"We will never be together again," he said softly. "You don't need my help anymore; and I don't want to offer it to you, because if you are worth your salt as a warrior-traveler, you'll spit in my eye for offering it to you. Beyond a certain point, the only joy of a warrior-traveler is his aloneness. I wouldn't like you to try to help me, either. Once I leave, I am gone. Don't think about me, for I won't think about you. If you are a worthy warrior-traveler, be impeccable! Take care of your world. Honor it; guard it with your life!"
He moved away from me. The moment was beyond self-pity or tears or happiness. He shook his head as if to say good-bye, or as if he were acknowledging what I felt.
"Forget the self and you will fear nothing, in whatever level of awareness you find yourself to be," he said.
He had an outburst of levity. He teased me for the last time on this Earth.
"I hope you find love!" he said.
He raised his palm toward me and stretched his fingers like a child, then contracted them against the palm.
"Ciao," he said.
