CHAPTER 4
Matthew didn’t have the heart to force them to go out and search for water. They had enough to last for a day or two without rationing. One more day wouldn’t make any difference. Ron disagreed.
“We have to find water.”
“Ron. We have enough water for a couple of days. We can wait until tomorrow after we’ve rested up a bit.”
“We have to find water now.”
“We’ve just spent three weeks in the middle of the ocean, Ron. We can look for water tomorrow.”
“Matthew! We need water, and we need it now, before we’re too weak. We might get lucky and find water right away, but if not, we’ll have to search again tomorrow. That’s cutting it too close.”
Matthew held Ron’s gaze for several seconds. Then he sighed. “All right. We’ll look for water. You and me. The others can stay here and rest.” Satisfied, Ron nodded. They each took two empty flasks from the boat.
“Ron and I are going to look for water,” Matthew informed the others. “We’ll be back in a while.”
“I’ll go with you,” said Jeff. Matthew was about to tell him it wasn’t necessary but after looking at Ron, decided against it.
“The more the merrier.”
“Me, too,” said Will. Carl stood up with him. The rest started to get up.
“No,” said Ron. “We only need three men.” He indicated Will, Carl, and Jeff, who had volunteered first. “You others stay here. We don’t know anything about this island.”
“Who the hell are you?” Dave burst out in anger. “You’ve been a nut case for the last three weeks, and now you’re gonna give orders? Up yours, pal. We’re going with you.”
Matthew held up his hand. “Ron’s right. We don’t need twenty people to carry ten gallons of water, and we don’t know anything about the island. Until we do, you and the others need to stay here and watch over things.”
“I don’t know why we should listen to him all of a sudden,” Dave grumbled, but he acquiesced.
Flasks in hand, they made for the jungle. Ron set his flasks down when they came to a large tree.
“What are you doing?” asked Matthew.
“I’m gonna climb the tree. My scoutmaster taught us to get our bearings by climbing a tree. We need to keep the ocean at our backs.”
“The ocean’s right over there Ron,” drawled Will sarcastically.
“I know that, Will, but do you know what’s ahead of us? My scoutmaster taught us to get our bearings right away so we know what we’re getting into before we get into it.”
“Is this the survival trainin’ you been tellin’ us about?” Will asked, snickering. “Your Boy Scout Master?”
“Yeah. The navy’s training was tougher, but you’d be surprised at what we learned from him.”
“Great,” muttered Carl. Matthew and Jeff exchanged glances. Matthew shrugged. According to the book, Ron was right, but there was no way they could get lost on an island.
Ron climbed the tree. Considering the circumstances, Matthew was amazed at his physical condition. He thought about the stamina Ron had shown, rowing for hours before asking to be relieved.
Ron climbed down the tree and took out a large pocketknife, the type usually carried when hunting large game. The others gaped at it.
“My scoutmaster said we should always carry a knife. You never know when you might find yourself in the middle of a jungle.”
Will burst out laughing. Soon all except Ron were laughing. Will laughed so hard he had to sit down. Ron watched, puzzled, while they tried to stifle their laughter.
“I don’t see what’s so funny. We are in the middle of a jungle.”
Will began to howl again. They laughed until they were in tears. Ron watched them, unaffected.
“Are we gonna get serious?” he asked when they had gained some semblance of control.
“Yes,” said Matthew, still struggling with his laughter. They shouldn’t be laughing, but Ron had been a basket case most of the time on the lifeboat and now he was acting like the commander of a guerilla team. It was hard to associate the two without seeing something funny in it.
Ron made a mark on the tree. “We may need it to find our way back.” He hacked at a large sapling.
“Your scoutmaster?” asked Will.
“Of course. For snakes.”
Will knew about snakes. “Come on. Ya don’t need a club for a little snake.”
“I know. Besides, you don’t have enough time. Snakes drop out of the trees and bite you before you can get them off. The club is for the big ones. You stamp it on the ground. The vibrations keep them away. It helps some if you stamp your feet too.”
Matthew caught the look on Ron’s face. He didn’t believe Ron, but he looked up at branches anyway. The others glanced nervously over their heads.
Ron led the way, all the while stamping the ground with the rod. Will, with an eye on the tree branches, stomped his feet as he walked. Carl and Jeff followed close behind.
Suddenly Ron stopped. “Listen!”
“I don’t hear nuthin’.” They were already grinning at each other. A new revelation from Ron’s scoutmaster was imminent.
“I hear running water. This way.” He bolted into the bushes.
Will looked at Jeff. “It’s prob’ly runnin’ from Ron.” This brought a new round of snickering as they trudged after Ron.
They broke out into a clearing. A stream of water cascaded over a ledge, into a pool. If they’d been listening, they would have heard it. The sound of running water awakened their thirst, and they hurled themselves toward its edge.
Ron didn’t join them. He bent down and began to fill his flasks. Matthew did the same. Ron kept one eye on his flasks and the other on the others as they fell on their bellies and drank the cool, delicious water.
“My scoutmaster told us–”
Carl rolled his eyes and laughed. “Aw, shut up Ron. Just fill your jugs.”
“Okay.” There was the barest hint of a smile on Ron’s lips. His flasks now full, Ron stepped away from the edge of the pool and took a long slow drink.
The others sat down on the ground, and watched Ron. They had harassed him, but now they regarded him with respect. He had found the water inside of a half-hour.
“Look, Ron,” said Will. “We’re sorry we laughed. We didn’t mean no harm, but you gotta admit. It was kinda funny.” They laughed again.
“Come on, Ron. Sit down. Take a load off,” said Carl.
“That’s all right. I prefer to stand.” Ron stood apart, from the others, a little aloof. Suddenly, Will yelped and jumped up. He slapped his pant leg.
“Ouch!” Carl also jumped up. Jeff joined in. Soon they were dancing around, shouting expletives, and beating their legs. Will headed for the pool. Jeff and Carl joined him, stripping their pants, while Ron stood on the edge of the pool and watched. They turned and looked at him intently.
“You knew what was goin’ on,” accused Will, while he rubbed his legs.
Ron was a picture of innocence. “I tried to tell you, but you told me to shut up. My scoutmaster said when you’re in the jungle, always check the ground, before you sit on it, and never sit in the path of ants.”
“Just where did your scoutmaster get his training?” wondered Matthew.
Ron grinned. “He was a member of the US Navy SEA and LAND Special Forces. They called them SEALS.”
Will swore and swung his pants in a long arc. They slapped the water with a smack. The rest of the men got out of the water and put their pants back on.
“Okay, let’s go,” said Matthew with a nod to Ron. Ron went ahead of them.
“Hey, you forgot your club,” reminded Will.
“We’re going back the same way we came. We didn’t see any snakes on the way here. I don’t think there will be any on the way back.”
Will went up to Ron and glared into his eyes. Ron remained motionless, a passive expression on his face.
“You bastard. You been slingin’ a line a’ bull. We been
stompin’ ‘round this jungle, like scared chickens and you been laughin’ your ass off the whole time.” A trace of a smile crossed Ron’s lips.
Will broke out in laughter. “And we thought we was smart. Can you imagine what we musta looked like stompin’ in the bushes for the last half-hour tryin’ to scare away some snakes? It must have looked like some native war dance.” He stomped around and howled. Then he turned back to Ron.
“You’re okay, Ron. Now take us back, cuz I don’t know where the hell we are.”
“The boat’s tied off well enough for now,” said Ron when they got back. “But we’ll have to figure out a way to get it farther up on shore. Maybe we can find another place to put it after we explore the island.”
“I’m not setting foot in that boat again,” stated Dave emphatically. He looked at Ron, “And I’m not taking orders from you.”
“Lay off,” said Will. “He knows what he’s doin’.”
“Then you listen to him,” huffed Dave and walked away.
“Forget him,” said Will to Ron. “We’re all kinda bummed out. He’ll come around after a rest and somethin’ to eat. –When I was a kid, I did some huntin’ with traps and spears. Between you and me, maybe we can rustle up some real food. Not today though. I’m plumb tuckered out.”
MAY 23RD –DAY 51
Admiral Williams absently polished a smudge from his desk when the messenger arrived. The call at midnight had robbed everyone of sleep. His flag lieutenant entered with the messenger. It was 0600.
“Well. What have you got?”
“It looks like the USS Washington had a problem with her radar, and didn’t see the Seaview until it was too late. Visibility was very poor, and she was missing some of her inventory used for night observation.”
The admiral was incredulous. “Didn’t anybody see her at all? Good god! Where were the deck watches?”
“Visibility was zero, sir. And the Seaview didn’t have her running lights on. We haven’t had time for thorough questioning, so we don’t know why. It looks like the Seaview lost control of her helm and engines, and rammed the Washington. There was an explosion on the Seaview before the incident, but we don’t know what happened yet. The crews of both ships were able to get off.”
“Send a deep diving vessel to the area. I want a full report of their findings as soon as possible. Get Admiral Roebuck on the phone. He’s to be in charge of the investigation.”
“Yes, sir. The Captains were able to save the ships’ logs. We’ll research them and question the crew at the earliest opportunity.”
“Very well. See that the crews have everything they need.”
“Yes, sir.” The messenger left.
MAY 24TH –DAY 52
Rick sat beside his wife on the beach. “How ya doin’, Babe?”
Jessica had talked very little about her near death experience on the ship. She was unusually quiet, and he was concerned. Her attempted smile was more like a grimace, but at least it was something. She took a deep breath.
“Better.” Her eyes glistened with tears as her nightmare replayed itself. Rick put his arm around her. “I thought I was going to slide right into the ocean. I still can’t believe you caught me.”
“Me neither. I thought you were gone. God, it was horrible. One second you were standing there, and the next, you were going into the ocean.”
This time she favored him with a real smile. “You did good, Rick.”
“I didn’t do so hot. I didn’t have time to get the aspirins.”
“That’s all right, sweetheart. I’ll never have another headache again.”
He pulled her close and held her tight. “I love you.”
She put her head on his shoulder. “If it wasn’t for the kids. I’d think this was exciting. Actually, it is exciting. I just wish the kids knew we were alive.”
“It’s not all lost yet. We may still get home.”
“Or we might not,” she said for him.
“No, we might not.” That was one of the things he admired about her. He didn’t have to paint rosy pictures for her, even though he tried. Jessica wasn’t a pessimist, but she’d always been realistic.
Rick and Jessica’s parents had grown up together and been best of friends. Their children had spent a lot of time together growing up. No one was surprised when Rick and Jessica decided to get married.
“Well, at least the kids will be taken care of. And they’ll know we loved them. Our parents will see to that. I’ll miss them, but I want you to know, Rick, if I have to live on a remote island the rest of my life, I couldn’t think of a better man to be with.”
“Humph.” He shook his head.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“We’ve been through hell, almost didn’t survive it, and you’re ready to take on the world again.”
“We’re ready to take on the world, you mean. I couldn’t do it by myself.”
“I doubt that. But it’s nice to hear you say it.”
They watched the waves wash ashore.
“We have to think about the children as much as possible,” Jessica said. “They’re alive, even if they don’t know that we are. We have to remember that. What do you think they’re doing now?”
“If you’re talking about this very moment in the States, they’re probably sleeping. There’s about eight hours difference in time, but if you’re talking about our time, they’re probably jumping on Grandma and Grandpa’s bed, whichever one they’re staying with.”
Jessica laughed.
MAY 25TH –DAY 53
The third day on the island, Ron brought up the subject of shelter.
“We should build a hut. We might be here for a little while.”
“Good idea,” agreed Matthew.
“Maybe we should build several,” said Robert, “for privacy.”
“I don’t expect to be here long enough to colonize the place.” Matthew still had hopes of getting off the island, and it wouldn’t help morale if they started building more than one hut. “Why don’t we start with one for the time being –enough to provide shelter. Privacy can wait a while.”
“Aren’t you a carpenter, Robert?” asked Ron. “If you told us what to do, we could build a hut.”
“What! Are you gonna take over, Mister Survival Expert?” growled Dave.
“Knock it off!” Matthew stopped the argument before it got out of hand. Dave glared at him. Matthew ignored him and turned back to Ron. “Go on, Ron.”
Ron hesitated a moment, then continued.
“I was thinking that if Robert told us how, we could help. You just tell us what to do, Robert, and we’ll do it.”
“OK. We don’t have much in the way of tools, though.”
“We have a good jungle knife.” Ron turned to Matthew. “We should gather wood for a signal fire. If a ship sails by the island, we can signal it from the beach.”
“Good idea. We can set up a watch. The ones who pull watch duty will be responsible to keep the campfire going. We need to save the flares.” He nodded at Ron. “Since you and Will have experience, you two take care of the food problem. The rest of us can either help Robert, or gather wood.”
While Robert and his crew took care of the hut, the rest gathered driftwood. They stood two-man, four-hour watches day and night to insure the pyre would be lit in the event they saw a ship.
Meanwhile, Ron used rocks to build an oven. He plugged the holes with mud and sand to reduce the draft and save wood. A flat stone covered the front, which they removed to stoke the fire.
MAY 28TH –DAY 56
From the time the ship had sunk until they reached the island, the thought of survival had been foremost in their minds. On the island, with more time to think, the facts of their situation began to sink in. They had survived a shipwreck. Then they had survived three impossible weeks at sea. They would probably survive on the island. But they would never get home. As far as the world was concerned, they were dead. No one considered Ron crazy anymore. They we
re learning a little of what he had been through.
Chuck and Cindy had been raised in the city, and were unused to outdoor living. They had neither the knowledge nor the desire to go camping. Their idea of roughing it was a cottage, a nice fluffy bed, and no phone. Just before the Evening Star sank, they had been walking down the stairway. At the explosion, Chuck had grabbed the railing with one hand and Cindy with the other. Cindy had seized his arm and screamed continuously until Matthew directed them to the lifeboat.
Once in the lifeboat, they had vented their anger on the oars. After reaching the island, however, Cindy especially experienced the full impact of the catastrophe that ravaged them. The recognition of her tenuous grip on life had taken away her self-confidence and robbed her of her innocence. She was frightened, angry, and out of balance, reeling with emotions she didn’t know how to deal with. She cried often and withdrew.
Chuck did his best to comfort her, but nothing he did penetrated the wall she built around herself. It was all he could do to handle his own emotions.
Steve and Jo Ann had a different problem. He blamed her for their misfortune. and never ran out of snide remarks to remind her. Not knowing how to respond, she suffered his abuse silently.
Cindy threw an armload of wood on the ground beside the pile. The beach beckoned, and she left the wood laying where she had dropped it. She would stack it later. She stood at the edge of the water for a long time, and stared at the waves as they slapped the sand.
The tide was going out. The waves left a fine sheen on the sand as they slid back into their watery home. Compared to the soft, white sand behind her, the wet sand was gray and solid beneath her feet. The sea laughed at her, teased her.
“Why,” she cried softly, “Why?” She wanted to scream in anger, but no one would hear; no one important that is. The ones who did couldn’t do anything anyway.
“Su Li! Wait a minute.”
Su Li turned and waited.
Matthew caught up to her. “Can you spare a little time?”
“I have to carry wood. It is very important work.”
Matthew laughed. “Right. Then I guess I’ll have to go with you.” Su Li gave him a couple pieces of wood. Her eyes had an impish smile as he instinctively took them. He talked. “We have to help Cindy and Chuck. They aren’t even talking to each other.”
“I think Chuck does not know how to help her. They have built a wall around themselves and do not let each other in.”
“What do you think we can do?”
“I do not know. If you talk to Chuck and I talk to Cindy, perhaps we can help them help each other.” She handed him another piece of wood.
“How do you want to do it?”
Su Li continued to search the ground as she thought about it. He received more wood. “First, we have to get them to talk.”
“That’s where I’m stuck. I don’t know how to start.”
Su Li walked ahead and considered that, while Matthew shifted his increasing load. “Maybe if we just ask them how they feel. I will try to help her see that she is shutting Chuck out, and you help Chuck to see that he is shutting her out.”
Matthew nodded. “She’s on the beach, and he’s over by the lifeboat. I think we should do it as soon as possible –right now, if you could.”
“I agree.” She handed him one more piece. “I will talk to her.” A hint of a smile touched her lips as she turned and walked back toward the beach.
He looked down at the wood in his arms. “I’ll carry this back if you’d like.”
She looked over her shoulder and flashed him a smile.
Su Li wrestled with her emotions for a moment, then approached Cindy and sat on the beach beside her. Cindy stared into the waves, arms wrapped around her knees. She didn’t acknowledge Su Li.
“It’s beautiful; isn’t it?” Su Li said after a while.
“I think it’s horrible,” Cindy muttered, fighting back the tears.
Su Li put her hand on her arm. “I am so sorry.” Cindy could no longer restrain her tears. Su Li took her into her arms and cried with her. After a while, Cindy quieted, and Su Li began to talk, her voice soothing, healing.
“I know it seems hopeless. But, we have lived through the worst, and we are still alive. We cannot give up.” Cindy faced the ocean and wrapped her arms around her knees again.
“I used to be afraid of growing old, of becoming a grandmother. I have three daughters; one is still in her teens, and two are over twenty. One just got married. The others will get married and have children. And they’ll never know their grandmother.” She began to sob.
Su Li thought of her mother and father who were well up in years. Even if she got off the island, she might never see them again. They might die first. She wanted to tell Cindy that.
“It must be awful feeling that you may not ever see your family again.”
“I’m so afraid,” Cindy said.
“When I got the job on the Evening Star. I took a course on trauma. They told us it was normal to react to tragedies with anger and fear. I learned it, but I did not understand it until now. It is difficult to deal with the anger.”
“You’re angry?” Cindy seemed surprised at this admission.
“Of course. Everyone is angry. Some hide it; others cannot –like Steve and Dave. We’ve lost control of our lives.”
“That’s the worst part. I feel so helpless. I can’t change it, no matter what I do. I can’t even talk to my husband! I’m hurting him because of it.”
“Is that what you really want to do?”
Cindy thought about it. “No. But I want him to understand what I’m feeling.”
“Maybe he does.”
“No, he doesn’t.”
“Have you told him?”
“I’ve tried, but I can’t get it out.”
“Why not tell him what you just told me?”
“It’s different with you. You understand; Chuck doesn’t.”
“He cannot understand if you do not talk to him.”
“I can’t.” Cindy stared at the sand. “He’s not there for me. Sometimes, I hate him because of it.”
“You do not hate him. You want him to comfort you, make it right –but he cannot help if you do not tell him how you feel. Tell him what you have told me. Perhaps you will find that he feels the same.”
“I doubt that. Chuck has an answer for everything. He’s probably putting all this down in his little book already. He carries it everywhere.”
“Perhaps that is his way of dealing with this. If it will make it easier, tell him you talked to me. Tell him what we talked about. Maybe he will let you read his book, and then you will understand how he feels.”
“Maybe –I don’t know.”
“You must try. Matthew is talking to him now. Perhaps he can help.”
Further, up the beach, Chuck sat on the edge of the lifeboat. He counted the marks he had scratched on the side of the boat while they were out at sea, one for each day. Twenty-one, plus the six days they had been on the island made twenty-seven. The Evening Star had gone down on the first of May. That made today the twenty-eighth of May.
Like Cindy, Chuck was a teacher, but his real love was writing. That would be difficult out here, but he intended to try. He retrieved his notebook from the bottom of the boat where he had thrown it after he fell into the water while they pulled the boat ashore. It was still damp and sticky. He pulled the pages apart carefully so he didn’t tear them. He was busy at it when Matthew sat beside him.
“What are you doing?”
Chuck showed him the notebook. “I’m starting a journal. If we ever get out of here, it would be nice to have a record of this.”
“Oh? You’re a writer?”
“I’ve written a few things, even sold an article here and there, but I’ve never written a novel or anything like that.”
“What have you written so far? About us, I mean.”
“Nothing yet; I’m just getting started. I don’t have a whole lot o
f paper, so I’ll have to be concise. Just enough to keep track of the days and events. It’s been twenty-seven days since the ship sank. I’ll have to start with a short summation of what happened when we went down.”
“That must have been rough for you and Cindy.”
“That’s putting it mildly.”
“Yeah, I guess it is. Is there anything I can do to help?”
Chuck put down the notebook. “I don’t know. Right now, Cindy is acting like this whole mess is my fault.”
“I saw her and Su Li a little way up the beach. Maybe Su Li will be able to help. I’m sure Cindy doesn’t blame you. She just doesn’t know how to cope. I’m sure she’s never experienced anything this traumatic in her life.”
“I’m having trouble dealing with it myself.”
“Believe me, you’re not alone.”
“I wish I could talk to her, but she’s not very receptive at the moment.”
“Sometimes just being there is enough. Tell her you love her. Tell her you’re sorry. Tell her you don’t know how to help her, but you want to. It may not be as hard as you think.”
“She’s so angry; I’m afraid she’ll bite my head off.”
“That’s normal. Aren’t you angry?”
“Of course.”
“Well, why don’t you tell her? Then she won’t feel like she’s alone. It will help her to talk. When she does, you have to let her get it out. She doesn’t want to hurt you. She just needs to get it out. Reaffirm your love for her. That’ll help more than anything.”
“Easier said than done.”
“Yeah, it is, but be patient. She may not want to talk. She may not want you to talk. Wait as long as it takes. She’ll talk when she’s ready, and if she needs you to talk, she’ll tell you. Until then, just be there.”
“Just sit there, and not say anything.”
“Look, Chuck, you have to help Cindy deal with this her way. Talking about it might work for you, but it might not work for her. Don’t worry. You’ll get your chance.”
Chuck took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’ll think about it.”
Matthew smiled and put his hand on Chuck’s shoulder and squeezed a little. Now if only someone would help me.
Matthew walked along the beach. A cliff, towering almost three hundred feet above him, blocked access to the northern part of the island. A heavy growth of vegetation at the foot of the cliff made passage to the other side of the island difficult.
He turned around to walk back to camp when Ron popped out of the bushes. His face showed his excitement. “Hey, Matthew! There’s a cave in here.”
Matthew waited for him to catch up. Ron had changed so drastically in the last week that it was hard to believe he was the same man.
“It’s about five hundred feet in. It’s a few feet off the ground, so I’ll have to build a ladder to it. I wonder if we couldn’t use it for shelter.”
Matthew thought for a minute. “I’m not sure, Ron. It’s quite a way from the beach. We can’t see the ocean from there. If a ship goes by, we might not see it.”
“Well, I think we should supply it anyway. You never know; we may have to use it in case something happens. We can stock it with stuff we might need in case of a bad storm. Doris can give me a hand.”
“Okay.” It wouldn’t hurt, and it would keep Ron occupied.
Chuck sat beside Cindy. It took him a minute to gather the courage to talk.
“I’m sorry I haven’t been as supportive as I should. I just haven’t been able to think of anything to say. I want to help; I just don’t know what to do.”
He waited for a long time; Cindy remained quiet. It always ended this way. He almost got up and left. Then, remembering his conversation with Matthew, he put his arm around her and said the only thing he could think of.
“I love you.”
Cindy buried her face in his chest and cried.
MAY 29TH –DAY 57
The beach ran almost entirely around the island, ending at the foot of the cliff where Ron had found the cave. It was almost two miles long, perfect for Matthew’s walks.
Today, his walk took him to the base of the cliff. He looked toward its top. They could probably see in all directions from up there. Maybe they should explore it. Maybe not. He wasn’t sure what to do.
Everyone seemed satisfied to sit it out here. He had no idea how to motivate them, and he could think of no way off the island other than by boat. Always a man of action, he felt crippled. Indecisiveness overwhelmed him. He understood how Chuck felt.
To make matters worse, Helen seemed to have set her sights on him. He tried to put her off, but it wasn’t in his nature to be nasty, so she never took the hint. She had even waited for him to go out on his walk the last two nights and tagged along.
The sound of her voice interrupted his thoughts. “Matthew, you haven’t heard a word I’ve said.”
“I’m sorry. I was pre-occupied. That’s why I go on these walks. They help me get my thoughts together.”
Helen ignored the obvious hint. “What are you thinking about.”
“I’m just trying to figure out a way off this island.”
“Maybe we have to get used to the idea that we aren’t going to get off.”
“No! We can’t be that far from the African coast. There has to be a way out of here.”
“Matthew, this isn’t your responsibility. We can’t waste our time trying to do the impossible. We have to accept the future for what it is.” Matthew didn’t miss her use of ‘we’. Helen sounded a little like his wife, but she wasn’t, he reminded himself. That was another time; another place.
“I can’t accept it. Not yet, anyway. It’s too soon to give up. If we can’t get out of here, then we can’t, but I’m not going to quit trying.”
“I’m not saying you should, but don’t beat yourself over it.” Helen’s voice softened. “There are other things to think about.”
“We have to get back. The others are going to wonder where we are.”
“He’s at it again,” Dave muttered to Roberta. “Why does he have to do this in front of everyone?”
Steve was trying to pick a fight with Jo Ann again. As usual, her response was to press her lips together and hang her head. Every now and then, she got angry because of his abuse, but she too, felt she was to blame for their plight. She had talked Steve into the trip.
“Maybe you’d like to go out and do some shopping,” Steve needled. “Or how about a trip around the world?”
“Hey!” Dave shouted. “Knock it off! Don’t you get tired of this?”
“What? Mind your own business!”
“It is my business when I have to listen to this garbage. It’s not Jo Ann’s fault the ship went down.”
“We wouldn’t have been here if wasn’t for her! I didn’t want to come on this damned cruise, but she had to get her way. She’s always trying to find ways to spend my money.”
At this comment, Jo Ann opened her mouth, but Dave cut her off.
“You ain’t got money problems out here.”
“We ain’t got nothin’ out here!”
Dave was silent for a moment. “Look. I didn’t want to go on the cruise either. I would’ve rather taken a plane. But I don’t blame Roberta that the ship sank. If the plane went down, we wouldn’t have had a chance at all. Whose fault would that have been?”
Steve clenched his jaw and remained silent.
Dave shook his head. “Man, I don’t understand you. You treat your wife like a jerk –You’re the jerk! You sit around whining like a baby. I thought you had some moxy.”
“Who the hell are you to talk? You got an argument against every idea that someone comes up with. You’re a regular blowhard.”
“You’re right. I am a blowhard. But I don’t take it out on my wife.” Dave paused. “It’s nobody’s fault and nobody likes it. We got enough problems without you adding to them.” He glanced at Ron. “Some got it a lot worse than you, and they deal with it.”
Dave stood and looked at Roberta. “Let’s go.” Together, they left the camp.
“What brought that on?” Roberta asked when they had walked a bit.
“I just got tired of listening to his crap. Why? Did it bother you?”
“Not at all. I just didn’t expect it.”
“Well, don’t expect it again.”
Roberta smiled and took his arm.
Su Li watched Helen latch onto Matthew every time he went for his walk. Matthew didn’t seem to be interested in her, but Su Li knew that it was just a matter of time. Helen was an intelligent and beautiful woman. Under the present circumstances, on a remote island, it would be difficult for a man to resist such a woman for long.
She was angry with Helen, but she felt bound by her own ethical code. Or perhaps it was her shyness that held her back. She couldn’t bring herself to compete for Matthew’s attention. Besides, Matthew didn’t want company on his walks. She understood that need. He needed privacy, just as she did. Helen seemed to have little insight into others’ feelings.
“Do you think we’ll ever get out of here, Su Li?” Helen asked.
“I do not know. But if anyone can get us home, Matthew can.”
“That’s true. If anyone can, he can, but I don’t think anyone can.”
“You give up?”
“No. I’m realistic. I don’t cling to blind faith. A shipwreck isn’t going to end my life. I intend to survive, even if we never get off this island.”
“I did not think it was blind faith to hope we would survive, especially when we were in the lifeboat for three weeks.”
“That was different. We had a boat and we could row. But we’re stuck here.”
Su Li was persistent. “I still say Matthew will find a way.”
“He might. He’s quite a guy. I can’t say as I’ve ever met anyone like him before. Sometimes he’s like Superman –able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Other times he’s as helpless as Clark Kent. I wish he’d make up his mind which one he wants to be.”
“He is very careful because he is concerned for us.”
“Oh, I know that. I just wish he’d be a little more decisive in other areas.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, take us for instance. We both want him, but he doesn’t show any interest.”
The blunt statement caught Su Li off guard. “I do not know what you mean.” She could feel the flush in her face and was glad it was dark.
“Come on, Su Li. It’s written all over your face every time you look at him. He just doesn’t respond to the chase.”
Su Li felt that Helen saw right through her and became defensive. “I do not chase Matthew.”
“You don’t?”
“I have never chased a man before, and I will not start now.”
“Then you won’t mind if I do. Unless you have dibs.”
There was that word again. What was Helen up to? “I don’t have dibs on him.”
“Last chance. I’ll step aside if you have a claim on him.” She worded it perfectly.
Su Li had watched Matthew for four long weeks. The kindness and strength he had shown others had convinced her that he was nothing like her ex-husband, and the giddiness she had felt on the Evening Star had given way to other, stronger feelings. She was in love with him.
In the lifeboat, she had spent the night in Matthew’s arms under the same blanket. In her whole life, she had never felt so safe. An invitation to share a blanket might give one the right of claim under other circumstances, but not out here in the middle of the ocean with twenty other people.
Su Li’s voice was cold. “I have no claim on Matthew.”
The rest of the watch was spent in silence, while Su Li brooded on Helen’s comments. What could she do? She couldn’t just go up to Matthew and say, “I want you. Forget Helen and take me instead.” Unlike Helen, Su Li couldn’t be so brazen. If Matthew was interested in her, she had to have some indication.
She missed the wise advice that her mother and father would have given and felt like a teenager, incapable of making the right decision.