by Lacy Camey
“You know, I was just being hospitable. Where I’m from, manners are everything. Maycee and Norah sometimes forget that, and we’re going to really leave a bad impression of American woman and I can’t stand when that happens in other countries. I was just trying to keep everyone happy. Like I always do. But you know, I really don’t need your approval.” I shook my head as I carefully kept walking.
A few minutes of silence transpired when it dawned on me. He wanted to not like me like he mentioned earlier at the fountain.
“We need to keep time. The well is a half a mile or so away.”
“Sheesh. I’m in better shape than I realized. We already walked a mile?” I questioned.
“Uh huh,” he muttered and nodded.
“Everything looks the same out here. No wonder you need a compass.”
“Jungle’s always seems to be changing. Just when you think you have it all figured out, you don’t.”
“So, I’m not letting you off the hook, you know. You just said you hate me.”
“I didn’t say I hate you.”
“Then you love me?” I continued in complete joy knowing I was getting to him.
He sighed, “I only told one woman I loved her.”
“Your mom?” I teased.
“Other than my mother and sisters.”
“So it’s her.”
He stopped in his tracks and turned around. “I don’t hate you, Chloe. Quit saying that. It’s really getting on my nerves.”
“Well, you don’t show otherwise.”
“I know. I’m sorry about getting frustrated with you earlier. Let’s call a truce, okay?”
“Truce.” I nodded as we shook hands.
He sighed.
“What?”
“If you must know the truth, you remind me of my ex-girlfriend.” He turned around and led the way.
“The girl who you told you love. The only girl who you’ve ever told that to?”
He nodded.
“She was born into a very wealthy family. A lot like yours, but of course not billionaires. They were millionaires and the richest family in our city—heck county.
“So, I was in love with her. We clicked. I swear we were soul mates. But her father wouldn’t let her be with a man like me. I was a lowly basketball coach. So, anyway. I saved up all summer for the perfect ring, even busted it tutoring and I finally purchased the biggest ring I could afford. It was even from Tiffany’s. I knew she wouldn’t want any other ring. I had everything planned out and her father knew. Which is why he invited me to go golfing the day I was to propose. I mean, I had asked for his hand and everything like a proper gentlemen. And—” he stopped suddenly. “I don’t even know why I’m telling you this.”
“I want to know! Now tell me. It’s interesting.”
“Interesting?”
“Yeah, I mean. I’ve never even been in love before. Or kissed anyone.”
“Are you serious? You’ve never been kissed?”
I nodded. “Enough about me. Finish your story!”
“I’m not just a romantic comedy you can watch at the movies. It doesn’t end happy.” His shoulders shrugged.
I took a few giant steps so I was walking side by side with him.
“So,” he took a deep breath and exhaled. “He takes me golfing and puts his hand on my shoulder and said, ‘Logan, you’re not good for my daughter. You’re not one of our kind. No hard feelings. There will be no proposal today. You’re a great guy, just not great for my daughter.’”
My jaw dropped. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. How rude. How utterly awful. Surely she came to their date that night anyway . . . I knew I would have.
“So, later that night, he was right. She was a complete no show. She never came.”
“She never showed?”
“She never called. Never returned any of my calls. Her number changed. I know her father changed it. But what bothers me the most is that she didn’t have the guts to stand up to her father and tell him what she wanted–that she wanted to be happy. But, looking back on things, maybe she cared more about material things than love.”
Wow.
“I can’t believe that, Logan. I completely can’t believe that. How awful.” I shook my head.
“Yeah, so when I see the Governor’s daughter from Texas show up here a prissing and a prancing, with a body men dream of and—”
“Wait, what?” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I was always super self-conscious of my not size zero, two, or heck even four figure.
“You know you have curves to kill. Anyway, Britney left a bad taste in my mouth. I figured you were just like women of her kind.”
“Well, Britney doesn’t know what she’s missing. And no, I’m a rare breed in fact.”
“I’ll say.”
“Well, I’m glad you felt comfortable with sharing that with me. Explains a lot.” I grabbed his compass, sensing his uneasiness. From the looks of his face, the talk struck a chord. I could see the hurt he felt.
“You know, I’ve taken wilderness survival as well as metro survival and it all boils down to this,” I began, trying to lighten the mood.
“Some life you’ve had. You probably have been to every single place on earth,” he interrupted me.
“That’s not necessarily true. I’ve always wanted to visit Serendipity café in New York—if you must know—and I never have had the chance. So you’re wrong.” I shot him a smile. “Anyway, before I was so rudely interrupted, I was saying . . . . ” I teased and looked at his face. A small smile appeared.
“I was saying, you have to make up your mind that you want to survive and—” And then I tripped over a giant tree root and was hurdled to the ground. As well as the compass. The thud of my body hitting the ground was so loud I couldn’t hear where the compass landed.
“Oh, my gosh!” Logan said in panic. Then I all I heard him say over and over was, “Oh, no. Oh, no. Oh, geez.” He dropped his jug and put his hand on forehead.
“Oh, I’m okay.” I got up quickly. “I survived a concussion, hence the yucky scrape on my forehead. I can survive a tiny fall. Although my head does hurt and my view of you is spinning. In fact, I’m seeing two of you.” I wobbled as he reached for me and took my hand. “Well, if you wanted to dance, why didn’t you just say so?” I said.
“Chloe! This isn’t funny!” he said in obvious panic.
“What? I’m fine.”
Then I looked at my hand and felt my heart rate double in an instant.
The compass.
Chapter Ten
I quickly looked at the ground and dropped low, crouching, looking for the shiny silver compass. I mean, shiny silver stands out easily in a thick, moss covered ground with tree branches everywhere, bugs, cracks . . . and oh . . . more cracks. Please don’t tell me it fell in a crack.
“You’ve made this journey tons of times, right? It’s just your normal route, right? In that case, we’ll be fine. Let’s continue, shall we? North, was it?”
He didn’t move. He was frozen. “You don’t get it Chloe. Like I said—the jungle is always changing. That compass is necessary.”
We continued looking. He walked over to the backpack on my shoulders and took a giant stick out. He started rolling over leaves, moss, sticks and jungle things in search.
“Just don’t touch anything with your hands. You don’t know what you may turn over. Snakes, spiders . . . . ”
“Well, let’s just go back the way we came,” I said.
“I guess you weren’t really paying attention. We made a lot of turns.”
Suddenly, a crack of lightening appeared overhead.
Trying not to panic, trying to calm the situation as I’d always been trained, I said, “Well, not to worry. Like I mentioned before, I’ve been trained to survive situations such as these.”
He shook his head as he kept looking. “Some upbringing you had.”
“I had to. In case I was ever taken hostage or kidnapped.”
&n
bsp; “Well, did they teach you how to survive jaguars, poisonous snakes, wild boar, heck who knows—the legendary Big Foot?”
I gulped. This was one course I hadn’t been planned for. Wilderness, Metro, but not jungle.
“Well, no. But I’m sure pretty soon Steve and Vinny will find us. We’re barely what, a mile or so out?”
“When the jungle turns dark, it’s a dangerous place, Chloe. It’s not America. They don’t have coastguards or wilderness guards. We literally have no communication with anyone.”
I glanced at my watch. I knew I could push the button. I knew all I had to do was push the button and I could be found. But technically, I was off the grid, right? I wasn’t sure if the radar would pick me up. But I could always try.
But then I thought of Steve and his job being in jeopardy. I thought of my father and his campaign. He didn’t need to deal with a daughter who was potentially kidnapped.
Quickly thinking on my feet I said, “Okay, we can either look for the compass, but it’s a probability it fell through one of those cracks. Let’s look in this vicinity for approximately eight minutes, then if no compass, we have to find the water source. We need to be by a water source for survival.”
He looked up at the sky as another clash of lightning flashed and a few sprinkles fell.
“We may not have a full eight minutes. As soon as the rain clouds pour, who knows where the compass will be?”
“Surely it won’t rain that hard.”
“You’ve only been here a couple of days. You haven’t seen the monsoon rains.”
Another crack of lightning was heard and the wind began to blow, as the birds, monkeys, and whatever else could make noises began to talk louder and louder. I felt a shutter of fear.
I looked up at the sky. I guessed I was about to find out.
And then it poured the heaviest downpour I had ever experienced in my life. It was sort of like the movie The Notebook where Noah and Allie were on the rowboat. Except, as if rain couldn’t fall any harder, it could.
I didn’t dare move. I yelled over the rain and thunder, “Look for it!”
We both crouched as we frantically looked for the compass. The pouring rain had already created a mini one half-inch river drifting away.
“Maybe the water will turn up the compass,” I hollered.
“We can only hope so!”
I quickly realized a big problem—I could barely see anything. I never realized rain could be so obtrusive to viewing things that were an inch in front of you.
“Logan! I can’t see you!” I yelled in panic.
He reached for my hand, his fingers clasping over mine. “It’s okay, I’m right here. It will be over in just a second.”
My bandage on my head stuck closely to my forehead, feeling incredibly yucky, and the rain was hurting my wound. With my other hand I protected my forehead by forming a mini umbrella.
“Some rainstorm, huh!” I said.
“Let’s face it. The compass is gone. We need to follow where the rain is going.”
In agreeance, we held each other’s hand, careful to not step on anything that would bite us, eat us, or trip us.
The rain didn’t let up and my lips began chattering even though it had to be in the mid-ninety’s. Sensing my cold, Logan put his arm around me protectively as we continued to make our way.
I silently prayed to God that he would help us find relief, to find something. I was terrified. I did not want to stumble upon a giant python. But I wanted to remain calm to keep Logan calm, who looked more terrified than I was.
“I’m sure we’re almost there. I mean, the well, the water source where you said we were going, is near the natural water source.”
“Not everything is always what you imagine and plan for!” he yelled over the rain.
Okay. I knew that was a loaded statement. It was a deeper statement beyond just me. I’d have to ask him about it once the rain let up.
“Some storm!” he yelled again. We took each step carefully. Geez, when was the rain going to let up?
“Well, you preach God is a God of miracles. Maybe God will provide another compass, like a golden one. A golden compass.” I couldn’t help but lay on the cheese. We needed to laugh. But I wasn’t sure if he would make the connection. Disney movie.
“Yeah, maybe Nicole Kidman will just show up. I mean, what’s left to happen?”
“A lot,” I said.
Suddenly, we came to a clearing. It was a meadow-like field. Perhaps Indians used to live there and had cut down the trees. I wasn’t sure, but I was thankful to not have to step over any more tree roots. But then, I was even more thankful when out of the corner of my eye, I saw a rainfall and a small pool of water.
“Look at that!” I yelled in happiness and I couldn’t help but to run towards the waterfall. Even through the downpour of rain the waterfall was a sight to see, sparkling and it beckoned my name.
“Chloe! Be careful!” he hollered after me and ran.
Another flash of lightening appeared as it struck half a mile or so out.
“Whoa. I’ve never been that close to lightening!” I yelled as I continued to run as if running for dear life. I wasn’t sure why, but in that moment, I had never felt more free and alive in my life. It was exhilarating.
“Just stop for a minute! You have to be careful! There are snakes just about anywhere and everywhere!” he yelled behind me. But I was just so close to something comforting; the beauty of a waterfall. The beauty of rocks. The beauty of a natural spring.
I turned around and faced him, still running. “A ha! So you’re the scardy-cat,” I said.
“Am not.”
“Yes you are!”
“I’m just protective!”
I turned back around and ran as fast as I could to the brook and finally made it. I watched the rain pounding the water as I sat down on a rock, in awe of what I was seeing.
Logan was still far behind me because of his careful walking. He had slowed down, taking small steps. I realized he needed to loosen up.
“What are you doing?” he yelled out after me.
A good idea flashed through my mind. I’d get him out of his shell again. It would be just like we were—the connection we felt when we washed the sheets together. So I started stripping. No, I wasn’t going to get naked! Just into basically my swimsuit to go swimming. I took the backpack off along with my shoes and socks.
“What are you doing? There are ants as big as rats out here!” he yelled. “Be careful where you step!”
“For a man in the jungle, you sure are a scardy-cat!” I said again over the rain.
I took off my tank top, revealing my ivory bra covered by a hot pink sports bra, not even caring about how I looked. I unhooked my ivory bra and it dropped on the rocks. I slipped my aqua scrubs off as they made a swooshing sound and I placed them on the rocks. My yellow cotton boy short panties with white lace trim and hot pink sports bra actually looked cute together. It could totally pass as a swimsuit!
“What on earth are you doing? You are crazy!” He finally made it closer.
“I’m going swimming,” I announced.
“But—!”
I carefully walked into the water as the rain started to let up. I had been to Hawaii several times and this resembled one of the island’s natural waterfalls and brooks. It was nearly crystal clear and I could see my feet on the bottom. To the side, small flowers grew by the rocks and I wondered if there were any edible herbs.
The cool water felt good on my skin.
“What are you doing?” he yelled after me at the water’s edge. “We’ve lost a compass, we are lost, and you want to go swimming?”
“What else is there to do? Sit down and worry and fret? Making things worse? Or accept the fact that it is what it is and stay put and try to stay calm. I mean, I know Steve and Vinny will be worried sick thinking they’ve screwed up and they’ll possibly get fired and I feel badly about that, but everything is fixable and there is nothing I can do ab
out it now but make the best of it.” I ducked my head under water and brushed my wet hair back.
“Come on!”
He just shook his head and crossed his arms. “I am not going swimming. We need to figure out what to do.”
“Yes, you are. What we need to do is stay put. What better place than here, in this moment, in this brook?”
His face didn’t change.