The Demarcation of Jack

by Blakely Bennett

  “Sure, okay. No problem,” Jack said, and then leaned in close to Jenna and whispered, “If this guy jumps me, run like hell for the concierge of the hotel. They always know what to do.” Jack stepped backward onto the ladder, made his way down to the dancing boat. He placed his hands on her hips to guide her safely into the launch.

  The ferryman pointed to the rope. Jack untied the knot and pushed the nose of the boat toward the west. One strong pull on the engine cord, a turn of the gas, and they skimmed across the inlet toward Tower Island. The loud drone of the engine made it next to impossible to hear one another.

  As the dinghy closed in on the drop off area, the ferryman killed the engine, allowing the rig to glide into shore. The flat metal bottom of the boat scraped against the sand and rocks, coming to an abrupt halt, throwing Jack and Jenna forward.

  The ferryman stepped past them onto the shore with the skill of a tightrope walker. Holding the boat with one hand, he reached forward for Jenna. “My lady,” he said, offering his hand.

  She stepped from the boat into the shallow water and turned to wait for Jack. “Thank you,” she said and shaded her eyes to watch him.

  Jack stood unsteadily and reached for the man’s hand. The hand withdrew from his reach causing Jack to stumble.

  “Jack!” Jenna exclaimed, bolting forward to assist him.

  “I’m okay,” he said, stumbling out of the boat and into the shallow water. He limped slightly as he took Jenna’s arm and started up the path. “Fucker,” Jack mumbled.

  The path ran between two large bushes that protected the visitors from unwanted attention. The steady increase in volume of voices alerted them to the size of the population on the tiny island.

  “Oh my,” Jenna said, stopping dead in her tracks. She heard the ferryman gun the engine. “Jack,” she said, “I don’t think I can do this.”

  “We can go to the private area at the other end,” he said. “I can come get our drinks when we’re ready.”

  “Where do you look when you’re talking to them?”

  “To be truthful, at first you keep looking at their faces. The second time you look at their—”

  “Jack, knock it off,” she whispered.

  “Okay, look to your right and keep walking. We’ll go to the other side of the tower. There’s a gazebo over there.”

  They made their way quickly toward the north end of the small island.

  “I think I’ll go topless,” she said. She arranged her things on the lounge chair.

  “Okay, but if you get reported, the clothes police will come and get you,” he said, removing his shirt.

  Jenna removed her sarong and sat down on the lounge. She spread her towel out and lay on her stomach. She untied her top and pulled it from underneath her. She then attempted to remove her bottoms without exposing her most sacred parts.

  “Jack, will you help me?”

  “Sure. What do you need?” He removed his swimming trunks and walked over to Jenna.

  “Slide my bottoms off.”

  “Wow, we are getting along better.” Jack slipped his fingers around either side and began to remove the bathing suit. “You’re going to have to loosen your grip,” he said, chuckling. “Relax your legs. Jenna, oh my god, you have a death grip on these. I’m counting to three and then I’m going to leave you just like this,” he said, laughing at the bathing suit halfway down her legs.

  She loosened her clenched thighs allowing him to remove the suit. “God, I hadn’t thought of sunscreen.”

  “It’s much easier to put on when you’re naked,” he assured her.

  “Will you please put it on for me?”

  She recalled Marc’s warm, strong hands as Jack spread an even layer over her body. She shook her head slightly to rid herself of the thought.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  “Yeah, I’m fine, but I think you might be right about those drinks. Would you get me a piña colada? Strong. Drinking before noon. What does this make me?”

  “Someone on vacation in lively Jamaica, mon.”

  “Yeah, okay—I’ll buy that.”

  “Be right back,” Jack said as he stood and strolled comfortably around the tower and out of sight.

  Jenna enjoyed the warm breeze flowing over her body. She soon realized that no one onshore from the hotel could see her and even the people on the island couldn’t see her unless they walked to their gazebo. She started to relax and enjoy the newfound freedom when a boatload of tourists slowly meandered by, waving. Ah great! Look at this, me naked, right out here, sonofabitch. “Hi,” she called out and waved. As soon as the boat was out of sight, she slunk down and covered her head with her towel.

  This is ridiculous. She rolled over onto her back and sat up. Wherein the hell is he? Why isn’t he back yet? She could hear laughter coming from the direction of the pool. She wrapped her sarong around her body, grabbed her backpack and Jack’s towel, and walked toward the commotion. She approached the swim-up bar from the concrete walkway to find all eyes looking at her. From her vantage point, she could see the upper bodies—different skin tones and sizes, breasts of all shapes, but mostly she saw everyone smiling—and Kokila fully dressed, very striking, grinning at her from behind the bar.

  “I’m so glad you decided to join us,” Kokila said, patting the countertop as an invitation to sit.

  Jenna smiled and then glared in Jack’s direction. She meekly waved to Becky and Cliff, and another couple from the beach party, not quite knowing where to look. Except for her eyes that darted about to ingest the scene, she stood frozen. The naked crowd around the bar all shouted their greetings. Move! she commanded her body but remained as still as a mummy in a sarcophagus. Move! Damn it! Jack turned back around oblivious to her condition.

  Kokila came around the bar and touched her shoulder, startling her. She managed to stifle a yelp, focusing on Kokila’s face and the words coming out of her mouth. I shouldn’t have smoked that joint. What is she saying? Kokila motioned for her to remove her wrap. She whispered into Jenna’s ear. “Are you okay? If you’re going to stay, you need to disrobe.”

  All at once, time fast-forwarded to normal speed and Jenna, with the same determination as a person jumping into icy water, dropped her belongings and removed her sarong in one swift movement. She descended the stairs into the water and sat on the first stool she could get to, which just so happened to be farthest from the rest of the guests. She covered her breasts with her right arm and placed her left hand in her lap. She looked around watching the laughter and camaraderie amongst the people in the pool.

  Kokila brought over the piña colada that Jack had ordered and placed it in front of her.

  “Thank you,” she said, shifting forward to place her mouth over the straw, not moving her arms that kept her covered. She drew a long sip of the drink and took a deep breath.

  Becky swam over and sat down on the stool next to her. “It’s brilliant that you decided to join us. You’ll see everyone’s a jolly good sport. Are you okay?” she said, staring intently at Jenna.

  “Yeah, another drink or so and I won’t feel a thing. I know it’s horrible that I have to consume alcohol to do this. Why am I doing this again?” she asked, more directed at herself than Becky.

  “It’ll be okay. Come over and join us when you’re ready,” Becky said and swam around to the other side of the bar.

  “I thought you were going to pass out there for a second,” Kokila said, resting her arms on the countertop in front of Jenna.

  “Yeah. I don’t know. This is truly strange for me. Can I have another one of these,” she said, motioning with her head to her glass.

  “Coming right up,” Kokila said, pressing the button on the blender. “Jack’s a trip. He told me he wants to sculpt me. How would you feel about that?”

  “You’re beautiful—Jack’s a very good sculptor—seems like a good plan,” Jenna said, glancing around the pool area.

  “I’d be willing to do it if you’re there,” Kokila
said.

  “You don’t have to worry about Jack. He’s a real professional about this stuff, anything related to his art,” Jenna said.

  “Oh, I’m sure. But I’d still like for you to be there.”

  “Hi there,” Jack said. “Look at you coming over here so brave. I’m really sorry. I saw Becky and Cliff and we started talking. Seriously I’m sorry, but, now that you’re here, why don’t you come over and meet some of the couples I met the other day.”

  “No. Not just yet.”

  “Jack, let her get used to it. She’ll be all right after a while. Go have a good time and we’ll sit here and talk,” Kokila said, wiping out the inside of a glass.

  “You cool with that?” asked Jack.

  “For now.”

  The piña coladas helped Jenna throw off her inhibitions and she slowly joined in the spirit of the crowd of revelers as the music got louder and the sun got hotter. Succumbing to temptation, she stepped off the stool, and dove into the embrace of the cool water. As she opened her eyes, she found herself in the presence of the other half of the people she had, up until that moment, only seen the upper half. She immediately surfaced and went straight back to her stool without making eye contact with anyone whatsoever.

  “Holy crap. I don’t know how you do it,” Jenna said, snickering. “Some of these guys are … you know, and then others are so … you know what I mean.”

  “Is this girl talk?” Kokila teased.

  “I know—this is so silly,” she said. “I’m kind of embarrassed.”

  “You should’ve seen me my first day bartending out here. I couldn’t remember an order—even if it was a beer,” she said, laughing. “Now, it’s just once in a while that someone catches my eye.”

  “That makes me feel a little better,” Jenna said, finishing her drink and nibbling on the pineapple.

  “Are you ready for another?”

  “How about a rumrunner this time?” she said, listening from across the bar as Jack repeated the story of their trip to the falls.

  “Did you put on sunscreen?” Kokila asked.

  “Only my face and Jack did my back, come to think of it.”

  “Here, use mine. Trust me when I tell you, you don’t want to burn in the Jamaican sun. I’ve seen enough visitors who think they’ll go home with this great tan and they end up spending half their trip in their room because of a bad burn.”

  “Thanks,” Jenna said, taking the sunscreen and moving to turn her back to the bar. “You know what? I think I’d be more comfortable putting this on in the bathroom.”

  “No problem. The bathrooms are in the bottom of the tower just over there.”

  Jenna wrapped her sarong around her waist, and with her back to the pool area, she walked topless across the cement walkway.

  “That wasn’t so bad,” she said aloud to herself. What the hell, I can do this. She stood in front of the mirror and carefully spread the sunscreen over her entire legs, arms, and front.

  She bravely ambled back down the path to the pool, her breasts sashaying freely.

  “Jenna, cool, look at you,” Summer said, approaching from the beach landing. “You are a very pretty naked girl,” she called out to her.

  Jenna froze. Oh my god, keep smiling. “Hi, when did you get back?” she asked, inadvertently covering her breasts by crossing her arms.

  “How are you doing so far?” Marc asked.

  “I’m getting there, two more drinks and I’ll be dancing on the bar.”

  “Yahoo,” Marc said. “I can’t wait to see that.”

  The trio meandered down the path, sharing small talk about the shopping trip. They arrived at the bar where Kokila had placed a fresh rumrunner in front of Jenna’s belongings .Jenna took her seat and untied the sarong allowing it to flow over the stool in the water.

  “Marc?” Jenna said as she turned to him. “What … what?” she stammered, realizing that in a matter of seconds he stood before her wearing only a broad smile. “Would you like a drink?” she said, blushing furiously. She averted her gaze when she really wanted to take a long leisurely look.

  “I’d like a rumrunner as well,” he said, leaning against the bar.

  “A what?” Jenna asked.

  “I got it.” Kokila laughed.

  Jack swam over to join in on the fun at the north end of the bar. “How was shopping in downtown Ocho Rios?”

  “It was alright. We bought a couple of things for the kids. Not much,” Summer said.

  “All this time, I didn’t know you had kids,” Jack said.

  “Not ours. My sister’s kids.”

  “What do you think of Jenna braving the treacherous waters of nudity and surviving like a champ?” Jack asked, reaching in front of Summer to touch Jenna’s hand. “Now you get to see why I wanted to sculpt her from the first time I laid eyes on her. She’s good-looking, isn’t she?”

  “Jack, knock it off, please.”

  Jack swam around Summer and up to Jenna. “I think you’re extraordinary,” he said. “I’m sorry if that embarrasses you.”

  “It does. It makes me feel awkward. Remember, I’m not a sculpture on display here, okay?”

  “Okay. Hey, speaking of sculpture. I forgot to tell you my clay is in. Kokila,” Jack said loudly as the music kicked on again. “When can we get together? I’d like to do a couple of sketches of you.”

  “Will you be there?” Kokila asked Jenna over the music.

  “Sure, I’ll be there.”

  “How about the day after tomorrow? I work, but not until late afternoon.”

  “Great. Say around 10?” Jack asked.

  “I’ll be there. What room?”

  “246,” Jenna said.

  Kokila moved away to the other side of the bar.

  “So how do you feel about Jack sketching Kokila?” Summer asked as Jack swam back over to Becky and Cliff.

  “I’m fine with it,” Jenna said. “You don’t marry an artist who uses nude models if you’re insecure. Ironic, isn’t it? I used to pose nude for Jack all the time. Even posed for a few art classes in college. I guess I’m getting stodgy in my young age.”

  “You were in college? Where did you go to school?” Summer asked, drinking the rest of her rumrunner.

  “FIU—majored in journalism. I had dreams of being an investigative reporter and actually did my internship at a local newspaper,” she said, stirring her drink with her straw. “I found that I didn’t have the personality for it. You have to be really pushy and that’s not my style. Then, one of the food critics at the paper was looking for an assistant. Could I eat food and be critical? You betcha. Sounded like the perfect job for me. I eat anyway, and I’ve been known to be critical.”

  “Well at least you figured it out quickly. I, on the other hand, went straight from high school to the University of Miami to get my degree in elementary education. Always thought I would love teaching.”

  “You do teach and you’re good at it,” Jenna said, patting her on the back.

  “Thank you, but I thought I would educate the children of our society,” Summer said. “I thought I would go into less fortunate areas and ‘make a difference,’ if you know what I mean.”

  “So what happened?”

  “My internship went well enough, so I decided to push on and pursue my master’s degree. After graduating, I got my first class of first graders and they kicked my ass. I held out for two more years and then I finally admitted I’d made a huge mistake. My mother was less than thrilled as you can well imagine, and to this day my father still laughs at me,” Summer said, shaking her head. “It definitely clarified a few important things for me.”

  “Yeah? Like what?”

  “I hate children,” she said, laughing. “Not seriously, but I definitely decided then and there that I didn’t want kids of my own. My mother is furious. She says ‘I’m denying her, her right to grandmother-hood.’ Marc had his children and is finished, as well. His daughter joined the military, which devastated him, and his son
is—get this—getting his degree in elementary education, although, I suspect he has what it takes to teach.”

  “You’re so funny. You do teach, just an older variety of children. I didn’t know Marc had children. Or an ex-wife for that matter,” Jenna said.

  “Yeah. So are you and Jack going to try in vitro?” Summer asked.

  “I don’t want to go through all the testing and procedures. Jack says one child in our family is enough. We don’t use birth control, so if it was going to happen, it would have by now.”

  “Are you okay with that?”

  “I vacillate. Most of the time, I’m fine with it, but occasionally, especially after I’ve been over at my brother’s, I wonder if I’m missing out. He says that I’m the lucky one. Probably the-grass-is-greener syndrome.”

  “How many children does he have?”

  “Three. If it ever happens, one would be enough for me,” Jenna said and raised her glass to toast.

  “Well, thank your lucky stars; at least you don’t have the scorn of being the only child without children. I’m the end of a genetic line ‘for God’s sake.’ My mom, the drama queen.”

  “True enough. I like my brother but the rest, well, they’re a different story.”

  “So you all aren’t close?”

  “No, not really. I’ve never felt like I had much in common with my family. They’re alright, but I’m usually relieved when our family gatherings are over.” Jenna closed her eyes and fingered the condensation on the side of her glass.

  “My parents and I are very close. My father has a large family and my mother’s people pretty much wrote her off when she married my father. I’ve seen my aunt a few times but other than that, my Dad’s family is our extended family.”

  Jenna and Summer spent the afternoon sharing stories while Marc and Jack vied for Kokila’s attention.

  “Wow, how long have we been here?” Jenna asked as Jack swam up.

  “A few hours, I’m sure,” he said. “Let’s go back and order a late lunch to the room, take a quick shower, and eat on the balcony. Then, if all is well, let’s play some more. What do you think?” He wiggled his eyebrows making Jenna laugh.

  “That’s a plan,” she said, slurring her words a bit. “Whoa fu … this stool is a lot higher than when I sat down.”