Surviving My 19th Summer Ch. 01

"Jimmy, what are you doing this Summer?"

"Plenty."

"No, come on! Tell us! Are you going on holiday with your girlfriend?"

'Perhaps if I had one,' I thought. "Why, are you hoping to be on my To Do list Sasha?"

"Only if you're free..."

Sasha fluttered her eyes at me and I gave her the obligatory 'I'll think it over' look. These girls were always doing this. I wasn't too worried; I'd worked at the beauty salon long enough to learn the tricks. Most of the regulars were the petty, pampered kind.

They were the kind of girls that you avoided on the playground when you were in grade school, the kind that insulted you with their eyes and complimented you by showing attention in a crowd. I always thought of them as 'Needles', because they were usually thin and generally had a prickly attitude. I suppose that 'Cactus' would be a slightly less flattering term. I hated that kind of attitude, but I quickly learnt to deal with it at the salon. We got plenty of customers and it wasn't like they were all terrible.

Occasionally some of my mum's friends would drop by and snicker softly at the shameless flirting that went on. The first time it happened I nearly got myself fired.

I was only two weeks into the job and I had finally gotten used to banter with the 'needles' when a women in her early forties got the seat opposite the 'needle' I was attending. I can't recall the girl's name anymore but she had been lying back in her chair, eyes closed, feet in my lap. It was either her second or third appointment in a row and she had asked for me personally.

It wasn't uncommon; I was the only male employee and despite being barely 18 when I got the job, my body was fairly built from years helping my father in his lumberyard and holidays doing outdoor recreation. Anyway, I had my back to the door and didn't see my mum's friend enter and take the seat behind me. The girl in front of me was making all kinds of appreciative noises. I remember thinking 'Jesus woman, it's just a foot massage!', but I'd never actually speak my mind at the salon. At the least, not around the 'needles'.

When the girl's massage was over, she made it a point to drag her foot along my leg before she put it on the ground and once we were both standing, she stood on her toes to whisper, rather loudly: "Maybe you can come to my place and we can finish this massage..?"

When a 'needle' asks a question like that, it's pretty rare that they actually mean what they say. It's safest to assume that, any time they invite you anywhere alone, they are actually inviting you to sex. Well, part of bantering with 'needles' is deflecting any sex invites without incurring their wrath.

So as I walked her to the counter I said, "I'm on a pretty packed schedule, sweetheart."

"Then why not let me unpack it?"

She gazed at me through lidded eyes as she said this and subtly slipped a hand between us to pinch my thigh. I could tell she was one of the more rowdy girls and my mind raced as I tried to find a safe path out of her offer. By now we had reached the counter and she stopped pinching to run her hand across the front of my pants as I stepped behind the counter.

"Sounds tempting, but you know that if I lose my job you won't be able to come in here and have me pamper you... How about you leave me your number and I'll get in touch when I can fit you in."

She pouted but was quick to reach for a pen. When she finished writing her number, the girl flicked her gaze up at me and said, "I'd much rather you let me see if I can fit you in."

I watched her leave before chuckling under my breath and slipping her number into the trash can under the desk. It was only five minutes from closing time so I figured that I'd stay at the counter and sort through the appointments for next week, when I heard a familiar voice. With a comical gulp, I raised my head to see my mum's friend shooting me an amused smirk.

"James, I see you've become quite the ladies' man."

"H-Hey Mrs. King, I didn't see you come in."

She gave a laugh, said "Oh, don't worry. I can imagine where your eyes were occupied" and left.

I had always liked Mrs. King's sense of humour, but right then I was so afraid she might get me in trouble that I didn't even consider she was joking.

My mum had very strict rules on dating. She used to be fairly relaxed but a couple of years ago, my older sister was raped and killed on a date. Since then mum has been more cautious. It's understandable, I guess; I missed my sister an awful lot as well...

She was my rival in all things but also she was my best friend. Both of us had grown up with a very psychical background; between family hiking trips and dad's lumberyard, both of us were fairly fit. On top of that, my sister had taken up Tae kwon do when she found out my best friend was an up-and-coming martial artist... So I could understand my mum's caution when it came to things like this. If someone could overpower Cassandra on a date and then murder her once they'd... finished with her... If they could do that...

Anyway, as it turned out Mrs. King went straight to my house and told my mum what had transpired. 20 minutes after leaving work, I walked in to hear, "James, I heard you have a schedule in need of unpacking!" followed by both women's laughter. Ever since then I have been more worried about mum hearing embarrassing stories than getting into actual trouble from flirting.

I shook my head to draw myself out of the memory and looked at Sasha. She had her hands on her hips and I quickly shot her naughty grin. The thing about the 'needles' is that they assume a lot about me. They assume that I am 'cool', they assume that I'm older than I am... and that my honed body was sculpted explicitly to look good and get laid. I worked hard to earn my body and I wanted it to be fit for many things, not just look good.

But at the salon, I need to make sure that nobody sees any of this. I need to be the muscle-bound flirt who graduated 5 years ago and fucks strangers if their hot enough to be worth it.

"Sorry Sasha, just trying to think who I need to cross off my To Do list to make wrong for you. Guess it'll have to be Scarlett Johansson. Ah well, not like I'm going to the U.S. any time soon."

Sasha gave a huff but rubbed her fingers over mine from across the counter.

"You're hotter than her anyway," I said, even though I avoid relationships with 'needles' as much as possible, "But to be honest, I am actually going away on holiday. I'm working as soon as I get home, but I'll give you a call if I can fit you in."

"Then I'll see if I can fit you in."

I shuddered as she left. De ja vu.

I wasn't lying to Sasha when I said I was going away on holiday... technically. I had organised months in advance to clear my entire Summer holidays.

Having grown up with a dad who owned a lumberyard, I learnt how to wield a wood axe fairly early on. That may have contributed to my sizeable thirst for adventure, but regardless of the reason, the fact is that I love the outdoors. I mean, I love my friends and if I was at a party I'm no stranger to socialising... But I'd be just as happy to loiter through the woods on my lonesome.

My 19th birthday would be this Summer and I had originally planned to sail to New Zealand, either alone, or with a small handful of friends, but mum said no. I had built my boat with dad, we got it registered and checked, so that was a non-issue. Mum had seen how skilled I'd gotten at sailing alone, plus I had grown up camping all over the place so she knew I could take care of myself once I landed as well, so no problem there either.

Unfortunately for me, about a month before Summer, just before I finished my last week of Grade 12, mum happened to see a news report on a canoe that got attacked by a Great White shark. And as though that weren't enough, it was travelling from Gold Coast, Australia to Westport, New Zealand. My exact travel route. Well, you can imagine that that set off a few alarm bells.

I suppose it was a big ask anyway, to be away on my 19th birthday and the 1 and a half months that followed. Nevertheless, I was surprised when dad suggested I sail out to an island slightly closer instead. I decided to sail towards Lord Howe Island and see if I could find any islands on the way, if not then I could stay there or head home.

Mum approved and all of a sudden, my holiday was back on track. I was more excited than ever, so I called up my mate to tell him the change of plans. I had asked him if he wanted to come, but he had already been asked to represent his dojo in an upcoming martial arts exhibition. Yes, this is the same friend who inspired my sister to take up martial arts.

Kyle was my best friend and we had grown up together. He told me that it sucked to miss my birthday, but I would be getting back shortly before he turned 18... Which meant that we could go clubbing together on his birthday once I got back. Because Australia is cool like that: we start drinking and clubbing and voting from 18 years old.

In the end, Kyle somehow managed to sneak a gift into the small cargo hold on my boat, I still don't know when he did it, and he won't tell me.

Finally, 8 days before my birthday, it was time to set sail. Mum and dad gave me a lift to the coast, sailboat in tow. I thought about how I had planned this holiday and decided it had more of a 'survive against the wilderness' feel, probably because I didn't know what kind of island I might find between here and Lord Howe. But I was definitely looking forward to it.

I had set sail on the 30th of November, confident that the journey would take less than a week. With a good westerly wind, I hoped to make landfall on the afternoon of the 4th of December. It had been a while since I had sailed on open waters and I relished the expanse of blue and green that stretched before me.

Around the second day of the voyage, I discover the gift Kyle had snuck on-board. He had packed a small collection of items into an airtight Tupperware box and tied a card to the top with ribbon. I chuckled when I compared the contents of the box with the contents of the card. Kyle had simply written, "Happy birthday, stay in touch. -KB". Nestled in the container were two portable solar generators and an adaptor for my iPhone. He had also stored a mobile data device and packed an adaptor to charge it as well. I usually carry a utility torch which has a hand wound generator, so I tended to carry my phone in case of an emergency, but Kyle was ensuring that I had no excuses. I laughed again as I sealed the container again and returned to the bridge.

On day four, the 3rd of December, I noticed a small landmass silhouetted by the setting sun and decided I would make that my first stop. It conveniently fit with my hopes to find a decent island by the 4th. After deploying the anchor and ensuring everything was secured, I went below deck and promptly fell asleep. My dreams were restless and I woke twice during the night thinking that I heard a storm. But each time I raised my head I could hear nothing but the waves lapping against my ship. After a night of tossing and turning, I awoke feeling surprisingly well rested and climbed up the stairs to take in the sunrise. I had barely made it on deck when I heard a man shouting for help. My half-asleep mind I completely forgot how far from shore we were and registered only that someone was in trouble. Tossing my shirt to the side, I dove over the rail of my ship, in the direction of the voice. However, as soon as I struck the water I knew I had made a mistake. The sudden rush of cold shocked my out of my sleep and I pieced together the scene before me.

In the water between my ship and the island I had set sights on, a plane had crashed. Its wings were torn and had ripped cleanly from the body and bits of fuselage littered the surface of the ocean. I wanted to help whoever was in trouble, but I also knew plane crashes were shark bait. I didn't know how long ago it had crashed, but as I climbed up the side of my ship, I reasoned that it couldn't have been very long. To begin with, most of the plane was still above the water. And then there was the fact that someone was still alive to scream for help.

I hauled in the anchor and tacked cautiously towards the carnage. I didn't want to get trapped in the debris or have it compromise my ship. As I got closer, I realised that the voice was actually a woman, probably hoarse from screaming. She was standing on what would have been the ceiling of the plane. It had been torn where it met the floor on one side (splitting like the pages of a book) and was floating alongside it, barely attached. There were several other girls clinging to the seats that remained or crouching on the overhead lockers on the ceiling half. The section they were on had drifted away from most of the wreckage and I guessed that one of the girls had done it intentionally.

I steered a wide arc around the wreck towards the girls, checking for any other survivors. I was worried to see one or two arms clutching handholds, but no bodies. As I approached the girls, I noticed three things immediately: They were all wounded, some of them unconscious; there were two fins that seemed to occupy the attention of the girls who were awake; and lastly, but probably most importantly, I knew two of the girls...

'Well fuck.'

The island was still about 4 hours away when I finally managed to get all 8 survivors up on to my ship. They were in no condition to do anything other than sleep, so I put aside my hang ups and directed the girls down to the cabin. Once they were all comfortable, I risked a peek for the shark fins I had seen early. I didn't see any, but I knew better than to rest at ease. Cautiously, I retrieved the baggage that had been in the compartments the girls were sitting on and placed it in the cabin for them when they woke. I was praying that none of them were psycho and hoping that I hadn't just made a huge mistake. Since I knew two of them, I figured they had probably been flying from Australia, but that was a 4 day journey back if I turned around now, so I decided to aim for the island.

The sun was high in the sky by the time I made land and I realised that the girls would probably be hungry and/or thirsty when they woke. After tying up the anchor, I lowered my canoe under filled it with the things I would need for my first trip to shore. It was a hard job alone, but I had long since gotten used to it. Loaded with my two tents and tarps, I paddled ashore to set up camp. I knew that I couldn't explore for a different island, because I now had 8 people with me who probably didn't know the first thing about survival. I wasn't trying to be smug, just practical. Only after I had set up both my tents and both tarps, did I suddenly realised how laughable this situation was. I was stuck on an island in the middle of nowhere with 8 girls, and I just happened to have two 4-man tents.

Ordinarily I would have used one to store my food and any non-weatherproof gear I carried, but it looked like the girls might need it. If they ever got out of my ship's cabin. I paddled the canoe back and was just climbing on-board when I heard some whispering. I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but I wanted to know if they were okay and whether they would help set up camp.

"Oh god, how lucky was that. I thought we were goners..."

"Dana, not everyone got off unscathed," I tensed up, worried that one of the girls was mortally injured when the girl spoke again even more hushed, "Those chicks' brother died."

I relaxed and immediately felt ashamed. 'At least I saved the sister... Or sisters?' I thought, but it didn't ease my conscience at all. In my guilt, I didn't notice the voices getting louder until a girl pushed the door open and blinked awkwardly at me. One year of working at the salon had ground my standard reaction into me; I turned on the charm and gave a wily grin.

"Morning ladies, did you sleep alright? Tough break with the plane, hope they had insurance?"

'What am I saying!' I could see the two girls who had been whispering trying to decide if I was retarded or an insensitive prick. Probably both.

"Sorry, I panicked. I don't know why those were the words to come out of my mouth."

'Great,' I thought, 'If I'm not talking to them as though they're 'needles', I'm talking to them like they're my mother.'

Suddenly, the girl in front broke into a warm smile.

"Hi, I'm Dana. Thanks for saving us, that was amazing by the way. Pure luck that you found us"

She stuck her hand out to shake and the second girl quickly followed suit.

"Hey. Name's Tara. You also saved my twin Stacy, she prefers to wear her hair in plaits," she indicated her hair which I saw was in a ponytail, "Just thought you should know so you don't embarrass yourself."

'Incredible, these girls just survived a plane crash and they're still this sociable... I guess my view of women has been a little tainted by working at the salon...'

"I'm Jim. It's nice to meet you... Just kinda wish the circumstances were a little bit better..."

"Yeah, true. Anyway, thanks for saving us, really. Do you know where we are exactly?"

"Not exactly, no... we're about 4 days sail away from Australia. I was actually on my way out here to do some camping. Look, why don't we talk while I get the gear set up?"

Tara made a face, but Dana seemed eager to lend a hand.

'I guess she does owe me her life.'

I was explaining my side of the story while we loaded the canoe and paddled to shore, but when we got to the tents, Tara suddenly interrupted.

"So when do the others get here?"

Assuming she meant the girls from the plane, I told her they were asleep on the boat... Look, I didn't think she was stupid, I thought she might have a mild concussion...

"No, like the other campers," she rolled her eyes, "I'm not stupid."

"I didn't think you were stupid!" I repeated my thought aloud, "I thought you might have a concussion or something... And there aren't any other campers. I wanted to spend a few days alone in the wilderness."

They fell silent as I unloaded the canoe and hauled the gear under the tarp. Finally, Tara broke it.

"So your saying that you sailed for 4 days to camp on a deserted island? Alone?"

"Fuck, Tara, we've entered a slasher flick. The cold open plane crash. Rescue at the hands of a gorgeous stranger, saving us from certain doom. Now we find out he has a terrible secret and a tormented past."

Dana was grinning as I turned around, trying my hardest to keep a straight face. Tara on the other hand was rolling her eyes.

'Let's have some fun here,' I thought.

I gave my best impression of a nervous laugh and turned my head away suddenly.

"Oh, you were joking... I thought you had figured it out already."

In a big exaggerated motion, I reached into the bag I was unpacking and drew my machete from its sheath. Then I turned on the girls with a maniacal grin.

"It's no fun if you already know!" 'Cue absurd cackle.'

Tara shrieked and dived behind Dana's shoulder. Dana just crossed her arms and tried to look unimpressed. But her smile was to large to succeed.

"Nice try, but I'm the one who set that up."