Island Rush

by Marien Dore

  It wasn’t until we finished off the bananas that Mr. Rush spoke. “Well, I never saw a woman shove so many bananas in her mouth like that,” he said in a matter-of-fact manner. I blushed for two reasons: one being it was pretty embarrassing. The main reason was that he referred to me as a woman. It made my heart pick up, that’s for sure.

  “Oh shut up, I know you liked it, pervert,” I said, really testing out that waters as I teased him. It made me laugh and smile, and I saw him do the same at my words.

  I was glad to see the tension melted since this morning. It wasn’t crackling between us, but something did remain. Something that was making him uneasy, and it probably wasn’t the situation that happened earlier. It was bigger and consuming his thoughts today.

  He was still quiet when given the opportunity to be. I secretly started watching him more after we decided the bananas actually weren’t enough and opened a few coconuts. His expression displayed immense emotion with his thoughts as we consumed the white flesh. It just made me wonder what it could be. He was distracted since the moment I woke up this morning. I knew everything I told him could be a part of it, but something was on his mind before I spilled my guts.

  What made him so lost and distracted? What made him force his moods to change? What made him look so confused and desperate? I wanted to know, but it wasn’t right for me to ask. I had a feeling he couldn’t give me an answer anyway.

  When we were as full as could be, we forced ourselves to stand. We had to keep walking and continue on for the little remainder of the day. It was hard to do, but we needed to leave a lot of the coconuts behind. I carried two along with the spear, and he carried three since his hands were now free.

  I glanced up to Mr. Rush as we walked. The soft orange sunlight shined against his cheeks as the sun began to descend lower. “We really need to be more aware of our surroundings while we are here. It gets to me that we probably missed a lot of food.”

  Despite what I said, he gave me a very approving stare when his eyes met mine. Then they turned slightly sad under that admiration for whatever reason. “We really should, shouldn’t we?”

  I smiled and nodded before glancing down to the path before us. Paying attention was extremely important that was for sure. We were learning that with each day.

  The walk didn’t last much longer after that. We decided to set up a fire while there was still a little daylight left. Mr. Rush walked out towards the beach to retrieve a piece of flint to use. When he returned, we walked up towards the trees, going further back and shielding ourselves from the breeze creeping in. Gathering some brush and small branches, we set them down before sitting in the long grass and getting to work.

  I wouldn’t admit it, but I was starting to freak out. Last night I had that terrible dream which twisted into an awful lie. It was sickening, and I didn’t want to return to that place.

  We sat in silence after we got the fire started from the flint and the same stone we have been using. He looked exhausted, and I used that as leverage to try and goad him into sleep. He didn’t need to see how pathetic I was going to be later on. “Man, you look really tired. You want to get some sleep?”

  I could see he immediately knew what I was up to. It made me want to scold myself. He gave me a knowing look and sad smile. “I don’t think I will. I’m fine. Or is there some other reason you think I should go to sleep first?”

  “No, no. Just saying,” I said, my head lowering away from him.

  We sat in silence beside each other, watching the fire and feeling the tension growing. He knew why I wanted him to fall asleep first. Maybe if I could distract him, make him stay up longer and grow tired himself, he would go to sleep on his own without being able to help it. Worth a try. It might also be a nice distraction from the coldness moving in. The chill was just as intense as the heat was earlier.

  I started casually. “You know about me,” I started. “About the darkest corners of my life. All I know about you is a bit about Jill and your mom. So, entertain me,” I said, glad he couldn’t see me blush in the darkness. Though I was doing this so I could avoid him seeing my pathetic nature later, I was curious.

  Both of us started shivering with our teeth chattering together as the night was setting in. Our words forced a break between the noises our teeth were making as we began this interesting conversation.

  Mr. Rush stared at me for a long moment. “What do you want to know?”

  I wanted to know everything about him. I couldn’t exactly say that though and receive a specific answer. “Your childhood. I want to know about when you were growing up.”

  He nodded. The casual smile on his face grew in the firelight. “Okay. Well… I lived in a small house on the bad side of town. It was a crappy place, and my parents weren’t the richest people around. My dad got fired from his job when I was young, which left mom trying her hardest to support us through her part-time job at a grocery store. I remember how it stressed both of them out to no end.”

  You could say I was more than a little enticed. “Did that have a bad impact on you early on?”

  His neck craning as he looked down to me, he raised his eyebrows and answered me with a surprised voice. “No. Despite having money problems and being stressed, they stayed positive. I was their only child so they made sure I was spoiled and happy. When dad eventually did find work, they did their best, even if they couldn’t be home a lot. That’s why most days after school, I would go to Brad’s, my best friend’s, house,” He chuckled under his breath as he spoke, gazing into the warm fire. “We were always getting into trouble together but having the best time.”

  I chuckled with him. “Oh yeah? What kind of trouble and fun?”

  “Well, he always wanted to be a cop, which he eventually became — so we would always play with his dad’s shotguns.”

  “Wow now that sounds safe,” I said.

  He shook his head and laughed. “You did not let me finish. Brad knew where the key was for the gun cases. He was smart enough to know to keep them unloaded. Even at that age, he was a smart kid. When his parents were gone, that was the first place we went, his father’s gun cases. We would run around the house, literally dragging the things since they were so heavy, and played cops and robbers.” He laughed as I smiled. He was opening himself up to me, and I loved it.

  He told me more stories about his childhood and time spent with his friend. Another was very interesting. It reflected his carefree nature that was showing more as each day passed.

  “One time, we painted his kitchen pink.”

  “Seriously?” I laughed. “How old were you both when you did this?”

  “Around eleven or twelve I think,” he smiled. “We both knew that his mom thought we were so innocent. She could be a push over too because Brad was an only child as well, which is why we did it. It took us all day. We skipped school to do it because it took us forever. After we had done the kitchen, we did another room pink too. It was so much fun, by the end of it, we had covered ourselves with paint too.”

  “Oh, his parents must have killed you both.”

  “Well, we did it because we had faith we would get away with it. When his parents got home, we just smiled innocently up at them… as if we expected praise. As if they should be proud of us for helping them with a chore. I remember their faces when they walked through the door. We did everything to not start laughing, it was priceless!” he laughed at the fun memory. His eyes flicking from the fire to me, it was like he was reliving the memory. “We asked if they liked what we did. We even had the guts to ask for a couple bucks for all our hard work. Brad’s dad was furious while his mother thought the gesture was precious! In the end, his mother said it was very nice but next time, we should ask before doing something like that. She ended up paying us five dollars each too!”

  By the end, Mr. Rush was shaking with quivers of laughter and so was I. It seemed so unlike him, to be this open and carefree! It was wonderful to not only see that but to also get a peek at that rebelliou
s side of him too.

  He went on after a minute. “When I wasn’t with Brad, I was at home spending time with my family when they weren’t working. My mom and I would have fun doing things occasionally. By the time, I entered my teen years, Brad and I found more friends and had more fun. We threw parties at his house because his mother went easy on him the few times she found out. We were like any other teenagers, trying to find ourselves and have fun. We took our parents car out at night when we were fifteen, included beer at the parties at sixteen, and had girlfriends on our arms by the time we were both seventeen.”

  I couldn’t help my smile from spreading wide across my lips despite the chill in the air. I loved hearing all this about his past. “Now that is awesome,” I chuckled.

  “It was! Plus, we both did well in school. I wouldn’t go so far to say we were exactly dedicated to school, but we respected our teachers and did our work. By the time we graduated though and went to college, we rarely saw each other. We were stuck doing our own thing and grew apart. I went on to become a teacher, and he became a police officer,” he said, shrugging.

  I never would have guessed. I always thought Mr. Rush was the kind of guy who would have been strict with himself. Getting good grades, living under his parents’ rules, and having a serious mindset the whole time. He sounded extremely fun and carefree when he was younger! “You guys started doing your own thing? What do you mean?”

  His smile dimmed slightly as he spoke through the chilly air. “His job consumed all of his time, and he became more involved with getting his life going. I was busy concentrating on teaching. Then when I met Jill, she took all my time. We never had an issue with each other, but we haven’t talked in a really long time.” He pursed his lips in thought. “I do know he was seeing this very sweet girl. I don’t know if he ever settled down or got serious with her. He always was such a sweet guy, talking about his future and how he would make a great husband and father.”

  “What about you? Were you always looking for that kind of future?”

  He looked at me hard. “Before when I was younger, I was more concerned with just having fun and trying to find a nice girl. I want that future now, though.” He paused and looked away slightly. “With Jill, that can happen.”

  I said nothing to that. Gave no input because it was pointless. Did I want to call him out and say that last part was him lying to himself? Sure. But I think I spoke enough of my mind for one day.

  “Do you want that?” he asked me a moment later.

  “Want a future with a husband and kids? Probably. I don’t think I am ready to make that decision yet, though. I need to get over all that happened first. I am going to need to be very cautious too.” It was sad for me to say those things. I wanted that, but that didn’t mean it was possible since my future was controlled by my father. He didn’t need to hear that part.

  “What do you mean?”

  I hesitated but went ahead and answered anyway. “Up until that happened with my mother, it was clear my mom and dad loved each other. At the same time, it could get ugly. My dad one minute was so caring and loving, the next he acted crazy. It made me realize just how unpredictable people can be. He went from loving me to threatening me, hurting me, and laughing about it. It was shocking and still is. How could they have done that? It allowed my trust in almost everything to die especially when it came to people. I don’t want to make a mistake and trust someone who could do that. I don’t know if I will ever find that guy that I can trust like that. That’s why I said I will have to be extremely cautious.”

  When I finished speaking, my eyebrows dipped. I stared at the one guy that could maybe be an exception. I didn’t know him, wasn’t sure about him either, but the longer we spent together, the more I felt he was someone I could trust. He made me feel safe, protected, cared for and it made me want him more. Then again, that was how my mom felt before too with my dad….

  I yawned even though I tried to hold it in. “Tired?” he asked before I could even finish yawning.

  Come on, this was supposed to make him tired, not me! How was I supposed to hide my nervousness from him over something so stupid? That’s all I could think as I shook my head in answer but he finally brought it up. “I am right here for you, okay?” he said softly, his visible breath moving faster in the cold air.

  I sighed. “I know that. I just don’t feel like going to sleep yet.” Oh, right, I’m sure that was convincing.

  “You can’t lie to me anymore.” He laid his hand over mine, warming it in addition to the hotness the fire was giving me. Wedging his hand into my palm, he grasped my hand tightly. It assisted in calming our chattering teeth that were possessed by the cold. “I am right here for you. I promise I will wake you if I hear you’re having another bad dream.”

  Reassuring me helped but it wasn’t like he experienced what I had last night. Yet, what else could I do? I had to sleep sometime. I nodded, laying back and letting go of his hand. “Thank you,” I whispered, facing him as he also slid down a few feet away.

  Soon, we were both drifting off despite how cold it was. I guess an exhausting day helped otherwise it would have taken forever with how chilly the air was. Not only that, but I didn’t dream that night either! Of course, it was too good to be true.

  Chapter 17

  The nothingness disappeared, and I was pulled from my sleep. Mr. Rush was leaning over me, shaking my arms. “What happened? Was I dreaming and woke you?” I asked though I didn’t remember any dream. Staring up at where he was, it was so dark I could hardly make him out.

  “No,” came his voice quickly. Along with that, there was another noise as well as a strange feeling over my body. “We need to move!” He stood and pulled me up, lifting me until I was standing with him.

  “What?” I groggily asked. I noticed my body was freezing. The fire was out, but a crackling remained. The crackling noise of water hitting leaves. It was raining.

  Mr. Rush pulled me along with him and next thing I know, we are jogging. It made me nervous considering he was towing me in the dark, through the trees and wet grass. The moonlight showed itself more as we moved at least. It allowed me to see his face after we came out from under the shadows.

  “What are we doing?!” I yelled to him as the rain picked up harder, drenching us.

  “We need to stay dry.” He stopped and pulled me over to a large tree he spotted. The branches expanded further out than usual on a tree. Plus, many of those branches were only a few feet above us. It was good cover.

  He crouched down, huddling against the tree trunk that was guarded by the shielding branches. He pulled me down with him, holding me against him and the tree, trying hard to avoid the freezing air and rain, which did help a bit. We were not getting soaked like before, but we still were getting a little drizzle. It didn’t matter much since we were still wet and cold.

  Though dark like before, I could still make out his face with how close I was. I could see that his teeth were clashing together like mine were. His hair was dripping with water down to his chest, which shook with the rest of his body. His hands moved up to cover his mouth, trying to keep his hands warm.

  “Do you th-th-think we should save some of this?” I asked him. Though freezing, I was forcing myself to lick up the water around my mouth.

  “Not w-worth it. Too c-c-cold.”

  “A-Are we going to be okay?” I asked over the rain. I didn’t need to yell anymore at least.

  He shifted slightly and looked at me with wide awake eyes. He looked around, but we couldn’t see farther than our own faces. “I don’t kn-know,” he answered honestly. I knew we should not be this cold, especially with how wet we were. At least we were out of the rain I guess.

  He moved his hands down to his knees where he drew them up to his chest. I did the same. We both shivered with the little protection we had. It didn’t help much. Soon, we realized there was no point keeping ourselves pressed against the tree. We weren’t warming ourselves up enough. That’s why with our g
asping and shivering breaths, we sagged down from our leaning positions to the grass where we laid down on our sides.

  My eyes grew as they focused on his face. I could make out that he was pale with a tint of blue to his skin. He looked numb!

  “M-Mr. R-R-Rush. Y-You are b-blue,” I stuttered.

  “S-S-So are you.”

  His breath brushed over my face and warmed my skin for a second. It was enough to make me inch closer until he was forced to breathe straight in my face. I closed my eyes as I took in the slight warmth that made me exhale in relief. Opening my eyes, seeing him grow, he noticed my reason for coming closer. I moved my hand up to his chest, which made me want to melt. It felt like my hand was warming! It made me softly moan. It also made me inch even closer, sliding both hands up and down his chest, taking that warmth greedily without thinking.

  I knew who this was. He was my teacher, someone I was stuck here with, and someone I came to care for. He was also a wonderful source of heat. That seemed to matter the most at the moment.

  Mr. Rush’s eyes became unreadable. “W-What are you d-doing?” he asked, sounding stunned.

  “Y-You’re warm,” was all I attempted to say.

  It was obvious he wanted to fight me on this, but he ended up wrapping his hands around my back, careful of my healing cut. He pulled me the rest of the way to him, his hands resting on my lower back and sliding up and down. It created a path of warm friction that was pure relief from the cold – for both him and me. I didn’t think it would do anything since we were both wet and cold but it did.

  I slid my hands under his arms to his back and held myself against his heavenly skin. It gave me more ideas like to rest my head against his chest, which I did. My breath brushed the wet curly hairs there, and it made him moan with the warmth I offered him. I moaned in return when he tilted his head to press his cheek to my forehead.