Page 96 of Wrecked
“Does that mean we are connected to a…a country? Like, if we keep walking, are we going to run intoSecrets Resort?” I can feel the hope and excitement mounting with the thought. What I wouldn’t do for a spa day.
“We might be in a South American country, but the chances we are by a luxury resort are pretty slim, baby,” he says gently. “The pilot didn’t indicate that there was an airport nearby that he was trying to land at, and the Amazon rainforest goes on for thousands and thousands of miles.”
My hope deflates. Thousands of miles of coastline. How are they ever going to find us?
“Hey…” he grabs my chin, forcing me to look up at him, “it’s you and me, no matter what. If we are here for five days or ten years…I’m going to take care of you. For the rest of our lives.” There is nothing but honesty in his vow.
“Okay,” I murmur, knowing it’s the truth. “So if we aren’t staying in the cave, where are we setting up a shelter?”
“The overhang. I know it’s far from the beach, but it’s the best chance we have because I can close the entrance. It’s big enough to build a fire and still have room to move around, but small enough that I can insulate it pretty quickly.”
“How do we get rescued if they can’t even see us?” This feels like giving up.
“We keep a bonfire on the beach. We feed it each day and spend as much of the daytime there as we can. Maybe create a message out of rocks in case it’s spotted when we aren’t there, or the rain extinguishes the fire. We. Are. Not. Giving. Up. But, we need to get to a point where we can live…not just survive. I need you to trust me to take care of us.”
“Okay…I trust you.” It’s the easiest phrase I’ve ever spoken. There’s a reason I could never let go of him, of us. Nate is meant to be my forever. Regardless of our history, the hurt, and the pain. Everything he did was to try and protect me. Part of me always knew we were never truly over, that he would always be mine.
He’s my epilogue, not my lesson in love.
He bends down and kisses me softly. The vow he made shines brightly in his eyes. They aren’t just pretty words meant to make me feel better. He means them with every fiber of his being.
“Let’s go.”
We leave the cave and walk back toward the beach so that we can work on our version of forever.
However that may look right now.
The island heatis more bearable today after the last two days of heavy rain. The muggy humidity still lingers though, and it’s fair to assume I will never have a good hair day while we are here.
There is a lot of destruction left behind from the strong hurricane winds, but they don’t lessen the beauty of the jungle. Now that we have some semblance of a plan, I’m starting to appreciate our own little paradise.
We make it back to the beachfront relatively easily despite all of the fallen trees and muddy terrain. The crystal white sand gleams in the distance, drawing my eyes to the scenic coastline.
My heart skips a beat.
Then another.
“Nate!” I squeal, pointing straight ahead. I grab his hand and pull him out of the jungle with me so that he can get a better look.
Luggage.
Luggage scattered all along the beachfront.
“Holy shit,” he exclaims, jogging up to the coastline. “The hurricane must have stirred everything up, and the tide carried it in!”
We both fall to our knees in the sand and begin wrenching open the soggy bags. Clothing, toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, manicure kits, and so much more spill out of the bags and I begin to cry. It’s such a small thing. Such a little win. It’s not going to feed us or shelter us, but it will give us some shred of normalcy.
Nate runs toward the ocean and begins pulling a large piece of metal toward the shore.
A piece of the plane.
“What are you doing?” I shout out to him.
“We can use this, Pip. We can use all of it. The metal from the plane to create a barrier to the overhang. We can use the long rods from the suitcase handles to help keep our structureupright. We can fashion sharper spears for fishing and hunting. We can cut the material from the fabric suitcases for baskets and netting.”
The excitement in his voice has me smiling. I finally believe that we are going to be okay. No matter what, we are going to get through this.
“Okay,Jack. What do I need to do?”
