Chapter 19

“C’mon, let’s go swim!” said Dan.

“Are you kidding?” Julie’s legs felt too weak to stand. She couldn’t imagine how he had the energy to bound out of bed like that after such rigorous sex.

“Okay, just lay there for a little bit. I’ll make the coffee…if I can find everything. We can take it out on the porch, and go swimming afterwards. How’s that?”

A fleeting thought of Marc calling him “The Divine Dan” made her smile.

“That sounds absolutely perfect.”

Dan made the coffee and was delighted to find a box of glazed doughnuts. They sat on the porch in their underwear, sipping the hot coffee and listening to the birds, their calls so different from the birds at home.

“It sounds like a jungle here,” said Julie. “I wonder if there are any jungle-type animals around.”

“You mean, besides me?”

“You aren’t an animal. You’re more like…Tarzan.”

Dan lowered his voice and moved his hand up her leg, a leer on his face. “That’s us: ‘Me Tarzan, you Jane’…”

“Oh, no, you don’t, Tarzan. It’s too soon!” said Julie, sprinting down the stairs, onto the path that led to the beach. When she reached the shore, she ran directly into the water, with Dan right on her heels. He tackled her and they rolled around for a while like two playful otters.

“Race you!” said Dan.

They took off, swimming straight out.

“Look,” said Dan, when they were quite far out. “I can still stand!”

Dan was up to his neck, but the water was over Julie’s head, so she hopped into his arms.

“Marc was right. It’s like a giant salt water swimming pool,” she said, “and we have it all to ourselves.”

The beach was a wide, sandy shelf that extended out into the sea. Where they stood, the water was as clear as drinking water. But where the water deepened, the color changed from a light aqua to sapphire blue or emerald. A school of small fish swam in front of them.

“Oh, look! Look!” said Julie.

“Don’t move,” said Dan.

“Oh, you want to play that game again?” she said, playfully reaching for him under the water. “This time it’s your turn.”

“That works for me,” he said. “But, first, how about some of that fancy swimming you do at the Y? You’ve got plenty of room here.”

Julie had always loved swimming. She had joined the BC Swimming and Dive team her first year at college, but it had taken too much time away from her studies.

Dan was referring to the synchronized swimming team that Julie had recently joined at the local YMCA. They were fortunate to have a pool at home where she practiced, but it was small.

“Oh, you’re right,” she said. “But I want to go out where it’s deeper. Why don’t you go out on the dock? You’ll be able to watch me better from there. I’ll swim over.”

Dan trotted down the beach and out onto the wooden pier.

She was already there by the time he got to the end. He parked himself on the edge of the platform with his long legs dangling, and she started her routine. With so much room and the added buoyancy of the salt water, Julie was sculling and happily inventing new maneuvers beyond the usual spikes and wheels. She swam with the ease of a mermaid, losing herself in the activity.

Suddenly there was a splash, and Dan was in the water next to her.

“Quick! Back toward the house…it’s Drum!”

It took Julie a minute to remember that they were in their underwear.

They swam the distance back in record time. Breathless and laughing, they watched John Drum as he got out of his jeep, walked out on the long dock, started up the boat and pulled away. It seemed he hadn’t noticed them; or maybe he’d just done a good job of pretending he didn’t see them.

Confident that there wouldn’t be any more interruptions, they stripped off their wet underwear and settled into a serious game of “Don’t move” on the beach.

•

That evening they met John’s wife, Mary, who had killed and roasted a large chicken in their honor. Julie was glad they were only around for latter part of that process. Mary Drum was a short, friendly woman, every bit as weathered-looking as her husband. She had a disconcerting habit of talking out loud to herself. Not surprising, thought Julie, considering she’s the only woman here.

Alfred entertained them with stories about the island’s pirate history. He said that the high central ridge hid one side of the island from the other so well, that the infamous Blackbeard was rumored to have used Castle Cay as a hideout and point of ambush for unsuspecting traders.

After dinner, they walked about the small farm. In addition to an extensive garden, the Drums had a cow and chickens, a dog, and several cats. They also had three horses, and John Drum asked if they were experienced riders. Julie and Dan had both ridden before, and John offered to pick them up again in the morning so they could borrow “Chinaman” and “Daisy” to tour the island.

Later that night in bed, Dan turned to Julie, propped up on his elbow. “I found some snorkeling equipment. Al told me that the reef we saw today is a great place to snorkel. Maybe we’ll find some pirate treasure.”

“You mean some that Al hasn’t already found?” said Julie, laughing. “Wait a minute… what if there’s one of those moray eels in there that jump out at you with all those teeth?”

At this, Dan got up on his knees and flapped his elbows like a bird.

“Chic-ken…Chic-ken…”

“You fool. Come here and kiss me.”

“Ah, she wants to play ‘Don’t move’.”

“Maybe I have a new game.”

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