Virgo's Vice Page 6

  Eve gets back with the shovel and we all slide down the bank on the well-worn dirt tracks into the dry river bed sand. Eve kicks off her sandals and heads upstream from the dirty pool. She pushes the blade into the sand and starts to dig, and pretty soon sweat is pouring down her face.

  “I’ll take over,” I say. “You look hot.” I undo my shoelaces and pull off my pink Nike’s and peel off my sweaty purple socks and stuff them inside the shoes. I roll my jeans up as much as I can, wishing I had brought shorts. The sand is soft, and it feels nice under my feet and between my toes. It’s warm on the top and cool underneath. The hole we’re digging keeps caving in and filling up again with sand. I make it wider and dig for a while in silence. When I get too hot, I hand the shovel to Kelli. My hands are sweaty and I wipe them on my jeans. Sweat is running into my eyes and I swat at the little no-see-ums flying in front of my face. I’m starting to wonder if there is any water down beneath the sand. I’m so thirsty I could almost drink from the yukky, stagnant pool. If only I was a dog.

  I pick up my camera to film Kelli digging.

  Jake has been running around and charging every which way, and I get a nice clip of him running back to me. He pushes his nose against my leg and I reach down with one hand to stroke his head. Why are dogs’ ears so soft and silky?

  “I wonder if the guys are gonna have the shelter made in time for tonight,” Eve says. “When I went back to get the shovel they hadn’t started. They were still cutting down trees.”

  Sam hauls herself up, dusts off her shorts, and takes over the grunt work.

  “I don’t think we’ll get much sleep if we have to lie on the ground out in the open.” I wince. I’d be a lot happier driving home in the traffic with a cold soda and lots of ice in the cup-holder beside me right about now. Even being stuck in the L.A. traffic would be better than this.

  “Come and see,” Sam shouts.

  Chapter 8

  I film the first bit of water that has started pooling in the bottom of the hole.

  “It’s clean and it doesn’t smell.” Sam dips her hands into it and sniffs, and then she lets it run through her fingers.

  “We need to dig a little deeper to make it easier to scoop into the big pot with the little one,” Eve says, and takes the shovel from Sam, who is resting her hands on her knees with her head down, and panting.

  “How are you guys doing?” a voice comes from the top of the bank.

  Lela and Maria are standing there.

  “We’re getting cleaner water,” Kelli answers. “Come on down here. The sand’s nice between your toes. Ooh, check out what Sam did to my shoes.” She holds them up for the others to see.

  “I’m so thirsty I could drink a gallon,” Maria says. “But I know we have to boil it first and let it cool.” She slides down the bank and shucks her shoes.

  “She cut your shoes up?” Lela says in her clipped accent. She makes no move to come down the steep bank. “Weren’t those Steve Maddens? They must have cost you a lot of money.”

  “Yeah, three hundred and seventy. But what use are stilettos out here? Here they’re worthless.”

  Maria is staring at Kelli’s feet. “That must be painful,” she says. “How are you gonna get back to the camp with those blisters, even if the heels are gone?”

  “I made it here like that with heels, and I’ll have to make it back. It has to be a little better without them.”

  “I’ll dress them when we get back, but you should be trying to keep them clean.”

  After another half hour we put our shoes back on and scramble back up the steep bank, and make our way to the camp with the two pots filled to the brim with water, which is a little cloudy, but it isn’t too terribly dirty. It makes my mouth even drier just seeing it.

  I check my watch. It’s four-forty-seven and the shadows are already getting long. It’s still warm, though.

  “Wow, that’s impressive,” Eve says when we get back into camp. The guys have got half of the pole shelter up already. It looks sturdy enough.

  They’ve started a fire, which is burning strongly inside a ring of brick-sized stones, a little way off from the shelter. Someone has dragged more big logs and set them up in a circle around the fireplace, for seating.

  Faith, the skinny exec, is sitting on one of them, staring into the flames. She’s still dressed like she’s just come into the office. Maybe she keeps a comb in her pocket. She stands up and Eve hands her the larger of the two pots.

  Stretch, who has a big white Band-Aid on the top of his shaven head, helps her set it on the rocks inside the fireplace, where the flames can lick its underside. Sam waits until they’re done, and then hands over the smaller pot. I want to ask them how long before we can drink that water, but they probably don’t know. It has to boil and then cool down. I’m so thirsty my tongue is beginning to feel too big for my mouth. I’m glad Jake was able to drink, though. He wouldn’t understand if there was no water for him.

  The Mexican is sitting with his bandaged ankle stuck straight out in front of him. His boot is on, but the laces are undone and they’ve been loosened to allow the boot to expand. His face is pale and drawn, and I can see he’s uncomfortable. I nod to him. Stretch, also doesn’t look too good. He drops back onto the log with a sigh, and rubs his head.

  Maria and Kelli move a little way off. Kelli sits on a stump, and Maria crouches down and does something to one of her feet.

  I don’t see Trip anywhere.

  I lift the camera to film the fire. I get some nice footage of the cooking and seating arrangements.

  Mark is helping build the shelter. I amble over and film him and the other guys for a while. Andy has taken off his suit and shirt and is wearing only a pair of boxers. Billy has his shirt off, and he has some very nice muscles, and a couple of tattoos on his biceps. I can’t help staring. Sam shakes her head in disapproval, but I notice a smile playing on her face.

  After a while, I turn off the camera and pull Mark aside. “Where are we sleeping?”

  “With them.” He chin-cocks the others. “That’s why I’m helping out.”

  “Yeah, I figured,” I sigh. This is so fucked up. The Old Man had better have a good explanation when he gets here.

  I check around me and back toward the fire. It’s beginning to get dark.

  I pick up my camera again and film the completion of the shelter. They’ve used saplings tied together with parachute cord. I didn’t even think of that. I figured they’d have to use some of Jared’s floss. Leaves and smaller branches are kind of woven together over the top to make a roof, and they’ve secured a couple of parachutes over it. I wonder if it’ll prevent a heavy rain from flooding us.

  They’re making a kind of platform under the shelter, about two and a half feet off the ground, also with poles and leaves and thin branches tied over it kind of like the roof.

  “That’s our bed,” Mark says with a wink. “I told them they could use all the chutes. I don’t care if the Old Man gets pissed about it. He shouldn’t have left us like this.” They’re busy tying the parachutes over it as a mattress or bottom sheet.

  I know one thing. Trip had better not sleep anywhere close to me, and I am not closing my eyes until he’s snoring.

  Chapter 9

  It’s been a long day and the dehydration is sapping my energy. I set my camera carefully down on the ground and slide onto one of the logs.

  “Water’s boiling,” Faith says aloud to anyone who’s listening.

  “Okay, take it off the fire and let it cool a little,” Trip says. “We’ll need something to use as a funnel so we can pour it into the spout of those canvas water bags.”

  I haul myself up and go to the equipment box, and get the instruction book that came with the solar battery charger. “Would this work?” I hold it up in the air.

 
; Trip takes a step toward me and holds his hand out. I pass it to him, being extra careful not to let our hands touch. He examines it briefly. “Yeah. We can roll it like this.”

  I ignore his smile. He demonstrates his idea and the others nod.

  I film them when the water has cooled down a little and they’re ready to decant it. Faith holds the bag and Trip pours it.

  “It’s leaking,” I state the obvious as I stare at the water dripping out of the bottom of the bag. “It must have a hole in it.”

  “No. It’ll hold water. The canvas is porous,” Trip explains. “Only a little will come out before it seals itself. Water has its own skin.” He hangs the full bottle on a nearby tree and picks up another one.

  I have my doubts about them holding water, but he seems very sure about it.

  “Here, why don’t you take over,” Faith says to me.

  I’m left standing alone with Trip, a little way off from the fire.

  “You tell anyone about me and I’ll give them all the details of what we did together, and that you liked it.”

  Suddenly I feel like I’m gonna throw up. I taste bile in my mouth and I swallow hard. My whole body is shaking. “If you touch me I’ll tell them who you really are,” I say through my teeth.

  “Is everything okay?” It’s the Chinese girl, Eve Li.

  “No,” I say with an angry stare at Trip. “Here, you can do this.” I thrust the water bag at her and wonder how much she overheard. Her face is in shadow and I can’t tell if there are any questions in her eyes. It’s getting dark now.

  I pick up my camera and go back to film them working on the shelter, but I can’t do it. My hands are shaking too much, and I feel an attack coming on. I can’t let it happen. I need my medication. Why did I think I could go cold turkey?

  I move away. By now I’m gasping for breath and I want to lie down and kick and scream. I collapse and sit cross-legged on the ground and rock backwards and forwards. I can’t breathe. I heave but there’s nothing in my stomach to vomit out. I’m so hot sweat is pouring off me. It’s pulling me down, sucking me into the ground. My teeth hurt and my jaw is clamped tight.

  Someone’s shaking me. I open my eyes. Mark is leaning over me and Jake is whimpering and licking my face.

  “Lexie,” Mark says. “Lexie, are you okay?”

  I open my eyes and suck in air and I can hear my own loud breathing. Mark has a worried frown on his face and he’s staring at me. “Are you okay?” he says again. He still has hold of my arm.

  “I . . . Yes. I’ll be okay,” I pant.

  Mark drops down beside me and slides his arm around my shoulders. “I wish I could send you home, like I’ve done in the past, when we were in the studio, but . . . Do you have your meds with you?”

  “No.” I shake my head. “I left them at home because I didn’t think . . . I—” I can’t tell him I’m addicted to them and I want to stop taking them. “I thought I could handle being here.” I could have if things had been different. If Trip wasn’t here, and the Old Man had done things differently. “I have some candies in my bag. In one of the pockets. They would help,” I say in a feeble voice. “Need to raise my blood sugar.”

  Mark leaves, and is back almost immediately with one of my Tootsie Rolls. He opens it and I stick three in my mouth and chew.

  My breathing eases.

  “Someone has to go back and get more water,” I hear Eve say.

  “I’ll go,” Billy says. “We’re about done with the shelter.”

  I watch Eve hand the two cooking pots to him. He’s put his shirt back on. He glances over and squints at Mark and me, still sitting on the ground. He heads our way. I force my breathing to slow down.

  “I need someone to come with me and show me where it is,” he says.

  Mark gives my arm a squeeze and stands up. “Sorry, dude. I don’t know where it is.” He picks up my camera.

  I know Billy must be wondering why we’re sitting here in the dark. “I’ll go,” I hear myself say. “But only if we can take the flashlight.” I hope my voice doesn’t sound shaky. At the same time I’m thinking how stupid I am. I don’t want to go off into the middle of nowhere in Africa when it’s almost dark, except it would get me away from Trip and I need that more than anything. I haul myself onto my feet and stare across at Eve.

  “Oh, sure,” she says. “You can take it but try not to waste the batteries. I only have enough for two changes.” She picks up her backpack from the pile beside the big tree, scratches inside it, and hands the flashlight to me.

  “I’ll put this away,” Mark says, holding the camera up. “I’ll move the boxes into the shelter and we can keep all the equipment dry there.”

  Billy takes the flashlight from Eve. I stuff the rest of the candy into my pocket and follow him along the narrow pathway. Jake trots quietly at my heels. The sky is still light on the horizon, the air smells of some kind of sweet blossoms.

  “Everything okay?” he asks.

  “Sure,” I say. I’m still a little short of breath and my legs are shaky, but he doesn’t need to know.

  “You’re pretty close to that dude, Mark. Isn’t he married?”

  “It was nothing important. I wasn’t feeling good and he was helping me.”

  Billy grunts and we walk in silence for a while. “Are you scared?” Billy says.

  “Of what?” I say.

  “You know, wild animals.”

  “Oh, sure,” I answer. “How about you?”

  “A little, maybe. But this is why I wanted to do this. I mean, how else would a cowboy like me get to have an adventure in Africa? I camp out in the wilderness areas quite often at home, and there are bears and cougars there. You know, I don’t think there are elephants or rhino’s in this part of Africa. They live in the low lying plains and this is some steep and rocky terrain. There could be leopards and lions though.”

  “What about snakes?”

  “They should’ve gone to sleep by now,” he says. “Unless they’re nocturnal.”

  We reach the banks of the creek and Billy slides down into the river bed behind me. Our arms brush together as we huddle over the water hole. I forget that I’m scared of animals for a moment. I forget about everything. Heat rushes through me. I’m glad it’s dark and he can’t see my face going as red as it feels.

  Some of the sand has caved in and Billy has to dig it out with his hands for a while before we can fill the pots.

  “The animals are gonna mess this up tonight,” he says. “We’ll have to make another hole tomorrow.”

  “Where are the animals?” I say. “Why haven’t we seen any?”

  “They’re probably pretty nervous of humans.”

  Jake lets out a low growl. Billy swings the flashlight in a wide arc all around us. He stops and points. “There. See the eyes shining?”

  I grab his arm. “What is it?” I stare at the two bright points of light glowing in the darkness. I gasp and hold onto him for support.

  “I don’t know.” His arm goes around me and he pulls me into him. “Don’t worry about it, I don’t think it’s gonna eat us.” I hear laughter in his voice.

  There is something very comforting about being held like that. His arm is hard with muscle, and warm. I lift my face. He’s staring down at me and I almost think he’s about to kiss me, but the moment passes. “Come on, let’s get back,” he says. “You go in front and carry the light and the small pot. I’ll bring the big one. Come on, Jake.”

  I balance the pot in the crook of my arm and hold the flashlight up. My legs are rubbery, and I’m a little out of breath, but I’m not sure if it’s because of the panic attack, because I’m scared, or because of the feel of Billy’s body so close to mine.

  “So you know all about us but we don’t know anything about you,” B
illy says as we make our way back toward the flickering light of the fire we can see above us on the hillside.

  “Nothing much to tell,” I say. “I’ve been working as a camera operator for three years. Some college before that.”

  “How old are you?” He asks.

  “I’m twenty-three.”

  “I would have thought you’d still be in college.”

  “I didn’t stay in college. I got the chance to be a second camera assistant before I even finished my AA degree, and I took it, and worked my way up.”

  “And you love the outdoors or you wouldn’t have signed up for this show.”

  I’m not sure what to answer, so I just say “Uh-huh,” and hope he doesn’t probe any more into my private life.

  Chapter 10

  We walk in silence the rest of the way back to our camp.

  I can’t stop thinking about the way I felt when he held me. Did he also think of kissing me, or did I imagine it?

  Everyone is sitting or standing close to the fire when we finally make it back to camp. I search for Trip and see him standing under a tree a little way off smoking a pipe. I can smell the sweet tobacco scent of it. I can feel him watching me and I shudder.

  “We saw some eyes glowing in the flashlight’s beam,” I say to everyone as I hand the flashlight back to Eve.

  Billy sets the pots over the flames. “What’s for dinner?”

  “Rice,” Faith says. “As soon as the water’s heated I’ll get some going in the big pot. We can boil more water in the small pot for drinking.” She seems to have taken over the job of camp cook.