Her gaze becomes distant and dreamy.
“I’ve never owned any jewelry,” I say.
“Are you kidding?” Amy takes off her bracelet. “Here! Take this one. I want you to have it.”
I refuse to accept her generous gift, but Amy doesn’t listen to my objections. She places the bracelet on my wrist.
“You’re my best friend,” she says defiantly.
I thank her, staring at the pearls in astonishment. Back in the Recycling village, I once made a bracelet from metal wire I’d found while sorting garbage. Samantha and her friends laughed at me, and I threw it away.
“It’s hot. Let’s go swim!” Amy grabs my hand, pulling me toward the water.
I remind her that we have no swimwear.
“So what?” she laughs. “We’re all alone out here!”
She quickly undresses, running toward the water completely naked. I’m shocked, but feel I have to keep up with my friend. Anyway, it is really hot and the ocean looks so appealing. I leave on my shirt and underwear out of modesty, and join Amy. We swim far out from the shore, discussing our future business ventures. The water is pleasant and cool. Amy reminds me of a mermaid, looking natural and somehow still decent while gliding effortlessly through the waves.
“I’m used to going naked or close to it,” she admits. “Back in my village, everyone went around in swimsuits most of the time.”
I imagine myself living in her village. Well, I suppose I could get used to that.
We get cold and head back to the shore. To my surprise, there are now two guys standing in front of our pile of clothes. I squint into the sun, trying to make out who they are. It’s Logan and his friend. I become nervous.
“Hey guys,” Amy says sweetly, standing neck-deep in the water. “Would you mind going away for a few minutes? We need to dress.”
“Come on out, beautiful,” Logan says, curling his lips into a mocking smile. “We won’t bite.”
“Oh come on,” Amy’s grin becomes strained. “That’s not funny. Give us some privacy for goodness sakes.”
“What do we get if we do?” Logan chuckles. “Will you give me and my friend a kiss if we let you come out? How about it, bashful?”
They laugh. Amy glares at them. I stand beside her, trembling. I wish I could kill those two jerks.
“Come on out, honey,” Logan continues. “You have to choose. You can continue freezing in the water or agree to make out with us, so we’ll let you and your trashy friend dress.”
Amy curses quietly, whispering words no decent girl should know.
“Screw them!” she snorts, grabbing my hand. “Let’s go. They won’t dare touch us.”
We walk side by side, holding hands and heading straight toward Logan and his friend.
“Hold your head high,” Amy whispers. “And stare them down.”
I straighten my back, teeth chattering. I realize that if these two creeps try to touch or further offend my friend in any way, I’ll attack them. I’d rather die than let them harm Amy.
The guys freeze, staring at her open-mouthed. Logan’s friend is the first to look away. Amy and I march right between them, and she manages to bump Logan with a shoulder. He stumbles a couple of feet away, dumbfounded. I don’t think he’s ever seen a naked girl before.
Taking her time, Amy dresses, without the least bit of shame on her face. I hurriedly pull on my pants and shoes. Then Amy shows a finger to the guys, cussing them like a sailor, and we leave.
“What the heck?” she rages all the way to our quarters. “I mean what kind of sick freaks are they? Why in the world would they act that way? I mean, it’s just disgusting! No guy in my village would ever do anything like that. Girls often swam naked back home and nobody ever bothered us. What’s wrong with those two jerks?”
I remain silent, being shaken to the core by the incident. I look at Amy in astonishment, still disbelieving I have such a brave and confident friend.
***
One Sunday Dennis and Sandro come to our quarters, bearing bunches of wild flowers for Amy, Topaz, Martha and even me.
“Oh thank you! That’s so sweet!” Amy murmurs, putting her arms around Dennis and placing a kiss softly on his lips. He grins, looking very pleased with himself, and promptly invites us on a date to the park. We all agree.
I do realize that Dennis likely only wants to spend some time with Amy. He’s just too polite to leave the rest of us behind. But I don’t really mind, feeling grateful for the invitation. Nobody has ever brought me flowers before.
So we all head over to a nearby park to stroll while gazing at birds and the tropical greenery. I’m wearing one of Amy’s nightgown style dresses, one which barely covers my butt. It hangs on me like a bag, but I don’t care, feeling pretty in spite of the poor fit.
Amy and Dennis walk a few paces ahead, holding hands and talking non-stop about hunting and fishing. Dennis shares a story how he once killed a bear, and Amy tells how their fishermen accidentally caught a large shark that sank the boat. The rest of us trail along behind. Sandro is too shy to speak, and I’m quiet as well, having no idea what to say. Topaz and Martha tell us about their life in Central Settlement.
“We used to serve in the master’s kitchen,” Topaz says. “I know how to prepare meals and bake. I used to sell cupcakes. My mom said I was really good at that. But it’s not really what I wanted. When I earn my freedom, I’d like to become a librarian and be around books all the time.”
I envision myself
