by S. E. Rose
I look past him to see Zoe standing dangerously close to Cody pointing at something far off in the water. Well, guess I’ll make some lemonade with these lemons. I look back out at sea and find another sea turtle. I’m snapping photos when I feel someone tap my shoulder. I turn to find Lance holding a Nikon lens.
I give him a questioning look and he shrugs as he switches out my lens.
“Try this,” he says. I glance at his shoulder and see he has a camera backpack with a Nikon that is way nicer than mine and about four lenses.
“Wow,” I say, truly impressed.
“I might be a little into photography.” He smirks and holds his thumb and index finger about an inch apart. I can’t help it; I double over with laughter.
“Geez, I feel like an ass.” I finally breathe as my laughter subsides. “Here I had you pegged as a typical tourist with your little point-and-shoot.”
“Well, I do find it handy when I don’t want to cart around Big Bertha but,” he lowers his voice, “it feels a bit like cheating on her, so I limit my point-and-shoot interactions.”
I giggle and give him a big grin. “Did you just refer to your camera as Big Bertha?” I ask.
“Yep, she’s my true love.” He looks at her with puppy dog eyes and I laugh again.
“A one-woman man, are you?” I question. He gives me a devilish grin that tells me that couldn’t be further from the truth. Well, at least I’ll be entertained while Zoe is working on her vacation conquest over there. I look past Lance to see Zoe touching Cody’s arm. Good God, she’s turned the flirtation machine on high.
Lance starts to show me things about my camera that I didn’t even know it could do. I feel like I just took a semester-long course by the time the boat pulls up to a beautiful aquamarine cove. The color matches the color of Lance’s eyes. I can see two sea turtles swimming around and the beach is lined with sea lions and more are swimming along the rocky portion of the cove. Blue-footed boobies line the rocks and there are a few other birds as well. I take a few shots and then hand Lance back his lens and reach for my telephoto, so I can get up close shots of all the animals.
“Wow,” I manage to say.
“Yep, that about sums it up,” he replies as he follows my eyes around the cove.
“Alright, ladies and gentlemen, those of you who want to go to shore can get on board the dingy in about two minutes. Those that want to snorkel please go first so that you have time to come back and swim before we head out this afternoon,” announces a rather jovial young man who has a thick Spanish accent and a great tan.
“You snorkeling?” Lance asks.
“Yep, you?”
“Wouldn’t miss the chance!” he states as he makes his way toward the back of the boat.
I grin at him and make my way to the dingy. We walk the island and take photos of the baby sea lions sleeping next to big fat sea lions. I snap a hundred photos of iguanas and a hundred more of blue-footed boobies. I’m so focused on my photography I barely notice anyone else. A few times I catch Lance taking photos or Cody and Zoe pointing at something or whispering to each other. But otherwise I’m lost in my camera lens and I love it.
The guide eventually ushers us back to the dingy, so we can snorkel. I pull my cover-up off on the boat and put on my snorkel gear. I’m so glad my mom bought me my own travel snorkel gear years ago. I glance at the ones available for passengers, but being the germaphobe that I am I’m happy with my own.
The guide encourages us to jump off into the water when we are ready. I do as instructed and feel the cold water surround me as I plunge into it. I give myself a moment to adjust and then put my head under the water. I can see a sea turtle not too far away. I turn on my action cam that I strapped to my chest and then take some photos with my Nikon. Thank God for underwater housing!
Once everyone is inside, the guide leads us over to the rocky side of the cove where juvenile sea lions are jumping in the water and playing. One comes up to me and does a backflip in the water and then sticks its face right up to mine. I don’t speak sea lion, but I know I’ve been issued a challenge. I do my best to copy his backflip, but he doesn’t seem pleased. He does it again as I capture his movements on camera and then I try my version one more time. I can tell he is exasperated by my lack of acrobatic skills. This game of copycat goes on for a few minutes before the sea lion either loses interest in me or gives up on me, hard to tell.
I’m so busy snapping photos and interacting with wildlife, I nearly jump when a hand touches my shoulder beneath the water. I turn and see Lance.
I pop my head out of the water and he does too.
“You’ve made a friend,” he says, pointing at the sea lion I had just played copycat with and who is now sitting on a nearby rock watching me.
“I guess so,” I laugh.
“Did you see the marine iguana?” he asks, pointing at another rock.
“No, I hadn’t,” I say as I focus on a brownish lizard that is so well camouflaged that I had not seen him previously. I snap a few photos and then turn back to Lance. We’re both treading water. I realize my action camera is still on and I hit the stop button. I can see folks making their way back to the boat. I look down at my diving watch and realize it’s time to go back.
“I think we’re leaving shortly,” I say, nodding toward the boat.
“Yep,” he replies slowly but keeps his eyes locked on mine. I feel goose bumps spread across my skin even though the water is relatively warm in the shallows of the cove. I see his eyes glance across my skin.
“Come on, I’ll race you back! It’ll warm you up!” he yells as he starts swimming. Little does he know that I am a hardcore competitor and not a half-bad swimmer. Even with my camera strapped around my neck, I take off swimming at full speed. After a few strokes, I realize the backstroke may be better since the camera is producing a bit of drag. I flip over and pretend I’m at the community pool on a Saturday morning for swim team. I’m barely aware when I pass him until I look back and see his face filled with surprise. I laugh at loud and make the last ten yards while he treads water and shakes his head.
“A photographer and a swimmer?” he asks rhetorically. “You are filled with surprises, Lily.”
I hop up on the boat and giggle. “I’m a woman of many talents, what can I say?”
I give him a hand and he takes it as he climbs aboard. His hand is big and strong and grips mine tightly, holding on a little too long after he is firmly standing on the boat.
“Thanks,” he finally says as he releases my hand.
“No problem,” I mutter as I head inside the cabin. I dry off with my travel quick-dry towel and take a seat on a bench near the back. I clean and dry off my underwater housing and then release my camera form it. I place my action camera back in my bag that Zoe’s tossed to me.
“Get some good shots?” She nods at my camera.
“I don’t know yet,” I mumble as I place all my things in my bag except my Nikon. I turn it to play mode and start looking at the treasure trove of photos. I’m watching a video of my sea lion friend when I feel someone sit down next to me.
“That’s a great clip,” Lance says. He is sitting way too close to me, his thigh is nearly touching mine and he reaches over and grabs my wrist to steady the camera as he leans in to get a closer look. He smells of sunscreen and a hint of cologne. I lock my upper arm so that I don’t shake the camera.
“Thanks,” I manage to whisper. He sits with me as I start to analyze my shots from the day. Every so often he points out a good one and I beam with pride. I love photography, but it’s more of a passion than a hobby. I minored in it in college. I got really into plant photography which married my love of photography with my major of horticulture. I lose myself in thought and am only drawn back by Zoe. I hadn’t even realized she’s sitting next to me on my other side.
“Earth to Lily,” she laughs. “You going to finish showing us what you got?” I look up and realize Lance, Zoe, and even Cody are crowded around me star
ing at my small camera screen with bated breath.
“Oh, uh, sorry. Sure thing.” I stumble over my words as I scan more photos. We spend the rest of the ride back eating, laughing, and looking at each other’s photos and video clips. It’s actually quite relaxing. Even the old ladies come and join us for a beer. It turns out their names are Betty and Beatrice and they are old grannies; widows who spend their free time on epic adventures together. By the time we dock, they have all four of us plus two other couples nearly rolling around the deck in fits of laughter.
“Shall we take our party to the bar?” Betty asks as we all climb off the boat.
“Only if you’re buying,” Zoe laughs.
“First round’s on Betty, everyone,” Beatrice yells as we reach the pool bar. I chuckle and Zoe grabs my hand and takes a seat. Lance and Cody walk up to our table and ask to join us.
“Sure,” says Zoe without consulting me. I kick her from under the table and she glares at me before reaching to grab our beers from Betty.
“Here you go, ladies, drink up,” Betty says with a smirk and turns to Lance and Cody. “Can I get you boys a beer?”
“Yes, please,” Cody says. “Here, let me help you with that, Betty.” And he runs after her toward the bar.
“So, what’s you all’s deal?” Zoe asks as she watches Cody at the bar.
“Our deal?” Lance repeats and raises an eyebrow.
“You here for pleasure or business?” Zoe asks with a completely straight face. I, on the other hand, nearly choke on my beer. “Easy there, sailor, I don’t want to have to practice my Heimlich skills.”
I give her the middle finger and Lance busts out laughing. “I’m just here for some fun. Cody’s in South America for work for the summer, so I’m hitching a ride.”
“Sounds like fun,” Zoe says as Cody sits back down.
“So what work are you doing that you’re in South American for a summer?” she asks.
“I’m an engineer,” he says. “I specialize in building transportation facilities that are earthquake proof.”
Zoe fake yawns. I kick her again. And Cody laughs.
“OK,” he says with a smirk. “What super-exciting field of work are you in then?”
“Nursing,” she says with a wink. “I spend all day preventing kids from dying who have had massive trauma to their bodies.”
They both look at her gaping. It’s actually quite cute as they make the exact same face at the exact same time.
“She’s a PICU nurse,” I translate.
“Wow, that’s impressive,” says Cody, clinking beer glasses with her.
“What about you, Lily?” asks Lance.
“She’s uh…how do you put it? Undecided,” Zoe says as she takes a big sip of beer.
“Thanks, Zoe,” I grumble. “You’ll have to pardon my cousin; she clearly has brain damage. I am taking the summer to figure out my next move. I have a job offer right now, but I just graduated last week and I’m not really sure what I want to do. So I’m taking a few weeks to decide.”
“And by decide, she means put off the inevitable,” Zoe chimes in again. “Lance, what do you do?”
“Lance is a media mogul,” Cody says and Lance elbows him. Zoe and I both look at him and laugh. “No, seriously, he is.”
“And what media empire are you dictator of?” I ask.
“I think Cody might be overstating it. I head a small media company that runs several social media apps, small ones,” Lance adds.
“Well, then that works out great. Lily doesn’t want to join the workforce and Lance is a sugar daddy,” Zoe says laughing. “Come on, Cody, let’s buy another round for Betty and Beatrice, while those two figure out how to meld their futures.”
I try to kick Zoe as she gets up, but instead hit the table and wince.
“Hey, you alright?” Lance says, placing his hand on my arm.
“Yeah, fine,” I mutter as I rub my foot. “Don’t mind Zoe, she’s been a pain in my ass my entire life.”
“Oh, it’s OK. She’s funny,” he says, giving my arm a squeeze before he pulls back his hand and wraps it around his beer glass. “So what field are you looking to get into?”
“Well, I studied literature and horticulture in college and minored in photography,” I start to explain. “I interned for a few nurseries and I spent a semester working at the USDA. I’m just not sure what I want to do next. One of the nurseries I worked for offered me a position starting in September, but I don’t know...” I trail off.
“Yeah, I remember coming out of college. It’s like suddenly you have to figure out your whole life,” he reminisces.
“And when was that…wait, did dinosaurs roam the earth?” I giggle.
“Actually, it was a bit later, I went to Cave Man U.” He smirks at me.
“Well, that explains everything,” I say and look over to see Zoe making out with Cody on the beach. I sigh and roll my eyes. Lance follows my stare and laughs.
“Guess those two aren’t wasting any time,” he comments as he looks back at me.
“I better get some sleep,” I mutter. “Tomorrow’s a long day.”
“Yep, me too,” he agrees. “I’ll walk you up there since Zoe clearly won’t be joining you for a while.”
I nod and we bid our goodnights to Betty and Beatrice and a few others. Lance places his hand on my lower back as we walk. I like him touching me, but I’m unsure how I feel about him. I have had two or three boyfriends and a few random dates, but nothing serious. It just never felt right. Plus, I know my moodiness can drive guys away. However, something about Lance makes me feel grounded, it’s a new feeling and it’s unsettling to me. Lance gives me a quick peck on the cheek when we reach my door.
“Goodnight, Lily, sweet dreams,” he murmurs against my ear. I give him a small smile and open my door.
Chapter 4
Lily’s Playlist: “All I Ask” by Adele
I don’t hear Zoe come in that night, but I’m sure it’s late because the next day I practically have to jump on her bed to get her up and going. We manage to make it to the boat just in time. Lance and Cody have saved us a spot in the front and we sit down next to them.
We are heading out to North and South Plaza Islands just off Santa Cruz. Then we’re going swimming in the channel to the north of the island. The trip seems shorter than yesterday and we’re off walking along the trail of South Plaza Island before I can even get my camera all set up and ready. I snap a ton of great bird photos and some iguana shots. There are a few sea lions, but not as many as the day before. Lance brings out his crazy expensive telephoto lens and shows me some more things I didn’t know about my camera. We spend the day practicing our photography skills and laughing at Zoe and Cody. I’m actually relaxing and enjoying myself.
In the afternoon, we snorkel in the channel. I see two Galapagos sharks, a black tip reef shark and a pod of dolphins. I’m in awe and feel like I’m tugging on Lance’s arm every five seconds, pointing out some new underwater creature. Zoe decides to stay on the boat after they mention the sharks. Cody goes in for a bit with us, but heads back early, claiming his side is cramping from too many drinks the night before. Lance and I exchange looks and continue with our underwater safari.
Betty and Beatrice host yet another epic happy hour late into the night once we all return. I talk Zoe into heading back to our room early, claiming I need to get some beauty rest for our last day out at sea.
“Seriously, when did you become such an old fart?” Zoe sighs as we open our door.
“Whatever, you’re just pissed because you wanted to make out with Cody again,” I sneer as we change and crawl into bed.
“True story,” she admits and turns the light out and then pelts me with a pillow. “Just remember, payback is a bitch.”
I half-contemplate what she means as I fall asleep before I can spend any real time thinking about it.
Our last island is Bartolome Island. It’s known for some films that were shot there and I immediately rec
ognize it. Lance, Zoe, Cody, and I hike up to the top of the island’s summit with Betty and Beatrice. We’re treated with an amazing 360-degree view. I take a number of panoramic shots before heading back down to snorkel with penguins.
The penguins are amazing. They shoot through the water like bullets, barely allowing me the opportunity to snap photos. I end up taking a bunch of videos with my action camera. We see a few reef sharks resting on the bottom as well as a number of fish.
“That was amazing!” I exclaim as we all climb back on board the yacht. I grab a few beers and pass them out as I start going through my photos from the day. Lance takes his usual seat next to me and we look at each one.
“You’re really improving each day,” he says encouragingly. “The way you were able to get any shots of those penguins was amazing. They were so fast.”
“I think those few shots I got were pure luck,” I state matter-of-factly.
“You kids up for one last happy hour tonight?” Betty asks as she sashays over to our bench.
“Hell yes, Betty!” Cody responds enthusiastically. We all laugh and nod our agreement.
“Well, cuz, I’m glad you invited me along,” Zoe says as she puts an arm around my shoulder. “It’s been one hell of an adventure.”
I lean into her. “Thanks for coming, Zoe.” She gives me a hug.
“You know I wouldn’t have missed this for the world.”
We all sit on the bench on the deck of the boat and enjoy the trip back to the island. We dock on the far side of the island and a bus picks us up and takes us to a reserve where we can see some Galapagos tortoises. It’s awesome and I take at least a hundred photos of them. It’s odd being here. I remember looking at my parents’ photos from their Galapagos trip over twenty years ago. They were in college and my mom got a crazy idea for spring break. I’ve recognized so many things from their photos. In a way, it’s like reconnecting with my dad, walking in his shoes. It makes me feel content and happy to be able to share an experience with him even though he’s no longer here.
After a late dinner, our group crowds the pool bar and we all take turns buying rounds for everyone. Betty is doing her impression of our tour guide who we’ve all dubbed the Latin Lover. I am nearly falling out of my chair with laughter. I don’t even realize how late it’s getting until I look around for Zoe and see she has already left.