Take My Breath Away

The killer whale disappeared after they had reached the shore. Now it was back.

Carlos got off the rock. The killer whale's bulk was halfway out of the water. When it opened its mouth, Debbie screamed in surprise.

Its mouth was full of marine life such as fish, shrimp, crab, and some other creatures. Many of the creatures were still alive, others were certainly not, or at least unmoving.

"It's bringing us food," Carlos said with a smile.

Debbie threw her arms around the killer whale's head and gave it a big kiss. "Thank you, big guy."

The killer whale opened its mouth and all the fish, crab, and whatnot spilled out onto the rocks. Debbie went to collect what had fallen out, and the orca returned to the sea once more. Carlos gathered an armful and began flinging them onto the beach.

Then Carlos had a better idea. To avoid the fish leaping back into the sea, he decided to dig a hole further inland, and put rocks around the perimeter. Then the fish wouldn't able to "escape." He dug the hole quickly. While he was placing rocks, Debbie saw something odd-looking. "Ugh! This one's scary. Get rid of it, old man," she said, pointing at the offending fish.

Carlos looked at the fish. It was really a hideous-looking little creature. Grey, lumpy, spines around the mouth, huge, black eyes, and just unappetizing in general. "Throw it back into the water," he said. Debbie didn't even think that it would look good cooked. She danced around it, loath to touch it at all.

"You throw it. Hurry before it dies," Debbie said.

Carlos dropped the rock in his hand and came over. He looked at the fish with disgust obvious on his face. Finally, he picked the fish up by its tail fin and threw it back into the water.

The two decided to waste no time building a fire to cook up their catch.

They didn't have a knife to gut the fish, though. While Debbie voiced her concerns, Carlos found a thin rock and a broken shell of a red scallop. He scraped the scales with the shell, holding it nearly flat against the fish, in long, hard swipes. Starting at the tail he scraped his way towards the head. Then he flipped it over and did the same to the other side. He paused for a minute to rest. This wasn't the easiest work, and the hot sun didn't make it any easier. Finally, he slit the vent, slicing all the way up to the neck, careful not to slice too deeply. If he hit the intestines, he'd be left with a terrible mess. And he grabbed another fish and went through the same process. One for him, one for Debbie.

After Carlos removed the entrails and kidneys, Debbie took the gutted fish to the water and washed them. It was salt water, true, but it was the best she could do right now. Carlos took them back and put them back on the flat part of another log. He removed the heads. Then he turned the fish's spine towards him and cut above the backbone to fillet it. He worked the shell slowly, carefully through the length of his catch. Then he peeled where he cut through to slice off a fillet. When he was done, he had a pile of fillets ready to cook.

Then, Carlos penetrated the fish fillets with a stick and put them over the fire.

This was the best they could do under such simple circumstances.

No spice, no fresh water, no cooking equipment. Finally, after what seemed like forever, their bellies were growling, but the flesh of the fish had finally flaked, turning opaque. They were done and able to eat at last.

Carlos took a bite. Positive that it was cooked, he handed it to Debbie. "Have some."

"Okay. What if no one comes to find us?" she asked worriedly and took a bite of the roast fish. Yuck! It was bland, and quite fishy, too.

Carlos looked at her, she was still in her bikini, as fetching as ever. The look in his eyes dimmed. "Then we'll have to make our home here."

"Ah! Then I'll never see Piggy again!" Her voice was choked.

"Don't you want to be with me forever?" he asked.

"Of course I do," she nodded. "Don't abandon me, old man."

"Abandon you?" He was confused.

"I heard a story. A couple were shipwrecked and trapped in a cave. They had no food. To survive, the boyfriend killed his girlfriend and ate her," she explained.

The serious expression on her face amused Carlos. He turned to the ocean and replied, "Out there is the endless ocean. I'm not ready to make you into dinner just yet."

Debbie contemplated what he said and added, "Yeah, I'd probably be tough and stringy. But if you got tired of fish—"

Carlos threw her a glance. "Well, there is that... And I do like the way you taste," he said with a far-off look in his eyes.

Debbie could tell that he was thinking of something dirty, but she wasn't going to say anything. All it would do would cause problems, and all they had were each other.

They bantered while they ate. Debbie didn't like the taste, but she kept stuffing herself. They needed energy to escape.

By the time they finished eating, it was dark. Debbie lay on the sand, looking at the starry sky. "Do you think they'll find us?" she asked.

Sitting beside her, also looking at the sky, Carlos said firmly, "Oh, I've got good friends. They'll find us."

Unless he missed his guess, Wesley would get the idea that something was very wrong.

Debbie rolled on her side and faced Carlos. "Old man, why don't we live here?" Life on this deserted island would be hard, but it would be quiet and simple. They could set up a little hut, and it would be just like Gilligan's Island. It would just be her and Carlos. The more she thought about it, the more she liked it.

"What about Piggy?" he asked.

Hearing Piggy's name, she became dispirited. "I miss her. She's my baby."

After a short pause, Carlos asked, "Why didn't you marry Piggy's father, Hayden? Why Ivan?"

He could tell Ivan didn't love her. And they didn't really act like a married couple.

Debbie looked at him in disbelief. Carlos had asked her the same question last time before her wedding. Now she was curious what made him think like that. "Who told you that?"

That hit him like a slap. Hayden told him so.

"Eww. What the hell, Carlos?" Debbie lay on her back and fixed her eyes on the sky again. "I stopped loving him years ago. Besides, he's married. We still talk because he helped me out a lot after I left the city."

Sea breeze blew on their faces, ruffled their hair. After a moment, she continued, "Now, I married Ivan, but it's not what you think. There's a reason, but I can't tell you right now. So, are you gonna marry Stephanie?"

Her eyes sparkled in the dark. Carlos kissed her hair and asked,

"Why? Do you want me to?"

"No!"

Debbie answered simply.

Carlos nodded.

He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. "I won't marry Stephanie. But what about Ivan? He doesn't love you."

"Okay, I'll leave him," she muttered. "But it'll have to wait."

Carlos remained silent.

He was thinking about Piggy. So Hayden wasn't the dad? Ivan? Probably not. Then who was her real father?

Suddenly, something dawned on him.

Neither of them said anything else. They immersed themselves in the moment. But Carlos focused on controlling himself. This wasn't the time or place.

Debbie knew why he went quiet. Panting, she cradled his neck and said, "Old man, I..." She wanted to tell him she and Ivan had never slept together.

But Carlos already let her go and waded into the ocean.

He could swim, but his leg was injured. Worried, Debbie sat up and shouted after him, "Hey! Be careful! Watch that leg."