Eternal On The Water by Joseph Monninger

Author:Joseph Monninger
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Gallery Books
Published: 2010-07-15T00:00:00+00:00

10

ON OUR LAST DAY IN INDONESIA, Freddy rented three horses and went with us around Gili. We left at six o’clock, an hour before sunset. The horses were bays, all from the same bloodlines. We rode in shorts and flip-flops, not ideal for horseback riding, but Freddy pushed us into a gallop as soon as we reached the northern end of the island anyway. The road that led past bars and hotels on the eastern side of the island gave way to open beaches and wilder seas. A few bamboo huts stood on poles deeper in the forest, their views worth a million dollars anywhere else in the world.

Freddy pulled us up once we had rounded the point. The sun had begun to fall into the ocean. Freddy waved out to a group of coral heads.

“When I first came here, a fisherman told me that reef was loaded with sharks. I didn’t believe him, of course. So one day I came out here and went diving. A friend went with me. As soon as we got in the water, I’m telling you, it was like a house where your parents are fighting downstairs. Weird, creepy vibe that I’d never experienced anywhere else. But we didn’t care. We swam out and dove down and it was like swimming through a gang fight. Sharks cruising everywhere, and not just little black tips, I promise. We turned around and headed back. That water gives me the heebie-jeebies.”

“How long are you going to stay here, Freddy?” Mary asked quietly.

He shrugged. He kept his eyes out on the ocean.

“Maybe always,” he said. “I have days where I get itchy, but mostly I love it here. Sometimes I wonder if I’m hiding out. You know, the real world is somewhere else, I tell myself. But the real world is always somewhere else, isn’t it? I remember that feeling in the States all the time.”

“Do you own the house and land?” I asked.

“With Lamb. You need an Indonesian partner to own land here. Lamb’s my Indo-par. That’s what they call Indonesian partners.”

“The world seems to be right here,” Mary said.

“As much as any place,” Freddy said, looking around. “And you know, I couldn’t wear a suit and tie and punch a clock. I couldn’t. Not after living here. So this island is shaping us all the time. Island people are different from mainland people. It’s hard to put your finger on it, but it’s true. I plan to come back to the States one of these days. It probably wouldn’t be a bad idea to make the rounds and talk to donors. We’ll see how it goes.”

“Do you miss New England?” I asked.

“Sometimes I miss those cold winter nights. You know, when you happen to be outside and the temperature is just brutal but the air is as clear as—what? Someone give me a metaphor.”

“As pain,” Mary said.

“As dice,” I said.

“I’ll go with dice,” Freddy said. “You know what I mean. And the wind stops and the woods are quiet and you feel peace and serenity.

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