7 The Deserted Islands
A light breeze was rustling the curtains, allowing the sun’s rays to filter through at intervals.
As I ran my hands through my hair, I inadvertently I caught a tear that had become caught between my eyelashes.
I felt a gentle bliss wash over me. I stretched, extending my arms, as if paying homage to the Sun King.
I had not the slightest desire to leave that warm nest, and as I turned onto my side, I found myself just a few centimeters from your face.
You were fast asleep, and I gazed at your sweet expression with infinite love.
As I watched you, I noticed that your lips had taken the shape of a tiny heart, and I had to fight hard against myself not to kiss you.
I don’t know what time we’d fallen asleep, but it must have been really late.
I got up, trying not to wake you, washed up, and put on a sarong, tying it into a dress the way I’d seen some Indian guests at the resort do.
I tiptoed out and made my way to the bar.
I returned to the room shortly afterward with two cups of coffee and two croissants.
I set the breakfast in the turned-off microwave, put on my swimsuit, and let you sleep.
Once I reached the shore, I stopped to admire the enchanting beauty of the lagoon.
I plunged into the warm water, causing ripples on the surface.
It seemed that even the sea creatures had lingered that morning, so I decided to go in search of some colorful little fish.
A sinuous movement caught my attention, and to my great surprise, I saw an octopus.
It wasn’t easy to spot these notoriously shy mollusks, so I stood still to admire it.
The animal, however, had noticed my presence and hurried to hide in a crevice in a rock just below the surface, leaving a few tentacles sticking out.
I couldn’t help but laugh because the poor thing hadn’t measured the space properly, but it didn’t dare come out to find another hiding spot.
I let it recover from its fright and changed direction.
Beneath another umbrella-shaped rock, I saw a multitude of trumpetfish with silvery markings, lined up in orderly rows like soldiers.
There must have been about a hundred of them, and they seemed to be seeking shelter from the sun’s rays.
As I continued my excursion, I spotted some triggerfish a little further ahead within a formation of brownish corals; their menacing-looking snouts were pointed outward, and I realized they were guarding their eggs.
I quickly swam away from those hard snouts adorned with sharp teeth and ended up bumping into the shell of an unsuspecting sea turtle, which shot upward in fright.
A spontaneous laugh caused me to lose precious air bubbles, forcing me to resurface to refill my oxygen supply.
I was about to go back underwater when something slimy and enormous brushed against my leg.
Fear made my blood run cold, and I froze at the surface.
The water in front of me darkened, and small ripples began to form around me as the silhouette of a manta ray glided past me with its graceful movement.
My first thought was of you: I would have given anything to share that magical moment. I stood there, entranced, watching the huge manta ray swim away. I suddenly felt alone, experiencing emotions I would have loved to share with you.
I emerged from the water with an infinite sadness and ran into the bedroom, dripping salty drops onto the floor.
You were still asleep, and I’d run out of ideas on how to spend my time without you.
I climbed onto the bed and pressed my wet, salty lips against yours.
To my great surprise, you responded to the kiss by opening your eyes.
I told you, like a river in flood and without taking a breath, about my encounter with the manta ray and how much I’d missed you.
Without giving you time to comment on what I’d just told you, I went to get the breakfast tray and set it on the bed.
We ate the croissants our own way, each taking a bite from one side until we kissed, tasting the sugar.
Our lips fit together perfectly, as if they were part of the same shell that held the pearl of our love.
I was the first to pull away from you, even though I could have spent hours in your arms; I knew that if I had, I would never have left the island.
Trying to calm our passions, I asked if you’d like to take a tour of the island to photograph some animals.
You liked the idea, and ten minutes later we were already out of the bungalow.
We set off along the beach, arm in arm and equipped with cameras and video cameras.
The first animal we encountered was a heron resting on the sand, balanced on a single leg.
I approached slowly until I was about a meter away from the elegant bird, which nevertheless sensed my presence.
Without taking its eyes off me, it began taking small steps away from me, and I mimicked it by taking an equal number of steps toward it.
In an attempt to help me, you took a wide detour and then converged on the other side of the bird.
Realizing we were trying to encircle it, the heron spread its powerful wings and took flight toward other, quieter shores. We watched it fly until it seemed to vanish among the thin clouds streaking across the sky.
As we continued along the beach, we had to stop in front of a series of rocks that forced us to venture into the island’s dense vegetation.
Although we knew there were no dangerous animals on land, we froze every time we heard a noise in the foliage.
Before moving on, we tried in vain to pinpoint its source.
After an hour of walking, we stopped to catch our breath.
Without giving me time to look around, you leaned against the trunk of a palm tree and motioned for me to come closer.
Before reaching you, I wanted to frame you with my camera, and as I looked through the lens, I noticed a chameleon on the trunk that had blended in with the color of the wood and was therefore hard to spot.
Pretending not to notice, I snapped a photo of you, unaware that I’d have to share it with the little creature.
Trying to stifle a laugh, I motioned for you not to move and pointed out the exact spot where you could have had a close encounter with a chameleon.
You turned around, and the little creature, its eyes wide with astonishment, darted swiftly into the leaves, knocking down a coconut that missed you by just a few centimeters.
It had been an exciting encounter for me, too; being able to spot animals in the wild was a unique feeling, almost comparable to having you by my side in paradise.
That experience spurred us to kiss passionately, aware that we felt truly happy to be together, surrounded by unspoiled nature.
I wanted to stay there forever and would have been willing to give up all material possessions for the rest of my life.
It was almost lunchtime, so we hurried to the other side of the island. Fortunately, we weren’t far from our bungalow, where we had to leave the camera and video camera before heading out to eat.
On the way back, we found numerous small pieces of coral scattered on the sand, which I gathered by the handful.
I knew you weren’t allowed to take unprocessed coral out of the Maldives, but as long as we were there, we could do whatever we wanted with it—even make jewelry to show off on the island.
Ever since I was a child, I’d had a passion for collecting all kinds of natural materials to shape them however I pleased.
In the bungalow, I had a basket full of little treasures, including two half-coconut shells that I’d planned to turn into a bra.
That afternoon, I was going to go look for some palm leaves to make a little skirt, and then I’d really feel wild to the core.
That day, the restaurant smelled of freshly caught fish, and colorful plates heaped with sushi had been arranged on a long table.
I liked the novelty of the buffet, but I’d never had the slightest intention of trying raw fish; so I filled my tray with grilled vegetables and countless small glasses brimming with spoon desserts.
You, on the other hand, loved sushi, and before long your tray looked as if it were begging for mercy, so heavily had you loaded it.
The desserts turned out to be delicious, and for once I didn’t think about my fear of gaining weight.
My relationship with food had always been a love-hate one, and I was determined to stay in shape, even if it meant going hungry.
You, on the other hand, seemed to have no problem eating regular meals and staying slim.
After lunch, we headed to the beach bar.
The bartender greeted us cheerfully, followed by the squawking of a colorful, brightly feathered parrot.
We learned that it was one of the island’s two mascots, left at the resort years earlier by an eccentric American billionaire who hadn’t felt up to bringing the little creature back to the chaotic metropolis of New York.
The bird’s plumage made it look almost fake.
The bartender took great pleasure in showing off the few words of Italian he knew and always addressed you as “doctor,” unaware that you actually were one.
In reality, there was no medical facility on the island, just a small infirmary stocked with medicines that guests gladly donated before leaving.
However, among the on-site staff, there was always someone with basic first-aid training.
In the event of more serious problems, an air ambulance was on standby to transport the most critical cases to the hospital in Malé. Just as had happened to me.
We were starting to feel the fatigue from our morning outing, so we went back to the bungalow to rest.
The bed had once again been strewn with flower petals. We looked at each other and decided to spend that afternoon doing nothing but lying on the cool, fragrant sheets and cuddling until dinnertime.
I claimed the bed first, deliberately taking your favorite side and provoking lively protests from you.
Not satisfied, I dared you to make me move, but as you approached me, you changed your mind; after all, we could have both stayed on the same side without complaining.
I closed my eyes, trying to imagine I was somewhere else, but I couldn’t because that was where I wanted to be—held in your arms forever.
The sun was setting, and we still hadn’t gotten out of bed.