by Emma Nichols
‘Hell yeah.’
15.
Craig stood up from the choke manifold and spoke into the handheld radio. ‘Okay, I got 1,000 psi t’ the rig.’ He nodded his head as the rhythmical whooshing and pumping came to a stop.
‘Got 1,000 psi at the choke manifold,’ Tarek confirmed.
‘Sensors all look good. Got 1,000 psi all across.’ Sayid confirmed from the lab cabin. He recorded the details diligently in the tally.
‘Holdin’ for 5,’ Craig’s voice came again. He wiped the sweat from his brow and clicked his neck from side to side, keeping one eye on the gauge. ‘Ya can bleed off now.’ He watched the pressure drop. ‘Okay, we’re good. Ya can carry on,’ he said to Tarek, heading for the boundary.
It was never the same without Ashley though. He puffed quickly on a cigarette, his mind occupied with his concerns for Katherine. She wasn’t going to take rejection well, and as much as he and Ashley were close, he had shared something with Katherine that had bonded them differently. He thumped at his chest with the heel of his hand, but the ache there remained. He buried the cigarette butt with his foot and then headed back to the lab cabin.
Ash lazed on her bed, the clunking and grinding sounds moving beyond her awareness, her mind distracted by more pressing thoughts. She drifted to the night of the party, and the sharp pain that wouldn’t go away. The soft click of the cabin door stirred her, and she sat bolt upright.
Kate tiptoed through the door, stopping instantly as Ash’s eyes landed on her. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you,’ she said.
‘Then why come in?’ Ash asked, her tone sharp.
‘I…’ she approached the bed. ‘I’ve missed you,’ she said.
Ash swung her legs off the bed, sat up, and ruffled through her hair. She picked up her watch from the bedside table and studied it. ‘You’re early,’ she said.
‘You needed that crossover, and I thought maybe we could do lunch,’ Kate said, easing down on the bed, sitting next to Ash and staring at Craig’s bunk in front of her. She turned her head and fixed her eyes on Ash, who remained focused on the plain wall in front of her. She smiled at the unruly blonde hair tucked behind her ear, sticking out at the top and back. She wanted to reach out and trace the fine line of her jaw down to her mouth, and tease her finger over her beautifully shaped lips. ‘You are beautiful,’ she said.
Ash pressed her hand to her chest, wrapping her other arm around her body, the tightness refusing to budge. She fought to breathe deeply, suffocating in the atmosphere she perceived between them. Kate’s words were constricting, where they should have softened. She turned slowly, her eyes resisting Kate’s dark-green gaze. She had no words to help her. Even her body betrayed her where Kate was concerned. As her eyes settled on the red-hair,
Kate’s sudden movement immobilised her. Kate’s lips were pressing against hers, and her hands were clasped around her head, pulling her closer.
For a split second, she conceded to the touch. Kate’s tongue started to probe, and Ash pulled back suddenly, gasping. She stood, rubbed frantically at her mouth, flicked her fingers through her hair, and paced around the small cabin. ‘I can’t do this,’ she said. ‘I can’t do this.’
Kate stood, grabbed Ash’s arm, and stilled her. The grip was firm, and Ash recoiled from the touch. Kate’s eyes narrowed, and she manoeuvred Ash backwards, pressing her firmly against the wall. Ash tried to pull out of the hold, but Kate had grounded her weight and leaned heavily against her. The fire in her eyes flared, and she clashed her mouth against Ash’s. Ash tried to move away, but Kate persisted.
Ash’s passionate urges were convincing her to take what she needed, enticing her into the passionate kiss, the submission causing Kate to soften her grip. Iman’s sweet face flashed in front of her eyes, and she jolted, a rush of adrenaline giving her the strength to duck out of Kate’s grasp. ‘No!’ she screamed. ‘Kate, no!’
Kate was panting; her hands clasped at the side of her head. She held out her right hand, palm facing Ash. ‘I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.’ Her hand moved to the bridge of her nose, squeezing tightly, and her shoulders started to bounce up and down.
Ash watched, reclaiming her breath and allowing her pulse to slow. Kate was sobbing, and it was breaking her heart. This wasn’t Kate. She took the two short paces and pulled the distraught woman into her arms.
‘Sshhh,’ she said.
Kate rested her cheek against Ash’s chest, allowing the tears to fall silently. The banging, clunking, and grinding noises from the rig slowly increased in volume. ‘I’m so sorry Ash.'
Ash released her from the embrace, held her shoulders, and looked her in the eye. ‘It’s not me you want Kate.’ Kate shook her head slowly from side to side. ‘Sit down,’ she said. Kate sat, and Ash sat next to her on the bed, facing the wall. ‘I know we were good together,’ Ash started. ‘And, you know, when I first saw you in the restaurant all those amazing feelings came flooding back. I thought we might have been good again,’ Ash admitted. Kate was nodding.
‘But…’ She paused. Sighed. ‘I’ve realised…’ She turned and cupped Kate’s face, holding her gaze tenderly. ‘I will always love you. I’ll always remember our year together as something amazing.’ She wiped away an errant tear from Kate’s cheek. Kate was already nodding in acceptance of the words that she knew were coming. ‘Things have changed, Kate. I’m not who I was back then either.’
‘I know,’ Kate added.
‘I can’t be what you want me to be.’
‘I know.’
*
Iman licked the envelope and sealed the flap. She turned it over, wrote out the address and added the stamp.
‘What’s that?’ Niomi asked.
‘My Visa application,’ Iman said excitedly, before realising she hadn’t meant to say anything. ‘You can’t tell anyone,’ she said sharply. ‘And especially not Zack,’ she added.
Niomi’s eyes dropped. ‘I won’t,’ she said. But that wasn’t what was troubling her. ‘You’re leaving,’ she said, her tone subdued, tears pressing at the back of her eyes. She collapsed onto the restroom seat and held her head in her hands.
Iman placed the envelope in her locker and locked the door. ‘Not for a while,’ she said. ‘Maybe six months or more,’ she lied.
Niomi looked up, her eyes wet. ‘Why?’ she asked.
Iman frowned.
‘Because of…’ Niomi struggled with the word.
‘Because I like girls?’ Iman asked for her.
‘Umm,’ she stuttered, averting her gaze.
‘See, even you, my friend, struggles with it,’ Iman said, gesturing with her arm in the air.
Niomi’s eyes dropped again. ‘I’m sorry, it’s just difficult.’
‘I know. But, anyway, it’s not just about that. I want to train as a proper chef,’ she said, her voice cheery and enthused.
Niomi’s head shot back up. ‘A chef!’ Her questioning eyes searched
Iman, her head shaking as she processed the statement.
‘Yes. What’s wrong with that?’ Iman retorted.
‘Why do you need to go away for that?’ Niomi asked, shrugging, her hands raised in prayer.
‘I want to be the best.’
Niomi’s hands dropped to her lap. ‘You are the best Immy. You’re already the best.’
‘Anyway, nothing’s decided yet.’
‘Well, I hope you decide to stay.’ Niomi was fiddling with her apron.
‘Want me to teach you to make the best Kanafeh?’ Iman asked excitedly.
The dessert of shredded filo pastry and melted cheese soaked in sugary syrup was one of her favourite dishes. ‘I’ll share my special ingredient,’ she added, trying to coax Niomi from her sulk.
Niomi looked up and started to grin. ‘Will you?’
‘Yes. Let’s go and cook.’ Iman held out a hand and tugged Niomi to her feet.
‘We’ll make it all from scratch,’ she said. ‘You’ll need cold hands,’ she added, rubbing
her sweaty palm after their brief contact.
Niomi giggled and headed for the sink.
*
‘Ya’s early.’ Craig sipped at the coffee that would most likely keep him awake until the early hours, and yawned.
Ash pulled out the chair, sat, and sipped at her mug. ‘Yeah, can’t see you sleeping through that fucking noise either.’ she said, laughing. The oil burner coming alight had jolted her awake, and she hadn’t been able to get back to sleep.
‘Uh huh.’ He scanned her face, lingering on her eyes. ‘Everythin’ okay?’ he asked. ‘I saw ya had a visitor,’ he added before she spoke.
Ash looked away, then down to the floor. ‘I think that’s all sorted now,’ she said, returning to his face with a tight-lipped smile.
‘Her face was blacker ‘an midnight under a skillet. Hardly said a word.’ he said, sipping, watching Ash’s response.
She nodded, breathing deeply.
‘So, that it?’ he asked.
‘Yep,’ she said, holding his gaze with the answer he already had.
‘Wa’al shit!’ he said softly. He turned his attention to the window, the rig lights adding a little illumination to the night sky, but his eyes were vacant. Even the exquisite flaming red waves firing into the darkness held no interest. He continued to stare, sucking softly through his teeth.
‘You okay?’ she asked.
His dark-brown eyes were almost black when he turned to face her. ‘Ah huh,’ he said, but she didn’t believe him.
She finished her coffee in silence and grabbed another. When she returned to the table, he had gone. She sat in his spot and stared out the same window. Had she upset him? That would be a first. She slouched into the seat, feeling drained. Even Iman’s image brought with it a sense of sadness that was unfamiliar to her. It was going to be a very long night.
16.
Ash stood at the boundary, the clunking and grinding noises, a constant assault on her ears even with her earplugs rammed deep, her eyelids weighed down by the long night. She drew in the smoke slowly, released it effortlessly, watching intently the slither of light that spanned the horizon, expanding and rising quickly, into a fiery ball. She shivered, shrugging her shoulders to alleviate the tingling sensation that had descended her spine. It wasn’t cold. Her tired eyes pondered the buzzing sand, shaken by the ravaging insults taking place deep below its surface. She smiled at the bug that darted across her boot zigzagging its way across the dune. Life!
‘Hey!’ Craig’s upbeat tone jolted her out of her musings, and she turned to face him. He pulled out a cigarette as he approached, his eyes avoiding hers. ‘Didn’t mean t’ skip out on ya last night,’ he said, flicking the lighter and inhaling.
She tilted her head to the side and looked up into his weary eyes. ‘You’re in love with her, aren’t you?’ she asked. She had spent the night pondering his response, and it had been the only answer she could find. He flushed and fidgeted, and continued to smoke.
‘I was,’ he said, but his eyes evaded her questioning gaze. He looked pensive. ‘Maybe there’s still somethin’ there,’ he said. ‘I do care ‘bout her,’ he admitted.
‘Fuck, bud, why didn’t you say something before?’ Her tone was urgent but empathic.
‘Guess I didn’t know how I felt. Kate looked happy, and I wasn’t ‘bout t’ get in yer way,’ he said, shrugging as he revealed his rationale.
Ash stomped on the end of the cigarette and stood with her hands on her hips; her eyes focused on the mark she’d made in the sand. ‘Jeez, I didn’t realise,’ she said, scratching the back of her head.
‘D’ya think she’ll be alright?’ Craig asked, with something akin to desperation in his voice.
Ash looked up and held his dark-brown eyes and the slight twitch that appeared just underneath his right eye when something was important to him. She’d only seen that look once before, and it had melted her heart then too. She slapped him on the arm. ‘I’m sure she’ll be fine,’ she said. He tried to smile, put out his cigarette, and turned towards the rig. ‘Maybe you should talk to her,’ she offered.
‘Ah huh,’ he responded, his eyes drawn to the mouth of the flames flaring up into the desert sky. ‘Maybe I will,’ he said, looking for the courage he’d need.
‘You doing lunch?’ she asked, as she stepped into the canteen.
‘Ya mean breakfast,’ he said, with a coy smile. ‘Hell, yeah, I’m starvin’.’
*
Ash staggered through the door of her cabin, leaving her hat and gloves by the door, and undid her coveralls as she walked towards her bed. She glanced at her watch on the table. 2pm. Midnight already seemed too close.
She dropped the coveralls at her feet, collected her towel, and stepped into the shower room. She rubbed at the cramp that tweaked in her stomach; she’d eaten too quickly. Fucking hot water! She stepped tentatively into the roasting spray, with no way of cooling the site-generated shower. She rubbed the suds through her hair and into her face and groaned as the massaged skin came back to life. Drying quickly, she threw on a pair of shorts and t-shirt, filled her laundry bag and threw it out the door, and slumped onto her bed. She reached for the cloth coloured tin, her fingers rubbing across its textured surface, a warm feeling tracing her body. She pulled it down onto her bed, turned on her side and wrapped her arm around it, pulling it closer. Her eyes closed and eventually, her fingers stopped exploring as she drifted into a deep sleep, the thunderous noise from the flare fading into the distance.
*
‘What about Ashley?’
Iman looked up and stopped whisking the bowl of eggs in her hand. ‘What about Ashley?’ she repeated. She smiled, pleased with the fact that her visceral response to the question had remained relatively calm.
‘I thought you wanted to be with her?’ Niomi pushed.
Iman moaned under her breath. Her heart had started to race, her defences were down, and heat was shading her cheeks. ‘That’s not going to happen,’ she said, through a wave of frustration.
Niomi frowned. ‘I thought she was… err, liked girls too.’ She smiled that she’d managed to get the words out.
‘Yes, and she’s with someone else.’ Iman couldn’t bring herself to name the redhead; just the thought of the woman caused her to flinch. How could someone be so cruel? An image of Ash flashed into her mind, sat in the 4x4 the morning they had left for the rig, looking as if she’d been dragged through hell and back. Well, now she knew the truth. She put the bowl down and rubbed her hands frantically down her clean uniform. No matter how hard she rubbed though she couldn’t erase the thought; Kate had made love to the woman she had fallen for, and that hurt. She picked up the bowl and whisked vigorously, watched closely by Niomi.
‘Do you want to go shopping later?’ Niomi asked.
‘No thanks,’ Iman responded, abruptly. ‘Let’s get this food out; they’ll be in for dinner soon.’
‘I wish it was for Zack,’ Niomi said.
‘Me too,’ Iman responded sharply. ‘Can you do me a favour?’ she asked.
‘Of course,’ Niomi smiled weakly.
‘Will you stay front-of-house and I’ll prep for tomorrow?’
Niomi’s eyelids fluttered, and her smile deepened. She preferred being front-of-house, but it was rare for Iman to give up the position. ‘Of course,’ she said.
‘Oh, and, another thing.’
‘Yes.’
‘Would you like to serve the base lunches from now on?’
Niomi’s jaw opened, and her face lit up, ‘Seriously?’ she said, clapping her hands together.
‘Yes, seriously.’
‘Yes, yes.’ Niomi stepped into the restaurant, two inches taller.
‘Good,’ Iman said, but Niomi was already the other side of the door. She watched from a distance behind the porthole window. Kate entered, selected her food, sat at a table on her own, and then left. Something was lacking in her posture, something distant, devoid of her normally confident and vibrant manner. She looked
lonely, isolated, withdrawn even. Iman’s heart fluttered with the compassion she felt towards any wounded animal. She must be desperately missing Ash too!
*
Ashley stirred at the opening door. Craig stepped in quietly, but his boots had other ideas and thumped across the floor.
‘Fucking hell, twinkle toes.’ she groaned, lifting herself up onto her elbows, and squinting. He had dust and grime plastered across his face, his crooked smile shining through the dim light.
‘What time is it?’
‘Comin’ up t’ eleven.’
‘You wanna do breakfast?’ she asked, straining through a yawn.
‘Dinner!’ he countered with a chuckle.
Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she yawned again. ‘Give me five, and we can go for a coffee.’
‘I’ll meet’cha,’ he said, marching back out the door.
Ash moved to stand up, and her hand brushed against the sweet tin. Her mouth watered and she smiled. A burning sensation tracked south in her body, and she groaned. She opened the tin, unwrapped a sweet wrapped in gold paper, and popped it into her mouth. Biting down on the chocolate her jaw abruptly stopped. Toffee. Yum. She persisted, wriggling her teeth and tongue to soften the solid, slightly bitter, sweet. As she it eased apart, the liquid caramel centre exploded on her taste buds, and she groaned. She placed another of the same sweet onto Craig’s pillow and smiled. Pulling on her clean coveralls, boots, and hardhat, she tucked her gloves under her arm and walked the short distance to the canteen, accompanied by the whooshing sound of the bright red flare, and the thunderous clunking noises, filling the night sky.
She dumped her hat and gloves on the bench, entered the canteen, and slumped opposite Craig, who was sipping his coffee. ‘Okay, the well‘s flowin’ nicely on 32”/64 fixed choke, H2S‘s low, oil ‘n’ gas samplin’s done, separator’s workin’ like a charm… Plan‘s t’ shut-in the well at 2am for the pressure build up. Ya’ll have plenty of time t’ fool ‘round,’ he joked. ‘Tarek‘ll give ya the details. That reminds me, H2S stinks,’ Craig said, biting into his sandwich with enthusiasm.