“Her leg’s not ready anyway,” said Trip angrily. He didn’t have to say that my jumping out of his boat hadn’t helped. We both knew he was thinking it.
Everyone started talking again, all of them casting glances our way. I was exhausted from the stress and my injured leg. I tugged on Ronald’s shirt. “Come on. Let’s go.”
“I’m bringing stuff to clean your leg,” said Winky. “Be there in about ten minutes.”
“Great. Thanks.”
Peter led the way in front of us, keeping the scoldings I knew he was itching to throw out at me to himself. I was glad for that, because I was feeling a little touchy right now and liable to say stupid things at the next person who gave me a hard time.
Paci came running up and fell into step beside me. “I gotta go with Kowi, but I wanted to tell you good job, first.”
“Thanks,” I said lamely. “I appreciate the support. I hope it doesn’t get you in trouble with Trip.”
“I like being in trouble with Trip. He’s an ass,” said Paci, smiling.
“You’re right. He is.”
Peter turned around and scowled at me. I stuck my tongue out at him. I noticed Paci looking at us funny, so I stopped. “I’ll see you tomorrow?” I asked.
“Bet on it,” said Paci.
I could see him getting ready to kiss me again, so I put my hand on his shoulder. “Bye, Paci.” I gave him a look that said not to do it, and he got the message. He frowned for a second and then smiled again before running off.
Jamal and Ronald tripped their way to my hut, and it made me realize how not klutzy I was these days compared to them. I smiled thinking about how I was adapting to my new home. I hoped it was still going to be my home tomorrow after dinner.
***
Jamal and Ronald settled into our hut, sharing Bodo’s mattress which we dragged into the kitchen area to give them some privacy. After nonchalantly bringing our backpacks with weapons inside over by our mattresses, Peter and I laid side by side, talking in whispers about the day and speculating about what might happen tomorrow.
“Did you talk to Trip today?” I asked.
“No. He avoided me, jerk that he is.”
“Asshole,” I said, being supportive. But I also meant it. Trip was an asshole most of the time.
“He’s not really that bad. He’s just under a lot of pressure.”
“He needs to have sex with someone, stat,” I said, giggling.
“Stop,” said Peter, shoving me over. “Don’t be rude.”
“I’m not being rude. I’m just saying … he’s uptight. He needs to let out some of that stress.”
Before Peter could protest again, Winky came by to fix my leg for me. Twenty painful minutes later, I was gratefully re-bandaged and back to gossiping with Peter.
“So do you think they’re going to let them stay?”
“Trip will say no, I know that. But hopefully Kowi will say yes, and then I can do the tie-breaker vote and it’ll be done.”
“You know if you do the tie-breaker against Trip he’ll hate you forever.”
“Forever? Really?”
“Well, maybe not forever. But for a long time.”
“I don’t care. I have to do what’s right … right? I mean, do you agree with this?”
“Of course I do. Don’t be ridiculous. We came here just a little while ago and they let us stay. And I think we’ve integrated just fine.”
“And you’d integrate even more if Trip would let you,” I said suggestively, wiggling my eyebrows. I wasn’t sure if Peter could see them in the dark, but he got my meaning.
“Would you please shut up about that, already? Geez, I never should have told you.”
“Yeah, right. Like you could deny me.”
“Whatever. The point is … we’re getting back to the point now, by the way … that yes, I agree with you. But you have to face the fact that Kowi could very well say no.”
“Do you really think he would?”
“Maybe. To keep the peace here, yes. To make sure his people don’t starve by letting new people in. Yes.”
“But they have all kinds of food here! That’s ridiculous!”
“Shhh! Stop being so loud. They’re going to hear you.” Peter continued in a lower tone. “I know they have plenty of food - for a couple hundred people. But for more than that, I don’t know. Eventually the demand will outstrip supply.”
I frowned at Peter. “Sometimes you sound like a textbook when you talk.”
“Yeah, well I read it somewhere. Supply and demand. Look it up. They could run out of food.”
“Not with two new guys or even a hundred new guys. Did you know they have cattle? And horses and stuff? All they have to do is breed them and make more. It’s a never ending food supply! Not to mention all the gators and deer and turkeys and whatever else is running or slithering around in here.”
“I know, I know. But they’re afraid, and you can’t blame them. They have that ancient history of being welcoming to people outside their tribe, and look where it got them a couple hundred years ago. Trip’s all obsessed about not repeating mistakes of the past.”
“Yeah, well, then he’d better remember what happens when people with bigger numbers come in and want stuff. If it’s not given, they take it - and either kill people off or run them out. This world isn’t going to be that different from the last. We’re all still human after all.”
“Which means we act like animals sometimes.”
“Exactly. Couldn’t have said it better myself,” I said, smiling.
“I know. That’s why I said it,” said Peter smugly.
I slapped him lightly on the cheek. “Go to sleep. Your mighty brain is making me tired.”
“It does that sometimes.”
“And bored.”
“That too. Especially with the more simple-minded folk.”
I reached over and kissed him hard on the mouth. “G’night, sweet prince. I’ll smell you tomorrow.” I closed my eyes, but not before seeing him wipe my kiss off.
“God, where’s Buster when you need him?” asked Peter absently.
I didn’t even open my eyes. “If you’re suggesting that you need that fish-breath dog to lick my nasty kisses off your lips, I’m gonna give you a nut crusher like you’ve never seen before.”
“Who me? I would never …” He giggled and rolled over.
I sighed, but soon fell asleep, for once my dreams not haunted by snakes, canners, or Bodo’s beautiful face.
***
We spent the day hanging out in our hut, making up games using sticks and leaves. Ronald and Jamal had come up with a pretty ingenious one using marked sticks, based loosely on dominoes. Peter soon became the reigning champion, making us all look like idiots and barely-qualified minions with his despotic strategies.
“Come on, let’s go. It’s too humid to be here anymore,” I said, finally giving up on ever winning a single game.
“Where are we going?” asked Ronald, standing up beside me. He was a few inches taller but very skinny, probably weighing nearly the same as me because of his marked lack of nutrition. His brother was broader in the shoulder and meatier in the waist and legs. He looked like he’d eaten twice as much as his twin. If they really are twins. They look nothing alike.
“To the pool,” I said, staring at both of them, trying to pick out any similar features. Maybe the eyes…
Ronald sighed loudly. “I wasn’t joking. We really can’t swim.”
Jamal slowly sat back down, picking up his domino sticks and shaking them around in his hand, giving up instantly on my pool idea.
“Doesn’t matter,” I said. “If you don’t want to go in, you can sit on the dock.”
Jamal dropped the sticks and stood back up with a happy expression on his face. “I don’t mind getting my feet wet. And it is pretty hot.” It was the happiest he’d looked since I’d met him.
“Come on then,” I said, gesturing. “Follow me.”
We walked quietly to the pool, each of us lost in our own thoughts. I was planning the rescue of Bodo in my mind, finally deciding that I would leave in two days. That would give Jamal and Ronald a day to get acclimated and acquainted with some of the others before leaving them behind. They could keep Peter company, assuming they would be living with us. I figured they would be, since I knew there probably weren’t a bunch of empty chickee huts standing around for random strangers to move into.
The pool came into view, and I could hear from the sounds of splashing that we weren’t the only ones with the brilliant idea of cooling off. LaShay’s voice could be heard above everything else.
“You go, girl! My gawd, that was a complete flip. You are beyond belief, you know that? Like a mermaid.”
When we were closer I could see she was cheering on a fellow amputee who’d just done some sort of flip in the water. It had to have been difficult with only one arm to move the water around with. LaShay reminded me of a physical therapist, guiding her patients and cheering them on. I smiled at the thought of her in nurse’s scrubs, bossing sick people around. She would have been an awesome medical person - doctor, nurse, therapist, whatever - she really cared about helping others get well, that much was obvious.
I walked up near to where her head was, at the edge of one of the docks, and bent down. “Hello, gorgeous.”
She screamed, spinning around in the water, her face a mask of terror. “Sweet Lord and baby Jesus … Bryn! You scared the you-know-what outta me. What’re you doin’ sneakin’ up on me like that?” Her eyes lost their angry look as soon as they fell on Jamal. “Oh. My … goodness. You brought friends.” She smiled, reaching her hand up to smooth her hair. She must have momentarily forgotten she only had the one, because she immediately sunk below the surface.
“Oh my god … she’s drowning!” yelled Ronald. “I told you black people don’t swim!”
LaShay’s face came bursting up out of the water, spraying droplets around. And she was pissed. “What did you just say, boy?”
Ronald cleared this throat and stretched his neck out uncomfortably. “Uhhh … I said you were drowning?”
“No. After that.”
“That … uh … black people don’t swim?”
“Boy, get yo’ head outta yo’ butt. Do you see a black woman up in here?”
“Yes, ma’am, I do.”
“Don’t you ma’am me! I ain’t your momma or your fat, old lady neighbor!”
“Yes, I can see that. I’m sorry.” He sounded so contrite, I felt bad for him. But I was laughing all the same.
“Fine, then. You see this black woman swimmin’, don’t you?”
“Yes, I do see that.”
“Good. Look real hard and say that shit again, then.”
“No. I … uh … think I’ll just shut up now.”
“Mmm-hmm,” said LaShay, turning her back to him, “that’s what I thought.” She calmly swam away, only a little bit off kilter because of her missing arm.
I couldn’t stop laughing. Peter joined in, holding his stomach.
LaShay ignored all of us, continuing on with her graceful departure to the other side of the pool.
Ronald let out a long breath of air.
“That was friggin’ awesome, Ronald,” I said, patting him on the back. “Thanks for that.”
“That what? Spectacle?” he asked, still looking pretty stunned.
“The entertainment. I love when LaShay gets her undies in a bunch. Come on. Let’s go swimming.”
Jamal and Ronald both looked afraid again, so I pointed to the dock. “Sit there, take off your shoes, and dip your feet in the water. It’s really nice.” I reached down and pulled my moccasins off.