Chapter 9 #3
“Nothing quite as interesting as all that,” I reply, a feeling of tightness growing in my chest. What in the world just happened?
“People think being a lawyer is super intense, going to court and shouting all the time, but it’s really not.
It’s more like solving puzzles—how do you get the best deal for your client while making sure everything meets all the rules and regulations?
I know it sounds nerdy, but I guess I just liked the sound of that. ”
“I don’t think it’s nerdy. I think it’s smart.
” He pauses, and when he speaks again, his voice is lower, more contemplative.
“I know what you mean about solving puzzles. Cooking’s the same way.
I have these ingredients and this equipment; how can I use them to make a perfect dish?
The difference is that in my job, there’s no one right answer.
Two chefs could start with the exact same stuff and come up with completely different dishes, and they could both be amazing. ”
“Huh.” I lean back, pausing my chopping for a moment. “I never really thought of it that way.”
“See? I’m opening your mind to new horizons.
” He gives me another smile that makes my stomach flutter.
“I guess what it boils down to is that I love to create new things, especially ones that make people happy. I’m sure you do that in your own way too, but there’s something really satisfying about watching people eat something you made, and knowing that they’re actually enjoying it too. ”
He falls silent after that, and for a moment I just sit there quietly, letting the sound of the ocean wash over me. “You know,” I eventually say, “my sister Arielle always tells me that I should have something to do besides work. Maybe I should take up cooking.”
He laughs once more. “You definitely should.” He looks up again, his gaze meeting mine, and for a moment, I could almost wish that this isn’t a game, that I could win the million without having to vote Cole out somewhere down the line. “I know you’d be great at it.”
When we enter the challenge area later that day, I’m hopeful that the extra food will give us an advantage over the Sikas.
Since we won last time, we go in first, this time with Rhonda carrying our tribe flag as we march single-file up to our mat.
A short time later, the other tribe joins us, with Minh, the elderly Asian man who sat out the last challenge, no longer among their ranks.
I wonder if he was sent home because he didn’t compete, or if he was already on the outs and figured it was better to get some food in his belly.
If it were the latter, I can’t really say I blame him.
I’m still a little surprised Joe and Beck didn’t take Alex up on his offer.
Once we’re all present and accounted for, our charming host explains the challenge to us: a stereotypical Marooned challenge, with swimming and digging portions followed by a complex puzzle.
“The first tribe to finish wins immunity and a reward,” Alex says, pulling a cover off the podium next to him with a flourish to reveal a set of pillows and blankets.
“Just a little something to make your time out here a bit more comfortable.”
As usual, Neema and Steve give us the walkthrough, and then we get a few moments to decide who will do which portion of the challenge.
Katie volunteers to sit out, leaving the rest of us to choose our roles.
I quickly volunteer to do the puzzle, and Beck insists on joining me.
Meanwhile, Cole, Rhonda, and Joe offer to swim, leaving Marina and Jing to do the digging.
Even though I volunteered, part of me is nervous about doing the puzzle.
If this challenge ends up being as close as the first challenge was, seconds could matter, and I don’t want to be blamed if we lose.
But all my worrying is for naught, because the younger Black woman on Sika is like a dart in the water, retrieving all three of their keys while we still only have one.
Their lead only grows from there, to the point where they finish their puzzle before we can even get a chance to begin ours.
I wish we hadn’t lost, since I could have really used one of those blankets, not to mention all the pillows that now belong to the Sikas.
But at least it wasn’t my fault that we did.
Of course, the bigger problem is that we have to vote someone out.
The good thing is that now that the alliances are crystallized, there’s less horse trading than there was on day three, before our first tribal.
Instead, my alliance spends a good amount of time debating who we want to send home next.
We quickly decide to keep Jing, since she’s clearly an asset in challenges and nobody has anything against her personally, which means it’s down to Beck or Joe.
Rhonda, Cole, and I want to vote for the latter, since he’s by far the most aloof on the tribe.
“I don’t think he’s said two words to me the entire time we’ve been here,” Rhonda says at one point.
I’m sure that’s an exaggeration, but she isn’t far off, and the fact that he hasn’t even tried to get to know us means that we don’t trust him very much.
Meanwhile, Katie and Marina are tired of Beck’s continued attempts at leadership. I understand why they’re upset—he does tend to railroad anyone who disagrees with him—but at least I know where Beck stands, and I can’t say the same for Joe.
Fortunately, even though we all have our own opinions, we also recognize the value of voting together and presenting a united front, at least at this stage in the game, and we come to a joint decision well before tribal.
But just because we’re united doesn’t mean the other alliance is going to go down without a fight.
A few hours before sunset, Beck and Jing pull me aside and try valiantly to convince me to vote for Marina.
“I just think she’s the least helpful in challenges,” Jing says while Beck nods along.
“Nothing against her personally, but someone has to go, and it might as well be someone who benefits the tribe the least.”
Unlike last time, however, my mind is already made up, so I politely hear them out without agreeing to anything, doing my best impression of a brick wall, and after a while, they leave me alone.
I don’t want to rock the boat this early in the game, and I doubt my alliance mates do either, despite the best efforts of the three in the minority.
Even though I trust my alliance, there’s always the possibility that something can go wrong. You never know in this game—someone might decide to flip, or there could be some twist at tribal council. Nothing is ever guaranteed.
But in what can only be considered a win for my blood pressure, everything goes smoothly at tribal that night, and Joe is voted out with five votes to Marina’s three.
I wouldn’t say I’m happy to see him go home—the silver lining of our complete lack of interaction is that he didn’t really have a chance to get on my bad side—but far better him than me.
Cole glances over at me as Alex reads the final vote, giving me a wink, and I amend that last bit. Better him than any of my alliance.
Days 10-13
In the coming days, we try our best to bounce back from our immunity loss, hoping that the loss of another tribe member will keep us focused.
But on day eleven, we lose the next challenge, and the reward of PB&J sandwiches that comes with it.
The mood around camp is gloomy that afternoon, despite the fact that the sun is shining high and there are no clouds in the sky.
As well as losing another member of our tribe, this puts us one down on Sika.
We don’t know when the tribes will merge, but we do know that it’s better to go into it with numbers.
If they outnumber us, they could just pick the remaining Merus off one by one, until we’re all gone.
At least we don’t have to spend too much time worrying about who’s going home this time.
Now that Joe is gone, Beck is next on our list. He and Jing try once again to convince me and the others to flip on our alliance, but their attempts are desultory this time, presumably because they know it’s even more of an uphill battle with a five-to-two disadvantage.
In fact, when we get to tribal council and the votes are tallied, the final vote is six to one against Beck, with the remaining vote—namely, Beck’s—against Marina.
I guess Jing saw the writing on the wall and voted against her alliance.
Maybe she doesn’t want to burn bridges in case we merge before we go to tribal council again.
Personally, I wouldn’t be opposed to working with her, but I trust her less than I do the others.
For our sixth immunity challenge, on day thirteen, we redouble our efforts to win, eating a substantial portion of the remaining beans to give our bodies some fuel.
Perhaps because she knows she’s going home next if we lose, Jing is invaluable in psyching us up.
“Katie, you and Ryan are awesome at puzzles,” she says as we wait for the motorboat to take us to the challenge.
“Marina, you have great balance, and you’re quick with knots.
And Cole, you were an absolute beast carrying the pole with all the weight on it.
I know we can pull it off, no matter what the next one is. ”
Rhonda glares at Jing, but the effect is lessened by her familiar smile. “And what about me?” she asks. “Am I just chopped liver?”
To her credit, Jing doesn’t miss a beat. “I didn’t think I needed to mention you,” she says, matching Rhonda’s smile. “We all know you’re the heart and soul of this tribe.”
Rhonda gives a stately nod while the rest of us laugh good-naturedly. “And don’t y’all forget it,” she says gravely. We all hasten to assure her that we won’t.