The stranger in front of me shifts his body to the side, leaning forward a bit and then pulling back. He has no idea how to comfort a woman. And it’s a good thing. If he touches me I just might flip out on him. If I can catch my breath, that is.
My daze is slightly lifted by the sound of Leah’s voice. She is having Raphael drive her closer to me. When her boat reaches mine, she launches herself over the rails and swings her arms around my convulsing form.
“I was so scared. You didn’t come up for air and I thought you were . . .” Her grip gets so tight on me I know exactly how she was going to end that sentence.
She lifts her head and I see her eyes bloodshot. She turns her head to the American sitting across from me, “You saved my sister.” Leah launches herself onto the giant man and gives him an impressive hug.
How long was I under that water?
Another shiver runs up my spine as I shake off any thought of what could have been.
“It was no problem.” His smile is polite. He acts as if anyone would have done the same.
“I dropped my bag on my way down.”
Leah releases her hold on the giant and looks at me. Wiping a tear from her face, she asks, “I know you wanted to bring our things, but what exactly was in the bag?”
I glance up toward the sky and wish the bag would magically float to the surface of the sea. It doesn’t, so I list the items that were in the bag.
“My passport, your passport, our euros that we exchanged at the airport, our credit cards and my phone.”
With the mention of my phone, Leah pats down her skirt and feels for something. She reaches into her pocket and pulls her phone out. It doesn’t turn on. “Shit. Mine might as well be on the ocean floor as well.”
My shoulders lower and the darkness swells in the frontal lobe of my brain.
Leah nods her head and looks at me. “Okay, lets think about this. There has to be a way to get new passports. I’m sure people lose them on vacation all the time.” She’s trying to be positive and I’m trying to appreciate it. “How much money did we have in euros?”
I roll my neck and let out a large breath. “A thousand dollars’ worth.”
Leah swallows; obviously surprised I had that much cash on me. That much unrecoverable cash, that is.
“That sucks. As does your credit card. The good news is my credit card is still in the safe, so we can use that for expenses until we get home.” She pats her knees and offers a cheery smile.
I lift my head and offer her the most grim expression anyone can make.
Leah reads it right.
“Oh no. Oh no no no no no!” She exclaims.
I offer her a shrug.
Her blonde bob, now slicked back on her head, frays out when she stands up. “Are you kidding? Do you mean to tell me we have no passports, and no money whatsoever? Not even a friggin’ credit card to our names?”
All I can do is nod. Slowly.
“Oh, my God, Emma! Because some lowlife in Mexico stole your suitcase eight years ago, you lost every penny we have. We’re in a foreign country! We have no phones, no money, no way to get home!”
“I am so sorry.” My voice is low and, most certainly, apologetic.
Leah sits down and rocks herself back and forth. I want to do the same.
Raphael says something in Italian that I have a hard time understanding until the giant American pulls a wallet from the cargo pocket of his gray shorts and hands over a soggy hundred-euro note. The American says something back to Raphael in Italian and then thanks him in English.
When Raphael turns the motor on to his boat, Leah and I both come to attention and get our minds back on the problem at hand.
“Did you just send him away?”
“Did you just pay him for our boat ride?”
We say both sentences in unison.
The American nods. “From the sound of it, you two weren’t going to be able to pay the man.”
Neither of us can argue with that logic.
“We have to get back to our rooms. He was our way back,” I say.
“He may not have spoken English well but he understood it and there was no way he was going to take you back without payment. I only gave him a tip for his services.”