a movie...and a Book (4 page)

13.

Night. Island.

“What about building comfortable beds in the hut?” Liz said, lying next to Lou in the darkness.

“Excellent idea.”

“I always feel exhausted in the morning from sleeping on these palm fronds.”

Lou didn’t respond. He just said, “Tell me a good-night story. It’s your turn.”

“What kind of a story?”

“I don’t know . . . the story of the girl that always felt exhausted in the morning from sleeping on palm fronds.”

“You’re so funny.”

Lou was enjoying her reaction. He lay on his back— the usual way—and looked at the stars.

“I know a story.”

“So tell it,” said Lou.

“But it’s scary.”

“I’m ready.”

“But I’m not sure if I am. Will you comfort me if I get scared?”

“I might, and I might not,” said Lou.

“What do you mean?” asked Liz.

“Nothing. But we can hold hands if you get scared,” Lou said casually.

“You’re pretty aloof sometimes. Why is that? Do you dislike me?”

“I’m not aloof. I’m just not the guy that hugs everyone on first sight, that’s all.”

“What kind of guy are you, then?”

“I don’t know. I like people physically at the same distance that I have them mentally, I guess. I don’t see the point in being all close to someone physically while only making small talk.”

“I’m sorry that I appear to be a small-talk person to you.”

“It has nothing to do with you.”

Liz started to smile, then started to say something, then thought better of it. Her smile faded for a moment while she seemed to concentrate on a thought.

After a moment she said, “All right,” and her face lit up again. “Let me tell you a good-night story. Take it as an act of charity to your cold and lonesome heart.”

A spell of silence followed.

“What about the story?” Lou asked.

Liz began as if Lou hadn’t said anything. “It’s the story of the guy with the cold heart,” she said, hiding her pride in the darkness.

“Ha, ha. You’re so funny.”

She dismissed his comment and continued: “It all started somewhere in a small village where the guy with the cold heart grew up. When he was a little boy, his parents used to go hiking with their friends. These friends had a daughter, and she was the only normal person in the world.

“The only normal person in the world was very stubborn and she didn’t like hiking at all, but she was very fond of the older guy with the cold heart. So when he was there too, she walked over every imaginable mountain, partially to be near him and partially to impress him. But it was in vain—you couldn’t impress the guy with the cold heart so easily.

“Over the years they grew apart. They saw each other in the village sometimes, but the guy with the cold heart wasn’t very friendly. After about ten years he didn’t even recognize her anymore . . . too cold was his heart,” she pointed out, trying to observe Lou. But she didn’t see his smile.

She continued, “Then something happened—something very atypical for the guy with the cold heart. He met her again by accident and they started to speak. They talked about their childhood, and time passed very quickly. They realized that both were interested in sailing, and the unbelievable happened: the guy with the cold heart invited her for a day on his father’s boat. To this day no one knows why he invited her, but rumor has it that he did it because he secretly liked her, though he has denied that vehemently.” Once again she tried to read his expression, but it was too dark out.

She thought for a moment, then was about to continue but stopped before the first word was out. She thought a little longer, then said, “They met a couple of times to sail. Then something mysterious happened.” All of a sudden her playful mood changed and some fear crept into her voice. “They were out at sea. It was a normal day, not dangerously stormy or anything . . . And the next thing they knew they were stranded with a torn rubber boat on a small island.”

Lou didn’t say anything. He was thinking.

“It’s pretty strange what happened, isn’t it?”

“Yes.”

“What could it have been? Do you think the sailboat started to burn and we somehow rescued ourselves in the small boat, only half conscious, and then fell in a coma from the smoke or something?”

“Possibly.”

“Or do you think there is some magical force out there that transports people to different places? Or are we dead and this is just an illusion?”

“I don’t know,” said Lou.

“It’s pretty scary.”

“I don’t think so. Something happened that made us leave the sailboat. That’s all.”

“Maybe the devil made us leave the boat to come to this place where he’s going to torture us.”

“Maybe,” said Lou. “Maybe I’m the devil.”

“Stop that.”

“Maybe I’m just waiting for the right time to kill you.”

“Stop it!”

Both jumped.

A distant clap of thunder rolled over the sea. It wasn’t especialy loud, but it rumbled ominously through the darkness.

“I’m scared,” Liz said.

Whrromp!

This one was pretty loud. Both froze. Liz moved close to Lou.

“It’s just a thunderstorm,” Lou reassured her, and added, “It’ll pass over the ocean,” hoping he was right.

A long silence followed. Both were trying to prepare for the next roll of thunder so as not to be startled. But nothing happened—all they saw was distant lightning that brightened the sea now and then.

“I have to pee,” said Liz.

“So go.”

“Never alone.”

“What do you expect, me to stand guard?”

“Just come along a couple of yards.”

“You don’t have to go that far, and besides, it stopped anyway.”

“All right. I’ll go alone.”

“But don’t go too far,” said Lou.

“
Ha.
I guess somebody is scared.”

She got up and looked around. It was too dark to make anything out. A distant bolt of lightning helped her, but it also took away some of her newfound courage. She walked a few steps toward the beach, then looked back. It was too dark to see Lou. She took another couple of steps, almost testing her own bravery. She felt frightened and excited at the same time. She felt like testing her courage again and took another few steps.

14.

At the same time, right behind in the underbrush.

A mysterious figure was moving cautiously through the woods. It observed Liz with the help of a faraway lightning bolt, then made another stealthy step.

15.

Back to Liz and Lou.

“Where are you going?” Lou said through the darkness.

Liz didn’t answer. She wanted him to get a little scared.

All of a sudden she heard some crackling noises coming out of the woods. She started, then listened.

Nothing.

She slipped her bikini down and squatted.

Lou had heard the crackling too. He was suspended on his elbow now, looking toward the underbrush.

Nothing.

Whrromp!
Another clap of thunder bounced off the sea.

Both were paralyzed for a moment. After the shock wore off, Liz felt excited from the adrenaline. She ended her business, pulled up her bikini, and ran back to Lou.

“Damn, my bladder nearly ripped me apart,” she said, excited.

“It’s a bitch. Life in the wilderness,” Lou said.

Both felt great, still buzzing from the thunder.

16.

Back in the underbrush.

The figure in the woods tried to find orientation. Then slowly it moved farther into the woods, bustled around by a tree for a moment, then beat it.

part two

17.

Jim was looking out the window.

We hear the sound of a train traveling over its rails.
Shrubby landscape is passing on the other side of the
glass. It’s about noon on a sunny summer day.

After some time the train slowed down, then stopped.

Jim kept looking out the window.

The train started to move again, slowly gaining speed.

Jim probably saw her from the corner of his eye. Right next to him, in the aisle, stood a woman searching for a seat. He looked up at her.

With an open purse in her left hand, a monstrosity of a flower bouquet in her right hand, and the ticket between her lips, she signaled something in the direction of the empty seats.

“It’s all yours,” said Jim, looking up at her, then out the window again.

The woman started to rearrange her belongings busily.

Jim’s position wasn’t only perfect for observing the outdoors, but also great for sneaking a good look at the train’s interior. Using the soft reflection in the glass, Jim stealthfully observed his neighbors.

In the reflection, two hands were putting the flowers on the seat opposite him. There was also a pair of nice legs. Jim took a look at them, enjoying his isolated vantage point.

The woman, on the other hand, took the ticket from between her lips, and while doing so she looked at Jim. She saw his fixed stare toward the glass. It looked funny, so she smiled a little.

Sometimes you don’t see the full picture in the reflection.

Her face appeared on the glass as she sat down. She was still fiddling around in her purse.

At this moment, Jim’s expression changed from that of a man secretly observing a beautiful woman to that of a man slightly puzzled.

He took another look at the reflection.

She was closing her purse.

After a brief period of hesitation, he looked up and said, “Now it dawns on me why everyone is running around with flowers. Today is Mother’s Day, isn’t it?”

“Yes, it is,” said the woman with a sigh and a conversational frown.

Jim sighed and said, “Now I’m relieved. I knew it was Mother’s Day—I just wanted to hear you speak. It may sound stupid, but I just asked so I could hear your voice. You look exactly like my brother’s girlfriend, and I have only met her once, just for a minute. So I wanted to hear you speak to check and see if you’re her or not.”

The woman only looked at Jim, not saying a word.

“Don’t get me wrong. I just thought I had to make sure you weren’t his girlfriend. You know, it would have been pretty awkward if you had been her, and I would have been sitting here just looking out the window.” Jim stopped, trying to find better words. “See, it would have been pretty funny if we both had just sat here looking out the window; and then gotten out at the same station—still not speaking at all—and then walked to the same house, just a couple of feet away. You know, without speaking a word or anything. And then, right at the door of my brother’s apartment, we would have realized that we should have known each other, and that we at least should have said a few words. That would have been pretty embarrassing,” Jim said, and laughed nervously, indicating that such a situation would be an awful spot for anyone.

The woman held her gaze, but there was some amusement in it now. Then she started to smile.

“I mean, it would have been pretty awkward, don’t you think?” asked Jim nervously.

The woman thought about it for a moment. “That’s about the funniest thing I’ve heard today,” she said. “But why are you relieved I’m not your brother’s girlfriend?”

“I’m just not that good at small talk, that’s why. And here in the train, sitting right next to each other, you’re almost forced to say something. It becomes pretty awkward. You know, sometimes it’s hard if you’re supposed to talk and you can’t think of anything to talk about.”

“It probably is. I’ve never thought about it that way,” said the woman, still amused.

“Yes,” said Jim, who apparently couldn’t think of anything else to say about it.

The train kept moving on.

18.

On the island at about the same time.

Lou was climbing a rock, sweating. The sun shone on his tanned arms. It was a hot summer day, and there was little wind.

Liz already stood on top of the rock, looking down. “Come on, what’s up?” she called down.

“Look, I want to enjoy the climb. If you go up all in a hurry, it’s no fun.”

Liz laughed, rolling her eyes. It seemed she was in high spirits from being better at something. “Let’s meet at the top,” she shouted down, and disappeared out of Lou’s sight.

He climbed a little faster.

Liz hid in a cleft at the side of the small platform.

Lou looked down; his sight began to blur. He focused up again, gathered courage, and continued to climb. Finally he dragged himself over the edge. He looked around but couldn’t spot Liz. Then, standing, he looked up.

He still couldn’t see her.

All of a sudden he heard someone laughing—it came from the crevice, of course.

Lou looked around. He seemed a little insecure.

Liz jumped out from her hiding place with a big grin. “Pretty clumsy, you are,” she said, and licked the corners of her lips. “But it’s cute on you.” Then she turned to look at the sea, or just in the general direction of the sea.

“Look, if you think you’re such a superior climber, what about a little contest, then?”

“Whatever you want,” Liz said, slowly turning, still beaming.

“So you take this face and I’ll take the one on the other side. Whoever first reaches the top is the better climber.”

“That’s not fair. We have to climb the same route,” she protested.

“I’m not going to climb if someone is staring at me and judging my style,” he said, and added, “while feeling so
superior
.”

“All right. But let’s switch the routes.”

“Whatever you want,” Lou said, but it was clear he was trying to seem casual about it.

19.

On the train again.

For a short moment Jim wasn’t sure if she had caught his eye in the reflection. He felt the urge to say something.

As if feeling the pressure of the situation too—or maybe she had really caught his eye in the reflection— the woman spoke up and said, “Are you visiting your mother too?”

“No, I’m going to visit my brother.”

“Oh, yes, I guess I should have known,” she said. “So your brother has a girlfriend that looks like me?”

“Very much so. Yes.”

“Is she a nice person?”

“I guess she is, but I don’t know her that well.”

“Oh, yes. I guess I should have known that too,” she said. “I guess she must be, if she’s the girlfriend of your brother.”

“I wouldn’t be too sure about that,” said Jim, animated.

The woman smiled.

“He’s pretty unpredictable, my brother. Always full of energy, full of
great
ideas.”

He had her full attention now.

“He’s about forty. And do you know what he still does all the time?”

“No.”

“He plays these crazy video games. The ones where you have a steering wheel on the table and an acceleration pedal under the table.” Jim shook his head. “God, it looks so stupid if you come in and he’s sitting in the middle of the living room behind the steering wheel, with the TV going full blast. He’s way too old for that kind of stuff.”

“Well, if he likes it. Why shouldn’t he, if he likes it?”

“The crazy thing is, if you call him, and he’s in the middle of some race, he doesn’t even answer the phone. He says you destroy the whole spirit. He’s quite a character,” said Jim, shaking his head.

The woman smiled for a while, seeking Jim’s eyes. But Jim was looking at the bunch of flowers. Then something snapped her back into her own world. Her expression changed instantly.
“Oh,
I have to hurry now. I’m sorry. Next stop is my stop,” said the woman. She started to pack her stuff.