by Damian Maher
They talked for a time, but then William saw Jacob sharpening branches, and he knew that meant trouble.
“I have to go now,” he said.
As they approached Jacob, Alex offered his hand again, “Goodbye, Jacob. You won’t hear from me again.”
“Good luck to you! You’re a great guy, but I don’t like you near my boyfriend!” Jacob said, looking briefly into Alex’s eyes. At the same moment, Jacob knew, from the sudden glow on William’s face, that he had noticed a certain word.
“Don’t worry. You’re the lucky one,” Alex said. He tapped Jacob on the arm and then gave him a quick hug. “No need to play a bulldog!”
“Take care!” Jacob said with a charming, embarrassed smile on his face.
William accompanied Alex to the car.
“Drive carefully. Gibb River Road is dangerous, and you don’t have a safety beacon,” William said.
“I’ll take the other road back, the one through the Fitzroy Crossing and Halls Creek. It’s much safer,” Alex said. “And I’ll try to find a place to sleep over.”
“Let me know that you’ve arrived safely,” William said, hugging him.
Alex quickly got into the car and drove away.
“I’m so sorry for him. He’s such a good man.” William broke down and started to cry.
“I know it’s hard for him,” Jacob said.
“We have each other. But he’s driving home alone, through the lonely wilderness, only to see his ill mother in this godforsaken place, with no chance of finding someone.”
Jacob was quiet for some time.
“I should have been nicer to him. But I guess I was afraid of losing you,” he said.
“You fool. You know I love you,” William said. “Don’t you ever forget that!”
“Tell him I’m sorry,” Jacob whispered.
“I will. But now let’s find a Chinese restaurant somewhere. I need some comfort food tonight,” William said. “Let’s spend the rest of the day in Derby and continue tomorrow.”
After they’d filled their stomachs in a suspicious-looking Chinese restaurant, they went shopping.
“I forgot something. We need special fluid for the car engine. Wait, I’ll get it!” Jacob said as they were filling the fridge with groceries they had just bought, and he ran back to the supermarket.
As he returned, he saw William waiting in the driver’s cabin. That’s good! Jacob was thinking. I can put a cake into the fridge without him noticing it. That will be quite a surprise for his birthday!
“What exactly did you buy?” William asked as Jacob jumped into the cabin.
“Oh, nothing, just some special engine fluid. It’s in a white plastic bag at the bottom of the fridge. Don’t touch it,” Jacob answered, looking serious.
“I’m so lucky to have you here with me! See, I’ve never even heard of an engine fluid that needs to be frozen,” William said before quickly forgetting about it.
*
“What?” Jacob asked as, still within the reach of a cell phone signal, William turned on his phone, and the sounds of arriving messages formed a nerve-racking symphony.
“Marlon sent me dozens of messages, begging me to take him back. He is ever so sorry for the way he treated me! ‘Only after I lost you did I understand what I had in you!’ He still wants to come to Australia if I’ll only pay for another ticket,” William said.
“Will you answer him?”
“It’s just that the connection is so very bad . . .” William said with a grin, taking Jacob’s hand.
“That’s good!” Jacob said. “That’s good!”
The deeper they drove into the Dampier peninsula, the worse the soft, sandy red roads became.
“I doubt that we’ll reach Middle Lagoon today,” William said.
“Do you smell it?” William asked. “It’s as if something were burning!”
“Not the brakes!” Jacob said.
“No! Look! There’s bush burning in front of us,” William exclaimed.
From an elevated part of the road they saw a vast part of the land burning, the wind mixing scattered black ashes and smoke among the flames.
“What shall we do now? The road goes right through the fire,” Jacob said.
“ Let’s close the air circulation and drive through it! The road is quite broad. We should be all right if we drive in the middle of the road,” William said.
“You’re quite brave,” Jacob said, looking anxious.
“Let’s drive through the fire! Just for the sake of it!” William said. “Are you with me?”
Jacob nodded.
“See, it’s all right. You just have to dare,” William said, flames all around them.
“You are very brave for a faggot!” Jacob smiled.
“I know. Braver than a macho hunk like you!” William said.
“Watch it!” Jacob joked.
“I hope I won’t have to endure a punishment for statements like this,” William said.
“What?” Jacob was baffled.
“Like getting slapped with a big cock or . . . I don’t know what nasty thing you might come up with,” William teased.
“Oh, you’ll be punished hard! So many options come to mind,” Jacob said, grinning like a horny schoolboy, sparkles of lust in his eyes.
“Try to drive quicker, though! Let’s pass this fire as quickly as we can!” William said.
Even though they’d closed the air circulation, the smell in the car started to become unpleasant.
“Your eyes are red,” Jacob said. “Mine are also itching.”
Finally they passed the flames and opened the windows. They hadn’t realized how tense the drive through the fire had made them until they suddenly started laughing uncontrollably.
“Now we’ve driven through fire. We’ve driven through water. We took long walks on the red Australian soil. And we’ll fly home in the air,” William said. “I guess we’ve got all the elements covered.”
They spent their first night on the Dampier peninsula in a lone parking lot by the endless, dusty Mount Jowlaenga road. After making love and executing the punishment , they fell asleep, but in the middle of the night William heard Jacob making noise.
He’s going out. He probably has to pee, William figured. But, irrationally, he suddenly felt afraid. What if he had a nightmare and is going crazy again? William decided to get up and look for him. He saw Jacob coming back to the cabin, using a stick to test whether there was something hiding in the dark. Oh good! He’s not a “herpetologist” anymore. Still, you never can be certain.
“You’re awake,” Jacob said, surprised.
“I heard you, and I went to see what was happening,” William said.
“Are you still afraid that I might go snake hunting?” Jacob said.
“You are braver than that now,” William said.
They snuggled up together, holding each other, both knowing that wherever the future would take them, they would be together.
*
They were astounded by what they saw as they arrived at Middle Lagoon the next day toward midday. The blue lagoon, protected by the reef from the ocean and surrounded by a wide, white, sandy beach, was shining in the sun. On their way to the lagoon, they had seen flocks of black cockatoos winging their way here and there, but when they got there, the noisy corellas were the first to greet them. Soon they saw and heard the crowd-loving Major Mitchell cockatoos in the trees, as well as gazing on the grass. They were both stunned by this isolated, spectacularly beautiful part of the world and by the possibility of seeing nature as it has been since long before white people came to these shores.
A kind, older woman greeted them at the reception area.
“We’re looking for a powered site in a campground,” William said.
“No problem. We also have hot and cold freshwater showers, flushing toilets, a public telephone, free Wi-Fi, and there is some mobile coverage around the office area. Are you here for th
e first time? Well, you know, it would be wise if you’d watch your step a little bit . . . you know . . . it’s safe to swim in the lagoon, though, but if you swim beyond the reef . . . do I have to tell you about the sharks?”
“No. That’s clear,” William said.
“Please, respect the local culture. Don’t get naked on the beach. In the camp, T-shirt and shorts over your bathers is all that we ask,” she said, indicating with her eyes that she was bored by the requests of the native Aborigines.
“Whale watching is also possible. In our ocean waters you can see turtles, dugongs, and whales, but there is plenty of other sea life, too, including dolphins; big, slow-moving potato cod; elegant long toms; queen fish; and hundreds of other colorful fish varieties.”
They got a great spot on the ridge, which provided a magnificent view of the sunset, right where corellas were grazing on the dry grass. As they put the table and the chairs in front of the car, they felt as if they’d arrived at the end of a journey, where there was nothing left of reality except an eternal, earthly paradise.
“Why not spend a few days doing absolutely nothing but swimming, exploring, and watching animals?” Jacob asked.
“Yes, let’s stay here for a while!” William said with a smile, still in awe.
“How did we find a place like this? This is unreal! Well, actually, if we had not met Roberta . . . she told us about this place! What if I called her and told her how ecstatic we are? And that she was right in seeing a gay side in me.” He took his phone and, miraculously, there was a connection.
William tried to listen to the conversation.
“Hi, Roberta!” Jacob said. “I wish you were here! Where? We just arrived at Middle Lagoon. It’s every bit as special as you told me. I had to call you to say thanks. You were right about one more thing. William and I are together—as a couple. Yup! You told me! I hope we’ll meet again someday.”
“Was she happy you called?” William asked.
“She was! And she said to say hi to you!” Jacob said. “She is a jewel. A survivor.”
They spent their first day in Middle Lagoon at the beach. After a long drive on the dusty road, they longed for the water. They observed the coral in the clear blue lagoon and the many fish swimming by. The skies were clear, with hardly any clouds. They lay on a broad, soft, sandy white beach. They held hands and surreptitiously kissed from time to time, feeling as though they were alone in paradise.
They stayed on the beach well into the warm night. In the evening, they observed flying foxes and other bats making their way to feeding places and listened for the haunting cries of owls.
“Hi!” a woman greeted them as they passed by her tent, returning from the beach.
“Hi! Are we in paradise here?” William joked.
“I guess we are. The sunset was just . . . and this lagoon . . . oh! ”
She needs someone to talk to, William sensed. Then, with one glance at her husband, he understood why.
“Did you notice how her husband looked at me?” William asked when they were alone again.
“I did. He lustfully undressed you with his eyes. I bet he will jerk off tonight thinking of you,” Jacob said.
“Perhaps this is their last vacation together. They are in two worlds,” William said. “But in our world, I’ll cook something good for us. What about macaroni with a four-different-vegetable sauce?”
“Why four-different-vegetable?” Jacob asked.
“It’s really not a secret recipe. It’s because we have four different vegetables left in the fridge.”
After the dinner, without saying a word, Jacob suddenly stood up and went into the car. Then he returned carrying a cake with a burning candle on it.
“Happy birthday to you! Happy birthday, dear William! Happy birthday to you,” he sang. “Congratulations on your twenty-ninth birthday!”
“Well . . . that’s . . . thank you! A cake?” William didn’t know what to say. “I guess that’s the special fluid for the car that needed to be in the fridge?”
Jacob smiled and asked, “Are you happy?”
“This means the world to me,” William said, moved. “How did you know it’s my birthday?”
“I saw it as you were showing me the picture in your passport at the car rental place,” Jacob said. “ And you did mention it when we talked about going to Middle Lagoon.”
“I did . . . but I never expected you’d notice and remember!”
They feasted on the moist cake, but before having a slice too many they put it back in the fridge.
“I could kill for you,” Jacob said. “That’s how much I love you.”
“That’s not enough. I want you to bring me another piece of that cake. I’m greedy. I can’t help it.”
“What? Another piece? That I cannot do. I can’t get up from my chair.”
“Oh, big mouth, you don’t love me at all.”
“Okay. I’ll try. But it may kill me. I really feel lazy right now,” Jacob said. Then, as slowly as a sloth, he brought William another piece of cake.
“I know that was hard to do. But I’ll make it up to you,” William said. “We all know the sexual position called 69. But I wonder whether you’d like 68?”
“Sixty-eight? What’s that?” Jacob asked.
“That’s where I blow you, and you’ll owe me one,” William said.
“Oh?” Jacob said, laughing. “That’ll cheer me up.”
Middle Lagoon turned out to be a terrific gateway from which they could explore the fascinating Dampier Peninsula. Enjoying its pristine beauty, they ended up staying there for four nights, rounding out their three weeks in Australia. They took a red-dirt morning drive up to Cape Leveque and One Arm Point for stunning views of the Buccaneer Archipelago. They drove down to Beagle Bay to see the famous pearl-shell altar at the historic Sacred Heart Church. Some days they did nothing but make love and soak in the blue water, talking with the corellas, who grew more and more familiar with them every day.
Since they had an Internet connection, Jacob was able to book the same flights William had already booked.
“From Sydney to Singapore and from Singapore to London, we have seats next to each other!” Jacob exclaimed. “Only from Broom to Sidney do we have seats in different rows.”
“Luckily, the flight back to London is much shorter,” William said, checking the flight times. “It’s because of the high-altitude wind, which always blows from the west to the east across the Atlantic. The planes go faster in the west-east direction, when they’re moving with the wind.”
*
Early in the morning they had to continue toward Broom, and for both of them it was heartbreaking to say goodbye to Middle Lagoon. They planned to drive the first 32 sandy kilometers to the turnoff near Beagle Bay very slowly, and then, on the wide, red Cape Leveque Road, they would be able to drive the final 150 kilometers to Broom quite easily .
They drove past giant anthills and thick green bush bursting with the colors and sounds of the teeming Kimberley wilderness. The soft, sandy road was tossing the car playfully, and at times the wheels sank deep. Even though they drove a four-wheeldrive vehicle and were familiar with the road, it was not easy to make progress.
Just before the turnoff, they decided to do a short walk to explore the captivating area. They walked for hours in the untouched wilderness, observing animals and fearing snakes—and in fact they saw another black-headed python.
It was hot, and they were exhausted when they returned to the car to have coffee.
“We’re alone here, but you just somehow can’t be sure. Perhaps an Aborigine is watching us,” William said.
“I just had the same feeling,” Jacob said.
“But most probably we are alone. Nowhere is behind us, in front of us, on the left, and on the right. The only way for us is up,” William smiled.
“Cheers to that, Yesbut!” Jacob said, holding his cup of coffee up high, smiling. “And cheers to the Outback!”
Suddenly, William sensed an ever-returning sense of guilt. I lied to Jacob. I deliberately misled him. I did sleep with Alex. It wasn’t only presidential.
“Jacob, I have to tell you something,” he said, determined.
“Sure. What is it?”
“ I lied to you. I only told you half the truth, not the whole truth,” William said.
“Yes?” Jacob said, focusing his eyes on William.
“Well, I did sleep with Alex. We had sex. It wasn’t only . . . presidential. I lied to you . . . I mean . . . I told you half the truth because I was afraid,” William said. “But lying is not really my style. I had to tell you what happened.”
Jacob looked surprised. To William seconds felt like months.
“It’s all right,” Jacob said finally. “It was my fault, too. I don’t know why I treated you so badly. I was a mess. I clearly had my part in this.”
“But there is nothing between Alex and me, and I love you and nobody else but you!” William whispered. “Do you forgive me?”
“I forgive you, Yesbut. I have no choice, anyway. I love you!” Jacob whispered and hugged William. As they hugged, William felt Jacob shaking all over, his neck veins pulsing.
When the road improved, Jacob started to drive faster—up to sixty kilometers per hour.
“Drive slower!” William warned him. He seems upset. His mind did stoically forgive me, but emotionally . . . ?
“I’m driving fifty kilometers per hour. That’s appropriate,” Jacob said.
“The road is getting softer again. Please, drive slower!” William said.
“ Let me drive when I’m driving!” Jacob hissed.
At that moment the car started tossing wildly, and the unpredictable sand was forcing it into the bushes.
“Fuck! We’ll turn over!” William screamed. The car was already on two wheels, heading off the road, where it hit the large branch of a big tree. The car glided into the bushes, ignoring Jacob’s firm braking. Then, unexpectedly, the car fell back on all four wheels and, miraculously, stopped.
In shock, they were quiet for some moments.