Fourteen
Clarity stepped inside the hut, followed by Lanai and LT. She scanned the single space inside and noticed the blue lava lamp which was lit in the middle. Sitting on the ground with his knees folded, a man in his sixties with shoulder length black hair was cooking various vegetables in a large pan. Beside him, various containers made of glass held tropical fruit topped with herbs that Clarity had never seen.
Clarity felt the stare of Isaias on her body. She knew that the man didn´t see attractive women very often, and his boldness made her blush. She moved closer to LT, in awe by the presence emanated by the healer, who reminded her of an American Indian Chief.
“You come for medicine?” said Isaias in a coarse voice. Clarity saw him reach for a flask full of tiny grains.
“No,” said Clarity.
“Take this, it´s Echinacea, good prevention for the common cold, as you call it.”
“Thank you for the offer, all three of us are healthy,” continued Clarity. She glanced at Lanai, who looked as though she was frozen in apprehension.
“In that case…” Isaias reached for a bottle full of oil and offered it to Lanai.
“This is for you,” he said, “it´s massage oil scented with Sandalwood. I wish all three of you a good night, I´ll be going now, it´s time to hunt. I will be back tomorrow morning. Until then, my home is your home. Please enjoy it. There´s a pool twenty feet behind the hut, it´s very clean, you can take a bath before honouring your body. Tomorrow, we´ll talk about business. I suggest the man sit upright in the lotus position and look at both women all night.”
Clarity saw Isaias wave good bye, as Lanai opened the bottle and smelled the oil.
“Mmmh, it smells good,” said the girl from Hawaii, “after all this tension, I need to relax. Let´s take a dip in the pool naked and spend the night in here.” Clarity smelled the oil and nodded. She had wanted to see LT naked since the beginning of the cruise. After a quick swim in the nearby pool, they used some towels left by the healer to dry their bodies. Lanai and Clarity lay down on their stomach, showing their naked body openly to the bartender.
“Work slowly, LT,” said Clarity.
When morning came, they woke up at the same time and they heard Isaias come back. They all enjoyed the small game hunted by the healer. Clarity broke the silence and spoke first.
“I think you know Ms. Avenworth. Do you know about her formula number five?”
“I do, it´s going to be very valuable, worth a lot of money.” Clarity saw the man take a broom and sweep the earth on the floor to erase footsteps.
“Why is that?”
“It´s going to taste like a regular cocktail but it´s secret ingredient will bring a new effect on the person who drinks the potion.”
“What ingredient?”
“A few crushed leaves of Damiana, it is known for its aphrodisiac properties.”
“An aphrodisiac cocktail, what a good idea,” said Lanai, “I´ll buy a few boxes, let me know when they´re out.”
Clarity studied the features of the healer. He smiled at Lanai´s comment but wasn´t completely happy with the situation, she could sense it. She pressed him about his reluctant attitude towards the new cocktail, and he explained that he preferred to heal people and use plants for their medicinal use, not just their well-being effects. When she pressed him about the final buyers of the cocktail, he shrugged and continued sweeping.
“Ms. Avenworth knows them, you´ll have to ask her.” Clarity heard a noise behind them. The door of the hut opened and Ms. Avenworth appeared before them.
“I finally find you,” said the woman, “you have a lot of explaining to do.”