Island

She blinked. She had forgotten about the flower. "You... youdoremember."

"I'll never forget you that evening." He knew he'd remember her forever and not just that evening. "You were more than beautiful that evening."

Lisa felt tears rising and her face flushing. "Um... do... do you have any ideas for anislandThanksgiving?"

"I think you should wear that skirt and top and a flower. Other than that I don't care. Unfortunately, Thanksgivings are mostly about food. It was one reason I was thinking about that pig hunt. Andno, I'm not angry about not bringing a pig back. I didn't want to kill it either. I wasn't lying about that."

"Maybe the others have some Thanksgiving ideas."

"Has anyone talked about it?"

"No, not really." She watched his smile grow. "What?"

"Nothing. I was just remembering you in yourensembleagain."

Lisa felt her face flush again. She reached for the leaf plate of fish and took a piece trying to hide her blush from Joe.

*

It was taking a lot of time to get down the ridge. Joe was marking trees every ten feet or so while Lisa led paying close attention to the compass.

Joe finished the notch. "Okay, go."

Lisa looked at the compass and picked out a tree ahead. Joe had explained how to do it. "I wish this wasn't taking so long. I really wanted to go to the Falls." It was early evening. It would be near dark just getting back to the beach.

Joe smiled and watched her ass. "Well, next time, don't go discovering any caves."

"We wasted a lot of time there because you scared me. It'syourfault." She smiled.

"That took two minutes. Stop." He whacked another trail mark. "Go."

Lisa started towards the selected tree. "We should have torches all along the path to the Falls, and then a bunch surrounding the Falls so we can use it at night."

"Yeah, and there should be a hot tub whirlpool there too, with dispenses of soap and shampoo, and... and body oils."

"Torches are possible, not whirlpools."

"Hold up." He swung the hatchet twice. "Let's keep going straight until we can hear surf, then turn west."

"Okay."

*

"Joe! We're at the Falls path!"

"Great." He was beat. Lisa waited for him on the path. He cut a couple small branches. "You still want to show the others the cave tomorrow, right?"

"Uh-huh."

He shoved the thin branches into the ground next to the path. "Here's the beginning of the trail."

"Okay."

"Make sure you take the compass tomorrow."

"I will."

He handed her the hatchet. "Will you stick that in my pack?" She did. "Thanks."

Lisa's brow pinched. "You think we could make it to the Falls and back to the beach before dark?"

He just wanted to lay down. It was obvious she wanted to go to the Falls. He knew they wouldn't have time to do what he had wanted to last night, give each other slow sensual baths. He gave her a crooked smile. "You really want a shower, don't you?"

Her eyebrows rose on her smooth forehead. "Well, don'tyou?"

"We won't have time to take showers the way I planned. It'll be dark before we could finish that."

"There's... there's tomorrow for that. We could just shower fast today." She smiled at him.

He started taking off his backpack. "You're going to the cave tomorrow."

"Oh... well, there's thenextday."

"Take your pack off. We should walk fast if not jog up there to make sure we still have enough light to walk back. I'll take the flashlight though, in case we need it."

Lisa grinned. "Okay." She wiggled her shoulders to get the pack off. Joe got the flashlight from his pack, then started running down the path. "Hey! Wait for me!" She dropped her pack and started running.

*

Lisa squirmed against his warm, naked body. The kiss was the most passionate yet. She felt his hands cup her buns again and tensed waiting for them to squeeze her once more. He was exciting her so much again. His hands gripped firmly and as she had done before she exhaled sharply into his mouth. She didn't plan to do that, it just happened as it had the first time. Joe seemed to like it for some reason. His tongue became even more ardent. She was so turned on but there was a part of her that was smiling, almost laughing. They were right under the streams of water. Sometimes when Joe moved the streams hit her right on her closed eyes. It did it again. She giggled softly into his mouth. He began to laugh too. The kiss slowed and their faces parted. She pulled farther back and giggled. "The water's hitting me in the eyes!"

"Thank god.... I thought you were laughing at my kissing technique." He chuckled.

"No! You're agreatkisser."

"Don't inflate my ego. I'm just average."

Lisa felt wonderful. She wrapped her arms tight around his shoulders and hugged him fiercely. She kissed his shoulder. "Thank you for our camping trip."

"Thank you right back." His hands slid down to her bottom again caressing her flesh. He stared down her back at them.

"Quit that."

"You like it."

"That's why I'm telling you to quit it."

His fingers tapped her buns. "Okay. We better get going."

"I know." She didn't pull her arms back. "We really should have torches all around the Falls and along the path."

He smiled and kissed her wet head. "You can get started on that right after Thanksgiving."

She hugged him even tighter. "Will you help me?"

Joe loved the hug. He grinned. "Like I said, you can get started on that after the holiday."

"You're someansometimes."

"Okay,maybeI'll help. In fact, I'll cut your work by a lot right now."

Her arms loosened. She looked at him. "Is this going to be some joke?"

"No. Want me to cut your work on it by... bya lot?"

"Uh-huh, how?"

"Instead of having torches spaced along the path, just make a few and then use them as flashlights."

Lisa smiled. "I didn't think of that."

"Lining the path would of course be more romantic, but that also might start a forest fire, plus, we don't have any oil so the torches will be a little difficult to make."

Lisa frowned. "I didn't think of that either."

He patted her bottom again. "We'll think about it. Figure something out."

"Okay." She exhaled. "I guess we better get going, huh?"

"Yeah."

They put their sneakers on, Joe grabbed the flashlight, they picked up their washed clothes and headed down the path nude. It was quickly getting dark. By the time they reached their backpacks, Joe had to turn on the flashlight. He hated using the battery but it was better than tripping and possibly getting hurt. Half way to the beach a voice startled them.

"Where have you guys been!" Nan's jaw tensed. She was angry because she had been so worried, and they had obviously just been goofing around. It had been scary walking the path in the dark too.

Joe moved the flashlight beam to Nan's figure. He started walking towards her. "We ran late."

"We were worried about you! Ann is in the forest shouting your names!"

Lisa said, "Oh, god.... I'm sorry, Nan. We... we just ran late. "

He approached Nan. "Sorry, we... well, it's allLisa'sfault."

"It is not!"

Nan shook her head as her jaw tensed again. She turned around and headed towards the beach. "I'm somadat you guys." She was also jealous, which made her angry at herself.

"Nan, we're sorry. If it was you and Lisa out and returning late, I'd be pissed at both of you, so I can guess what you feel like. Anyway, I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too, Nan."

Joe smiled at Nan's fast, angry pace. "But... we had some extenuating circumstances."

"Whatextenuating circumstances?"

He glanced at Lisa and gave her a nod.

Lisa smiled. "We found a cave."

Nan stopped and turned around. "A cave? Really? Where?" They caught up to her.

Joe said, "Hey, keep going. I want to get out of the woods and get Ann out of the woods too if she's still calling for us. I'm scared of the dark." He nudged her shoulder.

Lisa thought of the stupid cave joke. She frowned and shook her head.

"Don't push me! And give me the flashlight!" Nan yanked it from his hand then turned around and started walking. "So, tell me about the cave."

"It was sort of like you and me, Nan, when you discovered Nan Falls. I was the dufus, and Lisa was the explorer slash discoverer. Lisa?"

"Webothfound it." Lisa told Nan the facts by the time they arrived at the beach.

Nan wasn't angry anymore. There was something new to see on the island. "So, we'll go tomorrow? How long will it take to walk up there?"

"I don't know, not.... not as long as it took us to come down because we won't have to mark the trail."

"And it really does feel like air conditioning?"

Lisa grinned. "Uh-huh, well,sort of. It's definitely cooler inside."

"That water was only a drip?"

"Uh-huh. A drippy thing that disappeared into the floor, through cracks probably."

"Ann and I did some exploring too. Yesterday. We went east of the beach along the rocky shoreline, but we didn't discover anything."

"That's where we were headed when we saw the cave!"

"Really? We didn't discoveranything. We were tempted to go for a swim but the waves were high and I had this feeling there were bad currents. So did Ann."

Joe finally said something. "I'm glad youdidn'tgo for a swim."

Nan shook her head. "Oh, Joe, you worry too much."

He smiled. "Someonehas to."

Nan asked, "So, did you guys have fun?" Her stomach tensed with jealousy again.

"I couldn't believe how small the island looked from the ridge."

"Did you go down the other side?"

"Uh-huh. It made me think how lucky we were to land on this side of the island."

"Yeah." Nan smiled. "Did Joe almost fall over the edge again?"

Joe laughed. "No. I let Lisa lead."

"You let Lisa lead to the edge?!"

Lisa smiled. "No, he led down there. I led us down this side today."

"We caught five fish today. We had dinner but we saved you a bunch. And I had to throw out the leftovers from yesterday's lunch. It was starting to smell."

Joe said, "I think I'll try that salted dried fish we made. See if it kills me."

Lisa exhaled sharply. "Joe, don't talk like that."

Nan glanced back. There was enough light behind her for her to see Lisa give Joe's hand a squeeze. She felt jealous again and as always, felt terrible for even allowing the emotion. "I'll try some of that salted fish with you."

*

They were all sitting around the fire on the woven mats. Joe stared at the small flames, smiling as he listened to Lisa tell the cave tale.

"And then Joe grabs my arm and says to get behind him. And I'm like so scared already, so I moved behind him and he keeps holding onto my arm and hand like he's scared too, and then he tells me to be really quiet. And it's all really dark and he keeps fiddling with the flashlight trying to get it to work. And then he finally gets it on, and... OH MY GOD! OH MY GOD!" Lisa grinned when Nan, Liz and Ann all flinched. "I nearly peed when he shouted that! We're in the dark and he's talking about noises and monsters and bats, and then when the light comes on he shouts OH MY GOD! And then... and then he starts laughing!

Joe started laughing.

Lisa's eyes grew large as she pointed at him. "Like that, except louder! I got so mad at him I started slapping his backreallyhard, and he... and he just kept laughing!"

Ann spoke, "So was like there any animal or something in the cave?"

"No! It was a stupid joke! There wasn't anything wrong with the flashlight either!"

Nan was jealous again, but she liked the story. "I wouldn't have slapped him, I would havepunchedhim."

Joe slowed his laughter. "Jeezuz... you're all a bunch of old ladies. It was ajoke!"

Nan looked at Lisa. "You should get him back for that. Get him back twice as bad."

Joe looked at Nan. "No, no more practical jokes. We made that rule when we were in the cave." He didn't want that sort of thing to get started. Someone could get hurt. He realized Lisa might have if he hadn't had the smarts to hold her arm before shouting.

"We never made that rule," countered Lisa.

"Well, weshouldhave that rule. You actually could have jumped up and hit your head, and got injured. It was reallystupidof me."

"I couldn't jump up. You were holding my arm."

Nan smiled. "You should still get him back."

Joe grinned. "Maybe she has with that dried fish."

"Do you have a stomachache?"

"No, Lisa, that was a joke."

Nan said loudly, "I think we should have a new rule, that Joecan'tmake any more jokes."

Liz who had been mostly quiet said, "I'll second that."

Nan asked Lisa, "So, what happened after that?"

"We went as far as we could into the cave until we were on hands and knees because it got smaller the deeper we went. Oh... there must be some other entrance, at least a small entrance because we could feel a little breeze inside the cave."

"So, with the vines as ropes, we'll be able to get up there?"

"Uh-huh."

Ann asked, "Have you like named the cave?"

Joe chuckled and tossed a small piece of palm bark into the fire.

Lisa glanced at Joe. "Um... I'm still thinking, but... well, I'm still thinking."

Nan said, "Maybe it should be Cave of the Stupid Joke."

Joe grinned, "How about Cave of the Painful Slapping."

Lisa looked at him. "You deserved that."

Nan said, "So you marked the path well, right?"

"Uh-huh, about every ten or fifteen feet. We put a couple sticks on the Falls path where it starts."

"So we're all going tomorrow?" Nan looked at Ann and Liz.

Ann quickly answered, "I'm going."

"I guess I'll go too. I want to feel anything that seems like air conditioning."

The three other girls all looked at the fire. All of them wished Liz wouldn't come and that it would be them with Joe.

Joe said, "I'll man the flare gun."

Nan sighed, then said, "Oh... why don't you just come too."

Joe wanted some time alone. "Can't do that, Nan. We have to have someone on the gun with a clear view all the time." He smiled. "It'll give me some time to think and not be interrupted."

Lisa bit her lower lip and looked at him for a moment. He met her eyes and kept smiling. She hoped his smile was a good omen.

He asked Lisa, "You want to use my tee shirt tomorrow?"

"Um... okay." Lisa looked at Ann. "Thanks for lending me yours. I washed it and it's hanging up drying."

Ann smiled. "Sure."

Joe spoke, "Ann? Nan? Thanks for looking for us, calling for us. Sorry we were so late."

Liz glanced at Joe. "I was with Ann for a while, calling too."

"Sorry, Liz, didn't know. Thank you too."

Lisa said, "Yeah, thanks you guys, and sorry about being late. Marking the trail took a lot of time." She looked at Ann and Nan. "Tell us about your hike."

Ann grinned. "We didn't find any caves."

Nan added, "I told you guys, we just walked the shoreline."

Ann glanced at Joe, then looked at Lisa, "And we didn't play any mean jokes on each other."

Joe chuckled.

"We were only hiking for a few hours. We came back and fished."

Lisa asked, "Do you guys want to do something special for Thanksgiving?"

Ann asked, "Like what?"

"I don't know."

Liz stared at the fire. "What's there to be thankful for?"

Joe took a slow breath.Ahhhh... crap. He glanced at Liz. He suddenly wished he was a clinical psychologist. "I'm thankful we're all alive. I'm thankful you're part of our group, Liz. If any one of us didn't make it, we may not have survived. I'm thankful we all work together pretty well, that we help each other out."

Lisa spoke, "I'm thankful for all of us being alive and together."

Ann was so tired of Liz whining. She didn't want to get sad again. "I'm thankful that Nan found the falls."

Lisa smiled. "So am I."

"Me too!" said Joe.

Nan stood up and raised her hands. "Thank you... thank you everyone, but remember, it's calledNanFalls."

Everyone laughed or snickered except for Liz.

Lisa piped up, "Hey! We could have awards on Thanksgiving.Thanksgiving awards."

Nan sat down. "Ehhhhhh... that's kinda lame."

Lisa's lips pursed for a moment. "Well,youcome up with something for Thanksgiving then."

"I don't want it to be anything that could make any of us sad." Ann leaned forward and tossed a little stick on the fire.

"I can't think of anything special." Nan stared at the fire.

Lisa took a chance. "Liz? What to you think?"

"I can't think of a thing." Liz stood up and picked up her mat. "I'm going to go to bed. Goodnight." She didn't look at anyone as they all said goodnight to her. She walked towards the hut.

Everyone stared at the fire for a few minutes in silence.

Nan was first to speak. She spoke softly, "What's her problem, anyway? We're all on this island, we all wish we weren't. She should just deal with it better."

Ann whispered, "She's really been making me depressed lately. She brings me down all the time."

Lisa said, "We should try to be better friends with her."

Nan glared at Lisa. "How? She ruins whatever we do together, or she doesn't want to do anything with us. I bet hiking tomorrow she'll hurt herotherankle."

Lisa sighed. "I don't know, we... we have tosomehowhelp her deal with everything better."

Ann moved closer to the other girls. "I listen to her complaining all the time but she never wants any suggestions or help with anything."

Nan turned towards the other girls away from Joe. She whispered, "Ann, if you don't want to tell us, then don't, but... but are you and Liz hooking up?"

Ann glanced at Joe. She wasn't sure he heard Nan's question. "No." She took a quick breath. "Okay, we... we did some stuff before, like months ago, just a little, but... but we don't anymore. It... itwasn'ta big deal."

Nan whispered, "It was probably a big deal to her."

"That's notmyproblem." Ann shook her head. "See? She has us all sad about her, abouteverything." Ann stood up and took a step towards the water. Lisa grabbed her hand.

"Ann, don't go. Sit down."

Ann exhaled sharply then sat on her mat again. "I'm... I'm turning into a real drag too. Sorry."

Nan looked at Joe. She whispered louder, "Come over here too."

Joe frowned within as he stood up. He dragged his mat next to Lisa and sat down.

Nan asked, "What do you think we should do to... tohelpLiz?"

Joe sighed. "I think Lisa is right, but I don't know how any of us could... well, bebetterfriends to her. She has to want to be friends too. I... I feel guilty about it, about her, because... because of that stupid crazy period a while back. She changed after she and I had those... thosedebates."

Ann said, "You didn't start that, she did." Ann felt guilty. She had been on Liz's side during that period.

Lisa whispered, "That wasn't your fault, Joe."

Nan said, "Yeah, we were all acting nuts for a while." She shook her head. "Maybe we still are."

Joe smiled. "Oh, you're all nuts, huh?That'swhy none of you like my humor."

Nan said, "You're the one who'smostnuts around here." She smiled when the other girls giggled softly.

"Nope, I'm the only onewithnuts around here."

Lisa rolled her eyes.

Nan looked at her friend. "Slap him for that stupid joke, Lisa." Her friend giggled again.

Ann said, "Well, I had a couple nuts today,coconuts." She smiled when everyone laughed softly.

Nan mumbled, "That was pretty bad too, Ann."

Ann giggled. "I know."

Lisa looked at Joe. She knew he had gotten them off the subject of Liz with lousy jokes. She felt her heart swell.

Nan smiled. "Hey, did any of you see that really old movie, about some tropical island, and the women wore coconut bras?"