Page 8 of Duty and Desire

Chapter Seven

Gio

A s soon as I’d cleared up after breakfast, I sat on the couch staring at the card Nick had given me. It wasn’t a professionally printed business card, but a simple white square on which he’d written his name and phone number.

Procrastination is the thief of time.

Sitting there thinking about calling Nick was stealing writing time.

Except I wasn’t writing, not yet. I was making notes, sure, and it was getting me back into the swing of things, but I still hadn’t opened the folder containing my manuscript.

Hell, I was this close to deleting it, except Patrick would probably kill me if I did that. Besides, it wasn’t irredeemable.

At least, that was what I kept telling myself.

What excuse do you have for calling him? Apart from wanting to get to the bottom of the whole stalker issue, of course. It had to be plausible.

I glanced at the coffee table where Aulani had made a neat pile of magazines, and the cover of the top one was of a couple of hikers staring out at the lagoon from one of the two high peaks. Nick had mentioned both of them during our boat trip. In fact, his description had piqued my interest.

Hey, see what you did there? You should be a writer.

I could do with the exercise. I hadn’t visited a gym since I’d left San Francisco, and while I could’ve gone to Vaitape by bike to shop for groceries, I’d chosen a more sedate mode of transport each time. Plus, I was eating more.

Four months of this, and they’ll have to roll me onto the plane.

A hike was exactly what I needed.

That raised a question. Was I fit enough for a strenuous enterprise? Nick had called one of the trails “a good mix of fun and danger” . Was I up for such an adventure?

For God’s sake, quit thinking about it and just do it.

I kicked procrastination to the curb, reached for my phone, and typed in Nick’s number. He answered on the third ring.

“Hello?”

“Nick, this is Gio. The guy you took out in your boat on Saturday?”

There was a pause. “Oh, right. Hi. What can I do for you?”

That pause crushed my ego. Apparently, I wasn’t as memorable as I’d imagined.

“I was thinking about doing a hike up to…” I glanced at the magazine. “Mount Pahia. You said you’ve done it before.” Well, not in so many words, but it had been obvious from what he’d said that he was familiar with the route.

“A few times, yes.”

When nothing else was forthcoming, I grasped the nettle.

“So I was thinking about hiking up there, and I wondered if you’d come with me.

Seeing as you’re the expert.” Before he could respond, I added, “Unless you think I wouldn’t be able to cope with such a hike.

I mean, you know what it requires. I don’t even know if we’d need ropes or?— ”

“Gio,” he interjected. “You seem fit enough to me. And it’s not a hike that requires climbing gear. As for ropes, they’re already in place all along the trail.” Another pause. “Sure, I’d be up for a hike. When were you thinking of doing it?”

“I’d leave that up to you. You’re the one with the varied schedule, after all.”

“As if happens, I’m not working this week, except for a couple of stints tending bar.

But I have a friend staying with me at the—” In the background, a female voice interrupted him.

Then Nick spoke again. “Hang on a moment.” The sound became muffled and I couldn’t catch any of their conversation.

I was on the point of telling him I’d changed my mind when he came back.

“Okay, apparently I’m free today, if you’re not doing anything.

” There was a trace of amusement in his voice.

“Oh. Really? That’s great. If you’re sure I’m not depriving your friend of your company.”

He chuckled. “She wants to sun herself on a beach all day, with hot and cold running servers in skimpy shorts. And she says I’d cramp her style.”

“Where should I meet you? And what do I need to wear? How long will it take?”

Nick laughed. “In reverse order… It’ll take about six hours more or less for the round-trip, with stops along the way for pictures and snacks.

Sunset is around six, so we’d aim to be back well before then.

Do you have some good shoes? Suitable for hiking, I mean.

This isn’t a trail you can follow in flip-flops. ”

I assured him I had suitable footwear.

“Great. And you’ll be fine in shorts and a tee. Be prepared to get a little dirty, though. After last month’s rain, it’ll be a bit slippery, and there are parts of the trail that get muddy.”

“Would you say it’s a difficult hike?”

“Yes, but it’s manageable. It has parts where you’ll have to climb, but that’s what the ropes are for. And the pay-off for all your efforts will be the spectacular views from the top.”

“You had me at a mix of fun and danger,” I admitted.

He chuckled. “Can you be in Vaitape by ten o’clock? We’ll use that as our starting point.”

“Sure, I can do that. I’ve got crackers, fruit and nuts for snacks.”

“Don’t forget water.”

“I won’t. Then I guess I’ll see you at ten.” I thanked him and hung up. One glance at my phone told me I had about an hour to get ready.

I wasn’t sure what exhilarated me more—the thought of the hike, or spending more than six hours in Nick’s company. Yes, I wanted to know more about him, but that wasn’t the main goal.

It had been a long time since I’d wanted to let someone in.

A long time? Try over a decade.

I didn’t know what it was about Nick that drew me to him, especially since I’d only met him once, but maybe if I spent time with him, I’d find out.

I pointed to the little holes in the earth along the road out of Vaitape. “What are those? They’re everywhere.”

“Crab holes,” Nick informed me. “They like their little tunnels.” He pointed up and off to the right. “See that pointy bit? That’s where we’re headed.”

“‘Pointy bit’?” I grinned. “Is that a technical term?” I gazed at the landscape. It was nothing like the swanky hotels lining the coasts. The houses were plain, and there seemed to be a plethora of dogs and chickens. “How come Bora-Bora dogs aren’t like US dogs?”

Nick glanced at me with a faint smile. “How are they different?”

“They’re quieter here. They don’t yap or bark when a car passes by, and they don’t chase after it either.”

He chuckled. “Then I think I prefer Bora-Bora dogs.”

It wasn’t long before asphalt gave way to a much rougher surface as we headed for the trail. There were flowers everywhere, pretty flowers with a heart of dark burgundy, surrounded by large pink petals. Nick told me hibiscus bloomed all over the island.

“You’ve come to know this island well, haven’t you?”

Nick chuckled. “I think I spent my first month here just walking, exploring, seeing…” He came to a halt. “This is where the trail begins.”

I peered in the direction he’d pointed. “There’s a trail here?” Whatever path he was indicating was covered in vegetation.

“No one’s been up here in a while. Which makes sense. You wouldn’t want to attempt this during the rainy season.” Nick smirked. “Things sure grow fast on this island.”

“How high up will we be?”

“Couple of thousand feet.”

The trail led to what resembled a jungle tunnel, rising all the time and muddy in places. I pointed to long tracks etched into the rough surface. “What are those?”

“Slide marks from previous hikers. Be careful where you put your feet, and use your hands if you need to.”

He hadn’t been kidding when he said the trail was slippery, and my heart pounded as we climbed. Here and there I spotted slithery iridescent lizards darting around. Moss covered the tree trunks, and everything was so lush and green.

And peaceful. So goddamn peaceful.

San Francisco was a vibrant, bustling place, full of tourists, noise, traffic… And sure, sometimes all that noise was annoying, but I hadn’t once considered moving. I could see how the tranquility of this island might get under my skin, maybe even seep into my bones.

The writer part of me had gone to sleep for a while, but Bora-Bora had awakened it.

We reached the first rope, and that didn’t prove difficult to use. At the end, there was a slight opening in the trees, and I could see cruise ships on the other side of the lagoon.

Then we came to the tree ferns, and my jaw dropped.

They were huge, towering over our heads. The brown curled stalks that would soon unfurl were thicker than my forearm, the seed pods larger than my hand. The fully grown ferns had stalks resembling the trunks of young trees.

I laughed. “God, I feel so small.”

Nick curled his hand around one of the ferns. “There are times when I’m hiking that I get this overwhelming feeling of being so insignificant. If mankind was swept away tomorrow, this glorious world would remain, would keep on blooming, without us.”

I stared at him. “You have a way with words, you know. Maybe you should be a writer.”

Everything he said carved a deeper impression of him, and I liked the thing of beauty that was emerging.

And still we climbed, up, up, up, until at last we had our first full view.

“There’s the dock at Vaitape.” Nick pointed to the pastel blue-green water. “And those are cargo ships.”

I stood and stared, grateful for the warm sunlight on my face and the wind carrying a scent of flowers and grass, a lush, green smell that stirred something in me.

“You could forget the real world existed up here,” I murmured. I reached into my backpack and grabbed the bag of nuts I’d brought with me. I handed Nick a handful, then popped a few into my mouth.

He stood beside me. “I know. It’s so beautiful.”

“Have you ever brought your friend up here?”