Shelly in Cancun 14 \u2013 The case<\/p>\n
I awaken to the humidity of a Southern climate and the warmth of the morning sun beating down on me. I quickly realize I\u2019m not in my bed. I\u2019m lying in sand underneath some palm fronds.<\/p>\n
It all comes back to me\u2026 the storm\u2026being dragged under by the rigging from the sailboat\u2026 Andria foolishly coming down to rescue me\u2026 the two of us clinging to the broken mast and being tossed around by the waves. Then I realize I\u2019m lying right next to her warm body. I shake her awake.<\/p>\n
\u201cAndria? Baby; you all right??\u201d<\/p>\n
She moans and stirs as she turns toward me. Her eyes flutter open. \u201cShelly?\u201d she gasps anxiously.<\/p>\n
We both sit up and hug each other, shaking the fronds off our bodies. Then we stand up and take stock of our situation.<\/p>\n
Somehow our skimpy bikinis remain intact. We\u2019re on the edge of an isolated section of beach. The main harbor into Cancun sits a couple of miles south of us. The broken mast we rode in on lies a few yards further down the beach.<\/p>\n
I vaguely remember coming ashore. We found some scattered leaves that the storm blew out of the trees. I also vaguely recall the two of us being too tired to do much of anything else other than dragging them with us before collapsing onto the ground as far away from high tide as possible, weakly pulling them over the top of us as we cuddled up against each other.<\/p>\n
\u201cJake!\u201d Andria gasps. \u201cWe gotta find him!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMaybe he made it back to our bungalow,\u201d I suggest hopefully. Together the two of us begin our trek down the beach back toward civilization.<\/p>\n
Debris is everywhere, much of it being the leaves and fronds off the trees along the edge of the beach. It takes nearly an hour before we\u2019re back on that familiar stretch of sand we sunbathed on two days ago when we first got here.<\/p>\n
We look like a couple of stupid American female tourists strolling along the beach in our skimpy bikinis while everyone else cleans up. We quickly head for the bungalow. We\u2019re both anxious about Andria\u2019s boyfriend Jake.<\/p>\n
The bungalow looks intact for the most part. We start hollering out his name as we run to the door. It\u2019s unlocked.<\/p>\n
We burst inside, looking all around as we call out his name. But the place is empty. He\u2019s not inside.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere could he be?\u201d Andria asks fearfully. \u201cYou don\u2019t suppose he fell out of the raft and drowned, do you?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s fine,\u201d I tell her, gathering her up in my arms and holding on to her. I\u2019m not certain of that fact. But there\u2019s no point assuming the worst.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe gotta FIND him, \u2018Shel\u2019!\u201d She tries to wrench out of my grasp. But I hold onto her.<\/p>\n
I give her shoulders a gentle shake. \u201cHe KNOWS where the bungalow is, babe! We need to stay in one place for a while. That will give him a chance to find US, ok?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBut SHELLY??\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou KNOW I\u2019m right, Andria! This is a good time to calm down, take a good hot shower and get into a change of clothes, don\u2019t you think?\u201d Then I look into her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll stay put and give him a couple of hours, ok? THEN we\u2019ll go look for him. Think about it! What if he comes back, only to find out we both went out looking for him?\u201d<\/p>\n
Andria looks at me and takes a deep breath. \u201cYou\u2019re right, \u2018Shel\u2019\u201d, she admits with a heavy sigh and a nod. Then she gets this determined look on her face.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut ONLY for a couple of hours, ok? Then I\u2019m going out to look for him!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOk,\u201d I agree. \u201cThat will give us time to call a couple of places and see if he\u2019s turned up anywhere\u2026 like the hospital or the Red Cross or something.\u201d<\/p>\n
Andria wants to start calling right now. But I push her toward her separate bathroom, telling her she needs a nice hot bath or a shower so she\u2019ll feel better when we get ready to start the search. Then I head toward my own bathroom and start myself a hot soothing bath, hoping we\u2019ll eventually find Jake alive and well\u2026
\n—–
\nThe bath is just what the doctor ordered. A half hour later I feel much better. But the whole time I keep an ear open, hoping I won\u2019t hear the door slam shut, indicating Andria has gone out on her own to look for him. I also realize how hungry I am, being as how we haven\u2019t eaten since we had lunch yesterday back on the sailboat.<\/p>\n
When finally I emerge from my bedroom I\u2019m dressed in a light yellow shirt and shorts along with a pair of socks and sneakers. Andria is sitting down near the phone. She\u2019s dressed in a light blue shirt, matching shorts and tennis shoes.<\/p>\n
She\u2019s glum as she tells me, \u201cThe phone is working, \u2018Shel\u2019. So I placed a couple of calls. No one has seen or heard from Jake. I want to go out right now and look for him!\u201d<\/p>\n
I tell her, \u201cLet\u2019s give him another half hour; ok? Remember? We were way down the beach when we came ashore. It took us a while to walk back. I just don\u2019t want us to be gone when he walks in through the door.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s not going to just \u2018walk in through the door\u2019, \u2018Shel\u2019! What if he\u2019s out there hurt somewhere?! Ohmygawd, Shelly; what if he fell out of the raft and DROWNED??\u201d<\/p>\n
The door suddenly opens. Amazingly, it\u2019s Jake who walks in. His face is grim as though something serious is on his mind.<\/p>\n
He catches sight of us staring at him in complete shock. In an instant his jaw drops in utter astonishment. \u201cANDRIA? SHELLY??\u201d He\u2019s totally astonished.<\/p>\n
\u201cJAKE!\u201d<\/p>\n
Andria screams in shocked delight as she jumps up and runs into his arms. I breathe a sigh of relief, grateful we\u2019re all safe and sound. Then I get up and walk over to them, the three of us happily hugging each other.<\/p>\n
We all start talking so fast that we nearly walk over each other\u2019s words\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat HAPPENED to you two\u2026?\u201d \u201cI got caught in some rope and the ship dragged me down\u2026!\u201d \u201cI saw Shelly go down with the ship and I just couldn\u2019t leave her, Jake!\u201d \u201cYou crazy bitch, you could have gotten yourself killed! The wind swept me into the harbor and I lost sight of you both\u2026\u201d \u201cYeah? Well your stupid girlfriend came after me and nearly drowned herself getting me loose! When we came back up you were gone and we hung onto a piece of the mast until we blew into shore\u2026\u201d \u201cWe landed on the beach, honey, and we fell asleep under some leaves! We had to walk a long way just to get back here!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were just about to go out looking for you when you walked in, Jake. Where the hell have you been?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell I\u2019ve been looking all over for you two girls! You see I\u2019m in big trouble. I really need your help.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cTrouble?\u201d Andria says. \u201cWhat KIND of trouble?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIs it about the sailboat?\u201d I ask. \u201cWon\u2019t the insurance cover the loss?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not about the insurance,\u201d Jake replies, anxiety in his voice. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to find that sailboat and make a dive! We\u2019ve got to do it right now, girls! I\u2019ve got to get something out of there\u2026 and fast!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGet what, Jake?\u201d Andria asks in disbelief. \u201cYou can\u2019t MEAN that, can you? What the hell is so important on that damned boat? Shelly nearly DROWNED because you waited out there by that reef too long, you fucking MORON!\u201d<\/p>\n
In a flash it occurs to me. I\u2019m pretty sure I know exactly what he\u2019s after. \u201cWhat\u2019s in the case, Jake?\u201d I ask quietly, looking carefully at him.<\/p>\n
His inability to look me in the eye and the guilty expression on his face says it all. \u201cI can\u2019t tell you that, Shelly,\u201d he says quietly. \u201cYou don\u2019t want to know.\u201d<\/p>\n
Andria looks at me and then back at her boyfriend in confusion. \u201cJake?\u201d<\/p>\n
I see a flash of shocked revelation in her eyes. That\u2019s when I know she\u2019s come to the same conclusion I have. \u201cNO!\u201d she gasps in horror. \u201cWhen we threw Shelly over the side, I said that as a JOKE! You\u2019re not actually a fucking DRUG DEALER; are you, Jake??\u201d<\/p>\n
Andria shakes her head in disbelief. She takes a couple of steps backward from her boyfriend as though carefully backing away from a poisonous snake. She keeps saying \u201cNo \u2013 it CAN\u2019T be!\u201d That\u2019s when I get a sick feeling in the pit of my gut.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m NOT a drug dealer!\u201d he says anxiously. \u201cI just\u2026 I just\u2026 Look! You girls have got to help me, ok? You know I can\u2019t make the swim down to the boat on my own! I\u2019m not as good a swimmer as either one of you. And I don\u2019t know how to scuba dive, ok?\u201d<\/p>\n
At that moment my mind is made up. \u201cWe\u2019re not helping you, Jake,\u201d I say firmly, and I back away from him as well. \u201cC\u2019mon, Andria! We\u2019re packing up and flying out of here right now!\u201d Then I glare at him before adding, \u201cYou\u2019re on your own, you stupid bastard!\u201d<\/p>\n
Andria stands there shaking her head in shock and horror. She looks like she doesn\u2019t want to move. But she can\u2019t just stand there either.<\/p>\n
\u201cJake; what have you DONE?\u201d she finally gasps, her face deathly pale. \u201cThe boat\u2026 all that money we spent back in the states\u2026 this trip? You mean it\u2019s all paid for with\u2026?\u201d<\/p>\n
She can\u2019t bring herself to say it. I see tears well up in her eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did it for YOU, Andria!\u201d he says desperately. \u201cI did it for US, baby! I just need your help on this one thing is all!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t help him, Andria,\u201d I warn her. I feel like I\u2019m going to start hyperventilating any second now. Things have just gone from bad to worse.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t risk going out there with him. You know that; right? Someone bad could show up. One of us could get stuck down there and drown!\u201d<\/p>\n
I nervously look all around, half-expecting a bunch of drug runners to come bursting through the door to gun us down for losing their shipment. Gawd! How could Jake be so fucking STUPID, messing around with drug dealers like that?<\/p>\n
I grab Andria by the arm. \u201cC\u2019mon. We\u2019ve got to go NOW! I\u2019ll call the airport and see about getting us on the next flight out; ok?\u201d Now I want out of Cancun in the worst way.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut Shelly??\u201d Andria gasps uncertainly, looking from Jake to me and then back to Jake again. \u201cI don\u2019t\u2026 I don\u2019t know\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBabe, you\u2019ve got to help me!\u201d Jake pleads as he takes a step toward her. \u201cIf you don\u2019t do this, they\u2019ll KILL me!\u201d<\/p>\n
He looks right at me. It\u2019s as if I know what he\u2019s going to say next. \u201cShelly, if we don\u2019t get that case back to them, they\u2019ll kill us all!\u201d<\/p>\n
Damn! I hate being right about this one!<\/p>\n
He turns to his girlfriend and starts begging. It\u2019s pitiful\u2026 pathetic. \u201cAndria? Honey? Please! I can\u2019t do it without you, baby! They\u2019ll kill me if I don\u2019t get the case back to them. And I have to do it today!\u201d<\/p>\n
Andria looks back and forth between Jake and I. I see the fear etched in her face. Then she takes a deep breath as though she\u2019s come to a decision.<\/p>\n
\u201cOk, Jake; I\u2019ll help you.\u201d There\u2019s resignation in her voice.<\/p>\n
FUCK!<\/p>\n
\u201cAndria\u2026 NO! You can\u2019t!\u201d<\/p>\n
I\u2019m firmly convinced if Andria does help him, this is not going to end well for any of us. I can see how badly shaken she is. But I\u2019m not surprised at what she says next, even though her voice is trembling\u2026<\/p>\n
\u201cGet out of here, \u2018Shel\u2019! You should pack up and fly back without us, ok? Get the hell out of Cancun! I\u2019ll stay behind long enough to help Jake get his case back.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAndria; no!\u201d<\/p>\n
I\u2019m horrified. I should\u2019ve known this was coming, damn her! It\u2019s just like Andria!<\/p>\n
I shake my head as I tell her, \u201cYou can\u2019t stay here and help him, babe! It\u2019s much too dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t just leave him like this, \u2018Shel\u2019! But you should go! I don\u2019t want anything happening to you!\u201d<\/p>\n
SHIT!!<\/p>\n
In an instant I know I can\u2019t leave either, knowing Andria will be going down to that damn boat by herself. I just can\u2019t fly back until I\u2019m certain she\u2019ll be safe. I wouldn\u2019t be able to forgive myself if something happened to her.<\/p>\n
I give Jake my angriest glare. \u201cAll right, damn you! I guess we\u2019ll both go and help you. But it\u2019s the last time I ever want to see your face. You got that?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShelly\u2026 NO!\u201d Andria blurts out in alarm.<\/p>\n
She sees the grim determination in my face. Tears of gratitude well up in her eyes as she acknowledges what she\u2019s suspected all along. I can\u2019t leave without her any more than she could leave without me.<\/p>\n
A moment later I can tell by the look in her eyes that she fully realizes what this means. So she tries one last time. \u201cPlease, Shelly. Go home\u2026 for my sake, ok? I can\u2019t bear the thought of something happening to you because you stayed on my account. Please?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not leaving without you,\u201d I tell her sternly.<\/p>\n
Andria gets this haunted look in her eyes. Then she looks angrily at Jake. She\u2019s not happy, knowing if anything should happen to me it\u2019ll be because I refused to go since she\u2019s staying behind to help her boyfriend.<\/p>\n
\u201cJake?\u201d<\/p>\n
I can see the conflict inside her. She wants him to embrace her with words of encouragement. At the same time, she\u2019s mad at him for putting her in this spot.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019ll work out fine,\u201d he tells her. \u201cNothing will happen, ok? We\u2019ll get the case back up, I\u2019ll get it delivered, and everything will be all right.\u201d<\/p>\n
I glare at him as a mixture of fear and anger boil up inside me. \u201cOnce we get that fucking case out of that damn boat, you\u2019d better make damn sure Andria and I are both on the next flight out of the fucking country! You GOT THAT?\u201d I\u2019m livid, barely able to contain my fury with him.<\/p>\n
\u201cAgreed,\u201d he says quietly with a nod, properly chastised upon seeing the anger in my face. \u201cBut only Andria goes down after the case, ok?\u201d<\/p>\n
Does he trust his girlfriend more? Or is it that he just doesn\u2019t want me handling it? I can\u2019t be certain, but it doesn\u2019t really matter either way.<\/p>\n
He tells her, \u201cWhy don\u2019t you go get changed into something you can dive in; ok, honey?\u201d He reaches out to touch her affectionately. But she recoils from his hand. She\u2019s angry with him for putting our lives in jeopardy, especially mine.<\/p>\n
She dejectedly heads back toward their bedroom to change. I turn and head toward mine to change too, just in case I have to dive down after her. But I can\u2019t help turning to look back at Jake, almost as if I don\u2019t want to turn my back on him.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s something in his eyes that bothers me as he looks back at me. I find myself wondering just how much he actually loves Andria. I have the uneasy feeling that it\u2019s not nearly as much as I do and my hunger is momentarily forgotten as I go into my room and pick out another swimsuit\u2026
\n—–
\nWe come out of our respective bedrooms. Andria is in a white bikini, while I\u2019m sporting a red one. Jake is glad we\u2019re going down to the marina in our swimsuits so as not to attract any undue attention. He says it\u2019ll look better if we look like a couple of sexy tourists going out for a pleasure cruise. But I\u2019m not reassured.<\/p>\n
We soon discover he\u2019s already rented a 34 footer for the occasion. I give him a dirty look. I get the distinct impression he planned on the two of us going out with him from the very beginning, just to help him find his sunken sailboat and retrieve his precious case. My distrust of him grows by leaps and bounds.<\/p>\n
The guy at the dock tells him he did what he could to furnish his boat for him as per his requests. Jake nods and thanks him.<\/p>\n
Andria doesn\u2019t say much. She still appears to be shaken up over this horrible revelation about her boyfriend. I silently vow that if anything bad happens to my roommate, he\u2019s going to wish he\u2019d never brought me along with them to Cancun.<\/p>\n
I get the uneasy feeling that we\u2019re being watched as we walk to the end of the dock. But Jake\u2019s pleasure craft is waiting for us, just like the guy said it would be. We all climb aboard without incident.<\/p>\n
He unties the lines before starting the motor. We soon pull away from the dock. The three of us quickly motor out of the harbor.<\/p>\n
Andria and I sit on the bench seat near the back of the boat. Neither one of us says anything. I can\u2019t help thinking about yesterday, Jake\u2019s decision to wait for that other boat, and the case we\u2019re now going after.<\/p>\n
It suddenly throws suspicion on Almonte and his girls. I have to wonder about the true nature of their sudden arrival that day. I sigh heavily, shaking my head.<\/p>\n
Jake\u2019s got a tracking device with the frequency for the signal to the sailboat that went down last night. He seems to zero in on its location right away. Thankfully it only takes twenty minutes or so for us to find the damn thing.<\/p>\n
It isn\u2019t long until he\u2019s turned off the motor. We anchor right above it. Jake looks all around, confirming we\u2019re the only boat out in the immediate vicinity.<\/p>\n
There are other boats on the water. But so far none of them seem the least bit interested in what we\u2019re doing out here. I hope it stays that way and that none of his druggie friends come out to have a look. I also hope for our sakes that the authorities don\u2019t come nosing around either<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s about 35 or 40 feet down,\u201d he observes, checking his readings as he looks down over the side of the boat. \u201cIt\u2019s right there; I can even see it. It\u2019s a little murky down there, but it should be clear enough. The case will be a little heavy. But the guy back at the dock gave me some rope so I can help you pull it back up.\u201d<\/p>\n
He looks over at Andria. Then he tells her, \u201cThere shouldn\u2019t be any problems, babe. The guy was supposed to stow some diving gear on board for me. It should be right there inside that storage compartment.\u201d<\/p>\n
I look over the side where I can actually see the boat lying on its side. The water does look a little murky around the sunken craft. Thankfully it looks like it should not pose too much of a problem. I still don\u2019t like the idea of Andria going down alone. But at least the conditions are halfway decent.<\/p>\n
Jake starts to pull out a hefty length of nylon rope. Andria opens up the compartment. The only thing she finds inside is a solitary blue dive mask, a pair of blue dive fins, a weight belt, and a yellow bottle of spare air. There\u2019s no sign of any dive tank.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m sarcastic as I ask, \u201cSo where the hell\u2019s the scuba gear, hotshot?\u201d<\/p>\n
Andria stares at the contents in alarm. Jake explodes in fury. He spews obscenities as he threatens to kick the guy\u2019s ass all over the marina once we get back.<\/p>\n
His outburst seems just a bit contrived to me. Then he starts apologizing over and over again to his girlfriend. He tells her he suspects the bastard ran out of rental gear and fitted the boat with the only things he had on hand due to the many other rentals instigated by the havoc the storm wreaked the night before.<\/p>\n
Andria looks at the gear for a long moment before she starts to pull it out. \u201cI can do this,\u201d she says carefully. Then she starts strapping the dive fins onto her feet as she asks, \u201cSo where\u2019s the case located, Jake?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLike HELL you are!\u201d I state firmly. \u201cYou\u2019re not doing ANYTHING! I\u2019m NOT letting you go down into that mess of a wreck with nothing but a miserable bottle of spare air! Besides, the fucking thing is lying on its side! You could get hung up in there!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe can do this, Shelly,\u201d he says encouragingly as she straps the weight belt around her waist. \u201cAfter all, it\u2019s in that little storage cabinet just down the steps off the main deck. She won\u2019t have to go any further than that. She\u2019ll be in and then right back out.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow the HELL can you make her do this?\u201d I sputter angrily.<\/p>\n
\u201cRelax, \u2018Shel\u2019; he\u2019s not \u2018making me\u2019,\u201d Andria calmly tells me, gently touching my arm. But despite her bravado, I can see she\u2019s trembling a little.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis\u2019ll be a piece of cake,\u201d she says with a smile. \u201cI can do this! I\u2019ll be back up with the case before you both know I\u2019m gone!\u201d<\/p>\n
Jake hands her the end of the nylon rope as she adjusts the dive mask over her face. I\u2019m still not happy about all this. But I feel like it\u2019s out of my hands now.<\/p>\n
Andria places the spare air in her mouth. She takes a breath to make sure it\u2019s working. Then she nods as she pulls it back out.<\/p>\n
\u201cWorks fine,\u201d she says cheerfully. Then she nods in my direction as she tells me, \u201cDon\u2019t worry, \u2018Shel\u2019. I\u2019ll be right back!\u201d<\/p>\n
She puts the mouthpiece to the spare air bottle back between her lips. I look at her solemnly as I tell her, \u201cYou got three and a half minutes! Time her, Jake!\u201d<\/p>\n
As he checks his watch, she gives us both a thumbs up while one hand holds the end of the rope. Then she grabs both her dive mask and the spare air bottle. She holds onto to them so they won\u2019t be ripped off when she makes the plunge.<\/p>\n
Andria steps onto the ledge on the back of the boat. Then she steps off into the water with a splash. With a flip of her legs she heads down toward the sailboat as Jake plays out the nylon rope for her.<\/p>\n
2009; 2021 (written May 15 \u201909; ed. Jun 13 \u201821 by riwa)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Jake needs Shelly and Andria to go back with him to find the sunken sailboat and locate a very important case. Continue reading