“Unless the technical problems we noticed require us to divert towards Cook Islands. We can fix them there but it would take time…” casually informs the captain.
“Which means?” Carine asks with a suspicious look.
“Well, we would not come back here for a while since we would miss the next trip, so that would mean… 4 or 5 months.”
Naturally, hearing the news, the islanders or passengers of the Kwai don’t mind; their fatalism feeds on non-event of this calibre.
But for us the idea of being stuck here for an indefinite time triggers various reactions. “We should have taken a satellite phone”, says Carine before realizing at the same time it would be useless, nobody would pick us up. “I guess I’ll be on antibiotics then” I conclude, my tail between my legs at the sight of my foot resisting all herbs or plants applied and consumed over the last few days. Pierre stays silent at this news but his pale complexion suggests that a longer stay here would not be the best prescription. We don’t let Lou and Shadé know. Lou is not as healthy as usual, but she still catches waves while Shadé stays skinny.
Bruno tries to reassure us. “Don’t worry, you will be surprised how resistant the human body is. Today we have trouble coping with the slightest uneasiness.” It is an odd feeling to find yourself stuck on a remote island, cut off from the rest of the world. Are we prisoners or are we free in such a situation? Instinctively, the first feeling takes over. We’re used to controlling everything, anticipating, thus shrinking our adaptability outside of our comfort zone. At that point, fatalism, mastered by the locals, start showing signs of life within us.
Who knew? We can overcome the language barrier and the lack of comforts, but we don’t feel fatalism instinctively. We may wonder if the locals care less about life. “We even wonder if they care about anything” the little voice inside us pipes up. Then the little voice becomes schizophrenic:
“I am here, what can I do about it? This trip lead me here to experience this situation, which now I look at it, is not catastrophic. For once, I am not in control anymore and it feels good.”
