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Chapter 1 - Always Rafiki
Absolutely not. I was going to spend my vacation hiking or doing absolutely anything else outside. I was not about to be stuck in a spa for 8 consecutive hours, no matter how 'relaxing' it was supposed to be. It was mud! How relaxing could it really be? It was bad enough going shopping for this trip with Jen before we left. I mean, it's not like I hate shopping, I'm just particular in what I like. Short dresses don’t fit into my 'like' category and booty-shorts don’t cut it either. Okay, maybe I would occasionally wear the short dress, but I'd much rather wear shorts and a t-shirt most of the time.
"Don't be like that Emma, do this for me. Pretty please! The spa is world renowned, I read about it in a magazine on the plane. It said that their mud baths were to die for!" Jen gave me the puppy eyes. They usually work too, with her luscious strawberry blonde hair and sparkling blue eyes people just can’t resist giving into her demands. I’ve been with her too long though.
"Nopity-nope. Nope. Someone else can go die for their mud then, it is not going to be me. There's no way you’re dragging me into that nightmare. You know your puppy eyes don't work on me, I know you too well, put'em away and keep your eyes on the road!" I shouted at the end. I'm not about to fall for her guilt trip either. "While you're at it, no guilt tripping me into going with you either. I already went shopping with you before. Not happening." She huffed and trained her eyes back on the twisting road ahead of us.
Of course, if you happened to be listening to our conversation you would probably assume I was being mean and downright rude to my bestfriend, but you have to understand. We don't have a normal relationship with each other, never did in the first place. We spend all of our joyous moments together teasing and calling each other out. I honestly believe that's why we get along so well. There is nothing that I love better in this world than to bicker with someone. It's so much fun to argue with someone knowing that afterwards you can just go bump shoulders with them and all will be well. And luckily enough for me, it's what we both excel at. Jen loves nothing more than to mock me for anything and everything in my life. But don't worry, I give it straight back to her in return. Our conversations can range from what the winning marble will be in our game of marbles to whether or not there are aliens in space. To be clear, there are no aliens in space, don’t listen to what Jen says, she’s in a state of denial. It gets very interesting, let me tell ya, but it also leads to the most amazing looks from complete strangers. That's half of the joy I get from bickering, especially when you get placed by that one old granny in the checkout line of your local grocery store. You all know the one. She’s the individual who thinks that all of the children of this generation are corrupted and ruining all hopes for the future. Ug, but the look on her face, best moment ever. Yep, definitely my most memorable event with Jen.
Flashback:
So there we were in the town's local grocery store buying tampons, don't judge -if you're a girl you do it too- and we were debating who out of Jiminy Cricket and Rafiki was the wisest. I was all for Rafiki, but of course Jen was going for the philosophical, wishy stuff. I mean, come on! Who wouldn't want a crazy, lunatic monkey spouting out great advice at you? It would be awesome, you could just yell back and forth all day long, but still be learning life lessons. But noooo, she has to be all technical and go for the soft, deep voice that beckons you to wish upon stars, seriously? Nada. We were just getting really into the debate as we made our way to the checkout line with our supplies when I claimed that wishing on stars was ridiculous and fake. Jen blew up. Her face went red and her eyes narrowed in on me. It was absolutely hilarious. She reached into our hand basket and pulled out a box of tampons. In her fury though, she couldn't get a grip on the slippery box, so she slid her finger in the opening lip on top and snatched it out. I, of course, had realized the trouble I was in the moment those words slipped out of my mouth and made a mad dash to get a bright display case between me and her rage. I just happened to slip behind a snickers display and was safe for a moment when a brilliant thought hit me. I yelled, "Hey Jen?"
"What do you want you Dirty Rotten Little Scoundrel!?" She screamed back, dodging around the display case, swinging the box of tampons like a machete above her head trying to get a good aim at me. I'm sure we looked like a couple of nutjobs- Darting away from each other with only a 3 foot object between us at 10:30 in the morning. Strange enough though, we hadn't gathered that much of a crowd. Normally we were surrounded by strangers looking on with great interest, but so far only the cashiers and a few other customers were ogling us with interest, but they were probably just glad for some excitement in their boring morning.
As she lunged to the left I shouted, “You’re not you when you’re hungry,” and while grinning, I pitched a handful of snickers’ bars at her face. She looked stunned for a second as they hit her smack in the forehead, but then her face scrunched up and she charged. I knew I was done for, but I wasn’t going down without a fight. I quickly dove to the side, into an aisle that just so happened to have an elderly lady browsing in it. I quickly slammed on my brakes just before smacking into her and somehow managed to skid to the side just enough to slip past her shoulder. Unfortunately, Jen wasn’t as agile as I was. I don’t even think Jen was aware when she smacked the old lady over the head with the box of tampons instead of me. Upon impact, the cardboard lid opened and tampons jetted in every direction. A couple of the little packages managed to lodge themselves in the old lady’s hair and purse. Realization dawned on Jen’s face and she got a panicked look on her face. I was done. I immediately dropped to the tile floor and proceeded to clutch my sides while rolling around in maniacal laughter. Tears had started making their way down my face, but I truly couldn’t stop. I tried to gain my composure, but when I sat up and looked over I saw the horrified, embarrassed look on the old lady’s face and it was all for nothing, back to the floor I went.
Chapter 2- Is that a Challenge?
Present Time:
It's a really good thing that I wasn't driving. Not that I ever would be, Jen is very protective of her things and even though this is just a rental car she's claimed it as hers. At the moment I was laughing in the passenger seat. Jen kept glancing over at me with a concerned expression. When I finally sobered up enough, I spoke,
“First off, eyes on the road, come on we just talked about this! And second, what? Am I not allowed to laugh to myself once in awhile?” I asked while managing to bring my grin down to a smirk.
“My eyes are on the road, you dumbo! And no. You’re not allowed to laugh to yourself, especially when it’s going to cause you to have a seizure my passenger seat while I am driving.” She sassed back to me, giving me a look that said she wanted the whole story.
I huffed and frowned at her calling me out, but my grin was soon back in place. I schooled an innocent expression on my face and calmly explained, “I was simply reminiscing in my victory at the grocery store yesterday and it made me laugh.” The grin was back in full force.
Jen was not pleased at all by my answer.
“It was not funny, that lady threatened to sue me!” Jen leaned over to give me a good smack on my upper arm, but I bent away, feeding into her frustration. “All over a spilt box of tampons! Seriously?! It’s not like I meant for it to happen, it was an accident! I am not a delinquent!” She put her hand back on the steering wheel, glaring at the road ahead.
“Pfft, yeah it was a complete accident, you just happened to be swinging the box around and her head magically popped up in its course.” I couldn’t help myself from throwing in a comment. Bad idea, I should’ve just bit my tongue.
“Oh? It’s my fault? You think it’s my fault?” She challenged.
Well, I’ve never been one to back down from a direct challenge, “Is that not what I just said?” Oooh, one look at Jen’s face and I could tell the game was on.
“Well excuse me princess, but who do you think was supposed to get hit by the box, hmm? That's right Buddy! You were! If you would have just given up your denial and agreed that Jiminy Cricket is the best and wisest then it never would have happened in the first place!” She looked pretty proud of her come back, what a shame. I was not going to let this one go.
“My denial? Have you gone certifiably INSANE? There is no time nor place in existence where Jiminy Cricket would be deemed wiser than the great Rafiki himself! He is the master of all wisdom!” I was definitely on a roll now.
Chapter 3- Destination in Sight
It took us approximately 47 minutes to come to a stalemate in our argument. Neither of us were willing to give in nor back down. We sat in silence for a couple of minutes, enjoying the scenery before I broke the ice.
“Do you think out cabin will be right on the ocean? The pictures from online looked like it was, but you never know. Did it say if it was?” I ask, deciding to change to a more mellow topic.
“Oh, I don’t think it said for our exact cabin exactly, but that would be amazing! I hope it is, but even if it’s not just being able to hear the waves crashing on the beach would be enough,” she gushed out, a dreamy look on her face.. She had always been obsessed with beaches and was always telling me about them. I myself was more of a mountain girl, but I wouldn’t say no to going to the beach if I had the time. We had been planning and packing for this trip for months now and Jen was bouncing with excitement, I could tell. She really had no filter on her emotions, but that was part of what made her amazing. Unlike some people, she was genuine, to the point of being painfully blunt. I knew I would always get the truth from her. Along with her, I pride myself on being honest, but I try to keep things to myself if I know they’ll cause someone else to suffer. We both had been wanting to go to Hawaii for some time, wait... Actually, I don’t think that’s entirely true. I had never really thought about it that much, it was the cliche vacation that everyone went on, but Jen had always longed to go. It was all of her wishful talking that had got me to like the idea and when I booked the flight 4 months ago I presented the tickets to her on her birthday, she literally squealed. Yea, she squealed. I think I went deaf for a couple of hours afterwards, but it was worth the look on her face. Of course she had to pay for half of her ticket, I’m not rich, but she was more than willing to contribute. She probably wouldn’t have let me pay for it even if I did have the money. Either way, she was almost out of her mind with excitement. We had to make special shopping trips, as I mentioned before, so that we could buy the best swimming suits for the famous beaches. Cause that's so important.
We went around a bend in the road and both of our breaths caught. I thought that the rainforest we had been driving through was enough to take my breath away, but no. This was amazing. The forest ahead of us opened into a small valley with town leading to a harbor and beyond was the ocean. It was absolutely beautiful. In school I had taken AP Environmental Science and I gave a presentation on how polluted our oceans had become. This ocean looked like it had never been touched by civilization. Nothing, but a dazzling blue for as far as my eyes could see. Betraying the oceans innocence there lay a town almost up to the harbor itself. It looked like it was a modern town, established 25 years ago according to my research. Not too big, yet not too small, the perfect size for a town.
Coming back to my senses I glance over at Jen to see that she is just as enthralled as me, but is still paying attention to the road, for which I was glad.
“Wow, it’s so much more than I imagined. I’m glad you convinced me to drive the extra 7 hours to get away from the big city. It was well worth the drive.” Jen says with a grateful whisper. While I think that we would have both still loved the big city, I agreed that this was much better. It was as if we had gone to another planet. It was spectacular.
“Isn’t it so green? Just look at the mountains, I can’t wait to ask the locals what the best hikes are. I might even go to the spa with you if you go on some hikes with me.” I slyly add in at the end. I know she isn’t the biggest fan of hiking, but I also knew she wouldn’t pass up the chance to get me to go to the spa with her.
“I’m down for that. You probably wouldn’t have even had to offer to go to the spa to get me to go, but you can’t back out now. You already said you would, I’ll book our appointment tomorrow.” She smiles and takes advantage of the situation, the little rascal.
“Arg, I should have guessed that even you wouldn’t be able to say no to those luscious green mountains. I mean just look at them.” Peering out of the passenger window I feel myself being pulled to the mountains full of endless possibilities. It wouldn’t be long before I stepped foot in those hillsides and I would get to explore it.
Chapter 4- The Perfect Town
The town came into sight and once again I was in shock. It was like the towns you always read about in stories, but figured that they never existed in real life. There were no huge warehouses to ruin the town image, no abandoned creepy buildings and there was nothing polluting the air. From what I could see everything looked clean and had a very friendly feel to it. I guess Jen was feeling the same as me because she commented, “It looks as if it’s out of a fairytale. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to leave.” I completely agreed.
“I know the feeling, it’s as if this place hasn’t been touched by the outside world at all. A Haven.” Jen nodded at my reply, but continued to look forward. We settled into comfortable silence, taking in everything around us. When we passing the outer limits of the town we both sat up a little straighter, our curiosity showing in the small action. Small cottage like houses were on either side of us, but unlike in the city each had its own yard and driveway. They were also each unique, different from the cookie-cutter houses that are in most places now. Some of the homes did look modern, but most looked like they were built to resemble older cottages.
As we neared what I assumed was the heart of the town shops started popping up and people were strolling down the sidewalks window shopping. I pulled out my phone happy to see that I still had full service and asked Jen if she remembered the address to the manager's office for our cabin.
“Um, it’s something along the lines of 237 S Main St.?” She sounded unsure of herself.
I rolled my eyes at her even though she was looking at the road and said, “Yeah, well I don’t trust that answer, so I’m looking it up.” She huffed at me, looking slightly offended.
“Well, excuse me for not remembering it after an 8 hour flight and another 7 hours of driving. I’m sure you’re memory is just perfect.” She retorted back at me. And just like that the strange, almost reverence that had been in the car since we first caught sight of the town was gone and we were back to sassing the crap out of each other. I hid a sigh of relief and got in on the game.
“Of course it is. Why would you ever think differently? I am just perfect, didn’t you know? Always have been and always will be.” I grinned back at Jen, while searching for the address on my phone.
She simply raised her eyebrow at me and challenged, “Is that why we got locked in the school library that one time? You’re perfect memory of the closing time, hmm?”
I gasped and turned to glare at her, “They changed the times on the front door while we were in there I know it! I specifically remember reading that it closed at 8:30, not 7:30. There is a very distinct difference between the two and I saw the number eight!” I declared, trying to defend myself. Jen just scuffed and rolled her eyes at me.
“Sure they just happened to change the time on their front door, while we were looking for a movie. We had to spend hours in there you know, you remember that surely! The police thought we were prank calling them for the first couple of tries, it took forever for someone to take us seriously and send help.” I was horrified. She had just successfully called me out and there was nothing I could say to deny it. “Whatever, that was one time. One time!” I mouthed back, still slightly in denial. She just laughed at me and pulled into an empty parking spot in front of a bustling cafe.
“Have you found the address yet? We kind of need to know it to know where to go.” Jen asked, still laughing at me.
“Ug, yes I found it. You actually parked right by it. The GPS says that it’s just down the block. Let’s go.” I say, hopping out of the car. She grinned and got out of the car as well. We stepped onto the sidewalk and I locked our elbows and steered us to the left. We started skipping down the block. Some people gave us intriguing stares, but we were too happy to be here to even care. We really should have at least stretched when we got out of the car though. Being cooped up in there for hours has made me sore and just this skipping has me starting to gasp for breath.
“Okay, okay.” I pull Jen to a stop in front of the office, still gasping. “We’re here, we can stop now.”
“Are you breathing hard? Is the famous athlete out of breath? I never knew this was possible! Alert the news crew, history has been made in this moment!” She was yelling at the people walking by at the end. They looked at us strangely and then hurried away.
I could feel a blush start to form on my cheeks, but I refused to look down at my feet and raised my head defiantly. “You know I’m not invincible. I just like to stay active and healthy,” I say, defending myself.
“MmHmm, sure.” Jen just smirks and turns to go into the front office. I huff and follow along.
“We reserved a cabin with a bunk for the week.” I walk in hearing Jen ask. The woman at the front desk looked friendly enough. She had a high blond ponytail and button down blue blouse, overall she looked like a normal woman to me. Strange. She sat at a professional desk typing on her desktop, hopefully finding our cabin. As capable as she seemed, I wanted proof before I matched appearances to personalities.
“Ah yes, here it is. You are lucky, you got one of my favorite ones. It’s not quite right on the beach, but that’s a good thing, you’ll have your privacy.” She finished off, eyeing the two of us. Oh no. Come on, I just said that we were getting the one with the bunk, not sharing. I look at Jen and see that she’s just as annoyed as I am at the moment. I give her a quick sly look and she returns it just as quickly.
“Yep, we don’t want anyone interrupting our morning tea.” I say straight out. She looked surprised at my revelation, but I continued on. “We’ve been having tea together ever since we first met in 4th grade, of course back then it was imaginary, but I guess it just stuck with us. Things like that tend to happen with your best friend.” Her reaction was almost immediate. Her eyes widen into saucers and her jaw dropped. It was hilarious, me and Jen both start laughing. I guess it was rude of us to play with her like that, but it got annoying after a while of everyone assuming we were together. It’s not like we were completely against people who choose to live like that. We didn’t really care, it was their life to live. Who were we to tell people how they should feel and what they should do. The lady turned bright red and uttered an apology to us while avoiding eye contact. Jen straightened up and smiled at her, “It’s okay, we just always have people thinking that we’re together and it gets kind of annoying. Don’t assume unless you have evidence next time.” I could tell that Jen was still hiding a smile, but trying to make the lady feel better. The lady nodded and looked thoroughly humbled and gave us a slight smile while printing out our cabin information and handing it to us. We took the papers and gave her a kind smile as we walked out of the door.
Chapter 5- Finding Our Cabin
I don’t know what I was expecting. I guess I’m too used to the city where all of the homes are really close together. So, when we were following the address to the outskirts of the town and into the rainforest, I started getting suspicious. Did the lady at the front desk give us a fake address because we slightly mocked her? I swear we meant it was a joke, nothing else. I got more nervous as we continued on, the shops turned back to houses, then even the houses were replaced by the forest once more.I finally turned to Jen, “Are you sure we’re going to the right place? I mean, as much as I love to be ‘one with nature’ this just doesn’t seem correct.”
“I was just thinking the same thing, but I keep checking the address on the receipt and it says that it’s just up the road a couple more hundred feet. Do you think our cabin is an abandoned old shack used to lure us to our death by some serial killer? I knew it! I knew this place was too good to be true! This town looked too perfect!” Jen was ranting to herself. I smiled, but it was a little strained, the idea wasn’t as farfetched as I would like it to be. We knew nothing about this town other than what wiki had provided us with, which wasn’t much. I think I was beginning to rub off onto Jen as well, I was usually the suspicious one in our friendship. I actually blame my father for making me so suspicious and paranoid. He was always giving me little tests as a teen to get me to be more perceptive of the world around me. I guess I never really complained though, I loved them and it brought us closer together. It’s basically because of him I decided to go into criminal justice. My love of helping others and solving problems is at least partly genetic.
“Oo, is this the turn off?” I ask, feeling very excited when Jen turns the blinker on.
“Yep, this is what it says is the route to our cabin. I just hope we don’t get greeted by an axe wielding maniac at the front door.” Jen is just teasing now, but I can also hear the nerves in her voice.
“Well, if there is, all I have to do is outrun you and that shouldn’t be too hard considering how much exercise you get.” I joke trying to lighten the mood.
Jen just smiles, she knows what I’m trying to do, but she plays along anyway, “What a great friend you are. I couldn’t ask for a better bud in the whole world.” She sarcastically replies.
“Ah, come on Jen. You know I only speak the truth.” I can’t help but add on. She just huffs at me, but smiles and we pull onto the dirt road. “Wow, it sure is beautiful here. I can’t believe all of the life.” I state in amazement.
“I know, doesn’t it just feel like the air is buzzing? I thought this was supposed to be a purely relaxing vacation, but now I just want to go and do stuff.” Jen says passionately.
“Don’t worry, I’ll be right there behind ya.” I assure her that I feel the same. “Honestly though, if we don’t find the cabin soon I’m gonna call up the office. I just want out of this car, even if I have to fight off an axe wielding maniac. Just let me out!” I’m getting frustrated from being trapped for so long. It’s not like I’m claustrophobic, but I am human and I need some space outside of a moving metal container.
“Well, wish granted. I think that’s the cabin up ahead.” Jen takes one of her hands off of the steering wheel and points straight ahead of us. I immediately sit up and try to pinpoint what she is gesturing to and then I see it.
“It’s beautiful,” I whisper in a small amount of shock.
It truly is. The cabin looks more like a little cottage sitting right up next to the beach. It's a light gray with white trim on the windows and looked perfect for the two of us.
“I don’t believe there is a serial killer waiting for us.” I say as I glance over to Jen just to find out that she looks just as pleased as I am. She looked so happy and I didn’t want to chance ruining the moment, so I just stayed silent as we drove down the winding road to the little cottage-cabin.
Chapter 6- What, no ax wielding maniac?
The cabin did not contain an axe wielding serial killer. After we pulled in and parked we ran around to the front porch, that's right. It had a front porch, awesome! Jen quickly grabbed the keys out of her pocket, opened the screen door and slid the key into the deadlock and then glanced at me before turning it and opening the door. We both stood there as it swung open. It looked like it was a painting. The inside of the cabin was a light blue, like wisp of wind blowing on by. Is that even a color? Oh well, it is now.
“Let’s go on an adventure! I call the bed with the best view of the ocean!” I declare as I run past Jen and into the cabin.
“Pfft, you wish buddy! Move out of my way!” Jen has to shove past me because I had made it about 5 steps in and then stopped to study the layout. The cabin had a brilliant design. The cabin was shaped like a rectangle with the front door in the middle of one of the long sides. When walking straight through the front door you immediately run into a window showcasing the magnificent ocean a little ways away. To the right you have what looked like a combined kitchen and living, but to the left was a hallway with a door at the end which is where I’m assuming the bedroom is. Jen, done with looking around, pivots and heads straight for the bedroom to see what it looks like and claim the best bed. Not happening. I stealthily sneak up behind and right as she opens the door I dart through before her. I try to shut the door in her face, but she’s too quick and runs past as it slams shut. Oops, that was kind of loud. Oh well, we didn’t notice any other cabins nearby when we parked so hopefully we didn’t scare anyone.
“Wow. This is fantastic, I call this bed!” Jen says as she leaps onto the bed on the left. Weird, we selected the cabin with a bunkbed, but instead we have two twin beds. Not that I’m complaining, I wasn’t really looking forward to climbing up and down a ladder each time I had to pee in the night. The room was actually quite small with the two beds in corners facing a window with an ocean view. Opposite of the beds was a closet. I turn my attention away from Jens antics towards it.
“Oh pretty please be a walk in closet! Please!” I pray as I open the doors and, “Hallelujah, it is! I am so glad that we don’t have to fight for a 3 foot space to put our clothes in.” I said with a big sigh of relief. The closet was pretty big, contrasting to the small room nicely and if we were going to be here for a week I wanted to hang my clothes up.
“Awesome, now my clothes won’t get all wrinkly.” Jen exclaims, still bouncing on her bed. Of course that’s what she thinks of first, clothes, but I agree anyway. Who likes wrinkled clothes? Not me.
Now I turn to my bed and glance at the plush comforter draped across what I think is going to be heaven full of springs and cushion. I follow Jens example and make a flying leap onto my bed and boy was I right.
“This mattress is so soft! I really need to find out where these things come from. Yet then again, if I had a mattress like this I would probably become a hermit and never leave my room. Ooo, I could be a legend! Everyone would hear of a girl who spends her life away on her twin bed, everyone would want to know why and how I do it! Yep, it’s official. I’m staying on here forever, you’ll need to bring me my meals, hmm, gourmet’s sounding pretty good about now. Also, I’ll need books to read and going to the bathroom might be tricky, but I’m sure we’ll work something out.” While I was ranting on about my future as a hermit Jen was rolling on her bed laughing, I would be insulted, but soon I can’t help but giggle myself.
“As much as I would love to cater to your every need while you live on that bed, it’s so not going to happen. I have places I want to go, people I want to meet and so do you. Ahhhh, but I do agree. These mattresses feel so good! On with your idea though, gourmet does sound really delicious right now. And although I don’t want to leave this place, let's head back to town and see what they have. I groan at her words. She wants to leave heaven? Who does that? I roll off onto the ground to find a rug.
“Ug, even the rug feels comfy! What’s with this place? Do they expect us to be able to leave?” I declare, but my words end up being kind of muffled due to the fact that my face is stuffed in the rug. I look up at Jen. She gives me a very unimpressed look. “Fine, but I want to at least see what the other room has to offer, although I doubt it will top this.”
“I was wrong. Well, I wasn’t wrong, nothing can top that bed, but maybe I can expand my hermit living quarters to include the kitchen as well.” I say, reconsidering my options. The kitchen is absolutely beautiful. It too is small and would probably seem cramped if not for the intelligent placement of flowing white and blue colors on the wall, cabinets, and countertops. I really don’t know how they can make a kitchen look this magnificent. There are even flowers on the counter just waiting to be smelt. I tune in on them and stroll over to them and take a deep whigf. They’re even real!
“I’m so glad it’s to your liking, I can die in peace now that I know you are satisfied.” Jen sasses back to me, also analyzing the kitchen and smiling at what she finds.
“Yes, but you can’t die anytime soon. You need to bring me my food, remember?” I reply with a smug grin.
“Yeah, about that.. Not happening. Find yourself some other sucker to cater to your every need. I’ll be hiking those mountains you were admiring earlier and laying out on that gorgeous beach. “ Jen states while pointing out of the window, knowing her words would get a reaction out of me.
“Nooo! Nevermind! I take it all back, I want to hike those mountains more than anything else!” I say in a fake panic, trying to take back everything I had said earlier.
“Well then let’s go! I want food and while we’re at it we can ask around to see what the best trails are.” Jen jumps up and skips to the door leaving me standing by the flowers.
Chapter 7- That is not Food. At least not edible food.
“Ack, the taste of it is still in my mouth! Get it out!” I pleaded as Jen starts wiping her tongue on a napkin across the table. We had made a horrible decision when when we choose to go too a small little restaurant back in town on main street. We didn’t really know what many of the items on the menu were, but we were both too stubborn to ask. And most people thought that men were the stubborn ones. Ha. But now we really regretted that decision.
“It tastes like blended up newspaper! I’m gonna puke! Quick, give me your water!” Jen exclaimed as she hastily reached across the table for my glass of water.
“Yeah right buddy! Back off! I need every drop of that stuff to get this out of my mouth!” I yell as I swipe my water off of the table just as she was going to snatch it.
We both sit there suffering and whining for a minute while the other customers eat their food quietly, giving us annoyed glances. Yes, we are tourists who don’t appreciate the native food, but I don’t know how anyone could enjoy the dish we ordered, the one called Poi. We just randomly chose it because we both liked the name and the picture made it look like a pudding of some sort. It even looked pretty good when it arrived too. Wrong. It was bad. Really bad. Jen’s description of blended newspaper was very accurate, although I would add in a little cardboard into the mix also.
“I thought artichokes were bad, but man. They’ve got nothing on this stuff. I don’t even know if I want try the other food now. I don’t trust this place anymore, I think they’re trying to kill me.” I lean over and whisper my ending conspiracy to Jen. She goes along and nods seriously while glancing suspiciously at the restaurant workers.
“They look like a cult of some kind: matching ensembles and hats. They put up a front of making it seem like the restaurant uniform, but they can’t fool us. We’ve discovered their secret,” Jen states while analyzing the outfits of the waiters. I’m glad we’re in a corner of the restaurant or else the other customers would be hearing every word that we’re saying. That would be awkward. But fun. But still awkward.
“Or they could truly just be the mandatory uniform and we both just have really sucky taste buds that don’t appreciate the native Hawaiian lifestyle. Either way, we already paid for this stuff and I’m hungry so I’m going to take my chances and try the kalua pork. If it’s related to bacon it can’t be that bad.” I say, eyeing the shredded pork before warily stabbing at it with my fork.
“It’s your funeral. If you die though, I get your bike.” Jen replies, “I’ve always wanted to drive it, you never let me go on it by myself.” She accuses me.
“You’re such a great friend,” I say sarcastically. “And you don’t get to ride my bike alone because the first time you tried to you ran it through the fence and into the Jensen’s yard. Man, they hated me after that, even more so than before.” Jen huffs while mumbling about it being an accident.
“Alright, I’m going for it.” I say suddenly determined to eat the strange pork. I get a good portion on my fork and sniff it. “Hmm, it smells pretty good.”
“Yeah, that’s just to mask the smell of rotting matter! It’s a trick, don’t do it!” Jen exclaims. I roll my eyes and bring the fork up to my mouth.
“Wow.” I say through a mouth full.
“Are you dying?! Do I get your bike to myself at last??” Jen says sounding way too excited about my demise.
“No, I am not dying. It’s actually really good! Delicious even! Nothing at all like the Poi.” I say after I finish chewing. I get another forkful and put it up to Jen’s mouth. “Try it. I know you’ll like it.” Jen looks at me skeptically for a few moments before shrugging and grabbing the fork from my hand. As she chews her eyes go wide and she looks at me. I just sit back with a smirk and a smug expression, I was right. She just gives me a small glare and then proceeds to ignore me as she eats more of the pork.
“Hey! I want my fork back!” I declare before darting my hand across the table to snatch it out of her offending hand. She quickly pulls her hand above her head and I raise one of my eyebrows at her.
“Do you really want to do this? Right here, right now?” I ask. She smirks at me. I guess she does. I slide out of my seat and a flash of disbelief flashes across her face before she puts back up her confident smirk. Oo, she didn’t think that I would get up in front of all these strangers to tackle her to the ground, but she was wrong. So, that’s exactly what I did. I stalked around the table and launched myself at the fork above her head. Almost by accident, I tipped her chair and sent us both onto the floor.
“Oops.” I say sheepishly while struggling to move. The fork clattered across the floor and under a vacant table that was next to us.
“Ah, dang it! Look at that, now the fork is ruined.” I exclaim as I turn to glare playfully at Jen.
She gives me a huff while holding back a smile at me, “Excuse me, who was the one who pounced on an unsuspecting civilian? That’s right buck-o, you did.”
“Sorry to interrupted, but are you two alright?” Me and Jen both quickly looked up to see one of the waiters holding a tray at his hip, while studying us with concern. Strange, he looked like a teenager, normally they wouldn’t offer assistance unless their iPhone was on the line.
“Thanks, but we’re okay. Just tripped into my friend here.” I say, trying to get him to go away. Everyone was looking at us and I could feel my cheeks starting to heat up. The boy nods and walks away, while me and Jen both clamber to our feet and sit back into our seats. After that we calmed down and talked about our plans for the rest of the week and before we knew it all of the pork was gone. We both looked at the Poi then at each other and started laughing. No way. We payed the bill and when we got outside we were surprised to find that it was dark.
“Man, where did the time go? I swear it was only early afternoon when we ordered our food.” I say while watching Jen flip out her phone to check the time.
“It probably was, it’s only 7:00. The sun must set pretty early around here. Let’s head back to the cabin, I want to get up early in the morning and walk along the beach.” Jen states as she walks towards the car.
“What, early morning tea isn’t good enough for you?” I say, teasing her about the situation before in the manager’s office. She rolls her head back and laughs as she hops into the driver's seat. Chuckling, I slide in on the other side. Let’s go on an adventure.
Chapter 8- Plotting...
"Rise and shine my beloved best friend! Up and At'em! Let's have you lazy daisy…” My expression says it all. “Yeah, I didn't really like that one either.." Jen says as she exits the bathroom.
"Nope. Go walk on the beach by yourself, jetlag is my archenemy and I have found a way to conquer it at last." I say grumpily.
"Oh? And how exactly do you plan on defeating this mighty enemy? Jen asks wirily.
"With sleep. I've found it to be extremely effective," I reply snarkily.
Jen lets out a snort, a very lady-like snort if you ask her, as she opens her suitcase and starts laying out clothes on her bed. She's not very organized, it’s more like she’s throwing her clothes into a heaping pile rather than laying them out.
"Now, let's get down to business, today we.." "TO DEFEAT THE HUNS!!" I yell immediately cutting her off.
"Really? You won't even open your eyes yet, but you just can't ignore an opening to sing a disney song." Jen says sounding scarily close to an exasperated mother. "As I was saying before you so rudely interrupted me,” she gives my the eye, “today we need to set up our spa appointment and ask around for a good hiking trail." I crack my eyes open to give her a look. "Don't give me that eye. You agreed to go to the spa fair and square. No backing out now, you're stuck." Jen states giving me a triumphant smile.
"Ug, I know. Don't remind me. I regret everything." I slowly roll out of bed, but suddenly slip and end up lying on the floor.
"Now you're lying on the cold hard ground! Aaaaahhhhh, Haha! That was perfect! Perfection I tell you! And you thought yours was good! Ha, no. I definitely win, no doubt about it!" Jen screams while dancing around in a circle.
"Nooooooooo, make it stop." I groan into the wooden flooring. I make my way back onto the bed only to discover that I'm now wide awake. Oh well, I might as well get up now.
Soon we are both eating yogurt that we had picked up the night before for breakfast. Very delicious I might add, I'll have to remember this brand for the future. Jen is searching the phonebook for the spa while I contemplate my existence. It's iffy. If I make a run for it she might not find me for a while, but I don't know the area around here, I'd probably end up lost and become an unwilling contestant on the show Survivor. Some part of my brain tells me that it won't be a horrible experience at the spa and that I might even enjoy it, I just snort at the thought and go back to plotting my escape. Apparently I make a face when I'm plotting. "Don't even try." Jen states as she walks over to the fridge. No explanation or anything, hmm. I make a face and stick out my tongue at her back. She is not a psychic. I take a deep breath and sigh now resigned to my fate as Jen pulls her phone out and calls the spa. I'm too lost in thought to even catch the time she puts us at or what the total came to.
“Alright let’s hit the road!” Jen says as she puts stuff away and pulls me outside. “We can explore a little before going to the spa if we leave now.” Well, here we go I guess.
Chapter 9- Mud Bath at the Spa
My body is telling me that it is heaven, but my mind is telling me that I should hold onto my earlier grudge. Who knew that mud could feel good? Jen had apparently gotten us an hour long relaxing mud bath for a couple. We are definitely feeding the idea of us being together, but I swear we’re not. It’s just for the discount.
When I first arrived and heard of the plan I was extremely skeptical, but now I use every minute that I can get. The only problem I have now is that I’m bored. We are literally just laying down in mud. Nothing more, nothing less. Jen seems content with taking a nap, but I have never been one for naps. Only when I’m not well. Sighing, I look up to study the structure of the room. It’s a combination of modern and natural. With three straight walls and an open side that overlooks the rainforest, they pull off a very pristine style. I don’t feel qualified to be here.
Jen huffs at me as I start to fidget, “Just hold still, we are here to relax.” She gives me a glare, but there’s no heat behind it. She knows I have trouble staying still for long. I try, but to no avail. I lift my arm out and start playing with the mud between my fingers. Such a simple act, but it’s more entertaining than just laying there. A grin makes my way onto my face as I get an idea. The idea might get us kicked out, but eh. Our time is almost up anyway. Hiding my sly grin I say, “Hey, Jen? How does this stuff do in hair?”
She looks up and in a serious voice says, “I actually asked them about that and they said that it works as a sort of conditioner, but I don’t plan on trying that. I’m fine with my bottled chemicals.” She closes her eyes again.
“Are you sure you don’t want to try it?” I ask while grinning. Jen slowly opens her eyes and looks over at me. Her eyes squint into a glare when she sees that I’m holding a glob of mud in hands.
“Don’t even think about it.” She says very sternly.
“Never do.” I reply as I chuck it at her. It was a perfect shot. Right on top of her head with a little bit dripping down almost in her eyes. I chuckle as she reaches up to wipe the mud off of her forehead and gives me a challenging look. Well, the mud bath was good while it lasted.
Chapter 10- Mud Battle
Well, that was eventful. I’m pretty sure the only reason the staff didn’t kick us out of the spa is because they found us amusing. That and the fact that there were no other customers in at the time. I think we might have been a first for them. The spa is well known to be relaxing and serene, so I’m sure they had quite a surprise when they heard screaming and ran into our room to find us having a battle to the death with the “healing” mud. Forearms drenched and hair dripping we defended ourselves as we maneuvered the best that we could while in a tub full of mud. We both fought valiantly without a care in the world outside of winning.. Unfortunately, when people appeared in the doorway we realized how far we had taken it. We sheepishly smiled at the staff and mumbled an apology and that we’d clean everything up. They had mixed expressions. Some with shock and a little annoyed frustration, others with clear amusement and joy. It made me and Jen feel a little better knowing that at least we had made some people smile with our antics.
On our way out the spa, after scrubbing the walls and floor down, we stopped by the front desk to ask about good hiking trails. The man and woman seated there hide grins as they asked us what they could do for us. I’m pretty sure they’ve heard about what we did. Eh, oh well.
“What are the best hiking trails around here?” Jen asks sweetly. We really don’t want to cause anymore trouble, here’s to hoping.
“Well, are you looking for scenic views of waterfalls or the ocean, or are you looking more to see the wildlife? Or just a hike for the exercise? What’s the goal here?” The man says sounding like he knows and has been on all of the hikes around here. He probably has, he looks like the outdoorsy type.
“Hmm, what do you think Jen? Since we just got here I would say one with the most of all of those options. A little bit of everything.” I answer looking over to Jen who’s nodding along with me.
“Well then you have a couple of options, but how difficult of a hike are you looking for?” The mountain man replies. At least that’s what I start to call him in my head. He looks us up and down.
“We have experience, so one of the harder ones.” I say soundly.
Mr Mountain Man contemplates for a moment before answering. “Okay, then there is a lighthouse hike just over by the harbor. It’s not really that difficult, but it is all uphill. It sort of circles around a outreaching hill. It has amazing views of the ocean and a lot of wildlife along the trail. Especially butterflies in this season. There’ll most likely be over a hundred different species.”
Jen elbows me, bouncing with excitement. “That sounds perfect, thank you so much. And thank you for the mud bath, it was great.” Jen ends with a sly wink. Mountain Man blushes a little, but accepts our thanks and sends us on our way.
“Let’s do this!”
Chapter 11- Hiking Adventures!
“Wow, this place really does have a lot of butterflies!” Jen excitedly rushes over to a bush with blossoming flowers that has many butterflies corralling around it.
“Yeah, it does…. It’s actually kind of creepy how many butterflies there are here Jen, it reminds me of a horror movie. You know, the one where everyone is in a sketchy place, but then the blue butterfly comes out of nowhere, circles around them, and then flutters away. That’s when you know they’re all gonna die.” I shiver at the thought and unconsciously move closer to Jen.
“Optimism really just isn’t in your vocabulary is it?” Jen replies not even the slightest bit bothered by my comment. What a weirdo. I should have her watch more horror movies, that’ll teach her to be scared of blue butterflies.
“You know I’m right, now let’s move. If we go at this pace we’ll make it to the lighthouse next week.” I say as I pull her away from the bush and hurry her down the trail.