Sunrise in Bali - Across the Pond Trilogy (Book 1) (5 page)

“
Yeah...but
we've got a lot of that to come. This is just to have a bit of fun to
break up the trip. Come on, it'll be great...look, get that down
you.” She passed Jenny a shot of vodka.

Jenny
took the drink and sunk it. “That's more like it! Now come on and
perk yourself up babe, I'll bet Henry will kiss you tonight!”

With
that the car stopped and they got out, facing an entrance that looked
like the curtained doorways to a circus, but with pirate decorations
all around. Inside, the place was huge, and split up into numerous
rooms and areas; the main one comprising a huge wooden pirate ship in
the middle, with cages set up around the corners filled with revelers
pulling their best moves.

The
group set off towards a quieter bar at the front on the club and
bought some drinks – huge cocktails that the bartenders assured
them were not watered down. This was quickly confirmed by a set of
Aussie guys who were drinking nearby, each looking a little the worse
for wear. After a couple of rounds Todd quickly danced his way up
onto the karaoke stage to perform a rousing rendition of 'Living on a
Prayer' by Bon Jovi. Jenny couldn't tell whether or not it was the
alcohol in her system, but he sounded pretty good!

As
the night drew on and a couple of others got up for their turn on the
mic, the group began to lose each other. They'd agreed to meet at the
front at 2 am, and had all written the address of their hotel in Ubud
on the back of their hand in case they found themselves lost at any
point. Sarah and Jenny had just stepped off the stage after
performing a bit of Rihanna when they noticed that the entire group
was missing. They walked through to the main dance floor to find Todd
and Mark embracing with a bunch of Aussie guys in a big drunken
huddle, and Andrew down at another bar chatting with a couple of guys
wearing Irish rugby shirts. Jenny skimmed the room for a sight of
Henry, but got nothing. “I'm just going to the bathroom quickly,”
she informed Sarah, “stay here, I'll only be a minute.”

Sarah
nodded and Jenny wandered off towards the nearest bathroom. As she
rounded the corner she caught a glimpse of a couple pressed up
against the wall. She looked at them to see Emily leaning in towards
a brown haired man. As Emily stepped back, Jenny's heart sunk....it
was Henry. She immediately turned away and dashed into the bathroom
before they they saw her, locking herself into a cubicle. She sat
down, tears rolling uncontrollably from her eyes, her heart pounding.
She sat there for several minutes, the alcohol heightening her
emotions, wiping at her eyes with tissue paper. Her head was spinning
and her mind racing... “what did I expect?” she thought.

A
banging on the door brought her back to reality. “Jen, are you in
there....Jen?” It was Sarah.

Jenny
steadied her voice: “yeah, it's me hun, I'll just be a moment. Got
a bit lost trying to find the bathroom before, sorry I've been so
long.”

“
Are
you sure you're OK in there?

“
Yep,
I'm fine...I'll be out in a moment.”

It
was nearing 1.30 am when Jenny met Sarah outside the bathroom. She
had taken a couple of moments to wash her face and reapply her
streaked makeup. After a short inquisition from Sarah, Jenny said
that she wasn't feeling very well and wanted to leave. With that
Sarah dashed off to tell the others that they were leaving now and
would get a separate taxi. Andrew said he'd come too, while the
others seemed content to stick it out a bit longer. “Is she OK?”
Henry asked, concerned.

“
Yeah,
she just says she's feeling ill. She went off to the bathroom a while
ago so I guess maybe she was throwing up?”

Henry's
expression changed, his eyes widening slightly. “Well, maybe I
should come back as well?” There seemed to be a pang of guilt in
his voice....or was it just worry?

“
No,
no, that's fine. I'll take care of her. You guys stay and finish your
night. We'll see you in the morning for the ferry....don't miss it!”
She walked off briskly accompanied by Andrew, Henry looking on
solemnly as they left.

The
next morning Jenny awoke early. She was used to this back home. Her
break up with Trent had been hard, and she had been having trouble
sleeping most nights. That she now awoke with thoughts of another man
filling her mind was entirely unexpected. She quietly walked to the
bathroom and looked in the mirror: her eyes were slightly red from
her tears the night before.

After
freshening up, she walked out onto the balcony and looked down over
the pool, where a figure was swiftly making its way from one side to
the other under the water. The figure emerged on the far side to take
a breather and Jenny immediately noticed that it was Henry. Her
instant reaction was to turn away before he saw her....but she was
too late.

“
Jenny?”
He called from below as quietly as he could so not to wake anyone up.
“How are you feeling today? Sarah said you felt ill last night?”

Jenny
wanted to turn away, but stood her ground. “Yeah, I suddenly felt
weird at the end of the night,” the inflection in her voice was
sour, “what are you doing up so early?” She was purposefully
blunt.

“
I
don't know really. I thought I wanted to make the most of this place
before we leave. I'll probably never come back here again....what's a
little lack of sleep in the grand scheme of things?”

Jenny
didn't want to be drawn back into Henry's charms. She felt betrayed,
even though they had only known each other a few days, and perhaps a
little silly that she was so affected by him. But here, she thought,
in this circumstance, every day was like a week. They were spending
all their time in each others company, not always directly together,
but as a group, and she thought she felt something between them. She
didn't think she meant so little to him that he'd hook up with
another girl on tour in front of her...a girl that he'd just met that
evening. Her resolve strengthened....yes, she was right to feel like
this.

“
I
suppose,” she offered, unimpressed. “Um, I'm gonna do a bit of
reading...I'll see you later I guess.” Jenny's cold response caught
Henry off guard, but there looked to be something in his eye that
showed he knew why she was being so off. “Good,” Jenny thought,
“hopefully he knows he's been a prick. Anyway, forget him...it was
nothing really anyway,” she tried to convince herself.

She
turned away without a smile and returned to her room. Through the
door slats she could see Henry looking on, a little upset. He dropped
his head slowly, a slightly confused look on his face, before
disappearing back beneath the surface of the water.

A
couple of hours later the rest of the group were gathering in the
lobby of the hotel, preparing for the short journey to the ferry.
With the additional two members of the group, a single van was too
small for them and their luggage. Instead, a couple of smaller cars
pulled up to take them to their onward destination.

Jenny
was keeping her distance from Henry, and was chatting away with Eno
and Miley, hearing a few more chapters of their life stories. Henry
himself seemed pensive and quiet, as if he had reverted back to the
person that started the tour. Jenny also couldn't help but notice
Emily being a little grumpy. She sat there on her own, looking as
though she was nursing a hangover.

Upon
instruction from Andy, they started getting into the cars. Jenny
jumped in first, issuing Sarah to follow close behind. She could see
Henry step into the car in front with Mark and Todd, Emily gingerly
following suit. Todd and Mark seemed lively as always, their blood
probably still filled with the lingering scent of those toxic
cocktails. Henry, meanwhile, stepped into the front of the car beside
the driver and withdrew his book and pencil, seeming in no mood for
such frivolity.

After
a shortish ride they reached the ferry terminal, if you could call it
that. Throngs of people all lingered outside on the concrete slabs
onto which the hulking boat was fastened, all looking for spots of
shade under the scorching morning sunshine. The weather had become
more intense over the last day or two, and even the locals were now
seeking respite where they could, hiding under trees and in the
shadows of cars.

Soon
the main gate to the ferry opened up, and everyone piled on. As far
as Jenny could tell, their group were the only international tourists
among the masses, with the vast majority of tickets taken up by
locals from the two neighboring islands. The group stayed relatively
close together, looking for an appropriate spot on deck where there
was a bit of shade. Andy assured them that it would be cooler once
they got going, but with nowhere to hide indoors they felt somewhat
at the mercy of the elements for now.

After
a few minutes the boat burst into life, drowning out all other sounds
with a guttural roar that wouldn't abate for the duration of the
journey. According to Andy, this was roughly six hours, something
that none of the 'Bounty' party from the previous evening were happy
to hear. “A six hour journey lying on a scorching piece of metal
isn't the best thing for a hangover,” said Mark sarcastically,
nodding a head to Emily as he did so. “How you doing over there
Em,” he mocked, seeing the state of the girl huddled in whatever
shade she could find.

Jenny
couldn't help but laugh, something that brought a scathing look from
Emily. She turned, away, still giggling, and set into conversation
with Miley beside her. It wasn't long before the ferry was cruising
across the Lombok Strait, albeit at something of a snails pace. “No
wonder it takes six hours,” exclaimed Mark, once again getting a
few chuckles from his audience.

The
next few hours went by relatively smoothly. Mark, Henry and Todd
disappeared for most of it, finding a suitable spot elsewhere where
they could stretch out and enjoy the beating sun. Todd seemed intent
on getting a tan, although his skin had yet to develop the protection
of the others, and red seemed more likely to become his color by the
end of the day. Jenny felt more relaxed than she'd expected, dosing
away regularly after her broken sleep the night before, while Sarah
chatted away happily with whoever might listen. Eventually, Jenny
could tell that the incessant ramblings of a 19 year old college girl
were getting a little too much for Eno, so he absented himself and
found a quiet spot for some reading.

Soon
after they heard some announcements on the tannoy which suggested
they were getting close. By now the strength of the sun had begun to
abate, and the boys had returned from their tanning session on the
other end of the boat. As expected, Todd had caught a few too many
rays, his skin lit up like a lobster. “Screw it,” he proclaimed,
after a few teasing words from the group, “it'll turn to tan in a
couple of days.” He had a cockney charm to him, like nothing really
phased him at all.

Henry
appeared to have gotten even darker over the last couple of hours,
his skin enjoying the kiss of sun on top of the salt water spray that
hit the deck at regular intervals, while Marks blonde hair appeared
even brighter than before. Perhaps it was the contrast with his
burgeoning tan?

Jenny
laid back and smiled, looking up towards the bright blue sky and
beyond to the looming island in the distance. She caught Henry
looking at her, a melancholic expression on his face, but refused to
link with his eyes. “So, is Lombok like Bali?” she directed her
question at Andy.

“
Well,
yes and no,” he started, “I guess it depends how you're looking
at it. From a landscape and climate point of view, sure they're
really similar...you know, beautiful mountains, tranquil beaches,
tropical rainforests, and all that. From a religious and tourism
point of view, they're completely different though. Bali is far more
built up than Lombok, and the people over there are mainly Hindu,
while over here they're Muslim. You'll see what I mean when we get
there....”

This
started a line of questioning that Andy was happy to deal with, each
member of the group eager to know more about the island they'd be
traversing shortly. Before the conversation could get too in-depth,
however, the boat ground to a halt up at the dock in Lembar Harbor,
the tannoy ordering all passengers to gather their things and
disembark.

Everyone
got up and stretched before heading off down towards dry land, with
Andy busily chatting on his phone to make sure their transport was
ready and waiting. Thankfully, it was, a slightly larger minivan than
before awaiting their arrival. “Righto gang, welcome to Lombok!”

Jenny
looked around and quickly realized what Andy had just been talking
about. The dock was even less built up than in Bali, the roads seemed
more like dirt tracks, and the jungle appeared even thicker and more
dense. They jumped in the van and started the short journey to their
hotel up the coast near Mataram, Jenny huddled in the back beside
Sarah and Andrew. The atmosphere was quiet, everyone staring out of
the windows taking in the beautiful coastal views as they went. In
what seemed like no time, they had arrived at their hotel for the
night... “this'll be the classiest hotel you'll have in Lombok,”
Andy warned them. “It's got a pool at least, so enjoy it before we
disappear inland tomorrow morning!”