by Nia Arthurs
“Me?” I echoed again and tried to rein in my happy thoughts.
“Yeah,” Catherine shot me a strange glance. “You’re like his little sister right?”
The happy thoughts crashed and burned with that admission.
Little sister.
I was doomed to be the little sister with the men I liked.
I could understand Archie’s position, but Drew’s really sunk my gut.
“Uh, yeah.” I replied feebly, understanding that Catherine was waiting for an answer. “Drew is nice.” I nodded and glanced at the way he interacted so naturally with the little boy. “He’s kind, and sweet, and very serious about his work.”
“Thanks.’ Catherine smiled at him when he turned around and waved at us. “I’m not usually the date at first sight kind of girl, but he was so convincing and I figured a group date was a fun way to get to know him without there being a lot of pressure.”
“He’s one of the good ones.” I assured her and then kept my mouth shut. If I said anything more, I’d be spilling my heart and soul to her.
I don’t want you to like Drew. I like Drew!
Thankfully, we neared the Belize River before I could say anything that stupid. I heard the rush of water and crested the hill to behold the amazing mountain before us. Water rushed into the opening at the bottom of the mound. The intense blue of the water reminded me of Drew’s eyes.
Awesome.
No matter how much I wanted to dwell on my issues with Drew and now my confusion about Jermaine, I couldn’t stop smiling. Being here with my family and friends was one of the moments I knew that I’d cherish forever. Melody gathered us all to take pictures and selfies. Drew and Catherine paired off and I moved away from them to keep from interrupting their private time.
“This is so cool!” Josh hopped in front of me. My future husband (I had the ring pop remains to prove it) grinned wildly. Finally, this was the little boy that I’d said yes to. That sobbing, frowning, temperamental kid from earlier was an imposter.
“Wanna sit beside me?” I invited Josh.
“Sure!” He enthused. I was glad that Joshua was deciding to let his mom off the hook and enjoy himself. This trip was basically all for him.
“Let’s go to the front.” Josh pulled me along to where Mercy was setting up our chain of tubes.
“Nope.” I folded my arms and pointed to the space behind Melody and Spencer. “This is the secret in any public situations. You never know when the sea monster or evil giant is going to strike so your best bet is to sit in the middle.” I hiked my tube higher, “That way, whether the villain strikes from the front or the back, you have time to swim away.”
“Oh,” Josh quickly agreed with me, “That makes sense.”
“Nice, Lex.” Peyton rolled his eyes at my explanation.
“Hey,” I hooked a finger into my chest. “It’s called survival.”
Mercy instructed us on creating a chain of tubes in the shallow end of the clear, blue water by hooking our feet to the slings of the tube in front of us.
“When I yell “Bottom’s Up!” that means lift your bums, we’re trekking into shallow water. A butt rash is painful people.” She joked.
“Wow,” Mia quipped, “’Bottom’s up’ has a completely different meaning to me.”
“Heathen!” Melody poked fun at her friend.
“Ha-ha.” Mia stuck her tongue at my pretty older sister.
“Let’s get this party started!” Eryn waved her tan arms in the air and wiggled.
The wind brushed against my cheek and I shivered, already feeling the water seeping into the underside of my pants. Mercy warned us about little fish who would sometimes bite the soft tissue of your butt and I shivered again.
Lord, please don’t let any fish bite my butt.
“Are you ready?” Mercy yelled at our rambunctious group after going over the safety rules of the trek.
“Yeah!”
She nodded and her short legs rose above the water as she pulled our orange trail of tubes along into the hole of the mountain.
The bright sunshine and chirping sound of birds and monkeys gave way to a chilling darkness and the silence of the hewn out caverns.
“You can put your head lamps on.” Mercy informed us.
I pressed the button on my headlamp.
“Did I get it?” I asked Josh.
He turned my way and his light burned my eyes.
“Ah!”
“No.” Josh shook his head. I could see the outline of the movement in the gloom. “Try it again.”
I pressed the button and checked with him again.
“Still, nothing.” Josh scolded, “Weren’t you listening to Mercy?”
“Hey, mister,” I fiddled with the flashlight thing on my head, “I’m trying my best here.”
“Try harder.”
I felt strong fingers tap my shoulder. I craned my neck and recognized Drew behind me. I was so focused on ignoring him and Catherine that I’d missed the fact that my crush was linked to my tube. The strong, hairy leg on the side of my orange tire should have clued me in.
Duh.
“Let me help.” He leaned forward, his head lamp blinding me.
“Take it off.” I shoved my arm forward and felt around his contoured face until I met the top of his head. I blinked out the light.
Drew laughed. “Okay, now I can’t see.”
“I’ll help.” Josh turned his head so that his white illuminating light spotted us.
“There you go.” Drew nodded once, deftly pressing down on my head lamp so that it brightened my space.
“Thanks.” I smiled at him and returned to a more comfortable, frontal facing position.
“Okay,” Mercy said, now that our little distraction was over, “this formation over here is the flying turtle.”
She directed our attention to an amazing rock structure that seriously looked like a Teenage Ninja Turtle sliding on a surfboard.
“Oooh,” My voice echoed in the cavern.
The water current was slow and steady as we floated past side windows that allowed the sunlight into the complete darkness, slicing through the dimness. As we swirled around stalagmites jutting from the river and stalactites looming from above, a sense of adventure anchored us so that it felt as though we were a part of something bigger, something meaningful. We drifted past underground waterfalls and then into a crystal cathedral. The whoosh of open mouths and breathless exclamations of wonder echoed in the still cavern. It was a beautiful experience.
I extended my hand into the water and swished my palm around, wondering if the fish would bite my fingertips if I kept them still.
For the past five minutes, Mercy had swum along with us as the pool had deepened, however as we left the cathedral, she once again stood and dragged us along, getting help from the current of water now shifting around us.
“We are almost to the end of the caves.” She informed us and the crazy nuts at the back groaned.
“Do we have to?” Archie protested.
Mercy laughed. It was a strained laugh. I interpreted the laugh for what it truly was: ‘Calm down white man, I’m tired and wet. Don’t play with me.’
Of course, tour guides can’t say that.
“Sunshine!” Melody raised her arms toward the sky and smiled when the sun kissed her cheeks. Spencer delighted in her enthusiasm.
We steadily travelled from the darkness to the bright light of the outside world. I felt like a butterfly emerging from a dank cocoon. I leaned back and admired the foliage hanging on the rock sides and the pebbles clearly evident beneath the clear, clear waves.
“Mercy,” Spencer spoke to the tour guide, “Can we swim around a little.”
“Sure.” Mercy gave her acquiesce.
Spencer helped Melody out of the tubes so that they could play around in the water. Josh engaged in a conversation with Mercy. The topic at hand was the most explosive vomiting that she’d ever seen by a tourist.
The boy was a n
atural journalist.
Catherine and Drew were laughing and talking about some random affair and everyone else seemed locked in their own personal relationship paradise. Feeling a little sorry for myself, I climbed out of my tube and walked along with Melody and Spencer in the clear, warm water. A butterfly landed on a branch directly in front of me.
“Well, hello,” I stopped to address the pretty creature. It fluttered its brown and black wings and smiled.
“Wait.” I shook my head. “You’re not a butterfly.”
It was just a really big moth.
Imposter.
“It was nice to meet you anyway.” I nodded at the moth and shifted to the side to find my group. They were half-way up the river bend. Panicking slowly, I tried to run in the shallow pool but my Crocs were like quicksand, squishing down with every step that I took.
Stupid shoes.
It took me two minutes to run forward and by the time I caught up with the group, I was breathing hard.
“Okay,” Mercy clapped her hands and bid us farewell as the other tour groups dismantled their tire ladder and carried the tubes on their heads, shoulders, or arms back up the trail.
I breathed in huge gulps and slapped my arms on my knee caps trying to summon the will to live from my racing heart.
I so had to eat healthier and exercise. This was just getting sad.
“Enjoy your hike back.” Mercy grinned wide and waved her arms.
“Hike (gasp) back?” My heart almost gave in as those words registered.
“Come on, girl.” Susan slapped my shoulder and I grimaced. “You’re young. Suck it up.”
Groaning loudly, I trudged out of the water. My sandals emitted a noisy sucking sound every time that my feet planted on the leafy trail. My limbs, already exhausted from the frantic rush back to the group, moaned pathetically with ever step.
Why? Why, Lexi? They cried.
As soon as I got home, I was dumping every packet of Oreos that I had… or not. Maybe I could dump one… or not.
I would eat a banana for every packet of Oreos that I consumed.
Now that was a resolution that I could live with.
Finally, after minutes of agony, we arrived back at the main hall and slipped into the showers to dry off. My butt was wet and cold. It was then that I realized that I could twerk a little.
“Hey guys,” I called to Mia, Susan, and Persia who were all waiting outside of the stalls for the other girls to finish drying off. “Look at this.”
I turned myself around, aiming my buttocks in their faces.
They stared at me like I was stupid for a minute.
“Just wait.” I instructed.
A brisk wind shoved its way into the bathroom and my butt did it again. Moving up and down without any help from my back or waist, my bum twitched. Mia laughed loudly and played a Papa San song from her phone to which my behind, taking a mind of its own, proudly shook to the beat.
“I’m going to be rich!” I joked as I straightened.
“Who’s going to be rich?” Melody questioned as she exited the stall.
Mia, Susan, Persia and I shared glances and laughed.
The girls allowed me to take Melody’s stall since my body was obviously in need of warmth. I stripped down and changed into another set of long pants and a T-shirt, ready for the zip lining portion of our adventure. The first time I’d come to the Blue Jaguar, I’d made the mistake of eating my lunch before going on the death-defying harness holding ride. I’d suffered nausea for the entire experience. This time I knew better and, as we walked to the main hall to meet up with the guys, I cautioned the others about eating too much Doritos before strapping up.
We were the first to emerge from the bathroom. Yes, in our crew, the guys took just as long to get ready as the girls. It was a strange facet of the Reyes family and friends dynamic. I chatted with Eryn about the cave tubing until we heard a stillness descend in the wide, dimly lit room. It was so strange. One minute, everyone was talking and laughing and buzzing. Tourists were purchasing coffee cups and wooden sculptures and little Mayan dolls. Weavers and carvers were calling out to those passing by, lowering their prices to attract more customers. Little children scampered on the concrete floor, being loudly chastised by their parents.
And then … nothing.
I glanced up and knew why.
Spencer, Peyton, Archie, Tyrone, Drew, and Josh paraded through the opposite entrance of the hall. It was a vision synonymous to the moment in a movie when the “cool” kids entered the room. Time slowed down. Every subtle hair flip, every smile and every step occurred in slow motion. This was truly the hottest group of guys I had ever seen and little Josh was keeping up with the big kids.
To a woman, all the girls were staring at the sight the boys made and given the silence of the entire hall, we weren’t alone.
One by one, the guys paired off and thankfully, I was not the cheese that stood alone. Josh held my hand and made me feel quite loved.
“Ready?”
I fist-bumped with my little friend and grinned. “I’m ready.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
One by one, the tour guides outfitted us with harnesses that kind of looked like the structure of a diaper and felt like a 24/7 wedgie. I stuffed my foot into the hole openings, glad that my tour guide was a woman. I wasn’t too keen on some strange man feeling up my backside as he strapped my safety harness on. I would have to punch him in the face or something. And then he wouldn’t secure my harness correctly and then I would fall to my death in the middle of the ride.
Thankfully, I didn’t have to worry about that.
We moved along from that area and climbed the stairs leading to the first level of lines. We decided to stick together and so waited until everyone was present before gesturing toward the small, tan man with the messy hair to guide us through the rules of zip lining. His heavy Spanish accent coated his words.
I wish I spoke Spanish.
Giggling sounded to my right, and I surreptitiously spied on Drew and Catherine with my peripheral vision. Drew’s tall, strong form leaned against the railing just a few yards high off the ground. She nudged his side and laughed about something. He seemed pleased as well. Unlike the other white guys in our diverse group, Drew did not even show the slightest sunburn. Archie, Spencer and especially Peyton all seemed cooked to versions of a medium rare steak. Drew’s skin, however, was the color of San Pedro’s sand at dawn, reflecting the gorgeous honey tones of the dawn’s first kiss.
“And,” our tour guide concluded, “if you follow these brief instructions, I promise you won’t fall to your death and die.”
Whoops, I hadn’t heard a lick of his instructions. Hopefully, I remembered enough from my last trip to keep from ‘falling to my death’.
“Who wants to go first.” The instructor called.
We stared blankly at each other. I wasn’t going first. That was for sure.
Melody scoffed, “I’ll do it.”
I gasped. As the mother of the most precious baby in the world, I had assumed that Melody would go last.
“Mel,” Spencer swallowed hard and tried to show some bravado for his wife, “I can do it.”
“It’s okay.” She sniffed, “I got this.”
Still, the two shared a kiss in case Melody’s innate clumsiness prompted some huge disaster.
The tour guide commanded Melody to jump which she did, and he caught the hook of her harness solidly with a lock. He tested the line’s strength and then positioned her hands.
“Remember,” He instructed, “pull down on this hand when you want to slow down.”
“Okay.” Melody nodded once. Her hair was so voluminous that it curled outside of the safety helmet. The minute she loosened the strap around her neck, the cap would pop right off.
“You got this, Mel!” I yelled encouragement.
“Heck yeah, I do!” My over-confident sister enthused.
She let loose with a whoop! and sailed away on the line. Sin
ce this was the lowest tier, the ride wasn’t that long. In fact, waiting for each and every person in our group to have their turn was the longest part of the first level.
Everyone made it safely across with no death-defying tales. It was time for the hike.
Noooo.
Our feet trekked over dead leaves, broken twigs, and steps that blended into the foliage. As we kept on zip lining to the other side and climbing up higher and higher, I admired the bravery of Josh. He whooped and hollered as he soared, reminding me of Tarzan in the jungle. In his excitement, I saw him share a high-five with Tyrone after landing a particularly steep ride.
I had to smile.
However, seeing Drew and Catherine grow closer and closer fractured that grin.
Drew pandered after her when she expressed fear as the towers we climbed grew taller and taller. She leaned into his side when the instructor at the next level of the highest tiers commanded us to pull on the brakes only when we were near the landing pad. As much as it hurt me to observe their closeness, I wasn’t upset at Catherine. From all that I’d seen, she was a nice person.
I was angry at myself, at my own foolishness. I had lowered my walls without any thought to the consequences. And this time, I’d allowed myself to think that maybe if ever we did try to be more than friends, Drew and I had a chance. That was an incredibly stupid supposition and one that I had no experience with before this season of life. My crushes were usually unattainable. My first major crush was on Legolas, the elf in the Lord of the Rings franchise, and then Archie who was seven years older than me.
Drew was just a visitor here for the summer. I’d been stupid to let my heart run away before my mind caught up.
I didn’t want to be that person. The one pining after people who were clearly not interested.
I didn’t want to be Jermaine.
As much as I’d resented Melody’s obsession with all things Pride and Prejudice, as I grew older, I began to admire the qualities in Elizabeth that a lot of romance heroines no longer possessed. She was strong, brave, and spoke her mind politely but firmly. Not once did she fall at Darcy’s feet because he was rich and handsome. In fact, this turned her off even more and was the root of her prejudice. Elizabeth held kindness, strength of character, and humility above social stations, appearances, and wealth.