Stealing Asia

by David Clarkson

  ‘I know that guy,’ I said. ‘I was with him when I met you two at the full moon party. Don’t you remember?’

  They both shook their heads and then walked down to the shore with me to greet the new arrival. His transport was larger than the long tail that we had taken and was not able to sail directly onto the shore. He alighted from the boat about ten metres or so from the beach. The water was almost up to his neck, forcing him to carry his pack high above his head as he made his way to dry land.

  ‘Esteban!’ I called out, as he finally made it onto the sand.

  ‘Ben?’ he replied. ‘I cannot believe it is you. It seems that Lady Luck is fond of me. I never expected to find a friend out here on the remotest part of the island. How are you?’

  ‘We arrived the morning after the party,’ I replied. ‘I wanted to find you first, but you had already gone. I’m sorry that I left you like that.’

  He waved away my concern.

  ‘Think nothing of it,’ he said. ‘Am I to guess that by “we” you are still with this beautiful redhead of yours?’

  ‘Of course; her friends are here too. Do you remember them from the party?’

  I turned to the Americans.

  ‘Guys, this is Esteban Cruz.’

  Neither of the Americans offered him their hand, which I found not only strange, but also rude. A little embarrassed, I went on to introduce the pair to Esteban.

  ‘This is Barrett and Clay.’ I said, before turning back to the Americans. ‘I never actually got your Christian names. It seems a bit formal calling you Barrett and Clay all the time, don’t you think?’

  ‘We aren’t Christians,’ replied Barrett.

  The American seemed to spit that last word out as if he did not like the taste of it in his mouth.

  ‘I mean your first names. What do we call you guys?’

  ‘Barrett and Clay’.

  ‘Barrett Barrett and Clay Clay,’ I said, not even realising that I was speaking out loud.

  ‘Actually, it’s Clay Krantz and Barrett Stern,’ said Clay.

  I felt a little stupid, but tried not to let this show. Esteban nodded half heartedly and we left the Americans whilst we walked up to the bar, which also acted as a reception. Esteban booked into the resort and paid upfront for a week. Once he had sorted everything out, I walked with him to his cabin.

  ‘I’m sorry for the way that the guys acted back there,’ I said. ‘They aren’t usually like that; I don’t know what came over them.’

  ‘You have no reason to apologise,’ he replied. ‘I have come across their type before. They are the kind of guys who like to be in control. They just feel threatened by outsiders, that is all.’

  ‘Well, I hope they haven’t put you off staying. It’s the ideal spot here.’

  ‘Trust me; they haven’t. I cannot blame you for making that mistake with their names. Barrett and Clay sounds more like a law firm than a couple of travellers. With names like that the laugh is on them not you.’

  ‘Well, thanks for the support anyway.’

  It felt good knowing that Esteban was on the same wavelength regarding the American pair. I left him to get sorted while I went back to my own cabin to tell Asia the news. She accepted Esteban’s arrival much more cordially than her countrymen had and even came up with an interesting proposition for getting to know him better.

  ***

  ‘So what do you think?’ I asked him when we met up a little later.

  ‘I think that you are crazy, but it sure beats hanging out with those American friends of yours.’

  The resort rented out quad bikes by the hour. We had the choice of taking them onto the beach or using them to explore some of the jungle trails. By unanimous agreement, we opted for the latter. I suggested sharing to Asia, but she shunned the idea. Once we got underway, I understood why. The girl certainly had a competitive streak running through her veins and she liked danger too.

  She wanted to lead from the start, but I made sure that I entered the trail ahead of her. Its beginning was narrow and once our positions had been established we had to stick to them. This way, I could at least make sure that she did not push it too hard. I could sense when she was close behind; almost too close some times. Her front bumper pushed against the back of mine when I slowed for the tighter corners.

  ‘Faster!’ I could hear her cry, but I refused to take the bait.

  The trail was well marked and appeared to be in regular use, but it was still far from safe. The jungle grew fast and though for the most part it had been cut back, there was already re-growth in the form of low hanging branches that needed to be negotiated. Occasionally, I would look behind to check on her, but this would only make her heckle me more.

  ‘Don’t be such a wuss,’ she shouted. ‘You’re embarrassing our guest.’

  I looked beyond her to Esteban and although he was laughing, I sensed that he agreed with my cautious approach. He was not attempting to rubber-neck Asia as she was me and left plenty of space between them.

  When I turned back to facing ahead, I could see a clearing coming up. Asia saw it too, because as soon as she had the opportunity, she accelerated past me.

  ‘Slow down,’ I urged.

  ‘Stop holding back,’ she replied. ‘It’s no fun winning when you let me.’

  ‘This isn’t a race.’

  ‘So make it one!’

  She accelerated further and started to open up a gap between us. Not wanting to let her get too far away from me, I gave in and tried to match her speed. This did not last for long, though. Up ahead the clearing was about to end as a wide stream angled into our path. Fearing that the water may flood the engine of my quad, I applied the brakes in the hope that Asia would do the same. She did not.

  Whilst I had been distracted by keeping up with Asia, I had forgotten about Esteban, assuming that we must have left him far behind, but I could now see him passing me wide on the outside. He had a look of steely determination on his face, as if he was aware of something that I had overlooked.

  Asia, meanwhile, was now skirting the edge of the stream, generating a huge plume of spray in the process. When she saw I was watching, she turned further into the stream in order to generate an even bigger fountain of spray. As she did so, I could see that this had made steering more difficult for her. Her quad shook wildly and then the back wheels lifted up out of the water entirely. She had run into something concealed under the surface of the stream.

  My heart sank into my stomach as I saw her come off the vehicle. She was sent spiralling high into the air with the quad rising behind her. They were following the same trajectory so when she landed it would come down on top of her. All I could do was stand back and watch in impotent horror.

  The next few moments seemed to pass in slow motion. Just when I thought the worst was inevitable, Esteban was at the bank of the stream. He leapt from his quad and intercepted Asia midflight, diverting her path away from that of her prior ride. A wheel of the out of control vehicle missed the pair by just inches as it came crashing down in the centre of the stream, whilst they landed safely on the bank.

  I ran to them as soon as I could. Asia whooped with delight when she saw me. For her, the thrill had clearly outweighed the danger.

  ‘Did you see that?’ she said.

  I nodded. Of the three of us, I was clearly the most shaken by the incident despite being the only one not to be a part of it.

  ‘How could I have missed it? Are you okay?’

  ‘I feel great – I feel alive!’

  ‘Well, if it was not for Esteban, you wouldn’t be. I cannot believe that he just saved your life.’

  We both turned to the Argentine, who modestly shrugged in response.

  ‘How can you be so calm?’ I asked him.

  ‘I just did what I had to,’ he told me. ‘I am sure you would have done the same.’

  ‘Of course he would,’ said Asia, throwing her arms around me. I felt that I was not the one who deserved her gratitude.

&nb
sp; Whilst Asia and I embraced, Esteban walked over to check the damage done to the upturned quad. I quickly joined him and helped him to turn it over back onto its wheels. The bodywork was battered and dented, but amazingly the engine still worked.

  ‘Do you think we can get it back to the resort?’ I asked him.

  ‘There is only one way to find out,’ he replied.

  ‘You guys cannot seriously want to go back now,’ said Asia. ‘Things are just starting to get fun.’

  ‘You call that fun,’ I replied. ‘I’d be happy to never leave the resort again after that disaster.’

  ‘Don’t be such a softie,’ she said. ‘I’ve spent the last few days lazing on a beach doing nothing. Now that we are here, I want to carry on and explore more of the island.’

  ‘I don’t think that is such a good idea,’ I told her.

  ‘Come on, Ben,’ she pleaded. ‘Let’s live a little.’

  I turned to Esteban for support, hoping that he would supply a reasoned voice.

  ‘Ben is right,’ he said. ‘But that is no reason for us to stop exploring. On my map there is a viewpoint overlooking the entire bay. I think I will be able to find a way up, but we will have to go on foot.’

  I waited for Asia’s reaction.

  ‘Sounds good to me,’ she said.

  On the way back, I managed to convince her to ease up on the accelerator. We lost our deposits and also had to lay down a further two thousand baht to cover the damage, but considering what could have happened, this did not seem so bad. I barely had time to catch a breath before the three of us then went back into the forest, on foot this time.

  Esteban led the way, acting as our guide and loyal bodyguard. He took us up a steep hill, which had been impassable with the quads, towards the lookout point. Once we got there we had an unparalleled three hundred and sixty degree view over the whole of the island. We were so high up that the beach now looked like nothing more than a yellow boomerang, lazily discarded by the edge of the forest.

  ‘Isn’t this the most beautiful thing you have ever seen?’ asked Asia.

  ‘Yes,’ I replied, although I was looking at her and not the view.

  ‘Snap out of it,’ Esteban interrupted. ‘Remember that you lovebirds are not alone.’

  ‘I don’t know what you mean,’ I replied.

  ‘Don’t play coy with me,’ he said. ‘I know exactly what you were thinking.’

  I shrugged off his suggestion even though he had been correct in thinking that my thoughts were not appropriate to the situation. After Asia’s flirtatious display in the ocean and then seeing how excited she had become by her brush with danger, I could not help but wonder what it would be like to make love to her up there at the top of the world. Well, at about only three hundred metres elevation it was not exactly the top of the world, but there was nowhere higher on the island.

  ‘Look at all of the boats out there,’ said Asia. ‘How come we couldn’t see them from the shore?’

  Esteban walked over towards the edge so that he was standing next to her.

  ‘At sea level, the horizon is approximately three miles away depending on how tall you are,’ he said. ‘From up here we can see considerably farther.’

  ‘Why are they all here?’

  ‘Pleasure cruises, whale watching trips; who knows? The smaller ones are most likely dive boats.’

  Asia’s eyes lit up.

  ‘We have to do that,’ she said. ‘I love diving.’

  ‘Then I will enquire at reception about chartering a vessel,’ said Esteban, who then turned back to me. ‘What do you think, Ben - do you want to go diving too?’

  The question left me feeling a little awkward. I had never actually been diving before. It was something I had often thought about, but the costs and the intensity of the training had always put me off. Judging by the way that the other two spoke, I assumed they were both fully certified.

  ‘I don’t have a licence,’ I told him. ‘Will I be allowed?’

  ‘Of course,’ he said. ‘Anyone can do a short fun dive. We’ll just have to make sure that we keep an eye on you.’

  ‘I’ll look after him,’ said Asia.

  She flung her arms around my shoulders and pulled my body close to hers.

  ‘It is agreed then,’ said Esteban. ‘Tomorrow we will dive.’

  Remembering what had happened the last time we followed one of Asia’s suggestions, I was less than excited this time. We stayed and admired the view for another half an hour. When Esteban suggested that it was time to go back down to the bay, Asia was a little reluctant. It was not difficult to guess what she was thinking, because I was thinking it too. I had rejected her advances earlier and did not plan on making a habit of it.

  ‘Is something wrong?’ Esteban enquired.

  ‘Nothing’s wrong,’ she replied. ‘You go back down. I just want to spend a little more time up here. Ben will keep me company, so I’ll be safe.’

  Esteban looked at me and I simply shrugged.

  ‘Okay,’ he said. ‘I will see you both back at the beach, later.’

  We waited until he had disappeared out of view. The ground was quite rocky so we used our clothes as a makeshift mattress and positioned ourselves perpendicular to the edge. This way we got the thrill of being close to the cliff face, but not the actual danger of risking falling over it.

  As I entered her, I cast my gaze over her head and down onto the azure waters below. I was making love to the most beautiful girl I had ever known in one of the most beautiful places on Earth. I wondered if it could ever get any better than this.

  Chapter 7

  Esteban booked the diving trip for the following day. Of course, Asia had to invite her friends along to join us. It would have been impolite of her not to, but after the way that Barrett and Clay had behaved when meeting Esteban, I did not relish the prospect of spending a whole day with them.

  Since the boat was not scheduled to pick us up until after lunch, I spent the morning lazing on the beach with Asia. I invited Esteban to join us, but he preferred to spend the time on his own and stayed around the bar area with a drink and a book. The two English girls sunbathed close by, while their boyfriends climbed out to the rocks at the far end of the bay to do some fishing.

  I have never been one for worshipping the sun. My skin burns far too easily and I get restless staying in the same place for too long. Asia sensed this restlessness. She got up and walked down to the water’s edge. Rather than follow immediately, I sat up and merely watched her for a while. She looked stunning in a bikini. Almost as good as she looked out of a bikini. Knowing that my eyes were on her, she began to put on a display; rolling seductively in the shallow surf.

  Some girls are too funny to be sexy. Other girls are too sexy to be funny. Asia seemed to find the perfect centre ground. She loved all of the attention I gave her. I was tempted to run back to the cabin for my camera, but then again, why bother with pixels when I had the real thing? The English girls had their eyes closed and looked to be sleeping. I walked down to join Asia.

  ‘Is this your way of telling me what you do for a living?’

  ‘How do you mean?’

  ‘Well, surely you’re a model; right?’

  She blushed.

  ‘You really mean that, don’t you? Unfortunately, I’m just an everyday student. If I ever expressed a desire to show my body in a magazine, I’d be transferred to a convent school in no time.’

  ‘Your dad is really that strict? I thought he’d be cool with that sort of thing. Isn’t Mick Jagger’s daughter a model?’

  She eyed me with suspicion.

  ‘I know what you’re doing and it won’t work.’

  ‘It won’t?’

  I had no idea to what she was referring.

  ‘No, it won’t. I should never have told you who my father was. Back home boys would always try to pick me up just as a way to meet him. He has no bearing on what we have between us and I want it to stay that way.’

  ‘So
you don’t want to talk about him?’

  She stood and placed her arms around my shoulders and then kissed me passionately. I guess that was the only answer I was going to get. A little while later, we met back up with the others for lunch. Nobody wanted to go diving on a heavy stomach so we all stuck to light meals. Not long after we finished eating, we saw our boat navigate its way around the rocks and into the bay.

  As with the fishing boat that had brought Esteban to the beach, the vessel was too large to sail directly up to the shore. One of the resort workers took us out to it in a small dinghy, which also enabled us to take our bags with a change of clothes. Once we had all climbed up the boarding ladder, we met the dive leader, who was a Frenchman named Manu. He welcomed us all aboard and invited us to make ourselves comfortable while we sailed out to the reef, which was located several kilometres from shore. With the two Americans giving Esteban the evil eye the whole way, the journey was anything but comfortable.

  The water had looked perfectly flat from the shore, but it was actually rather choppy when we arrived at the reef for the first of two dives that we would be doing. Manu assured us that the waves were merely on the surface and the conditions for the dive would actually be perfect. Before we could begin, however, he needed details of everybody’s dive history. Clay and Barrett were both divemasters with more than fifteen hundred dives between them. At least that is what they claimed. The girls each had basic PADI licences and Esteban stated that he was experienced, but avoided entering a cockfight with the Americans by not stating how many dives he had actually done. This left me as the only novice.

  Manu took me to one side for a short debrief and assured me that he would cover the basic techniques once we were in the water. He told me that there were only two skills necessary for me to learn and that they could each be picked up in less than five minutes. One was how to locate my air regulator should it come out of my mouth and the other was how to clear my mask of excess water whilst at depth. It was this second technique that I did not look forward to, because I hated getting saltwater in my eyes and if I could not empty my mask I would be essentially blinded.