Page 35 of Wild for You
I nod and let my head rest on his chest, the rhythmic movements of his steps lulling my mind back to normal.
“What did you mean by ‘I'll be just fine’?” I ask again.
“I didn’t want to get into this just yet, but we’ve got some time, so I guess I’ll tell you the plan.” He pauses, all the playfulness leaving his voice.
“The plan? Like to get home?”
“Yeah. It’s not completely final yet, but I’ve been working through some ideas about how to get us home. That’s why I need you to know how to fish, to take care of yourself.”
“What do you mean? Where areyougoing to be?” My eyebrows pull together in confusion.
He sighs. “I’m going to build a raft and set out to find help. I’ve been going over it in my head, and I think I know where we are. If I head north, it should only take me a few days to reach the other island.” He pauses. “You’ll stay here and stay out of trouble and wait for me to return with help.”
I blink several times, trying to process this. I even check the stupid camera to see if he’s filming because surely this is a joke and he just needs more blooper footage of me freaking the fuck out.
“No. Absolutely not!” I kick my legs for him to put me down, and when his grip tightens around me, I push my arms away from his chest.
“Watch it! You’re going to drop all our shit!” he scolds. “I’m not putting you down until the ground is soft, so you can stop fighting me. You’re only going to make yourself sore and lose our dinner.”
“Jack, you can’t just leave mealoneon a deserted island to fend for myself. I’m coming with you.”
“No. You’re not!”
“Yes. I am!”
“Gwen, I threw you in the ocean today, and you froze. That half-ass doggy-paddle shit isn’t going to fly in the middle of open water. There’s no way we’d make it. I won’t be able to keep you safe and get us out of here. You’re a liability.”
When we reach the sand, he sets me down carefully, one foot at a time, like I’m made of glass. Then continues his trek toward the campsite as if the conversation is over.
“What if a giant chimpanzee attacks the tent while I’m sleeping!? Have you seenPlanet of the Apes? Jack, I can’t fight off a pack of chimps by myself.”
This makes him laugh. “If a pack of chimps decides to murder us in our sleep, I’m afraid there’s nothingIcan even do about that.”
I run behind him to keep up. “You’re not helping!”
“Well, it’s not a negotiation, babe. I’ll teach you all the basic survival skills you need before I leave. Don’t worry about it, okay?”
“How? How am I not supposed to worry about it? What if a shark eats you? What kind of raft are you going to build to survive the ocean magically? What if you get lost at sea, and you never come back!?”
He stops abruptly, and I run straight into his backpack, the force giving me a canvas burn on my forehead. “Ow.”
“Gwen, don’t you trust me? I’ve got this. I’ll get help, and I’ll come for you, but I need you to listen to me and cooperate for this to work.” His eyes scan my face. Though for what, I’m not sure. I don’t know what comes over me, but I nod.
“Say you trust me,” he whispers.
My breath hitches, and my throat tightens around the words. “I trust you.” I manage.
A devious smile pulls at his lips, and he places a hand over his heart. “Aw, thanks, babe. You really know how to stroke a guy’s ego.”
I shake my head and laugh as a kaleidoscope of butterflies erupts in my belly. What is this man doing to me?
* * *
After we return to camp,the sun’s high in the sky, which Jack says means it’s close to noon. We have the leftover oysters for lunch, and Jack finds some edible plants that taste close enough to kale if I close my eyes and pretend. I’m grateful for the seemingly-normal cuisine.
After we’ve eaten and Jack’s purified enough water for us to drink for the rest of the day—a lesson I will never forget—we get to work cleaning my fish for dinner.
“Do you have to keep the head on it like that?” I ask as Jack saws the medium-sized fish in half. “And the tail. That’s just gross.”
