Rialoves2cook: Beach vacation time! Sorry everyone, no recipes or food photos tonight, but enjoy these fire limbo and probably blurry bar shots!

#survivedtheboatride #feelinghothothot #islandlife #glowpaint

Posted: November 16th, 1:32 AM

***

After a three-hour van ride through sprawling urban development, the crew of teachers arrived at a convenience store in Rayong where Mitch advised them to stock up on liquor, snacks, and drinks. With heavy bags, they walked to the dark and quiet pier. Mitch approached a boat driver who shook his hand, slapped him on the back, and waved everyone over. Two kindergarten teachers cracked open their beers while the group traversed the wooden docks to a large, white speedboat.

Maria sat at the front, wedged between Tom and Emma, who snuggled up to Shawn.

Maria leaned toward Tom. "Where's Becca? Didn't she organize this?"

"Her family is visiting, and they switched the weekends they'd be in Bangkok last minute." He leaned closer and lowered his voice. "Mitch ran the second he heard."

The boat sped into the dark ocean, and saltwater spray hit their necks and hair.

"If their relationship wasn't serious, I can't see why she'd want them to meet," Maria said.

Tom glanced at Mitch, who laughed while chatting with the driver. "She told me she asked."

Maria could tell that Becca liked Mitch, but with the way he hit on women and slept around, he wasn't anyone she'd introduce to her parents if she were in Becca's shoes. But maybe meeting her parents wasn't as big a deal to Becca's family as it was to Maria's. When the boat flew over a wave, the crash into the sea caused beers to spill and fizz everywhere. Maria grinned at the reminder of the ocean; she made it to the coast. Time to enjoy her tropical paradise.

Tom shook his head and scowled. "Couldn't they wait half an hour?"

Maria grimaced as she extracted her sticky toes from her sandals. Once her feet were free, she laughed because if beer-coated footwear was her biggest concern, life was pretty great.

"Lighten up, Tom. This week was long enough." Emma laid her head on Shawn's shoulder. He draped an arm around her shoulder and smiled. Maria couldn't help but smile.

Tom spent the rest of the ride staring off in the distance or shifting his pointed gaze from one loud noise to the next, as excited screams pierced through the roar of the motor. Anticipation built in Maria's chest as she mistook half a dozen fishing vessels' lamps for the island.

Soon, yellow and white dots illuminated the horizon, taking the shape of a coastline. The lights became more defined, identifying themselves as restaurants, bars, and tabletop lanterns. The driver cut the motor, and the boat floated ten metres from the dockless beach. Maria's heartbeat matched the party music accompanied by the rocking waves. She was actually here and ready to party it up on the beach.

After the others exited the boat, sandals in hand, Maria bunched up her skirt and accepted Shawn's help. He steadied people climbing down the ladder at the back of the boat. The thigh-high water chilled the skin but was warmer than most of Alberta's lakes. Tom passed her bag.

Emma waded alongside Maria. "I hope you don't mind I gave Tom my old reservation and found something more cozy and rustic for us."

Maria smiled as rustic fit into her budget. They approached bare-chested and muscle-tee clad men twirling and tossing flaming sticks in the air. Sparks flew in all directions, brightening the beach and restaurant tables. The fire dancers climbed on each other's legs and shoulders to form a three-tiered pyramid, still twirling flames as the captivated crowd applauded.

The fire show morphed into a limbo inferno once they grew closer. Emma tossed her bag on the dry sand and grinned. After Maria did the same, Emma took her hand and ran into the limbo line. The heat from the flaming limbo stick caused Maria's skin to sweat, but she made it under no problem, her heart pumping to the dance beats booming nearby. She bubbled with energy, running back to the limbo line again as Emma chatted up a shirtless dancer.

"Welcome to the land of the living," a familiar voice whispered in her ear. His cinnamon and tree bark scent was becoming a far too familiar comfort. "I knew you'd fit right in."

She turned to face Mitch, who was the only person from their group who'd joined her. "It's a pretty amazing start to the weekend."

"It only gets better. Are you coming out with us tonight?"

The genuine question made her laugh. "You think I came to Samet to sit in a hotel room?"

"You're a shut-in in Bangkok. Couldn't be sure."

"Emma promised me dancing, so that's where you'll find me."

As they arrived at the burning limbo stick, Mitch grabbed her hand and grinned. "Ready?" They shimmied under it together and laughed as they almost stumbled face-first into the sand. Mitch steadied her with his hands on her waist. Her breath caught in her throat.

"Mitch, Maria, we're going to check in," Shawn hollered from where he stood with Emma and Maria's bags.

Maria hurried over, grateful no one had snatched up her things. She had her purse and money on her, but she couldn't afford to buy new clothes. "Thanks for staying with these."

Shawn smiled. "Samet's not unsafe, but it's best not to tempt fate. You coming to the hotel?"

"Emma said we were at a different one. But we'll meet you later?" She assumed Emma wanted to spend time with Shawn, but that was before she was hitting on fire dancers.

"Definitely." Shawn waited until Mitch had his bag and walked away before leaving.

Emma joined Maria soon after. The walk to their hotel was ten minutes inland, where the vegetation grew thicker between the many rows of guesthouses. When Emma rang the bell at the check-in desk, an older woman limped over and sorted through the wooden key chains. She handed them a key with a seven and pointed them to a path edged with a glass-bottle border. It led to several bamboo bungalows, one of which was theirs. It had just enough space for a hard twin bed, two chairs and a tight bathroom with questionable plumbing. When a white creature scurried along the upper wall, Maria tensed until Emma reassured her it was a harmless gecko.

As Emma lay on the bed and played on her phone, Maria ran a hand through the hair the wind had assaulted, her fingers catching in knots.

"It's too bad Tom is being such a grump tonight," Emma said. "He might be in a better mood for you tomorrow."

Maria dug through her bag for a brush, "For me?"

"I think he only came because you agreed."

Maria brushed her tangled hair. "That can't be the only reason." It was too much pressure.

"You're right." Emma sat up and pulled two plastic cups and a bottle of vodka from her bag. "Are you drinking tonight?"

"I should get ready first."

"Suit yourself." She poured herself a vodka-orange. "How's your family? Is your dad still not speaking to you?"

"Not yet, but my mom has caught him looking through my Thailand pictures when he's alone."

"How long could he stay mad at you?"

His grudge with his brothers in the Philippines was ongoing, but this was different. Staying with Adrian was a worse decision than moving to Thailand, and he'd forgiven her for the former. "It's hard to say."

After Emma finished her drink, she turned to Maria with a grin. "Beter topic, who do you have your eye on?"

"I just got rid of my ex, so no one."

Emma bounced on the bed, causing it to squeak. "I'm not convinced. I know who's into you."

"Tom and Mitch," Maria offered.

"Mitch?" Emma smiled wider. "That could be fun, lots of fun." The hairs on Maria's arms raised. Was this anticipation or fear? "But if you're not feeling it, Tom's a great guy—probably too serious—but he'll treat you well."

After Adrian, serious and nice should appeal to her, maybe not now, but eventually. Mitch treated her well in his way since he understood she didn't want handouts and mostly respected her wishes when she told him to stop hitting on her.

"Shawn said Becca and Mitch are over."

"What happened?"

"Shawn wasn't specific, but it seemed final."

"I can't do flings," Maria spoke as much to herself as Emma. Her body betrayed her when Mitch got close, but her mind knew better.

"So we're back to Tom."

"Or no one. I can drink, dance, and have a good time without a guy."

"True enough." Emma checked her phone and sighed. "Tom's sent five messages. Can we meet him for platonic pizza and drinks?" She scrolled further. "Everyone will be there."

"Sure."

A short walk later, they arrived at an open-air restaurant where their coworkers chatted over drinks. Tom's face brightened, and he inclined his head to the seats next to him.

"Had I known taking your room would send you to another guesthouse, I wouldn't have agreed," Tom said.

"That's why I didn't tell you." Emma sat in a bamboo chair.

"I love your top, Maria," Shannon said.

Maria adjusted her off-the-shoulder shirt and thanked her coworker. As she browsed the menu, the booze prices made her reconsider drinking tonight.

Emma nudged her shoulder. 'I got us covered' she mouthed and pulled the top of a water bottle out of her purse, the same one she'd filled with vodka and clear soda earlier.

Maria took a swig when the servers left and later ordered a cheap Thai cola. When the pizza came out, Tom tried to pass her a slice, but she told him she wasn't hungry. She and Emma had eaten cheap fried rice in Bangkok and snacks in the room.

Tom played with the neck of his beer and refocused his energy on the pizza while Shawn and Mitch proposed plans to enjoy the last bit of happy hour.

"How's your hotel?" Maria asked Tom.

"It lacks character, but the bed is comfy. What about yours?"

Maria tried not to laugh. "Ours has lots of character: geckos, a semi-functional sink, and an open drainage pipe in the bathroom that anything could crawl out of."

Tom frowned. "My room has a second bed if that place freaks you out."

"Woah, Tom! Where did that come from?" Mitch leaned over and grinned. "Give the girl a chance to breathe. She just threw her ex to the curb a week ago."

"That's not what I meant." Tom looked at Maria with wide, panicked eyes.

Mitch nudged him on the shoulder. "I'm screwing with you, buddy." He returned to his conversation with Shawn and the boat drinkers.

Tom stared at his hands. "I didn't mean to imply..."

"Don't worry, Tom. I know you have good intentions."

Tom didn't smile as expected. "I didn't realize you and Mitch were close enough to discuss your ex."

Maria picked at the label on her soda bottle. "I wouldn't call it close, except for being neighbours." The reason for Mitch's friendliness eluded her, so it was safer to keep him at a distance. She didn't want to earn a reputation, especially a false one.

"Are you joining them at the bar later?" Tom asked.

Maria nodded. "Emma said you wander from bar to bar until you find a good dance beat, and everything is close. Sounds fun. What about you?"

"Haven't decided yet."

"C'mon, Tom," Emma said. "Who knows who you'll meet out here tonight."

Tom wore a blank expression. "You think a girl worth meeting frequents Koh Samet bars?"

Maria's chest grew tight. The comment was like Adrian's after she drank too much while out with Kelsey two summers ago. Kelsey and Will had fought, and she'd needed a girls' night. Adrian hadn't taken it well when Maria had called for a ride home.

"Don't be so judgmental!" Emma said. "Girls love to dance, hang out, meet new people, or their friends might drag them along."

Tom nodded. "Fair point."

Maria's arms and legs jittered. Perhaps it was the pop, but she craved non-smoky air, so she excused herself to find a washroom she wasn't sure existed. After exiting the restaurant, she wandered until the beach appeared. With a few small kicks, she ditched the flip-flops, picked them up, and let the cool sand squish beneath her toes.

In the distance, tiki torches lit up other sections of the coast. People sat on cushions on the sand at shin-high tables, dim lanterns illuminating their faces. She took more calming breaths. Her toes itched to go closer until gentle waves and fizzing bubbles trickled through them as the ocean breathed. She matched her inhalations to the sound of the water rolling over her feet and banished thoughts of Adrian.

She wasn't sure how many minutes had passed when a familiar male voice called out, "Didn't anyone tell you the ocean isn't a restroom?"