Girl off the Grid

by Jillian Dodd

  She leads us out of the building at a quick pace, and we follow her along the red pathway.

  “These are the bathrooms. Please make sure you don’t flush the toilet paper. We have waste baskets in each one for it. We don’t want the system getting clogged.” She points to a separate open-air structure containing a couple sinks with no mirror in sight and four toilet stalls.

  “Showers are over there,” she says, pointing toward a different building.

  I can’t contain my shock. None of the places we’ve stayed were as bad as this. And it seems ten times worse after coming from the gorgeous resort we were at last night. I don’t have much time to think about it though, because Susan takes off again, leading us to another building.

  “This is the kitchen and dining hall. Food will be provided, but you’re expected to do your own dishes. If you follow this trail,” she says pointing to the red path, “it will take you to the dock area where you will go canoeing. We’ve prepared a light lunch for you, so you’re welcome to eat in here and then head down to the dock for your canoe trip.”

  “That sounds great. Thank you,” I say, putting on my best smile. I’m feeling a little overwhelmed, and it doesn’t help that she talks a mile a minute. I didn’t even have the chance to take any notes.

  “Enjoy your canoeing,” she says, turning on her heels and leaving us standing out in front of the dining hall.

  “Well, she was direct,” Adam states, letting out a breath. It’s good to see him looking as overwhelmed as I feel.

  “And overwhelming. I was just starting to process the sparse rooms and then she drops the bathrooms on us. Actually, I’m not sure they should be categorized as a bathroom. They are more like an outhouse. Did you hear her say not to flush the toilet paper? Can you even imagine? And there isn’t one single mirror. How are we supposed to get ready without a mirror? It’s our last day, and I need to look good,” I screech, feeling a meltdown coming on that really has nothing to do with our accommodations and everything to do with the boy standing in front of me. But I can’t do that. I’m going to do what I told myself I would do. I will enjoy my last mirror-less, outhouse-filled day, no matter what.

  “Just calm down,” Adam says soothingly, causing me to want to throw myself into his arms. But I can’t because I’m mad at him. “I know it’s not the best of all the places we’ve stayed, but we will barely be sleeping. We’re going to be on patrol half the night and once we get back we will be so tired, we won’t care where we’re at as long as there’s a bed.”

  “I know, you’re right. And I am really excited to hopefully see a turtle. It would be amazing to watch one lay eggs,” I say, feeling myself relax a little.

  “I hope we can too,” Adam says. “Are you ready to grab a bite to eat?”

  “You go ahead. I’ll be right there. I’ve got to use the restroom,” I say, rolling my eyes. He opens the door to the dining hall and then turns back and gives me a fleeting glance. It’s how I imagine he will look when we say goodbye. And thinking about saying goodbye to him literally hurts. And the smell in the bathroom doesn’t make me feel any better.

  I hold my breath, pee as fast as humanly possible, then close the door and try to forget the experience.

  On my walk back to the dining hall, I take a minute to actually look around. A light breeze causes the palms to sway. I spot a few hammocks tied to trees near the ocean. Despite the bathroom, it’s actually really pretty here.

  I go into the dining hall and find Diego eating a sandwich. Adam doesn’t have a plate in front of him. Did he already eat?

  “I waited for you,” he says, getting up and walking to an open counter in the back. He returns with two plates, setting one with a sandwich and fried plantains in front of me.

  “Thanks,” I say, not even able to stop smiling as I take my first bite. Because, that was pretty sweet of him.

  “Once we finish up you can go to your room and change, or we can head straight out,” Diego says, taking a swig of his water.

  “Do you think what I’m wearing is appropriate?” I ask him.

  “You might get hot in those jeans. I’d probably change into shorts, maybe bring a hat, and be sure to wear sunblock. Even though it’s a little grey out, the sun can sneak up on you.”

  “Are you coming canoeing with us?” Adam asks.

  “Yeah,” Diego replies excitedly. “It will be a wonderful journey.”

  “Good.” I finish up my sandwich quickly and then run back to the room and throw open my bag. I had it packed so tightly it explodes the second I open it. I rummage through it, looking for my shorts and finding them at the bottom of the pile.

  Of course.

  I slide them on then grab my hat and backpack, looking back at the giant mess I’ve made as I quickly shut the door. It will just have to wait.

  I find Diego and Adam waiting for me outside the dining hall, and we go back to the dock area where we find a guy pushing a tiny canoe down the thick grass and into the shallow water. He turns, stands back up, and smiles at us. He’s a little taller than me and has on a crisp white shirt, bringing out his dark tan and gleaming eyes. His hair is a deep chocolate and sits stiffly on his head.

  “Isaac,” Diego says, embracing the man in a hug. “How are you, my friend?”

  “I’m doing great. Thank you for asking. How is Mariam and the family?”

  “They are doing very well. I got to see her last night, actually. Had dinner and stayed at the Mineral Springs Resort. A nice night to ourselves.”

  “Wonderful,” Isaac says. When he smiles, the corners of his eyes crinkle deeply, making me realize he’s older than I first thought.

  After introductions, he asks if we are familiar with canoes.

  “We’ve been in canoes and boats on this trip,” I tell him, taking in the size of the canoes. “But nothing this small.”

  “I am,” Adam says, making me feel a little better about it all.

  “These canoes fit just two people. Since Adam knows how to canoe, we will put him in the back, at the stern. He will be in charge of steering you. All you will have to do is help paddle.”

  I nod as Isaac helps me get situated in the canoe. I watch Adam put one foot in the canoe then push the canoe off with his other before he sits down. I’m gripping my paddle tight for fear of dropping it as the canoe sways under Adam’s weight.

  Once he gets situated, the boat stops rocking.

  We work together to paddle the canoe out into the river, following behind Diego and Isaac. They paddle for a bit then coast for a bit. It’s an odd mix of effort and relaxation, and is actually enjoyable—although I suspect my arms will be sore after this.

  Adam uses his paddle to maneuver us around a little jut out.

  “I’m glad you’re steering,” I say over my shoulder. “I probably would have run us ashore by now.”

  “I have no doubt you would have,” he says, letting out a laugh.

  “Hey, it’s not my fault. No one in New York drives.” I laugh, too. It’s nice to feel at ease with him again, especially after last night. “Do you know how to drive?”

  “Of course. I often have to drive to remote locations when I’m shooting. I take it you don’t drive?”

  “I’ve never needed to, but now I want to learn.”

  “Maybe if you visit me, I can take you out into the country and teach you.” He pokes me in the back. “We’ll definitely need to be in a remote location.”

  “I bet I’ll learn faster than you did,” I challenge, turning around and giving him a pointed look.

  “Maybe,” he says, his eyes twinkling back at me.

  Adam

  As we make our way further down the river, Isaac and Diego pull their canoe up close to ours.

  “Diego wants me to tell you a little background about the Tortuguero,” Isaac says. I give him a nod as Camille grabs her notebook out of her pack. “Tortuguero loosely translates to Region of Turtles and it protects almost 47,000 acres of land and 120,000 maritime acres.
Included in the park are a beach, estuary, freshwater riverine, tropical lowland rainforest, and marine habitats. It was protected as a nesting sanctuary in 1963 and became a National Park in 1970.”

  “Wow, that’s a lot of land,” Camille says, looking completely enthralled. Which makes me smile. This trip has affected her, opened her eyes to places and issues she didn’t know existed. I realize for the first time that the young women reading Fashion Forward might be effected in a similar way by her article and my pictures. Maybe my dad was right. Maybe together we can bring awareness through a fashion magazine.

  “It is. But it’s great news for the animals and land conservation.”

  “What types of animals are here?” she asks, peering over at him. Her oar is now sitting in her lap, leaving me to both steer and paddle, but I’m okay with it, because she looks happy.

  “Most common are the river turtles, Southern river otters, spider monkeys, howler monkeys, and capuchin monkeys. You may also spot the green macaw, herons, egrets, and toucans.”

  “I had a toucan land on me at the wildlife sanctuary. It was amazing! I hope we get to see some monkeys,” Camille says, excitedly scanning the trees. Some of the branches are high above us, jutting out into the sky. Others are loosely hanging over the river bank and dipping into the water.

  “It is also home to more than fifty species of freshwater fish,” Isaac adds, seeming to love her enthusiasm.

  “Can you call to the birds?” Diego asks Isaac.

  “I can,” Isaac says, looking excited. As Diego continues to push them down the river, Isaac lets out a high chirp and within a few seconds gets a response back, sounding the same as the noise he just let out. “I know at least fifteen different calls. It’s amazing what you can learn if you stay in one place long enough. If you really listen, you can identify all of the birds by their call alone.”

  We float along in a comfortable silence. We don’t need to say anything because the forest is buzzing with noise. Isaac occasionally does a bird call, getting responses back to the delight of Camille.

  Diego holds his hand up quickly, indicating for us to stop and paddle backwards.

  “If you look over there,” Isaac says, pointing to the riverbank, “you should be able to spot a sloth hanging on that tree.”

  Both Camille and I whip our heads in that direction, quickly spotting the little animal hanging onto a cream-colored branch. His fur is a thick whitish brown, and he holds onto the branch easily. He watches us carefully, his almond eyes seeming to lock on mine.

  Camille’s hand comes up to her mouth as she gasps, her eyes landing upon the small creature. She squeals excitedly and points at it, looking between me and the sloth.

  “Can you believe it?” she says, barely containing her excitement. “It is adorable!”

  “It is cute.” I bring my camera up and get photos of it hanging onto the tree. Then I move my focus from the sloth to Camille and snap a few photos of her face, still beaming with excitement.

  “Did you know sloths can swim?” Isaac asks us.

  “No,” Camille says. “Have you ever seen one swimming?”

  “I have. Sometimes they will drop right out of the tree and into the water, but in general they’re pretty lazy. They like their sleep and will sleep up to twenty hours in a single day.”

  “It’d be hard to get anything done,” Diego comments with a laugh.

  Camille lays the paddle across her lap and stretches out her arms. This motion is not something you do every day, and she’s probably getting tired.

  Not that she’d say anything. She’s been a trooper. She might throw the occasional private fit, but everyone she meets seems to love her.

  Love her.

  Have I fallen in love with her? Is that why the kiss was so special, so different? Or was it just exciting because of the long buildup to it?

  She’s stubborn as hell, and will do something she’s scared to death of just to prove you wrong. But she’s also kind and considerate and brings joy to the people around her. She falls somewhere between being the sweetest person I’ve met and the most frustrating, and I suppose that’s what’s so captivating about her.

  I’m pulled out of my thoughts by a whooping howl. Isaac, the source of the bellow, is standing up in the canoe. Camille giggles as Isaac continues, making both me and Diego join in on the laughter.

  “You just wait,” he says, eyeing us, but I can tell he is having a good time. “They will return my call.”

  Sure enough, within a few minutes of his howls, we get one in return and Camille sits straight up, her head on a swivel, searching the trees surrounding us. I stop paddling and get my camera ready.

  I hear a few branches rustling and focus on that area. After a few seconds, we hear another deep howl, and a monkey comes into focus.

  I start snapping away as Isaac exclaims, “It’s a howler!” He repeats the noise, causing the monkey to howl back.

  I get a few photos of it howling, its mouth wide open and its body resting on a branch.

  “That noise is so scary,” Camille says in awe. “I can’t believe it’s coming from that cute little thing.”

  “It does sound quite threatening,” I agree. “Camille, if you could turn around, I think I can get you in the photo with the monkey.”

  “Oh, yay!” She slides her body around, throws her hands into the air, and grins at me.

  “Perfect.” I smile, checking the shot on the screen. She’s glowing, even in the picture.

  Isaac sits down, and we start paddling again. Soon we are back at the dock. Camille hops out, so Diego comes to help me move the boat up onto the grass.

  “Thank you so much, Isaac,” Camille gushes. “It was such a wonderful experience.”

  “Of course! It was fun being your tour guide for the afternoon. I don’t think you have anything else to do until dinner, so relax and enjoy the beach until then.”

  “Will you both be on turtle patrol with us?” she asks.

  “I won’t,” Diego says. “I think Isaac can handle the two of you for the night.”

  Camille

  “So, we’ve got about an hour,” Adam says to me. “Anything in particular you want to do or are you going to rest for a bit?”

  “I’m too excited to rest. Let’s change then check out the beach,” I suggest.

  “Alright,” he starts to say, but then his eyes go wide as he enters our room. “Camille!”

  “What?” I say innocently.

  “It looks like a bloody tornado went through here!”

  “I was in a rush! And things just started flying out when I opened it. I couldn’t help it.”

  He rolls his eyes at me and sits on the edge of his bed because some of my clothes seemed to have migrated there as well.

  “How could you possibly have thought you would need all this stuff?” he asks, while I start gathering my things.

  “Well, I wasn’t sure what I would need. It’s hard for girls. What if I sweat through something and I need a change of clothes? What if I get cold at night, or what if I actually end up getting hot and need something cooler? What if we get invited to a party? Who knows, there are too many possibilities. I also assumed we’d change before dinner every night. Just choosing those outfits was a daunting task.”

  “Alright. Alright. I get it. It sounds stressful.” He rubs the back of his neck, looking stressed himself.

  “Tell me about it. But don’t get me wrong, I love packing. By combining outfits to mix and match key pieces, I can look any way I want, and I can change that look daily.” I smile, admiring my mess. “I really do love fashion. You should see what I did to my closet trying to pack.” I notice Adam is now lying on the bed, his whole body sprawled out.

  “Well, what do you think?” I finally find what I was looking for and hold up a cute banana-print sundress.

  Adam leans up on his elbow, like he did the morning I woke up lying on his chest.

  “You should have worn that dress for the monkeys,” he teases
.

  “Maybe we wouldn’t have had to listen to Isaac’s howling.” I grab my makeup bag, trying to find my compact. I end up just dumping everything on the floor. “Here it is!” I hold it up like I’ve just found a prize. I use it to freshen up.

  “Alright, I need to change. Would you mind waiting outside for me?”

  “Sure,” he says, picking up a pair of my lacy underwear and flinging it in my direction with a smirk. “But first, I have to change.”

  Before I can say anything, he’s stripped off his shirt and is standing in front of me bare-chested.

  I swallow. He looks so hot.

  I put my head down, pretending to be looking for something in my makeup bag, but I’m peeking through my hair, because I’m wondering if he’s going to change his shorts, too. Is it bad that I want to watch?

  But instead, he rolls on some deodorant, pulls a shirt over his head, grabs his camera, and makes his way out the door.

  It’s so not fair that guys can just put on a new shirt and look good.

  I quickly change and throw on a pair of flip flops, heading out the door. We follow the red path until it ends in front of the beach. The sand looks coarse instead of fluffy, so I keep my shoes on.

  Adam scans the area. “It’s a lot different from the first beach we were on, but it’s beautiful in its own way. The first beach had soft sand and lush palms. The sky and water were such a bright blue they almost glowed. Here the trees are more brown, the sky is grey, the water more green, and the sand hard. It seems heavier, more real.”

  “It is. Almost peacefully eerie,” I say, taking my shoes off and dipping my toes into the water. “It sort of reminds me of the difference between the urban areas of New York City compared to the shininess of the Hamptons just a short distance away.”

  He stops walking and stares at me. “You just completely summed up exactly what I was feeling and translated it into your world.”

  “Is that okay?” I ask tentatively.

  “Of course. It just means we’re more alike than we thought.”