The Tropical Dream

Chapter 30 - Telling the Story

It was dark when the Abernathy family went to the dining room for dinner, somewhat later than they usually did. There seemed to be more people about on a Friday night, or perhaps it was just that people were more in the mood to socialize. They ate dinner in the smallest of the dining rooms, the one where there were menus and the ship's staff actually served the people at the table much like they would in a restaurant. Afterwards everyone went out for a stroll on the upper deck. There was a cooler than usual breeze blowing to them from across the water, making the air feel more comfortable than it had been in recent days during the evening hours.

"It smells like rain," Susan commented.

"It does. I hope it holds off," Greg remarked. "We have more filming we intend to do on Monday up by the cliffs."

"It might make the waterfalls fuller if it did," Susan remarked.

"I believe they are full enough," Greg told her. "Certainly for our purposes. Haven't you seen them?"

"No. It's beyond the filming markers so we've been avoiding that end of the beach," Susan reminded him.

"I would like to show it to you," Greg said. "Perhaps we will find the opportunity to do that this weekend."

"I'd love to see them ...and the pools and the ledge ...everything," Susan told him sincerely.

"Let me contact the ship's taxi service. I should be able to make the arrangements necessary to go in the morning," Greg told her.

"Won't the taxi be making its usual runs?" Susan asked.

"It will, but I'd rather show it to you on our own."

"You mean, not with us around," Zackary guessed.

"I would prefer not to attract a crowd," Greg clarified. "It is still true that most individuals on the ship, should avoid the areas near the cliffs. However your mother and I do have a specific, though somewhat sentimental reason for visiting. Still, I find the integrity of the movie I am making is well served when her input is included."

"It's cool," Matthew assured him.

"So Mom, you said you and Greg were strangers when you lived here. When did you become friends?" Zackary asked.

"I suppose we could have been considered friends by the time we left," Susan answered. "We certainly knew each other better by then."

"Considering, when we arrived we knew little more about one another aside from each other's names, that is definitely true," Greg remarked. "However I would not say we knew each other well at that point."

"How did you know Mom's name?" Zackary asked. "I thought you said she was unconscious."

"She was, however she had one of her business cards in her pocket," Greg explained.

"Oh," Zack said. "And you knew his because of TV?" he asked his mother.

"I did," Susan agreed. "By the time we left, I also knew something about Greg's family, his prayer habits, and things like that, so we were more than acquaintances."

"Did you know about us?" Zackary asked Greg.

"Yes. I heard about you and Matthew during the first week we were here. Your mother missed you immensely," Greg shared. "Right from the very beginning."

"What about me, Papa?" Jessie asked curiously.

"When Mama and I were on the island like this one, you were still with your mother and Johnnie. I don't know much about what your life was like then," Greg said. "I know you were on an island with quite a number of people who escaped from the plane, and I know they built a little village, but I don't know much more than that."