Page 28 of Fine, Dork

I snapped pictures of a pack of wild dogs that wandered between the one-story buildings with corrugated metal roofs. A group of children ran barefoot and laughing through the dusty streets. They kicked and chased an old plastic bottle but stopped to stare when my moto-taxi passed them. An older woman sat on her front porch, selling tiny orange fruit, with the golden glow of the late afternoon sun behind her. I wanted to capture her strong, stoic expression, but it was disrespectful to photograph strangers without their permission.

My camera stayed in my lap until we reached what Pedro called The Plaza de Armas. Our moto-taxi pulled to the side of the road. We paid, grabbed my bags, and stepped out onto the crowded sidewalk.

“Miss Kinley!” Pedro had to raise his voice over the sound of motorcycle engines and street performers. “You want to see the river?”

“Yes, absolutely!” I nodded and placed my camera strap around my neck. I was ready to pass out from exhaustion, but I ached to see the river.

Pedro motioned for me to follow him down the sidewalk until we reached a waist-high cement wall painted bright blue. I gazed out at the water in awe. You think you know how big the Amazon river is until you’re looking at it. I took several photos, aching to capture how the sun was setting against the glimmering ripples of brown water.

“You see that house there?” Pedro pointed to a little wooden shack that appeared to be floating on the river. “Two months ago, anaconda comes out of the water and wrap around it.” He mimed the squeezing with his hands.

“Whoa!” I looked closer at the house and the splintered broken wood and caving roof. An anaconda did that damage? Shit. I leaned against the cement wall and focused my lens on the little wooden house. I tried to tell a story with each click of my shutter. This was an innocent house, caught along the Amazon river banks, unaware of the danger lurking beneath the muddy waters. The mighty Amazon took its toll and left the ghostly shell behind as a warning.

Fucking chilling. Fucking beautiful.

“Miss Kinley, I take you to your hotel now, sí?”

“Sí, Pedro. Gracias.”

Pedro and I walked back through the busy plaza toward my hotel as the sky darkened. Once I got myself checked in, Pedro smiled and said, “Tomorrow, 6 am, I come to get you for the boat ride to the jungle lodge.”

“Perfect, thank you so much, Pedro!” I stopped him before he headed out of the lobby. “Oh, will there be internet or cell service available in any of the jungle lodges or villages?”

Pedro shook his head. “I think no, but we can make a trip back to Iquitos if you need.”

“Gracias, Pedro.” I smiled and waved as he stepped out into the darkening night.

I headed up the stairs to my hotel room and unlocked the door with my keycard. The room was nothing fancy, but it looked clean and comfortable. The fact that it was hot and humid as hell was the only downside. Meh. I’d survive.

I tossed my bags on the floor and collapsed on the bed. With all of my traveling, I’d hardly slept in the last two days. I was exhausted, and I passed out within a matter of minutes, still fully clothed.

???

When my eyes fluttered open in the morning, all I could think about was Jaxon. We’d texted a few times over that last couple of days, but I wanted to hear his voice before I headed out into the jungle and away from cell service.

I dug my phone out of my bag and dialed Jaxon without looking at the clock. My phone was almost dead, I was achingly hungry, and I desperately needed a shower before Pedro showed up. It could be a quick call. Once the phone started ringing, I did some mental math and realized it was 2 am in San Francisco. Oops.

But he answered! Aw, baby.

“Hi, J.” A warmth spread through my chest, and a smile forced its way onto my face.

“Hey, K.” Jaxon was smiling, too. “You made it?”

“Yeah, last night. I meant to call you when I got in, but I passed out. I’m sorry, I know it’s late or early there. I wanted to hear your voice before I head into the jungle today.”

“I’m glad you called. How were your flights and everything?”

“Pretty uneventful. I mean, I did set a new record for sprinting through the Atlanta airport to catch my connecting flight. They gave me a medal and everything when I reached the gate one minute before they closed it.”

Jaxon laughed. “I wish I could have seen that. How’s Peru?”

“Hot and humid as fuck! Like, if you thought Hawaii was humid, double that and you’d get the Amazon. I haven’t seen all that much yet, just the city of Iquitos so far, but it’s beautiful, and I want to take pictures of everything! I feel like I should have brought two extra memory cards instead of one. Oh my god, I have to tell you about this little house I saw out on the water that got crushed by an anaconda! How fucking crazy is that?” I sighed. “I’m sorry, I’m already talking your ear off. How are you? How’s work?”

“An anaconda crushed a house? Are you serious? And I’m… fine. I’m better now after hearing your voice.”

J sounded tired, but not like, “Hey, I’m tired because you called me at 2 am and woke me up.” He sounded soul-tired. “J, you okay?”

“I really am fine. Um, my brother’s getting married.”

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