in his room watching him silently as he boards his empty bag with books and clothes. Often she helped him fold his T-shirts and apparels. There was a joy in folding the apparels together, but there was sadness in packing into an empty bag together. But in the last night there was little to worry about the future. It has to be the best night. So the night was filled with vigour, passion and sensuality.

He unbuttoned her blouse revealing the finest curves that only a girl of twenty's could maintain with rigorous physical exercises. The secret of hers was never known. There was no reason to question the unfolding beauty as he undressed her, ripping every piece of garments, as he slowly went down until he could find nothing to tear apart. The majestic showcase of woman's beauty is revealed when wearing nothing, not even the sparkling diamonds. So is when painters and sculptors find the utmost rejoicing in painting or sculpting the serene nakedness of a woman?  So was Yoessel explosively feeling the hardness of manliness as he rubs against her softness? The temptation was too strong for him to resist the urge to negotiate between true love making and heightened sensuality. But the moment cannot be wastefully engaged without the true unification of two souls into one. The only way to slow her warm breathe stroking his and his gushing breath stroking hers was to rejoice her bathing in warm olive oil. His second sister will surely not be happy to have lost her olive oil to the same woman. But it was not the moment to feel the anguish of his sisters. It was the finest moment to respond to the call of Hoa by caressing her with his steel-worker hardened palms. Her body trembled and she moaned subtly as his rugged hands caroused every inch square of her femininity. Thousands seconds passed by. The lovers were unstoppable. He was inside her. She embraced him with soft moaning to the rhythmic stroke of his manliness against the sensational beating of Timberland's, It's Too Late to Apologise. No one knew how many times the beat of Timberland soothed their unified souls. No one knew how many times they unified in that single night. They never wanted to part, like the complete unification of two souls in that very bliss of togetherness. They were mutated into one being, never wanting to separate. But the mundane existence exists only momentarily, against the unflinching desires of the lovers. Night ended with the breaking of dawn. She was peacefully sleeping in his arms. He watched her for the last time in reposeful slumber. The heart bleeds still to remember that moment of sorrows of separation in the morning of the day when he said final good bye to her, breaking two hearts.  It was the worst of times.

I returned from Netherlands in the winter 2007. I cut short my nights in Bangkok. I returned empty hand. My sisters understood their broken brother, but certainly those chirpy little eyes of my seven inglorious nephews and nieces did not understand their uncle returning home without even a candy. I saw them scratching their head when I unfolded my gift-less bag. One even went to the extent of shaming me, "Akhai!  Ajang ghe tang hang rang ma pha wah lah (Our uncle did not bring us any gifts)". Only if these little nephews and nieces hear the beatings of my bleeding heart, they would understand why I did not shop anything on my way back home. Alas, little nephews and nieces also have to secretly share the beatings of my life.