46. Fish Weir
Chapter 46
Fish Weir
Haley
I unload fruit out of Calvin’s arms as fast as I can. It’s stacked under his chin, and it’s going to drop any second. Pomelos and I think tamarind pods? I don’t know what to do with the pods. But Dante will. “This is amazing.” I take a good sniff of a deep golden-yellow pomelo. It’s like a floral grapefruit. Man, I want to dig into one right now.
“The island is a fucking ton bigger than we believed. I found a shit ton of fruit trees on the other side of the island. Over the mountain. Last time I went to the top, I looked around. But I didn’t go any farther... and it looked like the land slid right into the sea. When I continued down the mountain’s shoulder, the land jutted out to the ocean with another section of island. I thought it was all just cliffs like I had seen before. Those cliffs down to the ocean are so steep; I didn’t figure the rest would be different. But man, there are a ton of fruit trees.”
“Planted or natural?” My heart speeds up. If someone is going to come here looking to get their fruit, maybe there is a way home.
“Natural. There’s no pattern. I thought of that too. There’s no sign anyone has been there. Not that I can make out. At least, not in a really long time. Goat tracks are the only thing I found.”
My heart drops. I really was hoping someone might come to harvest their fruit. But it’s definitive. Calvin’s proven he’s a good tracker. If he didn’t see any tracks, I believe him.
“What is that?” He points at the Siamese kitten nibbling at Zane’s ear. I think it’s playing and not actually trying to eat him. But I don’t know, maybe it is.
“That’s the kitten Zane found.” We walk back to the raft. “I’ll get my basket.” I bring the woven thing over to Dante’s large stone.
“Where’s this basket?” Calvin looks right at it.
“Okay, it’s not the best, but it’s not flat, and for now, that makes it a basket.” I layer the pomelos around the edge of it and take the pods from Calvin. He’s not looking at me, his focus on Zane.
“A kitten?” His green eyes flick to me and then back to the kitten. “Where? How?”
I’m holding my breath, waiting for him to go berserk about how we can’t keep a kitten, that we can barely feed ourselves. That we’re not going to be able to take care of it. All the things I could hear my dad say. Get a cat at your mother’s house. I don’t want a dog, too much fur. But he knew Mom was allergic, while he was just allergic to love. And it creeps in.
I wonder if my dad even knows I’m missing. I don’t have him on any of my emergency contact forms, only my college best friend and her husband. I don’t have much other than them. I thought about putting Steven’s mom on my list. She raised a horrible human being, but she’s an angel. Dad didn’t pay any attention to me when I was a kid. I doubt he’ll give me a second thought now.
“Yeah, a kitten,” I say. “It was near the map tree in the clearing. Wandering around in the underbrush. I think Dante and I heard it the other day. But we thought it was something far more horrible. Like a huge rodent. But no, it’s just Simba.” Simba doesn’t sound right either.
“You named it Simba?” Calvin’s big hands reach for the little brown thing. “This pretty, pretty princess isn’t a Simba. Are you?—”
“Calvin, wait!” I try to stop him as he scoops the kitten off Zane’s shoulder. It’s feral. I’m afraid it will scratch him, but there’s not a hiss or screech in the air.
“Why?” He has the kitten in the palm of one hand. His big thumb smooths down the fur that’s sticking straight up on the little thing’s adorable head. “My cats at home always liked sleeping in my hoody.”
“You have cats?” Zane peels one of the pomelos. “Damn, these are good.” He holds a segment out for me and pops it in my mouth.
“Omph mmy.” The flavor bursts on my tongue. “How many cats do you have?”
“I have no idea. Dozens. I grew up on a farm. Most of them were barn cats. My brother and I each had our own that was allowed in the house. Winter and Summer.”
“White and orange?” I shove another slice into my mouth. Calvin has yet to have any. He’s too busy playing with the cat.
“No, that would have made sense. They were both tuxedo, black and white short-haired.”
“I want to talk to you about a new shelter.” Zane eats more of the citrus fruit.
“Did you move the raft?”
“Yeah, but not on purpose.” I really, really don’t want to talk about it with Calvin.
“We needed to take the top off and let it get some sun. It was really wet in there after the night of rain.” Zane stops. “Right. Where did you sleep last night? It really seemed like Easton didn’t want to tell us.”
“Easton and I stayed in a small cave near a waterfall. If we’re going to build a shelter using the wood from the fishing boat, maybe we should just build it by the mountain. There are caves. Or rather, a cave. It’s super small. Easton and I barely fit in it together. But I think we should systematically explore the mountain. We might find another one. Bigger. But if we don’t, I still think we should move inland for the rainy season.”
Zane purses his lips. “Maybe. I’ve got some ideas.” He excitedly told me about them while we were getting the last side of the roof of the raft back on. If we can build it, it will be really nice. But part of me is torn. Moving away from the beach, putting so much effort into a new structure, means we’re giving up on getting rescued. I don’t know how I feel about that. I don’t know if I can let go of the dream of going home again. Indoor plumbing and nachos. I’m a fan of both. Pizza, ice cream. Hell, I’d murder for some roasted Brussels sprouts.
“Zane’s plans sound fantastic. Being up in the map tree with the breeze. Think about it, Calvin, no plastic when we roll over at night. It could be fantastic.” I blink up at Calvin. He’s holding the cat up to his face.
“Okay. We should talk about it. This little guy”—he flips the kitten over—“ gal has the bluest eyes. Almost the bluest I’ve ever seen.” Calvin gives me a wink. “We can talk about the shelter placement later.”
Now I can hear the subtext of the big old fat no, the one I had expected about the kitten. “Calvin, we’re going to really talk about it. Make the decision together as a team, as a family.”
“Family?” He laughs. “This is one messed up family.”
“It doesn’t have to be. With some work, it can be great.” I rub the kitten behind her ear, and she purrs.
“You’re right, Haley, with some work. I’m willing.”
That was at least something. A start.
“Where are the others?” Calvin plops down on the log next to the fire. He puts the cat on his lap and plays with its belly. The little thing flashes its paws at him. I’m dying inside from all the cuteness.
I’m pretty sure this is the first time I’ve ever seen Calvin sit during the day. Normally he’s twitching, gathering firewood or plants, whittling us a new something, almost anything. But not sitting.
“Easton and Dante took off for the fishing boat. Dante hasn’t seen it yet, and he wanted to take a look.”
“Good.” It’s a quick word, but I see a flicker of relief in Calvin’s face. He’s as happy as the rest of us that Dante feels good enough to go exploring the island. “And how’s your foot?” Calvin turns to Zane.
“I’m going to make it. I haven’t changed the bandage yet today. I’ll do it when Easton gets back.” Zane pokes at the fire.
“Is your ankle doing better, Haley?”
I nod.
“Good. Good. I should show you guys the waterfall. Have you seen it yet, Zane?”
“No. But I think that would be good.” Zane picks up a stick from Calvin’s pile of straight wood. “What are you doing with these?”
Calvin has kept his pile of straight sticks away from the firewood. Each one is sharpened on the end. We all leave his supplies alone, even without being told to.
“Fishing weir. I have almost enough to make a small one. The posts get stuck in the sand at regular intervals in the tidal area. Fish swim through them, the tide goes out, and they don’t.”
“Whoa, that’s cool. How did you ever learn about that?”
“From an archeology class.” Calvin stands and puts the now sleeping kitten in Zane’s lap. The groggy thing looks up at Zane but closes its eyes again. “Want to help me set it up, Haley? Low tide is the perfect time.”
I want to say no. I want to make him sit back down and be still. “Sure.”
Calvin hands me a small pile of the sticks and takes the rest himself. Down at the shoreline, he stops. “Here should be good. Space them out, one every few inches. Push them in at least eight inches. Deep enough the waves won’t knock them down. No worries if it does. This is going to take some experimenting.”
I slide a few in. “Like this?”
“Yeah, that’s perfect.” We work together for a while until we have four rows that curve up to where the high tide mark is. It’s something to look at, like an incomplete fence protruding out into the ocean. “Here.” He hands me the last stick. “Do the honors of finishing it up.”
I push it in.
His smile cocks to the side. “About yesterday.” I turn and look up at him. He visibly gulps. “I was wrong. I’m sorry.”
“You didn’t hit me. I also didn’t have a machete dropped on my foot. Have you talked to the guys yet?”
“A bit. Easton and I, we have some things to work out. Or at least I do. We talked last night?—”
“He told me.” The waves drift over our toes.
“All right. I’m glad. I hadn’t told anyone about the waterfall or the cave. And that was wrong. I shouldn’t keep information from all of you. I wanted to show you first. I wanted it to be a surprise. Just for you.”
I wrap my arms around Calvin’s neck. “That’s really sweet. But I’m happy you understand that we have to be a team. I... I’m attracted to all of you, Calvin. It’s the weirdest thing ever. I could never have imagined having something like this happen to me. But it is. I have feelings for each of you. I know this has to be hard on you. Especially you.”
Calvin twists his face up. I’m pushing him too hard. I get it. We’re all our past experiences.
“Are you doing okay?” I ask. “With this arrangement, I mean?”
His forehead furrows this time. “I’m good, Haley.” I wonder if anyone has ever asked Calvin how he’s doing before. He’s the workhorse who never stops. Or that’s who he’s become.
“Okay, all right. But if you’re ever not good, you need to tell me.”
“Why?” It’s a quick response. One that I can tell he didn’t mean to give. “Forget it.”
“No, I’m not forgetting it. You have to tell me because your needs and wants are important, Calvin. You get to ask for what you want.”
A wicked smile eases over his face. I know what’s coming; I brace myself. My feet are in the air, and he’s heading for the raft. Past his fine ass and muscular back, I can’t see much.
“You’re back. Get the towels. Grab Haley’s shoes. Bring the cat,” Calvin barks at Easton.