1 Book 1: C1

Daniel was on the plane back to New York, he'd taken two weeks off of work but had done very little. He couldn't think straight at all anymore. The last three months of his life were completely blank in his memory. His wife's disappearance from their bed was like waking up without having slept for days; there was no clarity whatsoever. It made it impossible for him to focus or concentrate. At first he tried going through her belongings that they left behind when she disappeared: clothes, books, personal items... even some notes she may have written. But nothing seemed familiar. Everything felt so foreign and strange – as if they didn't belong together. She looked just fine, healthy and happy, yet something felt terribly wrong.

He thought about contacting an investigator friend who could help find out what happened to her. Maybe there would be clues lying around somewhere? Yet Daniel found himself too afraid to get any closer to the truth. In fact, this fear became stronger by the day as time passed.

What am I doing here, sitting in coach class again? Why did we ever move into our big house overlooking Central Park? And why does my daughter still look exactly like me every morning when I come down and wake her up before school? Am I really supposed to take care of another person now? This is crazy! What kind of man lets a woman leave him alone with a young child after not seeing each other for almost five years? That doesn't make sense at all... unless you're someone like myself...

After returning from the Caribbean, Daniel took another week away from work. It was too hard to concentrate in that environment anymore. Every single thing reminded him of her. The sounds of birds singing in the morning, the feel of sunrays on his body, the taste of salt water in his mouth – all those things reminded him of the good times they spent together. But the memories were too painful for him to deal with at the moment, so he decided to avoid the reminders.

His apartment wasn't empty anymore. He rented a studio in Chelsea for two thousand dollars per month, furnished in bright colors and with lots of natural sunlight. With the money he got from the settlement, he bought a secondhand Toyota Camry car to drive to the office every day. Now he was starting to wonder if he'd ever want to live in Manhattan again, especially if the city kept changing into some sort of weird alien landscape.

On the first Saturday, Daniel and Maya went out to buy groceries. She sat quietly in the cart while he pushed her along the grocery aisle, picking out the items she needed for dinner. She seemed content with the activity, smiling happily and occasionally pointing to objects or reading labels aloud to him.

"Do you know how to read?" he asked, turning around to ask her directly.

She giggled, as if she understood everything he said.

"No, sweetie," he replied, "I'm sorry."

That was when the realization struck him. She didn't speak English at all.

He paused briefly to reflect on the situation and its implications, trying to think of a solution for this unexpected problem. Suddenly everything fell into place. She looked just like her mother. And the way she carried herself – her mannerisms, gestures, facial expressions, movements – everything resembled her perfectly.

Yet she wasn't the same girl he left behind six years ago. This new version of Maya was completely different. She had changed so dramatically over the course of just a few months. Her features had grown sharper and more defined, her eyes had gone from baby blues to sapphires, and her voice had become deeper. Not only that, she had learned to talk and walk and run... and now she could understand what people were saying to her. Was it possible that she remembered him?

Daniel turned around and started pushing the shopping cart slowly, carefully observing his daughter's reactions. She stared ahead silently, looking straight into space as though nothing had happened. Then her head snapped in the direction of his voice as he approached, staring intently as he placed the bananas and apples in the basket.

Her expression softened slightly as he bent down to pick her up out of the stroller, and smiled broadly at him when she reached out towards his hand. He held onto her tiny fingers tightly, feeling like an enormous weight had been lifted off of his shoulders just by being around her again after so long apart. Yet the smile faded away instantly when she noticed the plastic bag dangling in front of them – and immediately grabbed hold of it.

He stopped moving, realizing what she wanted. He took the bag out of the basket and handed it over to her. She clutched it against her chest as if it were some sacred object. Daniel watched in amazement while she began to eat the fruit right there in the parking lot. He couldn't believe that she actually knew how to use such a simple tool, much less recognize that the contents inside of it would taste delicious once it was peeled open. The sight brought tears to Daniel's eyes; it was one more proof that they hadn't missed anything during this time.

He put Maya back in the seat of the stroller, and they headed for the checkout line. While checking out, Daniel spotted a magazine with a beautiful woman on the cover who seemed to be very happy with what was happening to her. He flipped through the pages, noticing some of the text written beneath the picture. There was a caption stating that "The best lovemaking happens at the beach!", followed by an invitation for readers to go check out this website:

www.beachsex.com – THE HOTTEST SEX ON EARTH!

It featured photos and videos taken at beaches around the world showing couples having passionate sex outdoors – in public. People were getting naked and enjoying each other while others walked past them on the sand. Many were taking advantage of deserted areas near the shoreline – making sure not to get caught. Others had fun at pools and resorts, sometimes in view of other hotel guests. In some cases, a female model was used as a prop for other models to strip down and have their own intimate encounters on camera. A lot of them included oral stimulation, masturbation, anal penetration, lesbian scenes, and plenty more kinky activities that wouldn't be legal in most places. But here on "Beach Sex", anything goes!

Daniel glanced up at Maya, who appeared unfazed by all these lewd displays of sexuality. On a whim, he picked up a copy and showed it to her before placing it on top of his purchase. She looked back at him with big eyes, then pointed to the image of the sexy lady on the page. The caption below it read:

– AUSTIN KIMMEL – "THE MOST FASCINATING GIRL YOU'LL EVER SEE!"

As he paid for his items, Daniel felt a sudden chill run down his spine. His heart skipped beats as he tried to comprehend the reality of things. What if he wasn't crazy after all? Hadn't he seen Maya watching TV last night, even though he'd thought she couldn't hear it yet? Could that really be her? Did she remember him?

But how could that possibly be possible? How could there be a little girl born on the exact same day, living on the exact same street on the exact same planet, who also somehow knew exactly who he was and what was going on in the world?

There has to be a logical explanation for this, he told himself. But there isn't one...

Once they got home, Daniel gave Maya the bathtub, then set about cleaning up the kitchen countertop while putting away their groceries. When he finished, he took a deep breath and stepped outside to clean the car windshield with the paper towel he found inside the glove compartment.

He gazed up at the sky above him as he wiped away the dirt, wondering why this was happening to them all of a sudden. Why did fate suddenly bring this child into his life after he lost his wife six years ago? Were they supposed to meet in New York City all those years ago so that she could grow up right next door? Or perhaps he simply made contact with her in the first place because of destiny? Perhaps this whole experience was meant to happen in order to give her a purpose in life, so that she can help him rebuild his marriage and make things right between him and Maya again.

Was he wrong about everything? Maybe she was meant to be born here. Perhaps God intended to put her in his path for reasons unknown to him.

What should I do? he wondered, as his thoughts drifted to the events of six years ago. Should he try contacting her mother in Florida and tell her what had happened? After all, he still loved her deeply. He'd always be there for both of them no matter what she decided to do about their daughter.

However, he knew full well that the answer would never be easy to come by. It might take months or even years before she agreed to see him. And if he managed to convince her that they could start over, he'd still have to face a major dilemma: whether he should marry Maya's mother and live with them under the same roof forever. Would he eventually accept her offer and let them raise Maya together, or would he prefer raising her alone?

Then the realization hit him. That would mean giving up on Maya entirely – something he simply could not do.

So where does that leave us? he wondered, staring at the car window in silence. Is it better if we stay strangers or lovers?

In the end, none of those questions mattered anymore. All that matters is that I love you, he reminded himself, and you'll be part of my family forever.

With a heavy sigh, Daniel leaned forward to wipe the rest of the dirt off with his shirt and returned indoors.