the woman across the street you were in a trance, a disorganised, chaotic trance that was driving you to do something which was good in theory, but, in practice, pointless. As if you wereo'
'oin the blank space between the letters. In the moment when a note of music ends and the next has not yet begun.'
'Exactly. And such a trance can be dangerous.'
I almost said: 'It's the kind of trance provoked by fear. It paralyses the person, leaves them unable to react; the body doesn't respond, the soul is no longer there. You were terrified by everything that could have happened to you had fate not placed your parents in your path.' But she had put her suitcases down on the ground and was standing in front of me.
'Who are you? Why are you saying all this?'
'As a doctor, I'm known as Deidre O'Neill. Pleased to meet you, and what's your name?'
'Athena. Although according to my passport I'm Sherine Khalil.'
'Who gave you the name Athena?'
'No one important. But I didn't ask you for your name, I asked who you are and why you spoke to me. And why I felt the same need to talk to you. Was it just because we were the only two women in that hotel dining room? I don't think so. And you're saying things to me that make sense of my life.'
She picked up her bags again, and we continued walking towards the bus station.
'I have another name too Edda. But it wasn't chosen by chance, nor do I believe it was chance that brought us together.'
Before us was the entrance to the bus station, with various people going in and out soldiers in uniform, farmers, pretty women dressed as if they were still living in the 1950s.
'If it wasn't chance, what was it?'
She had another half an hour before her bus left, and I could have said: It was the Mother. Some chosen spirits emit a special light and are drawn to each other, and you Sherine or Athena are one of those spirits, but you need to work very hard to use that energy to your advantage.
I could have explained that she was following the classic path of the witch, who, through her individual persona, seeks contact with the upper and lower world, but always ends up destroying her own life she serves others, gives out energy, but receives nothing in return.
I could have explained that, although all paths are different, there is always a point when people come together, celebrate together, discuss their difficulties, and prepare themselves for the Rebirth of the Mother. I could have said that contact with the Divine Light is the greatest reality a human being can experience, and yet, in my tradition, that contact cannot be made alone, because we've suffered centuries of persecution, and this has taught us many things.
'Would you like to have a coffee while I wait for the bus?'
No, I did not. I would only end up saying things that might, at that stage, be misinterpreted.
'Certain people have been very important in my life,' she went on. 'My landlord, for example, or the calligrapher I met in the desert near Dubai. Who knows, you might have things to say to me that I can share with them, and repay them for all they taught me.'
So she had already had teachers in her life excellent! Her spirit was ripe. All she needed was to continue her training, otherwise she would end up losing all she had achieved. But was I the right person?
I asked the Mother to inspire me, to tell me what to do. I got no answer, which did not surprise me. She always behaves like that when it's up to me to take responsibility for a decision.
I gave Athena my business card and asked her for hers. She gave me an address in Dubai, a country I would have been unable to find on the map.
I decided to try making a joke, to test her out a little more:
'Isn't it a bit of a coincidence that three English people should meet in a hotel in Bucharest?'
'Well, from your card I see that you're Scottish. The man I met apparently works in England, but I don't know anything else about him.'
She took a deep breath:
'And I'm Romanian.'
I gave an excuse and said that I had to rush back to the hotel and pack my bags.
Now she knew where to find me, if it was written that we would meet again, we