11
“Look at that shit!” yelled Forest. I staggered up from the bench, and Becca followed from the other. Forest was standing on the back rail with his foot on the rudder. He had his left hand clutched onto a cable and his right pointed out to sea.
“Land! Shit, I think that’s land,” shouted Forest.
“No way in hell,” I said, and rushed to the bow. Becca laughed with excitement. There was a long sliver on the horizon that appeared to have a whitish, green hue. That is if we weren’t seeing things. We all wondered if there were mirages at sea like we heard about in the desert.
“It is!” shouted Becca. “Do you think it’s the Bahamas?”
“I think it has to be,” I replied. “The only other option is Cuba, but that’s 200 miles south of Miami. I know we haven't been going south, and we couldn’t have made it that far by now.”
“Wooooo!!!” Forest yelled with his fist in the air again.
Becca squeezed my shoulder, and it felt like electricity went through my body. I felt like such a freak. I couldn’t shake the fascination and infatuation, but I was trying my damned hardest.
We were within a mile of the land. There were no large buildings that we could see, but the land mass was huge.
“Andros,” I said.
“To Andros,” replied Forest.
Then I remembered. “You know we can’t keep her.”
“What?” asked Becca.
“We can’t keep Andros,” I replied.
Forest looked pissed. “Dude, I’m still mad about my scooter. I’d shut up if I were you.”
“Look, by now they all know we took this boat. This exact boat. They’re probably searching near Miami right now and sooner or later word will travel here. We’ll get caught in no time,” I said.
“Then what are you thinking?” asked Becca. Forest looked angry and had his eyes on the approaching land. But I could tell he was still listening.
“We don’t have to sink it. We point Andros back southeast, jump off and swim to land. They’ll find it out in the Atlantic somewhere. We were lost at sea. Case closed.”
I knew it was the right thing to do, and I hoped they did to. This wasn’t a vacation. It was the start of a new life.
“I loved this boat,” said Forest.
“I hear you,” I replied.
“More than that scooter. Way more. Shit,” he said.
“Yeah.”
“I’m going to get another one. One day,” he said.
“I’ll go in on it with you,” I replied.
“Me too,” said Becca.
The color of the water was changing to a beautiful turquoise I had only seen in magazines. We forced down some partially dried fish that wasn’t near as bad as the day before and drank the remaining water under the seat hatch. As the Andros drew to within a few hundred yards of land, we could see fish thirty feet or so below us on the ocean floor.
“Damn, it’s so clear,” said Forest.
I was shocked at the difference between the water color compared to the coast of Florida, and I thought Florida was beautiful. As we drew close, we could make out tall pine and palm trees that lined the beach. l knew it was time.
“It’s gorgeous,” said Becca. “How shallow is that?”
“Hard to tell,” I replied. The water was so clear I wasn’t sure if it was ten feet deep or a hundred. Forest had his knife and backpack ready. I had myself and the stinky ass clothes I had been wearing for the last few days at sea. We pushed the tiller all the way forward, which caused the boat to slowly do a 180 degree turn and the sail to switch sides. The boat picked up more speed now that it was headed southeast, and we quickly took a rope to tie the tiller in place.
“Go!” shouted Forest. The three of us all jumped over the rail, off the back of the boat, and into the crystal clear blue water. It felt like we were just baptized into freedom.
We were at least 200 yards offshore now and immediately started swimming toward land. Once we had made it halfway, we all stopped and treaded water for a moment. The Andros was a ghost ship now, sailing beautifully, next stop Cuba. Maybe there was some family in need of a boat that would find it abandoned. It was possible. I bet they would appreciate that boat just as much as us. In a strange way, I felt like we set it free.
Forest raised his fist in the air. “Sail on Andros.”
We swam over coral reefs, where I could make out the blurry movements below that appeared to be fish. Forest and Becca reached water they could stand in just before I did. As we stood in the chest deep water, the scene before us was almost too much to take in. Tall pine trees mixed with palms gently moved with the breeze. White sand and small coral rock formations dotted the beach. There were no buildings or people in sight, which made me wonder if we were in some sort of national park. Forest suddenly let out a huge belly laugh, put his arm around my shoulder, and squeezed me tight. He hugged his sister, and Becca, to my surprise lightly hugged me for almost half a second.
We did it. Kind of. The reality was now sinking in that we were basically drifters in another country. We had nothing but a backpack, some scraggly clothes, and a knife. Not a quarter between us and no source of food or water. We had no support contacts in the U.S. and sure as hell didn’t have any in the Bahamas. We were Bohemian bums. But we were brave, free, and hopeful.
“Gorgeous,” said Forest.
We waded up to the beach. It was like paradise, no better way to describe it. I looked out into the open water and could still make out the Andros, perhaps a mile offshore now. She was the token of our freedom. Regardless of what would happen next, I would forever love that boat. I watched Andros for a few last seconds and wondered if a sailboat is alone in the ocean, does it come to life?
Becca sat down on the sand in inch deep water. Forest and I sat on opposite sides of her. “I can’t believe we pulled this shit off,” said Forest. I nodded.
“Yeah, so what now?” asked Becca.
Silence followed. This was a daydream. Something to get me by during the nauseatingly dull days at Havana. I figured I’d take a stab at it some time and get caught. The daydream always ended here. I never imagined I’d actually, physically be sitting on some beach, on some island, in the Bahamas. Really, had it not been for Forest, I would have probably quit at some point back in Miami. Like when the guy at the dock called the owner of the boat. Forest was relentless. He had a strong will, and I hoped it rubbed off on me.
“Are we going to live in the woods?” asked Becca as she turned around and viewed the palm trees and thick overgrowth.
“We aren’t gonna live on a boat,” said Forest, watching the Andros as it became a dot on the horizon.
“What about bugs?” she asked.
“They may not be so bad,” I replied.
Forest shook his head, “I bet we get our asses eaten up. Think about Miami in the evening. Has to be worse here. We’ll make it.”
“We can sleep in the sand,” said Becca. “Like pile up sand on top of us.”
That seemed kind of reasonable. Forest stood up.
“Where are you going?” asked Becca.
“To find something,” said Forest.
“Like what?” she asked. Forest shrugged.
“Yeah,” I replied. “Some kind of shelter. We’ll need food and water really soon.”
“Alright,” said Forest. “Let’s stay low key. Maybe we can find where some people are and blend in.”
“Which way?” asked Becca. There were only two choices, and they both looked the same. We could walk north on the beach or south. We sure as hell weren’t wandering into the bush.
“Joey?” asked Forest. I shrugged.
“Let’s go this way,” said Becca. “South.”
“Sounds good,” I replied.
We walked in half inch deep water that ran over our toes every few steps while we breathed clean salt air. It was like time stood still out there. No cars, people, or asphalt. The only reminder of civilization was a plastic bag or bottle that had washed
up on shore. The morning was cloudy, and it caused interesting shades of dark blue and light green on the surface of the water.
Driftwood was scattered all over the beach. We passed one piece that was longer than a car and looked like a dragon pointing at the sea. I wished I could keep it. A flock of sandpipers stayed out in front of us, prancing around the shallow waters looking for fish and crabs. Each time we would get close they would fly another fifty yards down the beach.
“Mr. Peterson’s rambling on right now,” I said.
Forest laughed. “Don’t jinx us man. This may be a dream.”
“Wouldn’t that be some shit,” I replied. “To fall asleep in his class, dream you’re here, think it’s real, then wake up back there?”
“Ugh,” said Forest. “He’s lucky, man. Always trying to get me kicked out. You can bet your ass strike three would have ended with him in the hospital.”
“I had a big test that was going to take all day today,” said Becca.
I laughed, “Really?”
“Yeah at a new school. I’m never going back.”
Forest shook his head. “We stole a boat and left the country. That’s a big deal. If we go back, it’s going to be to prison or juvenile hall.”
“Plus stole a scooter and the guy at the dock. You think that was attempted murder?” I asked.
Forest shook his head, “Nah, I don’t think so. I’m not sure what they would call that. It would depend on the judge.”
“Let’s just not get caught,” said Becca.
“We need to talk about that, about getting caught,” replied Forest.
“What about it?” I asked.
“We can’t get caught,” said Forest. “No matter what that means or what we have to do.”
“Alright,” I answered. I figured with Becca and I around he wouldn’t do anything too crazy.
“Up ahead,” said Forest. We had only been walking for a half hour when we noticed an inlet. As we neared, we saw what looked like a narrow, shallow river that flowed between thick green vines and palm trees. The river was shallow and looked like an easy walk. At some point I figured we would have to leave the beach and see what we could find further inland.
“Should we go down this?” asked Forest.
“Do you remember this island on a map, Joey?” asked Becca.
“A little. It’s big. I remember that.”
“Do you remember anything else?” asked Forest.
“I’m not positive, but I think I remember there were towns on the eastern side of the island.”
“And this is the western side?” asked Becca.
“Right.”
“Okay, let’s do it then,” she said.
We left the beach and began walking down the narrow, shallow river. The water barely reached our ankles in most places, but occasionally we would hit a deep pocket and sink to our waists. I kept noticing these little brown crabs. When we approached they would hold up their claws like two pistols and scatter away quickly, then disappear into the sand. They were everywhere, and I thought about trying to catch one to eat. It seemed like it would be a frustrating ordeal though.
We reached a fork in the river and slowly came to a stop.
“Well?” asked Forest.
“I think we’re pretty much wandering at this point,” I replied.
Forest nodded and went right.
The water grew deeper and changed to a milky green color. One side of the river was now lined with these thick, large bushes that had exposed roots that reached into the saltwater. It felt like we were in more of a jungle now, and at one point I saw the tail of a large lime green iguana disappear into the bush.
“What’s that?” asked Becca.
“What?” asked Forest. “Look,” she said pointing to a tree that had a long vine wrapped around it. On the vine were purple berries the size of ping pong balls. We approached and saw that the vine was filled with them. Some were green and others dark purple.
Forest held one up and asked, “Can you eat this?”
“How the hell should I know?” I replied.
We each pulled off one of the large mysterious berries. Someone had to try it. We were hungry and needed to know whether these were poisonous or not.
“Joey, your turn,” said Forest.
“What the hell do you mean my turn? When was it your turn?”
“I cleaned the fish.”
“I took the first bite and it tasted like shit. If it’s anyone's turn, it’s yours.”
“It’s my turn,” said Becca.
Before we could stop her, she took a small bite of the berry in her hand.
“How is it?” I asked. She chewed a little while and gave a thumbs up.
“It’s really good. Sweet,” she said.
Very true. It was soft and sweet, unlike any fruit I had ever eaten before.
“Damn!” said Forest. We quickly began ravaging the tree, stuffing what we could into our mouth and throwing the rest in Forest’s backpack. We piled so many in there we could hardly zip it shut. The large sea grapes, as we called them, were a game changer for us.
With the edge off our hunger, we strolled down the turquoise river and Forest intermittently sang Bob Marley. “Everything’s gonna be alright now, everything's gonna be alright.”
We had walked for what felt like four or five hours, taking a short break every hour or so. The river seemed to continue east, but would sometimes head what felt like north, before returning to an easterly direction. It was widening, and parts in the middle were getting deep. For the first time we started noticing footprints. Shoes, boots, and sometimes bare feet. The tracks made us walk slowly and keep an eye out for people, but so far we were alone.
The river turned almost ninety degrees as we entered what looked like a large shallow lake. It was as clear as glass, and I noticed a silver fish chasing minnows twenty yards from us. It actually looked like a tiny version of the same fish we caught on the Andros. Becca seemed to be tiring out, and my calves were starting to cramp up. I felt like we should stop for the day.
“Look at all of those birds,” she said. “If I had more energy I would run through them.”
Becca pointed to a flock of at least 200 resting seagulls on the other side of the lake.
Becca groaned.
“What?” asked Forest.
“Blisters,” she said. Forest took a look around.
“It will be night soon. Let’s find a place to camp.”
Becca sat in the sand and took off her shoes. “I don’t think I even needed these. But I was afraid a crab or something would bite my toes.”
“Yeah,” I replied. “I kept wondering if something was going to jump out of the bushes.”
Becca laughed. “That’s why you had that stick. I wondered,” she said.
“What could jump out of the bushes, alligators?” she asked.
“I have no idea. But it felt like I was in a movie and something crazy was about to happen.”
Becca took off her shoes. There were large blisters on both heels. The skin on the left one was torn off, revealing bright pink on the inside.
“Sorry, Becca,” I said.
“Hurts. Should I put them in the saltwater you think?”
I stood up, “I don’t know. I’ll look around and see if I can find something that might help.”
I walked the small strip of sand that separated the overgrowth and vegetation from the water. The lake was serene, and it somehow made me feel calm. Further east we could barely make out what looked like small buildings. Forest was scouting around, perhaps exploring or searching for something, I wasn’t sure. I turned my attention toward the variety of plants. I noticed some large palm like bushes that were a few feet high. The leaves came to a point, but the body of the leaf felt soft to the touch. I started ripping of branches and brought a pile of them back to Becca.
I placed them on the ground next to her.
“There isn’t much, but you can prop your feet up on these. We can probabl
y figure out a way to make a bandage out of them, too.”
Forest walked up as I was talking.
“To help with her blisters,” I said.
“That shit isn’t gonna work,” he said. “I need to scout out that road. Those houses in the distance. I can find something there.”
“Alright. I can stay with Becca,” I said.
“No,” Becca replied. “Go with Forest and make sure he doesn’t do anything stupid.”
“No, he needs to stay with you,” said Forest. “I’ll be back in an hour or two.”
She looked tired and didn’t seem to have the energy to fight him on it. I was happy to hang out with her and chill for a little while. My calves felt like hell. Forest walked across the lake and took an inlet that headed southeast. He turned a corner and disappeared into the brush. For the first time it was just the two of us.
“Where are we supposed to use the bathroom?” she asked.
I looked over my shoulder and around. Not sure what I was looking for. “I guess anywhere. I think you’re supposed to dig a hole.”
“No way. Uggghhh,” she groaned and stood to her feet.
She walked down a path between palm trees with a slight limp. Her white t shirt was soaked at the bottom with brown and green stains. I watched her and realized she didn’t belong out here. Not to say she wasn’t tough enough to handle it, she just didn’t fit. I would expect to see her at a club, on a bench wearing nice clothes talking to her friends, presenting something, I don’t know. It just didn’t seem right at all.
I felt my stomach turn. I must have eaten one too many of those sea grapes and could tell I was going to have to take one volcanic shit soon. I tried to take my mind off of it. I dug a small hole in the sand and watched it fill with water. I started building small dunes around the hole and pretended it was a village of tiny people that drove stick cars. Suddenly, a sea monster came up from the notorious lake of death and swallowed four of the houses within seconds, which left the rest of the village in a state of fear and panic.
“What are you doing?” asked Becca. She made me jump.
“Digging for clams,” I said.
Becca sat back down. She let out a deep breath and put her face in her palms.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“I feel so nasty,” she said in an agitated voice.
I felt a little nervous and started biting one of my fingernails. I looked up at the sky for rain and then around us for signs of Forest.
“C’mon, let’s go swim,” I said standing up.
Becca looked up, “Good idea.”
She stood up and started to take her shirt off then looked at me.
“Not looking.” I turned away from her and walked out into the clear green saltwater lake with Becca behind me. I heard her wince when the open blister entered the saltwater.
With the exception of the footprints, it felt like we were in a hidden world. A place unaccustomed to everyday bullshit. The only sounds were birds. The air was warm, but not hot. Nightfall was approaching but still at least an hour away. Seagulls flew back and forth alongside an occasional heron or green bodied parrot. It was awesome.
The Less Fortunates Page 11