A Test of Faith

"Hello?" I pick up the phone.
"Hello. Is your mother home? May I speak to her, please?" A deep voice resonates from the earpiece
"Uhh... Who is this?"
"I'm Master."
"Master?" I move to hang up the phone. "My mother doesn't have a master," I frown.
"Anna, don't hang up the phone." The voice warned.
"How do you know my name?"
"I'm Master."
"Okay... So?"
"Anna, you're 20, young, and naïve. Trust me, in five years, you will come to me. For now, let me speak with your mother, please."
I hang up the phone and shake my head. "Freaky."
The phone rings again, and I decide to leave it. "Mom! Phone!"
I hear her rustling around in her office, searching for the handheld that's usually collecting dust somewhere under a pile of papers.
"Hello? Oh! Shi fu ni hao!"
Shi fu ni hao? Hello, Master? I shake my head. What sort of cult has she gotten herself into? Master? Really? And in Chinese, too.
"Anna? You still here, sweetie?" Mom's voice floats up the stairs.
"Yeah! What's up?" I yell back.
"Come down, please."
"Okay..." As I approach her office, I see Mom frowning. "What's wrong?"
"Did the phone ring earlier?"
"Oh, yeah. Some creepy guy claiming to be your master. He knew my name and age and everything. Did you tell him?"
"No, I didn't. But now that you bring up Master, yes, he is my master. He's a Buddhist master, and he helps me manage my spirituality."
"Oh-kay..."
"I want to give you his number. If, in any situation, you feel you're in danger, or in trouble, speed dial him."
"And not the police?"
"Master can help you remotely. The police cannot."
"What, he has a crystal ball, or something?" I roll my eyes. This is getting a bit ridiculous.
She sighs. "Just humor me, okay?"
"Fine." I hand over my phone so she can input the number.

"Look, Dave, I'm just... I'm not ready to get married yet, okay? I'm 25. I still have a full life ahead of me. I don't want to settle down just yet. You understand, right?" I look into his eyes. This proposal was definitely unexpected; we've only been dating for a few months, and I'm not even sure I love him yet.
"Anna, I will wait for you. I will wait until you're ready. Just don't forget about me, okay?" He squeezes my hand in both of his and stands up from his kneeling position, never breaking eye contact.
I look away. "Thank you, Dave."
"Hey, Anna?" He stops me as I walk away.
"Yes?"
"We... we can still be a couple, right? As boyfriend and girlfriend? You know I love you. And I will do anything- anything to prove that."
I wince. There really is no stopping this guy, is there? "Dave. That's sweet. But I think I just need to be alone. I'm not ready to commit into anything serious. I'm not even sure being friends is a good idea right now. I'm sorry." I keep walking so I don't have to see his crushed face.
"No, it's fine. Really, it is." His voice is shaky. "Just remember this: I will always love you. I'll wait for you for however long it takes for you to realize that we're the perfect couple. You'll see!" He shouts the last bit, just loud enough so I can hear it as I'm leaving.

The doorbell rings for about the fiftieth time in ten minutes. I'm not planning to answer the door.
"Anna? Are you in there?" Dave's voice comes through the door. "It's me, Dave. Remember me from 2 years ago?"
"No, I'm not. Now go away." I mumble, definitely not loud enough for him to hear.
"Anna?" Dave begins knocking now, in addition to ringing the doorbell.
"Sir, I don't think this Anna person you're looking for is in right now," I hear the landlord say a half hour later. "Maybe you should come back another time. Your knocking is disrupting the neighboring apartments."
"Fine," Dave mutters. "I'll come back for you, Anna! We will get married one day, I promise!"

"The guy just doesn't get the hint, does he?" The landlord asks after Dave has left.
"Nope."
"You ever consider a restraining order?"
"No. Plus, it's not like he's threatened me or anything. Just... annoyed and harassed me on a daily basis since he got my new address from a coworker last month."
"Geez. And you've only been here, what, two months?"
"Yep. Probably about time I find a new place, too. Preferably out of the country," I quip. "Maybe even Australia, or somewhere super remote, like the Saharan Desert."
"Maybe that's a little too extreme, Anna?"
"Will, he's been stalking me for about a year and a half now. Every time I find a new place, it takes him two weeks-or less- to figure out that I've moved and find my new address. I don't know how he does it! At this point, I think going out of the country is my best bet," I sigh. "Hopefully, he won't find me again."

I take a deep breath. New phone, new number, new address, and a new country. That should be enough for a fresh start away from Dave. I mentally go over the "starting over" checklist I use each time I move.
"Anna!"
Really? Already? "Dave..."
"I've been searching for you everywhere."
"You really didn't have to."
"But I wanted to."
Mom's voice suddenly rings in my head. If, in any situation, you feel you're in danger, or in trouble, speed dial him." My hand snakes to grab the phone and press the "5" button. "Dave, now really isn't a good time... Oh, look! I've got a phone call. I have to go, sorry." I press the phone to my ear and take a deep breath. "Shi fu ni hao. Wo shi-"
"Ni shi Anna. Wo zhi dao."
"What? But how do you know it's me? Okay, I guess there's caller I.D. now and everything, but-"
"I knew you would call. It was just a matter of time."
"Look, I don't know who you are or what you did to my mother, but I don't believe you're a master."
"Then why did you call me? You must have believed in me if you called. On the surface, you may not think I am who I say I am, but deep down inside, you know. Now follow my instructions carefully. Leave Dave alone."
I glance back at the guy, who's still standing there, expecting me to come back.
"No, don't even look at him."
I snap my head away. How does he know that?
"Do not return to your new address," he continues. "Make a booking at the Four Seasons Hotel by the Melbourne airport, for room 108. You will find a plane ticket and visa at the concierge, waiting for you. Tomorrow, you will get on the plane and come see me. And, remember, do not look back at Dave." The phone line disconnects.

"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Hobart," the flight attendant announces over the PA.
"Umm, excuse me, but where am I? I know this is Hobart, and it's Australia, but where is this?"
"Tasmania, m'am. Welcome."
Everybody disembarks, and man, it's cold. I guess the perk of not having any carry-on baggage besides a purse is the convenience of running out of the cold. Entering the terminal, family and friends greet each other, and I'm searching for who this "Master" is.
"Hello. I've been instructed to take you with me to see Master." A man approaches me.
"Umm, I don't need a taxi driver, thank you." I walk away.
"Wait! You're here to see Master, though, aren't you? I was instructed to pick you up at this time."
"Look, I said I don't need a taxi. I'm waiting for someone. Thank you, though."
"Anna. I'm Master's son. Your mother, Maria, is at the temple with my father."
That stops me in my tracks. My mother? I know I haven't been keeping her up to date with my contact information, but I guess she hasn't been either. "Fine." I follow him out the door.
The resulting car ride is silent. We pass through what seems like countryside, until we reach the CBD. He parks in a dark alleyway, gets out, and slaps a door three times.
Great, so now I'm about to be mugged. Not that I've got much to be taken, anyways.
A man comes out, accompanied by my mother. "Hello, Anna." He bows and enters the car, sitting next to me.
I edge away.
"I am Master, and I've been made aware of your situation, and I am offering you the opportunity to study with me, as your mother is doing. Should you choose to accept it, you will live in seclusion in this temple with other practitioners."
"And if I don't..."
"You can return to your old life. Running and hiding from Dave."
"Fine. I'll join you. Do I need to wear that tent of a robe my mother is wearing, too?"
"Yes; it is a dharma robe, and you will receive one once you have accumulated enough merits. Right now, I sense many negative spirits lingering in your aura. By living here, you will accumulate merits and the negative spirits will gradually leave. We have three precepts. The first precept of living here is modesty and humbleness. With time, you will find it easy, living without worldly possessions. Secondly, do not discriminate, be it food or otherwise, what you are given is an offering, and you accept it graciously. Thirdly, and lastly, seclusion means there is no need for contact with the outside world. I will hold on to your communication devices until you need them again. Are you ready to begin your new life?"
"Well, doesn't look like I've got much of a choice, now, do I?"
"Follow me." He exits the car and enters the building, and with a final deep breath, I follow suit.

WC: 1675