Chapter 10 Sitting at the table with his friends,
Enro tried to make sense of what had just happened.
His body was on high alert,
Similar to the feelings he had in his nervous system and breathing speed when he was in a deep meditation.
That tingling,
Buzzing of energy moving through what felt like every cell in his body.
In his studies of meditation and breathwork practices,
The word euphoria was often used to describe the heightened state of awareness when one reached a new level of consciousness and the body was adjusting to the higher frequency.
He knew that feeling,
Having experienced it and studied the rationale behind it.
But this time was different,
Because the circumstances were different.
He was fully aware and present,
In an everyday moment,
And yet completely transported to a new state when he locked eyes with a young server in the back of the restaurant.
Hearing his friends laughing and talking around him about their plans for the day,
Enro focused on his feet,
Bringing his energy more solidly into his body,
Consciously slowing his breathing and relaxing his muscles.
Oh good,
He thought,
As he felt some yawns starting to move through his mouth,
Stretching and wiggling his jawbone.
He could feel some of the energy releasing.
What was that?
He heard his thoughts expressed out loud by his friend Len on his right.
What do you mean?
Enro asked,
Startled.
We all saw it,
Len said with a grin.
You and that girl look like you're ready to go make out and run off into the sunset.
Enro grinned back.
That's exactly how it had felt,
He thought.
How did Len know that?
He felt himself shrugging and looking away,
Not ready yet to try put words to what he had just experienced.
As quickly as he had looked away from Len and down at the table,
His eyes darted back up and started scanning the room to see where she was.
Nowhere in sight,
He forced his attention back to the table with his friends.
It was impossible,
He couldn't focus on what they were saying.
As he looked around the room again,
He saw her.
And just as quickly,
That buzz of electricity was back.
As the energy locked into place at his mouth,
He could feel his jaw tightening with pressure.
Her eyes,
They were so intense,
He thought.
Even from across the room,
He could feel her looking at him and knew in every cell in his body that she was having the same physical experience he was.
So he smiled and felt his heart melt as she smiled back.
Uh-oh,
He thought.
Uh-oh.
Unable to look away,
He watched her walking over to his table.
As she approached,
The group got quiet and everyone looked at her,
And then at Enro,
And then back at her.
He could hear a few chuckles as his friends waited to see what was going to happen.
Hello,
He heard himself saying to her with a smile.
She smiled back and looked around at the table.
Hello,
Gentlemen,
She said,
Pulling out her pen and little notebook as they all looked at her.
Welcome to our home in paradise.
What can I get for you?
As they each placed their orders,
Enro was able to take in more details about this young woman.
She looked about his age,
Maybe 25,
Long,
Straight,
Dark hair,
Perhaps European,
Strong,
Healthy.
He got the impression perhaps she was a fitness or yoga instructor,
Which seemed to be common occupations here in Bali.
She turned her eyes towards him,
Lifting her right eyebrow as if to ask if he was ready,
And he was amazed again at her eyes,
This time up close.
A curious mix of what looked like brown and blue,
But how could that be?
They were not green.
Perhaps they were just that deep of a blue that they looked like they were going into a brown.
He was mesmerized.
Not realizing that she had asked him out loud now what he wanted to order,
He heard his friends laughing under their breath again.
Enro just grinned at her and said,
Whatever you suggest is perfect.
She smiled back playing along and said,
My favorite is the veggie rice bowl with curry sauce.
Perfect,
He replied.
Thank you.
That quickly she was walking away from him.
Realizing as he watched her that the table was still quiet,
He turned his head to see all of his friends staring at him with big grins on their faces.
All right,
He said with a laugh,
I think I'm in love.
They all laughed and started teasing him and each other,
And he could feel the truth of that statement zinging through his body.
Really?
Really,
He thought.
How could that be?
How would I even know that is possible from simply seeing her,
Meeting her,
Knowing nothing about her except that she works at a restaurant in Bali?
The rest is immaterial.
He could hear that quiet inner voice saying to him that was such a powerful guide in his meditation time.
You know everything you need to know because you know how you feel when you are in her presence.
Sometimes that inner voice was so cheesy,
He thought,
And yet the truth of that statement vibrated through his body.
As they made their way through lunch with Enro watching her the whole time moving around the restaurant,
His mind was puzzling through the best options of how to connect with her when she was done working.
Knowing he didn't want to embarrass himself or her by asking for her number while they were at the table with his group,
He decided to wait until they were done eating and stop her as they were leaving the restaurant.
When his friends all stood up to leave,
Enro hung back,
Tapping Len on the arm to let him know he'd catch right up with them.
Feeling his heart starting to race,
He walked over to where she was standing by the counter.
With a big,
Quiet exhale,
He tried to slow his breathing down.
Excuse me,
He said a few feet away from her.
She turned and started to smile when she saw him.
Enro felt that same buzz of electricity hit his heart and move through his body.
This was no ordinary woman,
And these feelings were completely new to him.
Realizing she was waiting for him to speak,
He smiled back and carefully chose his words.
My name is Enro.
What is yours?
Dahlia,
She replied.
Nice to meet you,
Dahlia,
He said,
Loving how her name felt as he said it.
My friends and I are here for New Year's.
I'm not sure if you already have plans,
But I would love to hang out tonight or tomorrow if you are interested.
Feeling as if time stopped while he waited for her reply,
He was delighted to hear her immediate response.
I would love that,
I was hoping you would ask.
And that quickly,
That simply,
They both knew.
Standing just a few feet apart,
Looking at each other,
Grins on their faces,
They could feel the rest of the world disappearing for a moment as they both sighed,
Knowing something profound was beginning.
And just as quickly,
All the sounds of the restaurant came rushing back into their awareness.
Dahlia heard her name being called by the cook,
And Enro heard his friends talking loudly just outside the restaurant.
Okay,
Why don't I come back and meet you here when you are done working,
He said.
Yes,
Please,
Dahlia replied.
I finish at 4 p.
M.
Great,
I'll be back soon.
Smiling at her,
Enro turned and started walking towards the entrance.
He couldn't help it,
He had to look back.
When he did,
He saw her still standing there,
Watching him leave.
They both grinned again.
Enro turned and walked towards his friends,
Feeling happier and more in alignment with life,
The world,
The universe,
Than he ever had before.
What is this,
He thought,
Knowing there were no words that could possibly describe what had just happened in this little restaurant in Bali.
