I was a physicist who didn’t believe in love.

Vivian was a linguist who refused to depend on a man.

We met in Munich in 1986 and made a pact: careers first, commitment last.

But during a yearlong journey from Cairo to Cape Town on twenty dollars a day, we moved through a pre-digital Africa where everything has a spirit, and our carefully ordered priorities began to unravel.

Swimming in Air is a literary memoir about ambition, intimacy, and how a single decision can change the direction of a life. It asks a simple question:

What are we willing to risk for love?