Authors: Judy Angelo
She’d just gone out onto the balcony and plopped her bottom down on
the tropical print sofa when she heard her cell phone ringing inside the living
room. “Oh, Lord,” she groaned as she got up, “let it not be Ridge calling to
tell me not to drink the water or something like that.” He’d kept her so busy
with his safety tips that she hadn’t even had time to take in the sights and
scenery of the city.
She breathed a sigh of relief when she dug the phone out of her handbag
and realized it wasn’t him. “Hi Mom,” she said as soon as she tapped the answer
button. “How are you and Dad?”
“We’re fine, as always,” her mother said drily. “The question is,
how are you? Since you got married you’ve spoken to your mother what, three
times? Is this how it’s going to be?”
“Oh, Mom, you know it’s just because I’ve been busy. I think about
you and Dad every day.”
“That’s not good enough. I want to hear from you, know how you’re
doing. Is that husband of yours treating you well?”
“Yes, Mother. Very well. There’s nothing for you to worry about.”
“Mmhmm.” For some reason her mother sounded doubtful. “So if he’s
treating you so great why doesn’t he let you call your mother?”
Lani rolled her eyes. Not that question again. “Mom, if I don’t call
often Ridge has nothing to do with it. It’s not his fault that I’m busy.”
“Oh. So it’s your fault that you haven’t been calling.” Lani could
hear the huff in Marie's voice.
“Yes, Mother. All my fault.” Then, desperate to change the subject,
she asked, “Did you and Dad see that play I told you about? Mama Mia. Did you
go?”
“No, not yet, dear. But getting back to you, how are you feeling?
Have you been woozy? Nauseous? Anything like that?”
“Nauseous? Why would I…” The words died in Lani’s throat. “Mother,
are you asking me if I’m pregnant?”
“Are you?”
“No, I’m not. What kind of question is that?” Lani couldn’t believe
her mother.
“Have you been working on it, though? Remember our discussion about
grandbabies.”
“Mother, I’ve only been married four weeks. And anyway, I explained
the nature of my relationship.” What part of ‘business arrangement’ didn’t her
mother understand?
“Well, be that as it may, you have to remember that you’re almost
thirty years old. Don’t linger until your biological clock runs out, Leilani.”
“No, Mom, I won’t.” Lani had to stifle a sigh. When her mother got
like this it made no sense to argue with her. For an easy life it was better to
just go along with what she said.
And then, to Lani’s relief, her cell phone screen lit up with
another call. “Sorry, Mom. I have to go. An important call’s coming in.”
Marie heaved a sigh. “Busy as usual. Okay, dear. Call me later.”
It was the call Lani had been waiting for. “Yes? Aurelio?”
“Aurelio here, Dr. Donatelli. I was told you arrived in Manaus
today.”
“Yes, I’m here right now, at the Caesar. Thanks for connecting with
me so soon.”
“No problem, doctor. I know your time in Brazil is limited so I
wanted to see if we can get started early. Tomorrow, if possible.” The man’s
voice was coarse and deep but he sounded friendly enough. She’d heard he was an
excellent guide and she was more than ready to take advantage of his services.
“Call me Lani,” she said, “and tomorrow would be perfect. What
should I bring?”
“I’ll have the tents,” he replied, “and if you give me your e-mail
address I’ll send you a list of items to bring. We have to be prepared for this
trip.”
“Of course.” She gave him her e-mail address then wrote down the
phone number he gave her.
“We will leave before sunrise,” he said. “I will come to the hotel
to pick you up.”
“I'll be ready,” she said and as they said their goodbyes she
remembered she should have said they. Ridge would never let her go alone. But
too late. Aurelio had already hung up.
When Ridge returned to the hotel room Lani was all smiles. “Guess
what?” she said as he stepped in and closed the door behind him.
He gave her a look that was sharp with suspicion. “Whenever you have
a happy grin on your face I know it’s time to worry. What is it?”
“First thing tomorrow,” she said, her smile widening, “we’re heading
into the Amazon jungle.”
CHAPTER NINE
When he’d told Lani he would come on this Brazil trip with her Ridge
had no idea what he would be getting himself into.
After she’d slapped him awake at the ungodly hour of four in the
morning she'd loaded him up with a backpack that was bulky and heavy, even for
him. It was like the woman had stocked him up with all the canned goods that
could fit in the darned thing. And everyone knew how heavy canned goods could
be.
Then they’d met her guide downstairs, a small, round-faced fellow
who looked old enough to be Lani’s grandfather. Where in the world she’d found
him, Ridge had no idea. He just hoped the man didn’t croak on them during the
trip.
And then, as if that weren’t bad enough, the vehicle he showed up
with was cause for serious concern. It was an ancient looking Jeep, the sides
eaten by rust and the tires so smooth they looked like you could go ice-skating
with them. What kind of grip could tires like that have on the road? Ridge was
of a mind to call a halt to the whole expedition but Lani was so bent on going
that he didn’t have the heart to burst her bubble.
The day still shrouded in darkness, they left the city and drove
mile after mile until they were deep into the rural regions of Amazonas state.
Because they stopped in Manacupuru for more supplies they didn’t get to Igarape
until late morning and by that time Ridge was starving. Lani and her guide, on
the other hand, looked like they were surviving on fresh air. While he sat in
the backseat, his stomach growling, they were in the front, busy chatting away.
Finally, when it looked like they had no intention of pulling over for either a
food or bathroom break, Ridge decided he had to speak up.
“Guys, what say we pull over the next chance we get? We must be low
on gas by now.”
Lani was the first to chirp up. “Oh, no. I’m good. And we’ve got
lots of gas. Maybe half a tank.”
It took Aurelio to come to the rescue. The elderly man glanced in
the rearview mirror and must have seen the discomfort on Ridge’s face because
he nodded and gave him an understanding smile. “We will stop in fifteen
minutes,” he said, ignoring Lani and her bid to keep going. “ An eating spot is
just up ahead.”
“Thank you.” Ridge gave him a nod of gratitude. He seemed to have
found some sympathy in Aurelio. Thank God for that.
An hour later, after a hearty meal of Feijado black bean stew and
deep fried Pasteis filled with cod fish, the party set off again, this time
with Ridge sitting up front beside Aurelio. It had taken the big meal for Lani
to realize how tuckered out she was. When they got back to the Jeep she
immediately claimed the backseat where she sprawled out. Within minutes she was
fast asleep.
It was a good thing, too, because Ridge didn’t know if her heart
would have been able to take the rest of the journey. Although much of the
terrain had been flat, this time Aurelio took them up a hill and along a
winding dirt road so narrow that if they’d met another vehicle coming in the
opposite direction he didn’t know what they would have done. It didn't help
that on one side of the road was the mountain wall and on the other was a
steep precipice. As tough as he was – or used to think he was – his heart
jumped into his throat and he gripped the seat so hard he thought his fingers
would pop through the leather. He couldn’t believe he’d lived thirty-four years
on earth to come to this hellish place to meet his end.
It was an exhausted, drained and sweat-drenched Ridge who dragged
himself out of the Jeep hours later. They’d come to a remote settlement, too
tiny to even be called a village, and by this time it was pitch-black night.
The few shacks that circled the clearing were in darkness and there was not a
soul to be seen.
Lani, who’d woken up a couple of hours earlier, was the first to
speak. “Where are we?” she whispered, like she thought her voice would be
enough to wake the community.
“This is where we will camp tonight,” Aurelio said, shutting off the
engine. “Tomorrow we continue the journey on foot.”
“Oh.”
All of a sudden Lani didn’t sound quite so excited. Just the
opposite. There was a hint of fear in her voice, a rare show of vulnerability
that made her seem almost childlike. Maybe it was the solid darkness that was
doing her in. Whatever it was, it felt good to have her sidle close to him and
reach for his hand.
When she slid her hand into his it reminded him of how tiny she was
and he felt a surge of protectiveness flow through him. Even after that brutal
journey he was glad he’d insisted on making the trip with her. She was a tough
little cookie and an independent soul but that didn’t mean she didn’t need
protecting. She was his wife and it was his duty to ensure her safety. It was a
responsibility he took seriously.
When Aurelio went around to the back of the Jeep and began
off-loading their gear Lani moved closer to whisper in Ridge’s ear. “I wonder
where everybody is? The place looks so deserted.”
“This is probably just a camp ground for hikers,” he speculated.
“Maybe it’s empty except when travelers pass through.”
“You’re probably right,” she whispered back. “I’m going to guess
we’re the only ones here.” There was a pause as she looked around, peering
through the darkness. “Kind of scary-looking, too.”
“As long as we’re the only ones here,” he said, giving her hand a
squeeze, “we’ll be all right.”
Ridge soon had to leave Lani by the Jeep and go over to help Aurelio
set up the tents. Within minutes of leaving her Lani was again by his side.
“Let me help,” she said. “I’ll hold the flashlight.”
It may have been because she wanted to be helpful or it may have
been because she didn’t want to be too far away but Ridge didn’t care. He was
glad to have her close. It hadn’t been easy, working on the tent and having to
glance back at the Jeep every few seconds to make sure she was okay. Now, with
her just an arm's length away, he could work much faster.
Within the hour they’d set up both tents and secured their gear.
Aurelio bid them a cheerful goodnight then disappeared inside his tent, leaving
Ridge and Lani to their own devices. With the most logical next move being bed
and sleep they rolled out their sleeping bags inside the tent that had seemed
fairly spacious until they had to fit two sleeping bags in it with all their
stuff. It ended up being a tight squeeze but they made it work. At one point
Ridge thought of suggesting that they share just one sleeping bag but then he
ditched the idea. The last thing he wanted was to trigger a fight. He could
imagine they would have a happy spectator in Aurelio.
In the end none of that mattered because they were so exhausted that
they both crashed on top of the bags, boots and backpacks and bottles of water
scattered all around them. Ridge didn’t know himself until next morning after
the sun had come up and Lani had already slipped out of the tent.
He sat up, his back aching from his firm bed of solid ground.
Rubbing his eyes, he yawned then pushed forward onto his knees and crawled out
of the tent. When he peered out it was to see Lani and Aurelio already in
hiking gear, looking like they were ready to head out.
“Hey,” he called out, “are you guys leaving? Without me?”
At the sound of his voice Lani turned and lifted her hand in a
little wave. “You’re awake. Finally. The way you were snoring away we thought
we wouldn’t see you till lunch time.”
Ridge frowned. “What time is it?”
Aurelio glanced at his watch. “Sixteen minutes after seven.”
“But that’s still early. What about breakfast? Aren’t we going to
eat first?”
“We already ate,” Lani said, shifting the backpack on her back and
looking like she didn’t want to linger a second longer. “You can stay and eat while
Aurelio and I hit the trail.”
“Not on your life.” Ridge scrambled out of the tent and headed
toward the stream. “You stay put. I’m coming with you.”
After much grumbling on Lani’s part while he washed then grabbed
some cold cereal, they headed out. Now he was in a much better mood. His
stomach was halfway full and the fresh, clean air felt good on his face.
"Remind me again why we didn’t book into one of those jungle
lodges? I hear they’re all inclusive.”
“Because,” Lani said, giving him an impatient look, “this is not a
tourist trip to the jungle. This is business. We’re going to a remote region of
the rainforest.”
“This area sees few humans,” Aurelio said. “It is only the serious
ones who come this way. This trek, it is not easy.”
Ridge gave Lani a wry grin. “Sure you can handle it?”