Page 27 of Earl of Excess
Seizing the side of the boat, he tossed in the knife and hoisted himself after it, rolling to the floor in a tuck position, just as he heard a loud snap—a snap that would have claimed his leg had he been a half-second slower.
“I am safe,” he said out loud, as much for her sake as his own. The three of them were safe, thankfully.
Clutching her squirming dog close, Bethany stood and, with her other hand, seized Matthew’s paddle and slammed it against the snoot of the gator. “Oh my God! He went back into the water,” she squealed.
“Paddle,” he yelled, hoping to cut through the tension. They needed to gain distance.
“I saw a gator floating. I must have killed it. I hated to do it, but it was intent on getting my dog,” she whispered hoarsely in a shaking voice.
For her part, Dandie had become still and had curled up in the bottom of the center of the boat, perhaps aware that she had just missed being an alligator’s meal. He could not be sure, but was grateful for the quiet.
“Do you see anyone about?” he asked when his breathing slowed.
“No... well, yes. There is a boat behind us, but it’s pretty far,” Bethany replied, still paddling.
Adrenaline seemed to have taken possession of both of them. They were silent as they paddled like the hounds of Hell were upon them.
It seemed like an eternity before anyone spoke.
“Thank goodness the sun is up. We might have never seen that gator,” Bethany ruminated aloud. “And thank you for saving me, Matthew.” Her voice was soft.
“Bethany, my heart stopped when you fell into the water. I would not have stopped until I found you.”
“You were so brave, even without your sight, you saved us both—Dandie and me. If you had not tied her down, she would have followed. I might have lost her,” Bethany choked out.
“I think your little companion was very brave, too,” he said, smiling. “She did not try to follow us, but did her best to warn us without making matters worse.” He patted her head. “I do not know where your mother found this dog, but she is the best dog I have ever known.”
“I only know of Dandie,” Bethany replied, her voice laced with laughter.
It relieved him to hear her voice much more relaxed. As much as he wanted to hold and kiss her, he dared not, lest they be seen or become fodder for another gator! “She is a unique dog, to be sure,” he said, instead.
“I think we should be almost there. I recognize that tree. There should be two tributaries coming up. We must take the first one. It’s narrow, but the center runs deep. A mile or so down that is where the camp is located.”
“You can recognize one tree among the many that blur before me,” he guffawed.
“Only because it was toppled by a storm and looks like it was chewed in half by a massive animal,” she giggled.
“Oh, please tell me there is no monster that can chew trees!” he teased. He tried to keep his voice light. But Matthew felt tired. His side burned and his eyes alternatively ached and itched. He was afraid of losing what brief vision he had gained, so he kept his hands away from them.
The war notwithstanding, he had experienced nothing that rivaled what they had just been through, and felt exhausted from his exertions. He recognized the need for more recovery time, no longer worrying that he was staying near a leper colony. He craved two things—Bethany’s touch and sleep, both of which seemed out of reach. His only thought was of having a soft bed where no alligator could reach it.
*
Bethany saw thejuncture where the small stream veered off the channel. Her emotions warred with her. She felt apprehension, excitement, and overwhelming sadness. But it was the sadness that was hard to reconcile. Dandie seemed to sense something. The small dog came over and crawled next to her in the seat. “I feel the same way, Dandie.”
The dog whimpered and laid her head down on Bethany’s lap.
It was as if the little dog was more able to express her emotions than Bethany. “I will miss him when he goes home. He wants to go home. He has a family wondering about his whereabouts, I feel sure.” She hoped her letter to his family made it to his father. Yet, she had her doubts. It seemed that her life had pivoted in a different direction since finding him on that battlefield. Yet, she did not wish for it differently. Instead, she wished for possibilities, knowing that the only possibility was that she would be waving goodbye to him... and hating it.
“Bethany, how are you feeling?” Matthew’s voice broke her from her reverie.
“I feel much better, now that I’m drying off. Thank you for remembering about the blanket—I just feel bad that you refused to use it.”
“You were in much longer than I was. My friends and I used to jump into the cold creek in chillier weather. I finally discovered how to make my mind transport me to a warmer clime and ignore the frigidness. The one that could stay in the longest was declared the winner. It was probably a stupid game; however, I pulled on that memory today. When I see my friends next, I shall thank them for the training.” He chuckled. “They will see the lark in it.”
“I have heard of doing things like that—jumping into an icy pond to ‘revive’ you. I always thought it a bit of mischief, but hearing your explanation, it sounds like there is some real value to it.” She shivered at the thought. “I am afraid I am too used to the warmer weather and spared myself any such adventure until today,” she laughed. Her grandmother would not find it at all amusing if she found herself sick from this experience. “You saved both of us—Dandie and me. Thank you for rescuing me.”
“Last night I will admit to some apprehension to being on the water and unable to see clearly. It’s been frustrating. Yet, you told me that I would still know how to swim, and your words came back to me today– after we were away from danger. You were right,” he said, softly.
