I haven't seen Ketut Liyer in so long. Between my involvement with Felipe and my struggle to secure a home for Wayan, my long afternoons of aimless conversation about spirituality on the medicine man's porch have long since ended. I've stopped by his house a few times, just to say hello and to drop off a gift of fruit for his wife, but we haven't spent any quality time together since back in June. Whenever I try to apologize to Ketut for my absence, though, he laughs like a man who has already been shown the answers to every test in the universe and says, "Everything working perfect, Liss."

Still, I miss the old man, so I stopped by to hang out with him this morning. He beamed at me, as usual, saying, "I am very happy to meet you!"(I never was able to break him of that habit.)

"I am happy to see you, too, Ketut."

"You leaving soon, Liss?"

"Yes, Ketut. In less than two weeks. That's why I wanted to come over today. I wanted to thank you for everything you've given me. If it wasn't for you, I never would've come back to Bali."

"Always you were coming back to Bali,"he said without doubt or drama. "You still meditate with your four brothers like I teach you?"

"Yes."

"You still meditate like your Guru in India teach you?"

"Yes."

"You have bad dreams anymore?"

"No."

"You happy now with God?"

"Very."

"You love new boyfriend?"

"I think so. Yes."

"Then you must spoil him. And he must spoil you."

"OK,"I promised.

"You are good friend to me. Better than friend. You are like my daughter,"he said. (Not like Sharon . . .) "When I die, you will come back to Bali, come to my cremation. Balinese cremation ceremony very fun—you will like it."

"OK,"I promised again, all choked up now.

"Let your conscience be your guide. If you have Western friends come to visit Bali, bring them to me for palm-reading. I am very empty in my bank since the bomb. You want to come with me to baby ceremony today?"

我已经许久未见赖爷。自从卷入斐利贝的生活，并努力为大姐找一个家以来，我和药师在午后阳台的心灵漫谈时光早已终止。我曾几次在他家稍作停留，只是打个招呼，送他妻子水果当礼物，然而打从六月以来，我们即不曾共度美好时光。尽管如此，每当我想为自己的缺席向赖爷道歉，他就宛如对于宇宙间各种考验的解答皆已了然于心，笑说："一切都完美运作，小莉。"

我依然想念这位老者，于是今天早上去他家看他。他一如往常笑脸迎人，说："很高兴认识你！"（我永远更正不了他的习惯。）

"我也很高兴见到你，赖爷。"

"小莉，过不久你就要离开此地？"

"是的，赖爷，再不到两个星期。所以我今天想过来看你。我想要谢谢你给我的一切。要不是你，我永远不可能返回巴厘岛。"

"你永远会回到巴厘岛的。"他毫无迟疑亦无夸张地说："你还像我教你的，跟你的四兄弟一起禅坐？"

"是的。"

"你还是遵照你的印度导师所教的那般禅坐？"

"是的。"

"你还做噩梦吗？"

"不了。"

"你对神满意吗？"

"非常满意。"

"你爱新男友？"

"我这么认为，是的。"

"那你得宠他。他也得宠你。"

"好的。"我答应。

"你是我的好朋友，比朋友更好。你就像我的女儿，"他说（不像雪伦……），"我死的时候，你回巴厘岛来，参加我的火葬。巴厘岛的火葬仪式很好玩——你会喜欢。"

"好。"我又一次答应他，哽咽地说不出话来。

"让你的良知引导你。你如果有西方友人来巴厘岛玩，带他们过来让我看手相。从爆炸案过后，我的银行很空。你今天想不想跟我一起去参加小娃仪式？"