They came out suddenly on to the lake. Johnny judged it to be a mile and a half across. There were several boats out with men fishing. One of the men raised his hand in a salute as Scott drove by. Scott waved back.
'Supper time,' he said with a crooked grin. 'Everyone here fishes for their suppers and their goddamn dinners too. I wonder if Freda's caught anything.'
Leaving the group of cabins behind them, they drove for a mile through the jungle, then came out suddenly into a cleared space where Johnny saw a long, shabby houseboat with a twenty-foot long, battered pier joining it to the mainland.
'Lived here for two years,' Scott said as he drove the truck into a parking bay, covered with tatty bamboo. 'Got it for a Song. Had to work on it, but now it's not too bad. You reckon to stay long?'
Johnny turned and looked directly at Scott.
'Doesn't that depend on what your wife says? She may not want a stranger hanging around.'
Scott shrugged.
'You don't have to worry about Freda: she's as money hungry as I am. I can use thirty-five bucks a week and she can use some company. Not much fun for her being left here all alone all day.'
Johnny continued to look directly at Scott.
'Just a minute . . . Is there something wrong with your wife? Is she a cripple or something?'
'No . . . what do you mean?'
'Come on, Scott,' Johnny said impatiently, 'grow up! Why should your wife want a man here . . . it's lonely enough. Doesn't it worry you?'
'Why should it?' Scott said. 'If you think you can lay her, go ahead. If she has you, you're welcome. I haven't touched her that way since we married.' He leered. 'I get all the loving I need in Richville and I don't need a lot. When a guy works the way I do, once a month is all he needs.'
'What's it between you two then?' Johnny asked, startled.
'Forget it.' Scott swung himself out of the cab. 'If you want to stay, then stay as long as you like so long as you pay. Come on, I'll show you your room.'
As they walked across the pier, Scott paused and pointed.
'There she is . . . swimming. Spends most of her time in the lake.'
Johnny screwed up his eyes against the reflection of the sun on the still water. He saw a head bobbing in the water, some three hundred yards from the houseboat.
Scott put two fingers in his mouth and emitted a shrill whistle. A hand came out of the water in a wave. 'Come on in,' Scott said.
There was a good wide deck around the houseboat and together they entered a long, low living room shabbily furnished, but comfortable enough. There was a T.V. set in one corner.
'Here's your room,' Scott said and opened the door.
'Dump your things and have a swim. We swim raw. You don't have to bother about Freda. She's seen more naked men than I've seen shrimps.'
Johnny looked around the tiny room. There was a bed, a closet, a night-table and a chair. The window looked onto the lake. It was all clean and he liked it.
'This is fine.'
'It's okay.'
Scott left him.
Johnny looked out of the window. He would have liked to have swum, but not naked. He saw Scott come out on deck, naked and dive into the lake. He watched him swim to the blonde head, pause and after a minute or so, swim on. The blonde head headed towards the house boat.
Johnny stood by the window and watched. He kept out of sight, peering around the curtain as the woman swung herself on to the deck. She was tall, brown-bodied and naked. She had long legs, tight, firm breasts and as she turned and walked along the deck, Johnny watched her heavy buttocks roll. His eyes had been too busy looking at her body to see her face except to notice her wet, blonde hair reached to the middle of her shoulders.
Johnny wiped the sweat off his face. What had he walked into? he asked himself. This was all woman: the most sensual, sexual body he had seen.
He now felt in urgent need of cold water. Stripping off, keeping on his underpants, he stepped out onto the deck and dived into the lake.
The cool water gave him pleasure. He was a powerful swimmer and he swam for some two hundred yards in a racing stroke to release the stiffness and the lust the woman had raised in him, then he turned around and swam back, joining Scott as he was swinging himself up onto the deck.
'I'll get you a towel,' Scott said and disappeared into the livingroom. He returned moments later, tossed Johnny a towel, then disappeared again.
Johnny mopped off, then went to his bedroom. He smelt onions frying and his mouth watered. He realized he hadn't eaten since he had left the snake man's cabin and suddenly he was starving.
Dressed, he left his room and went into the living-room. Scott was smoking and staring out of the window. He looked up as Johnny came in.
'Okay?'
'Fine.'
'We don't drink here,' Scott said. 'Can't afford it. If you want a drink you can buy anything at the store. Take the motorboat over tomorrow.'
