The Wildness of Love
They hiked a bit more, resting every fifteen minutes. Amber continued looking at her fossil with a bright smile. When wet, the spiral of the ammonite became jet-black and glossy, showing the perfect Fibonacci spiral of the ancient shell. She held it carefully and looked up at the drone that had been hovering over them—knowing the camera was likely on her.
"Dan, can I make this into some sort of keepsake when we get home?"
Pema, their quiet Amchi, spoke. "The resort has an artisan that can do several things for you. It is a rare find, but it can be encased in resin as is, or sliced open to show the layering of fossil and sediment inside and then made into matching bookends or a single decorative piece."
Amber's eyes lit up at the prospect of unique bookends on display somewhere in Blue Serene. Her mind was already buzzing when Pema spoke again. "Ah, we are finally here. Let me show you my poppies and edelweiss."
Amber's head shot up and her eyes went wide. Before them was a sheltered stone courtyard; a stretch of otherworldly blue spread out like a small sea of flora.
They stepped in, and both she and Dan felt the richness of the air immediately. They breathed in deeply and smiled at each other. They moved toward the poppies, Amber awestruck by the vibrant, beautiful blue before her. "Have you ever seen anything so beautiful?"
She leaned forward to breathe in their scent, and Dan smiled gently. He wiped a bit of dust from her cheek and kissed her. "You are even more beautiful. Neither you nor the poppies need any filters. You are both naturally radiant."
Amber flushed but said nothing. The whirring of the drone reminded her that they were filming. She smiled at Dan, trying to calm herself, but she couldn't think of anything to say. He must have been able to read her expression because he returned her smile and leaned in for another kiss. "I am sorry that my life is a spectacle, and I am glad you are still willing to be with me inside this circus of my own creation."
Her smile deepened. "You make life special, Dan. I have always wanted to be a part of your world." She laid a soft hand on his chest. "Thank you for finally letting me in."
They kissed again, and when Dan leaned back, he looked deep into her eyes. "I am so sorry for never realizing what I truly had when I found you." He smiled and cleared his throat. "The Poppy Sanctuary is your surprise. Let me stop making it so serious. Pema, could we please see how you process something to create oils or medicines?"
He looked to Pema. "My wife is not just a businesswoman; she is a fully trained biochemist."
Pema raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Allow me to show you a few of our processes then. Let's move to my lab."
Pema's lab was set in a far corner of the sanctuary. It was lined with low, dark benches and smelled of pungent herbs and nutty oils. The warmth of the room was almost shocking as they entered.
Pema moved to a bench without preamble and began setting everything up. Dan and Amber watched quietly, a small drone whirring in a far corner of the ceiling.
Amber spoke softly, the small mic at her collar picking up everything. "This is ethnobotany. Sowa Rigpa. It is a traditional Tibetan way of creating medicine." She spoke softly, but her excitement was clear.
Finally, she stepped closer to the workbench, her nose twitching at the scent. "You're doing a lipid extraction," she whispered, her fingers hovering over the glass beaker. "But you're not using a centrifuge or chemical solvents."
Pema smiled, his eyes crinkling. "The oil knows how to find the medicine without the spinning of machines, Amber. We let the warmth of the sun and the patience of the oil do the work."
Amber nodded, her brain firing off data. "It's a traditional maceration. By keeping the temperature below 40 degrees, you're preserving the leontopodic acids. If you went any higher, the molecular structure would collapse."
Dan watched them, his camera forgotten for a moment. He saw the way Pema looked at Amber—not as a tourist, but as a peer.
Pema used a pair of wooden tweezers to gently lift a white, woolly flower from a jar of golden oil. He laid it on a piece of handmade paper. The flower was perfectly intact, but its "work" was done.
"This one has given its spirit to the medicine," Pema said softly. He pushed the paper toward Amber. "It can no longer be used for healing the body, so it must now heal the memory. This is for you, my new biochemist friend, to remember your journey to my land."
Amber looked at the plant, her nose still twitching from the strong smells in the room; she could feel the slight warmth still radiating from it. She smiled at Pema. "Thank you."
He returned her smile and nodded. "I know your husband here is a famous guide and he does our resort a great favor with his videos. This is the least I can do for that, and for the new friendship born between us. You are a radiant spirit, and I am very glad to have met you."
Dan touched her back. "I think we need to plan a visit to the artisans."
Amber looked up at him with a smile and then back to her new acquisition. He felt that he was finally getting this husband thing right.