IX
The plane circled overhead and Bill stopped his work to watch as
Eke landed it into the river with a mighty splash rushing off of both
sides of the plane. As Eke emerged from the plane, he spewed out
the word, “Lar!” – a practiced bit of dialogue from the movie,
“Caveman.”
Bill smiled and responded with the appropriate, “Atouk!” but his
heart didnt seem in it. Hed been here for three days working–
cutting and clearing and at the end even managing to stack a couple
of logs to start the cabin – and movie dialogue wasnt exactly what he
had in mind. Thankfully what he had in mind was exactly what Eke
said next. “I brought meat,” he said. “Lets cook.”
Bill smiled back. He was starving– not literally but he sure
wanted something different. Something full of meat– like meat. Hes
been working hard. “Cool,” he said. Eke grabbed a rope hooked to the front and began to pull the
plane to shore. “Lets get the plane secure on shore and then lets
start a fire,” he said.
“What did you bring?” asked Bill.
“Some steaks, five pounds of hamburger, fresh buns and all the
fixings.”
“Awesome,” said Bill.
It was noon when Eke arrived and by the time the steaks were
cooked to a perfectly pink and juicy medium rare, it was 1 p.m. Eke
also was hungry from flying so long without eating but it was Bill who
attacked his food like a hungry lion.
After they finished eating, Eke announced his other retrieved
treasure– six cartons of cigarettes. Bill responded with a big smile
and loud, “Atouk!” He pulled out a lighter and lit it as if call for an
encore at a rock concert. “Smokes! Dude, very well done.”
And so the two old friends sat and smoked and breathed in– not
just nicotine, but also the full experience. Honduras.
What really were they doing here?
Eke finished his cigarette and looked at Bill and declared, “Weve
still got a lot to do. Lets take the wings off the plane.” “Yeah,” said Bill. He was nonchalant. Smoking slow. Doing
nothing with deliberation. Take the wings off the plane? “Lets see
what else you brought back,” he said, changing the subject.
“What else? You know what else. I brought back a couple of
boxes to load on the truck and show to Jacque and Maria.”
“Very well done,” said Bill again. He raised his chin and asked,
“Did you bring everything?”
“Of course,” said Eke.
Satisfied with Ekes answer, Bill said that he had an idea. “Weve
got a lot to do,” he said. “Lets take the wings off the plane.”
Eke smiled. “Good idea,” he said. They walked to the plane. It
was pushed up onto the land as far as it would go.
“Well just unfasten the wings and pull her in further,” said Eke.
He dropped the cargo door in the rear and fished out one of two
ratchets. He figured out the socket size by trial and error, needing
only two tries to settle on 5/8ths. He cursed himself when he guessed
wrong but soon he was ratcheting off the left wing while Bill was on
the other side attacking the other wing.
When they finished, they stored the wings under the plane and
then hid the bolts away. “Afraid of thieves?” asked Bill. Eke nodded.
“Out here? Whos gonna steal our plane.”
Eke smiled. “No one. I hid the bolts.”
Suddenly Bill smiled and said, “Hey, come on, let me show you
what Ive done so far.” He took Eke to the road, showed him the open
driveway and then to the cabin site where, indeed, two levels of logs
had been stacked notch to notch so that they fit snug.
“How did you…?”
Bill smiled. “Me strong like bull.”
They both stood looking at the cabin site for a moment. Eke
pulled out cigarettes. “Smoke?”
“You bet.”
How many times do most people ever get to sit and contemplate
the whole of their lives and what got them there? How many people
ever take the time or make the effort or find their lives even worth
contemplating. But here they were again thinking big thoughts
because they were doing big things now. What is it they were doing?
Eke wondered. He sat on a log and took a puff. They were living a
dream, he decided. He thought of the two boxes full of weapons.
Boxes to be loaded into the truck for the meeting with Jacque and Maria. He didnt know why he thought of the weapons, but he did.
Firing the weapons in a good cause. He looked to the sky.
He thought of the under-construction cabin, the disassembled
plane, and the juicy steaks they just ate. His mind was racing. He
looked at his friend and suddenly a million memories poured in–
some bad, most good. The things theyd done together. He could
taste whiskey in his mouth even though it had been years since hed
had a drink. The taste still arose from time to time. Just like that.
There it was. He took another puff on his cigarette, thought about
fishing, and the taste and craving was gone. Easier now, he thought.
Not easy, but easier.
What is it they were doing? Bill wondered too but not as much as Eke. Instead, he was simply psyched.
