Page 82 of Bridesmaid for Hire
“My name is Liko and I’ll be your guide today. I’m very pleased to be able to guide you to the palapa. I’d like us to stay together as a group, so if you’d like to stop for pictures, just let me know and we’ll pause. We’re looking at a little less than a mile hike to the palapa. We’ll be crossing a bridge with views of our grand falls. You may get a little wet, so be prepared for that. It should be a nice cooling mist during our trek. And of course, if you need anything at all, please ask me or my partner, Nakoa. He’ll be pulling up the rear.”
“Wonderful,” Reginald says, a bright smile on his face under his beige floppy hat. And I don’t know why, but in this moment, after the disaster that was yesterday and his comment about the snakes today…I have the overwhelming urge to flick his hat off his head.
Not the kind of urge I want to have toward a man I’m trying to impress. But here I am.
Liko takes off and I can hear him saying something to Reginald who is first behind him but can’t quite understand, which is fine. I don’t need the history of the trail—I just need to make sure nothing jumps out at me.
“This is pleasant,” Maggie says. “You, wielding a branch through a jungle, your nerves bouncing around and causing your shoulders to tense and your eyes to be wild. Never thought I’d be in this position, but I guess life is always surprising.” From the corner of my eye, I catch her snapping a picture of me. “For my own personal blackmail. I shall keep it close to my heart until I desperately need it.”
“You act as if I’m ashamed.” I shake my head, keeping my eyes trained straight ahead and ignoring the view around me. “I’ve never been prouder of myself than in this moment.”
“At least someone is proud of you,” she says as we continue moving forward.
The path is pretty clear, there are some overgrown plants occasionally, but for the most part, it’s relatively flat with the occasional rock sticking out of the dirt. I couldn’t tell you what’s around us because I haven’t lifted my eyes since we started our journey, but from what people have been saying, this is what I’ve heard…
Oh, look at that tree, crazy.
The flowers are gorgeous.
Did you see that tree trunk, it was covered in moss.
It feels like Endor—I appreciated theStar Warsreference, that one almost pulled my attention.
Who knew bamboo could be that tall?
A rainbow. It’s good luck.
They’ve painted a beautiful picture in my head and honestly, I think using my imagination to set the scene is worth so much more than actually looking up.
“We’re coming up on the bridge,” Liko says. “Be careful, it might be slippery. If you need to use the handrails, please do.”
The sound of crashing water fills the air as we approach the bridge. The path grows damper, and when we hit the bridge, a fine mist floats around us, cooling down my sweaty and tense body, something I didn’t realize I needed until we hit the grand falls.
I was so focused on the snakes that I failed to recognize that my body was overheated and incredibly strained.
“Can you look up?” Maggie says, tugging on me. “It’s beautiful and you’re missing it.”
“And let a snake bite me while I’m distracted by water?” I swipe my branch across the bridge. “Nice try.”
“Brody, look…up.” She tilts my chin up with her hand, forcing me to see the series of waterfalls tumbling down before us, as well as the rest ofthe green mountains, lushly overgrown trees, and beautiful flowers that dot the scenery with splashes of color.
Well…would you look at that.This place is beautiful and not at all what I pictured in my head from everyone’s descriptions.
Guess I wasn’t as good at setting the scene as I thought I was.
“See,” she says. “Isn’t it beautiful?”
I look around, taking it all in, including the rainbow that flashes through the splashing waterfall.
Christ, it is beautiful.
Ethereal.
Unreal.
Unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before.
Like we were transported to another planet that has been untouched by humankind.
