Holiday In Cambodia

Jack, Jason and Lara spent a good hour picking rice down at the plantation and, back at the beach, hunger was beginning to set in as evening drew near. The only thing anyone had eaten since they woke up had been a rather squashed bag of Reese's Pieces that Tre found in the back pocket of his jeans. He hadn't had any idea how long they had been there, but the general consensus afterwards was that they had probably been there a while.

While they waited for the others to get back from the rice field, Billie Joe's need for some peace and quiet only became greater, and he eventually headed off down the beach, his hands in his pockets as he strolled to the water's edge.

He wished he could get rid of the sinking feeling in his stomach. He knew that, right now, their plane was coming into land in Hong Kong, and that Rob and some of the other crew would be waiting in the arrival lounge to pick them up. He knew that, back home, Adrienne would be sleeping soundly, alone in their bed in Oakland, the boys asleep just across the hall. In a few hours time, it would be morning in California, and the school run would be interrupted by a call from Rob... he closed his eyes. He didn't want to picture his wife's face when she got that call.

Sitting down on the sand, he rested his arms on his knees and looked across the water, listening to the gentle waves lapping at the sand. In the distance, he could see the lights of Ha Tien twinkling, and it was reassuring to see a sign of life.

He didn't even hear Maggie padding across the sand, and it startled him when she sat down next to him.
"Check out what I found in my pocket," she said, holding out a packet of gum.
Billie Joe gave her a weary smile.
"Shit, it's like the Holy Grail," he said, as she tapped a piece into his open hand, "... Thanks."
"No problem. It's pretty sucky they come in tens though. I've been round everyone once and it's gone."
"The others are back?"
"Uh huh. Jack's gonna start a fire and figure out how to turn the rice they picked into something that looks edible."
"I don't care whether it looks edible or not, I'm fucking starving... I'll come over and help."
"Don't worry. Too many cooks and all... are you holding up over here?"
He nodded, glancing down at the sand.
"Yeah," he said, gratefully, "Just finding it hard... for this to sink in. I just wish I could let my family know I'm okay. The boys... I usually talk to them every day. I hate to think of them worrying about me."
Maggie nodded, sympathetically.
"How old are your boys?" she asked.
"Joey's ten... and Jakob's seven," Billie Joe replied. Then he chuckled a little wistfully, resting his head on his arms, "I can't believe how fast that happened. Makes me feel old."
Maggie smiled.
"How about you?" he asked, "Got anyone you're missing?"
Maggie drew in the sand with her finger.
"No kids," she said, "I guess I couldn't do all this if I had... and I'm not planning on them for a few years yet. Good job too, since I just split from my fiancé."
"Sorry."
"Don't be. He was an asshole. Unfortunately, it took me three years to convince myself of that... "
"Well," Billie Joe shrugged, "I guess we've all been there. What d'you do in New York City anyway?"
"I'm a tattoo artist."
He grinned.
"No way... "
"Don't look the type, huh?"
"Well, you don't have any tattoos for one."
She laughed.
"I'm just sparing with them," she replied, twisting around and lifting up the back of her shirt. Billie Joe's eyes went to her lower back, settling on the four symbols above the waistline of her jeans. He frowned a little.
"That's cool," he said, "And... familiar."
"Yeah," she said, letting the hem of her shirt drop again and turning back around, "They're the symbols from the artwork on Led Zeppelin's Four album."
He grinned in recognition.
"Ohh, awesome," he said, "So you're a pretty big fan, right?"
Maggie shrugged.
"I pretty much grew up with Zeppelin. Plus... I just thought the design was cool."
"It is," he said, approvingly, "You might have guessed I'm kind of a tattoo fan myself."
"Yeah, I was actually admiring your inkwork last night," she smiled, "This one's particularly good."
She pointed to the tattoo covering his right forearm and he smiled.
"Yeah," he said, "It has Jake's name in, see? That one stung like a motherfucker."
"I can imagine," she said, "When I do forearms, I seem to make people wince a lot."
He smiled.
"I'd say they were the worst."
"You've got them other places?"
"Yep, wanna see?"
"Definitely," said Maggie, nodding. Then she smiled. "People think I'm crazy, the way I get fascinated by tattoos. I just find it interesting, the things people decide to immortalise on their bodies. Plus, I like to see 'em and think I'd do it better."
Billie Joe laughed a little as he pulled his shirt over his head, and Maggie's eyes roamed over his skin.
"Well," she smiled, "They're pretty damn good."
"Thanks," he replied, looking up to see Rick crossing the sand towards them.

"Dinner's served," he said, "And d'you think it's too gross to take this gum out and save it for later?"
"Under the circumstances, no," said Maggie, as they stood up, "Why don't you stick it behind your ear?"

As they approached the rest of the group, Rick pulled Maggie back by the arm and grinned at her.
"Well, didn't you turn out to be a dark horse," he smirked.
"Huh?"
"We haven't even been here a day, and you already talked Billie into stripping his clothes off."
Maggie smiled, pushing him playfully.
"I was admiring his tattoos, you ass."
"So were the rest of us," Rick grinned, "It's good to see someone around here has the group's interests at heart."

Amber felt herself relax as the evening drew on and the bickering died down, with everyone either resigned to the fact they were stuck on the island and there was nothing more they could do about it, or just too weary to complain any longer.

The rice was tasteless on its own, but everyone seemed in agreement that they couldn't remember enjoying a meal more, just through the sheer relief of finally getting something inside them. Jack's boy scout roots came through when he found a few coconut husks, which they shared between themselves to eat out of, before starting a roaring fire, giving them some warmth and some light after the sun had gone down.

Jason stared at the dancing flames, listening to the murmur of conversation over the crackling of the wood on the fire and half paying attention to the conversation Mike and Lara were having a few feet away, about the stolen master copy of Cigarettes and Valentines. She seemed very interested. He gave the fire a rough poke.

"Hey Jase," said Tre suddenly, from beside him, giving him a nudge, "Check out what I found in my pocket."
"Do I want to know?" Jason smiled, as he turned to face him, and Tre held up a toothbrush.
"You sure come prepared."
"I know. I bought it last night in the city. I just remembered. Remember I forgot to put one in my carry-on?"
"Lucky."
"I know," he smirked, "And I don't mind sharing the wealth."
"No way am I sharing a toothbrush with you," said Lara, overhearing, "I know where your mouth's been."
Tre looked indignant.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Lara made a face.
"I may have been wasted last night, but the memory of you and Mia with your tongues down each other's throats is forever imprinted on my memory."
Tre's mouth fell open, glancing at Mia, who was sitting on the other side of the fire.
"Are you serious?" he asked, in a hushed tone.
"Yeah."
"Fucking... score!"
Lara rolled her eyes as Jason grinned.
"You think she remembers?" Tre asked.
"She hasn't mentioned it."
"Maybe she just didn't think he was anything to write home about," Mike smirked.
"Now Mikey, you know that's not true... " Tre grinned, and Lara laughed.

Mike grinned as Jack passed a joint in his direction, before pushing some more wood onto the fire.
"Can I ask what's in this tonight?" he smiled, eyebrows raised.
"Nothing major. Just a bit of weed. Promise."
"Good," said Mike, putting it to his lips, "I have to fucking watch you kids all the time."
Jack laughed, as he stoked the fire, and Mike spoke up again.
"So Jack, what d'you do when you're not jetting around putting Crocodile Dundee to shame?"

Jack grinned, dusting off his hands, before settling back down next to Amber.
"Well," he said, "Before I came out here, I was living in London with a bunch of guys who were driving me up the wall, working for a shitty insurance firm in the middle of the city and basically being bored out of my mind. I got sick of the office politics and ripping people off for a living so... "
He trailed off as he passed Amber the joint, and she took a drag, then spoke up.
"And I was getting by doing some bar work and waitressing," she said, "Jack and I met at Uni. And after we finished, neither of us really knew what we wanted so we just sort of bummed around for a while. But then back around Easter, we had this pregnancy scare... and it kind of got us thinking. We're twenty-five, we don't have anything tying us down, it isn't always going to be that way. So, we booked a flight to South America and since then... we've just worked our way round."
"Awesome," said Jason, "How about you, Rick?"

Rick looked into the fire.
"I just got out of high school," he said, "So I guess I'm the baby of the group. I just needed to get away."

Sensing they weren't going to get any more information out of him than that, the others nodded, before Rick turned to Lara.
"How about you?"
"Well," she said, "I'm from Toronto... I studied journalism at college in Ottawa, then moved back home and got a job writing for the entertainment guide in Now Toronto. I've been there four years, and I mainly review music and movies."
Lara glanced at Mike, who was next to him.
"So I guess it's no surprise I recognised you guys," she smiled, "I gave American Idiot five stars out of five."
The guys grinned, before Lara turned to Maggie.
"How about you?"
Maggie sighed.
"No big story," she said, "I just needed a break. My parents were driving me crazy. First, they hate my job. I guess they thought after funding me through three years of Art College, I was gonna do something they could show off about, like, I don't know... become a fancy designer. But then I got into tattooing and its just so much fun. I can just listen to music and talk to people all day, whilst drawing stuff on their bodies."
"What's your parents' problem?" Rick asked.
"They're just stuck up," she replied, "They don't think it's a respectable way to earn a living. But they can fuck off, cause art is art, whatever your material. Mine just happens to be skin. And I make enough to get by. Funded my flight out here with one tattoo."
"Serious?" Lara asked.
"Yep. Did a dragon across a guy's shoulder. I used UV ink, and it looked awesome. Cost him six hundred bucks and three sessions. Me and the guys in the studio drew straws to pick who got the job... and I won."
"UV ink?" Mike questioned, "Next time I'm in NY, I'm comin' to see you."
Maggie laughed.
"Great," she said, "Anyway, then I broke up from my fiancé, who my mother, for some reason, adored much more than I did, and my parents hit the roof and I thought, fuck it... . How about you Mia?"
Mia looked up.
"I'm from Bordeaux," she said.
"Like the wine?" Amber asked.
"Yes... my father owns a wine chateaux outside the town. I used to help in the vineyards in summer. Then I moved to Paris. It's a long way."
"Why?"
"Because it was exciting," she shrugged, "And I worked in a restaurant. Then I got some model work and I met my boyfriend, Michel. We go to Thailand, we break up, I come here. Cambodia has French roots, so I thought I might feel at home."
"Well," said Jason, after a moment, "It all sounds more interesting than our story."
"Are you kidding?" Tre exclaimed, "Double engine failure! That's disaster movie material!"
They laughed.
"No," smiled Billie Joe, "This is disaster movie material... I can see why you guys came out here though. I mean, aside from the whole marooned on an island thing... It's fucking beautiful."
The group nodded, in appreciation, and Mike spoke up.
"It is beautiful," he said, "And last night, at least until my memory cuts out... I have to say, I was having a pretty fucking great time."
"Oh!" grinned Jack, looking up from his lap, where he was rolling another joint, "So you had a great night now, Mike? Now your hangover's gone, and you've had a nice smoke, and I've gone out in the field and harvested you some supper... now suddenly it was a great night!"
Mike grinned, as the others laughed.
"Okay, okay," he said, "Jack, I still think you're an ass, but I'll admit, I may have been a little harsh this morning, and you harvested that rice up pretty good. No one's ever harvested me some rice that good before."
"Well, thanks," Jack grinned, "But someone else is doing it tomorrow."
"I vote all the girls," said Tre, lying back on the sand, "Maybe we'll let Lara off, since she went tonight, but the rest of you women should be in the rice field where you belong."

He smiled lazily, blinking as Maggie swatted his head, before opening his eyes again, watching the smoke from the fire twist up into the black sky. It was peaceful out here, that was for sure. Listening to the crackling of the fire, the gentle murmur of conversation, the waves sloshing against the sand... take away the fact they were stranded here and it felt like a pretty pleasant camping trip.
"You know what?" he murmured, "A cold beer would be real nice right now."

He obviously wasn't the only one who thought so, because the comment elicited a number of groans, the loudest from Billie Joe, who also flopped backwards onto the sand, resting his hands on his stomach.
"A beer would be great," he said, "I'm gonna miss beer."
"Hey," said Jack, lighting his joint, "What's everyone gonna miss most?"
"Real food," replied Amber.
"Are you complaining about my food?" he smirked.
"I'm not, man," smiled Billie, "In my opinion, taste is way overrated."
Jack laughed.
"Well, thanks," he said, "Maybe after that vote of confidence, I'll let you be my friend again."
"Heh, don't count on it. And I'm gonna miss my cell phone reception the most. Not being able to talk to my family... that's easily the worst part of all this."
"I'm gonna miss my hair brush," said Mia, gloomily, "My hair is going to be like... an animal nest by the time we get off."
"Maybe Billie Joe has one you could borrow," Jack suggested innocently, doubling over and groaning, as Billie Joe's foot connected with his kidney.
Maggie laughed.
"Don't worry, Mia," she said, "I expect we'll all look pretty rough when we get back to the mainland. I don't know what I'll miss most... maybe Cherry Coke. Or that lemon tea stuff I got addicted to in Siem Riep. Or maybe coffee... "

Maggie was suddenly startled by a loud groan from Mike, which was forceful enough to make everyone jump a little, before they turned to face him. His head was in his hands.
"Don't say it", he moaned, without looking up, "Don't. Even. Fucking. Say the word."
Billie Joe laughed.
"Man, I do not wanna be around when your withdrawal sets in," he said.
"It set in about ten hours ago," grumbled Mike, "It set in when I woke up, and found I had no caffeine. And so far I think I've coped quite well."
"So... I guess we don't need to ask what Mike's gonna miss," smiled Lara, "I'm gonna miss my mp3 player. Not having music's gonna drive me insane."
"Tell me about it," agreed Tre, "Mostly, I'm gonna miss my drums."
He paused for a moment.
"Oh... and my kids."
Jason laughed.
"Well rescued, Tre," he grinned, "Yeah... I'm gonna miss my guitar. And I'm gonna miss Billie Joe's hair being all straight and shiny."
Billie Joe raised his head from the sand, as the others failed to stifle their sniggers.
"If these jokes are gonna go on the whole time, can you let me know now? Cause, I will attempt the swim."
"Ten miles?" Jack grinned, "There are great whites out there, y'know."
"I'd take that risk."

As the night wore on, it didn't take long for the murmur of conversation to die down with the fire, everyone exhausted from the strain the day had brought with it, most of them still not fully recovered from the night before.

Amber and Jack were the first to fall silent, the embers of the fire still smouldering in front of them, making their faces glow. Having taken on most of the responsibility that day, and settled into their unspoken roles as leaders of the pack, it was unsurprising that they were the most exhausted, and Maggie found herself smiling a little wistfully as she watched them slip away, their arms wrapped around each other. She couldn't help thinking that this whole ordeal would feel easier if she only had someone to hold her.

As for Tre, he knew he wasn't going to find it easy to sleep out on a beach, open to the elements. Always one for his creature comforts, he didn't even see the point in trying to get to sleep until he was so dog-tired he'd drop anywhere.

Re-lighting the dregs of Jack's joint to send him on his way, he ambled off towards the water's edge, his heartbeat quickening a little, once the glow of the fire was behind him and he was engulfed in a darkness like no other. He didn't even realise he'd reached the water, until he felt the sand turn soft and wet between his toes and he backed up a little, sitting down and folding his arms across his knees.

Used to moving from one big city to the next, Tre had forgotten what it was like to be away from the light pollution, and he didn't know if he had ever been so far away from it. Compared to the bright lights of Los Angeles or San Francisco, Ha Tien's twinkling street lamps barely registered.

Looking back over his shoulder up to the beach, he could see two silhouettes in front of the fire. One was Billie Joe. He could tell from the glow of his cigarette end, and the orange light it cast on his face. He hadn't seen him smoke so much in one day for a long time. He knew he was stressed. It didn't take much to stress Billie Joe, and getting stranded on an island was probably enough to push him over the edge. Not only that, Tre knew Billie had a weight on his shoulders that he couldn't relate to. He didn't only have himself to worry about. Billie Joe had Adrienne.

Tre sighed, resting his forehead on his arms. One thing was for sure, when Billie Joe ran out of cigarettes, it was not going to be pretty.

Alarmed by the sound of rustling in the bushes, Tre looked up suddenly, and was relieved to see that it was only Mia, stepping out between the leaves.

She stopped in her tracks when she saw Tre, and they stared each other out for a moment before she spoke.
"... Hi. What are you doing so far over here?"
Tre smiled, looking down.
"Oh... I couldn't sleep yet," he said, "Thought I'd have a little walk, y'know, make myself more sleepy... how about you?"
Mia jabbed her thumb towards the bushes.
"It's the little girl's room," she replied.
Tre smiled.
"Okay," he said, "Thanks for he heads up on that."

Mia smiled in amusement, her dark eyes flickering over Tre as he turned back to look at the ocean, and she took a seat next to him. Tre almost chuckled at the nervous awkwardness between them. It felt like he was back in High School, bumping into some girl in the hall after making out with her at the weekend. If Mia had just been some average girl, the knowledge that he'd been fooling around with her the night before wouldn't have caused him any embarrassment. It was the fact that she was so attractive that was making him feel warm.

"It is a beautiful night," Mia commented, breaking the silence.
"Yeah," said Tre, "It is."
"Pretty bad we are stuck here though."
"Yeah. We're such a bunch of jackasses."
Mia smiled, even though she had no idea what a jackass was.
"So do you remember last night?" she asked Tre, suddenly.
Tre cleared his throat.
"Well... not really... um... do you?"
"I remember the good parts."
Tre glanced up, an eyebrow raised.
"Which were the good parts?"
Mia smirked a little, looking back at the ocean.
"Now you just want compliments," she said.
Tre couldn't help but grin.
"Well, sure. Doesn't everybody?"
She smiled, then moved a little closer to him.
"Well," she said, softly, reaching up to toy with the collar of his shirt, "... I wish I could remember more."
"Me too," said Tre, his breath hitching a little as her fingers moved from his collar to the back of his neck. Her face was very close to his own now, and he swore he could feel her cool breath against his lips.
"It's a shame," she continued, teasingly, cocking her had to one side, "That we don't remember... don't you think?"
Tre nodded, solemnly.
"A crying shame."
"What shall we do about it?"

Tre sighed as Mia moved impossibly closer, and his resolve crumbled as his desire took over. He gave in. Before he really knew it, he had closed the gap between their lips, and Mia didn't need any more encouragement than that. Within half a second, she was kissing him back, her fingers gripping his hair as his hands slid around her narrow waist and she began to push him backwards, kissing him all the way down to the sand.

A small groan escaped Tre's mouth as he relished in the feel of her tongue exploring his mouth, and her weight on top of him. He grinned into her kisses as she fiddled with the buttons on his shirt and he slid a hand under the hem of her own t shirt, trailing his fingertips along the smooth skin of her back, making her shiver as she pulled away.
"You know, Tre," she smiled, "I think I know how I can help to make you sleepy."