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Chapter 12
I carve a new line in the tree. Seventy-five days on this hellhole of an island. Wait a minute, If we got here, on the fifteenth of February. Then that means, "Joseph!" I yelp.
"What?" He grumbles as he stares at the toy game. I beat all the levels, twice. Joseph decided to take a crack at them.
Today is April thirtieth. "Happy birthday!" I yelp, jumping on him.
"Wha-" he sighs with me on top of him. "Dammit, Alice. I was about to beat the level."
I move from off of him and lay on the sand. "You don't seem to be very happy about your twenty-seventh birthday."
Joseph gives me a knowing look, "wow, I wonder why Alice."
I push his shoulder lightly, "you could be dead," I comment. He turns his attention back to the game completely ignoring me. I grab the bag that is placed under his head that he uses as a pillow. His head hits the cushion below it.
"Hey!" he shouts. I pull out the bottle of tequila.
"Joseph, please," I pout. I've been wanting to drink this thing since I got my hands on it. "It's your birthday. We need to celebrate so..." I begin to peel off the wrapping. "Let's have a drink."
Joseph looks at my cheeky smile and then to his game and back to me. He gets into a more comfortable position, "fine, but I want food too. And, we can't drink all of it. Your birthday is in a few days too."
My smile gets even wider, alcohol! Alcohol! "Okay, mangos, coconuts or pineapples?" Joseph gives me a knowing look. Why did I even ask? "Okay, pineapples it is. Geez, I was just wondering if you wanted to mix it up a little for your birthday is all."
"Alice, you and I both know. Out of all those options, pineapples are my top choice."
"Okay, okay, I understand. You love pineapples, anything else birthday boy?"
Joseph looks over at the radio, "if you can get that thing to work. That'll be the best present I could ask for."
I look at the radio, it's been more than forty days and that thing hasn't come on yet. I think it's broken, but I won't dare say that to Joseph. He's relying on that thing to come on. One night while he was sleeping I checked the radio out. A few of the wires seemed to be fried and in the inside, it looked beat up.
My lips form a tight line. I take a look at Joseph, "we'll see." I cough a bit, "I'm going to get the pineapples. You stay there birthday boy and enjoy your video game."
Joseph waves me off and looks back down at the game. I take a quick glance at Joseph as I go into the jungle.
As much as I hate to admit it, Joseph has been quite easy on the eyes lately. His beard has grown in fully, and his hours of fishing has paid off. His skin has tanned, and his original shirt style hair is much longer now. Not as long as mine but, I can tell the length is foreign to him.
The track to the field of pineapples is hell but it's his birthday, it's the least I could do for him after what he did for me when I got my period. I stuff the duffle bag with six full-grown pineapples. This should be enough for Joseph. The net should have caught some fish as well, so all there's to do is cook it.
It doesn't take me very long to get back. Going back and forth every day, speeds up the track. My legs no longer groan in pain for me to stop walking like before.
"Joseph! I'm back!" I call out when I make it back to camp. Joseph is planted at the same spot under the tree. His eyebrows are furrowed due to his concentration on the game. I set the duffel bag next to him. "I got your pineapples."
"Thank you," he mumbles.
I take a seat next to him and grab a pineapple from the bag. I use our makeshift knife and crack it open. I make sure to split it in two for the both of us.
Joseph holds his hand out for me to pass him his pineapple. "Stop being so eager," I joke. "We have to sing, well I have to sing happy birthday to you."
"God... no need. Can I just have my pineapple."
"No, no, no," I joke. "I have to sing first," I open my mouth to start.
"Well, it was nice being able to hear while it lasted."
I begin to sing happy birthday to an unamused Joseph. "How old are you now?" I sing. Joseph says nothing, "how old are you now," I repeat.
"Twenty- seven," he grumbles which makes me chuckle.
"Happy birthday to you," I finish. I look over at Joseph, a barely visible smile is ever-present on his face. I grab a stick from our fire, "Now, blow out your stick," I joke.
Joseph looks at me and then the stick. He purses his lips and blows out the stick. The scent of burning wood fills the night air. I look over to the fish, that I'm sure I didn't catch myself. "Joseph, you didn't have to do that."
"Well, you took so long getting the pineapples, I just thought I may as well," I suck in my breath and let out a deep sigh. He raises his eyebrow, "nothing?"
Other than that handheld game, Joseph has been playing another game. Irritate Alice, so far he's gotten the high score. I shake my head, "Nope, nada. Nerves of steel over here, Joseph."
"Well, the night is still young."
I reach over Joseph who posses the bottle of vodka, "yes. The night is still young indeed."
I pick up the old coconuts that are scattered around us. I fill them up about halfway with vodka. "That's a little much, don't you think?"
I snort if only he knew me when I was a teenager, hell before I got here. Half a coconut of vodka is child's play. I raise my coconut high in the sky, "happy birthday Joseph," he clicks his coconut to mine. We both take a sip, Jospeph groans.
"Bleh, how can you drink this?"
I continue to sip the burning nectar. "God, that hits the spot," I smile.
Joseph's face scrunches up, "how can you drink this?"
"Oh, it takes years of practice." I continue to drink my vodka while Joseph merely stares at me in pure disgust. I grab his cup and push it towards his lips. "Come on, birthday boy, drink up. It's no fun if I'm the only one drinking."
Joseph begrudgingly takes another sip, he winces as it goes down his throat. "Thatta boy, we're going to drink so much, we're going to imagine ourselves somewhere else."
"We can only hope," he murmurs into his cup.
I pick up the fish and begin to cook them, "oh, we caught some crabs!"
"Yep," he smiles. "Last night, before we went to bed I figured out where they usually hang out. So, we're going to be living in crabtopia for a while."
"Well, I don't mind. I love crabs, They're the best-tasting thing on this island. Way better than pineapples," I joke.
"Oh, nothing is better than pineapples."
"Really? So, when we get off the island. You'll still eat pineapples?"
"Of course, pineapples now and forever!" Joseph's face is a little redder than earlier.
"Joseph... are you drunk?"
An unexplainable noise comes from his mouth, "no," he laughs off. "I'm not drunk."
He's a lightweight! No wonder he didn't want to drink anything. Oh, this is going to be entertaining!
"Joseph," I sing.
He turns to me, he takes another swig of his drink. "Hmm?"
"Are you happy?"
"Very," he smiles.
"Are you drunk?"
"No," he slurs followed by a hiccup. Wow, I've never seen a man get so drunk so quickly.
"Well, I think you are," I chuckle followed by me taking another sip myself.
"No! I'm not! I can prove it," Joseph gets up from the sand and stands tall. He holds out his arms, "watch this." I pull my legs to my chest and begin to cackle. Joseph attempts to walk in a line and of course, he falls on his face.
Joseph picks himself up out of the sand. He turns on his back and looks up at the sky. "Okay, I may be a little bit drunk," he admits.
This idiot, he's very drunk. "Joseph," I murmur.
"Hmm?" His eyes remain close as he stares up at the sky.
"I've been curious. When you first saw me what did you think?"
"Well... at first I was shocked." Shocked? "I thought wow, did he really bring his mistress to a business meeting." Mistress? Who the hell would sleep with my father? My mother barely wants to, they sleep in separate rooms. "But, then he introduced you as his daughter. And then I thought, why the hell is she here and why is she wearing such tight clothing."
So, you just thought the obvious, "alrig-"
"But, then finally what crossed my mind, is damn. She sure is beautiful."
"Wha- what! Are you being serious?"
"Hmm-hmm," Joseph gets up from the ground and stares at me. I feel my probably rose cheeks start to warm even more. His face inches closer to mine. As I watch him get closer to me, I look at his rose lips, which probably tastes of pineapples. Before, I know it, my eyes start to close.
"Hey, are you going to take that off the fire?"
"Huh?" Joseph points to the food, that is close to burning. "Shit," I grab the food from the fire. Smoke engulfs the air, the food seems to still be edible. Only bits of it are burned. It should be fine.
I hand Joseph a stick with the crab on it. He attempts to touch it, "careful, it's still hot."
"I'll be fine... ouch!" He yelps as he attempts to open to crab.
I grab his hand, "see. That's why I-," Joseph puts a hand on my cheek.
"I don't think I said this and if I have, I don't say this enough. Thank you, Alice," he comments. He brushes his thumb over my cheek. "Without you, I don't think I would have survived this long."
I feel my body begin to heat. "I'm glad you know that," I mutter. Joseph falls onto my lap, completely disregarding the food. "What are you doing?'
"Be quiet for a second," I roll my eyes. Any other day Joseph, your head would be in the fire for saying that. He lets out a sigh and turns towards the radio. "I miss my wife."
My high from earlier is gone in an instant. "I know," Joseph doesn't know but he talks in his sleep and Veronica has been the only thing he's uttered every night.
"I don't think the radio works either."
I know it doesn't it's just I just didn't have the heart to tell him. "I know, I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault," he mutters as he stares at the broken radio. "It's not your fault at all Alice."
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