Chapter 7 #3
Terry suspected that was a huge mental change for someone like Mark.
No doubt he needed time to decide what he wanted in the future, but suddenly things looked a lot more hopeful.
Terry wasn’t sure himself if a relationship between them was possible, but damn if he didn’t want to find out.
“Well, they do say the sea changes people,” he said lightly.
“So does surviving a near-death situation. Priorities change, right? You could hardly come out of something like this without thinking about what you really want from life.”
“Yeah, and throwing myself back into work to the exclusion of almost all else is not it,” Mark said, his voice firm and certain. “I don’t want to wait another thirty-five years before I allow myself to do something I want to do, like swimming with the dolphins.”
“Good for you!” Terry smiled in delight, pleased Mark seemed determined to make a change.
“Life is meant for living, right? Tomorrow isn’t guaranteed, so do the things that make you happy while you can.
Besides, you can’t take it with you, right?
I’m not saying not to save and plan for the future, but it’s important to balance work and life.
Trust me, I got chapter and verse about that from my parents when I took my first contract on the ship.
They were worried I’d be tossed into the bilge or something. ”
“I thought the whole ‘work-life balance’ idea was bullshit,” Mark admitted with a little shrug. “But I was wrong. I need to back off and learn how to delegate when I get home.”
“That sounds like a great plan.”
As he spoke, they rounded a curve in the beach as the shoreline turned more northward.
Terry stopped, holding up a hand to shade his eyes and scanning first the horizon, and then turning to look at the beach where the ocean was ebbing away, leaving a line of seaweed and an exposed expanse of coarser shells and sand.
There were still no ships in sight, and he hadn’t even heard any airplanes go by overhead.
The blob on the horizon hadn’t changed, so it was likely another island rather than a ship.
“Hmm. Looks like we’re going to have to go further than I thought,” he said. Turning around, he looked into the trees. “There are some coconut palms here. Why don’t we take a break in the shade? I can look for some coconuts and you can try the water fresh from the shell.”
Concern flashed in Mark’s eyes, but he nodded and veered toward the trees. “Clearly the dolphins brought us to the side of the island without the beach resort, amusement park, and casino.”
“Looks like. Sheesh. Maybe we should file a complaint with their employers.” Terry chuckled, relieved that Mark was taking the information in stride. Terry hoped he was wrong and there was civilization on the island, but the odds were looking less promising by the minute.
Fortunately, there were several coconuts in their shiny green husks lying under the trees, and Terry whooped with delight. “Score! Fresh coconut milk coming up!”
It took a few minutes of wrestling with the tough husk, but Terry cut through and extract the kernel.
He shook it, grinning at the sloshing sound.
Piercing the eyes took no time at all, and he handed the fruit to Mark.
“Here you go! Coconut as nature intended. Not that I don’t like a good pina colada myself, but this should refresh us well. ”
Mark eyed the coconut dubiously, but he lifted it to his lips and took a drink, and then he flashed Terry a wide-eyed look. “I don’t know if it’s the dehydration talking or what, but that’s really good.” He handed the coconut back to Terry. “Here, your turn.”
Terry took a drink of his own and sighed. “It’s definitely good. If you like coconut, of course.” He passed the coconut back to Mark. “You work on this one, I’ll open another. And I’m going to knock out a few more kernels to haul along with us. At least that way we won’t dehydrate.”
He set to work stripping husks. The day was growing hot, and despite the shade of the trees, he worked up a sweat.
After pausing for a moment, he stripped off his shirt.
“I’ll probably regret this once we start walking again, and the lack of sunscreen won’t help.
But we can use my shirt to lug the coconuts and some bananas with us. ”
“I don’t want you to get burned to a crisp,” Mark said, although his eyes were on Terry’s chest rather than his face. “Can we reasonably assume we’ll find more along the way?”
Mark’s attention was encouraging. “No sense taking a chance,” Terry replied, tossing the husked coconuts onto his shirt.
“I mean if we get around to the other side of the island and we’re dying of thirst, it would be bad not to have anything.
” He straightened up and stretched as though working a kink out of his back. “But if it really bothers you…”
Mark dragged his gaze back up to Terry’s face, and he licked his lips. “No, it doesn’t bother me,” he said, his voice husky.
Chuckling, Terry finished the chore, tied his shirt into a bundle, and hoisted it over his shoulder. “Come on, let’s go find civilization before we both fry.”
As they set back out, Terry knew he was feeling far too cheerful for someone likely stranded without water, food, clothes, or even a toothbrush. But as long as he was with Mark, things didn’t seem too bad.