Ana

CH 6

He felt this was not the time to point out that she had recently done some serious damage to how much he now trusted her. "Sure I trust you. You're one of my closet friends aren't you? But, if this is actually the Philippines, I don't think it's a good idea for me to wander around by myself.  I'll probably end up getting lost or robbed or maybe kidnapped. They kidnap Americas here a lot don't they?" The idea of being dragged off into the jungle and held for ransom didn't appeal to him at all.

Ana said, "I'm sure you will do just fine. Most Filipinos are very friendly and speak English well so you won't have any trouble communicating with them. I'm done talking to you until you go have a beer to drink at that store. Good luck and try to have fun."

 He said firmly, "I'm not done talking to you." There was no response. "I mean it Ana. Let me in right now." The call of an exotic bird rang through the forest while he stood waiting but Ana still didn't respond.

 For now, it seemed that he was at her mercy and it looked like she was serious about wanting him to go down to that town. His thoughts were interrupted by an abrupt movement on the ground next to him. Snake... he jumped onto a nearby rock. It was probably poisonous the way his day was going. Tom peered closely at the leaves and ferns on the ground but didn't see the source of the disturbance. He carefully picked up one of the many broken branches that lay around the area and leaned as far as he could from the edge of the rock to poke the ground where he though the moment had come from. A flurry of motion rewarded his efforts as something scurried away causing him to jerk back quickly. Tom poked at the ground a few times but there were no further signs of what had been down there.

 Thinking he should get to that town and back again as quickly as possible, Tom stepped off the rock cautiously and started walking in the direction of where Ana said the path would be. It wasn't far and soon he was following it under the vast canopy of trees listening to the occasional call of unfamiliar birds and the constant buzz of insects. He'd be enjoying this walk a lot more if the circumstances were different but, as it was, a sense of dread started to spread through him with every step that took him farther from the odd vessel that was his only way home.

 After about thirty minutes the path met up with a weathered gravel road. He stopped at the edge of the rutted pavement to get his bearings. There should be a bus stop nearby if he was on the right path and, sure enough, he spotted a small bus sign just down the road. Now there was nothing to do but wait.

 His luck must be improving because a multicolored vehicle that looked like a cross between a jeep and a van rattled into view. It was decorated in bright colors loud enough for a Mardi Gras parade. Tom could see that there were only a few passengers onboard once the van pulled up and stopped. The middle-aged driver had short black hair and was wearing a loose fitting white shirt which contrasted against his dark skin.

 Tom walked up to the driver of the van and asked, "Hi, how much does it cost to get a ride to town?"

 The diver smiled and exhaled a puff of smoke from the cigarette dangling from his mouth. "Ten pesos," he said holding out his hand.

 How much was that in dollars? Tom took a ten dollar bill out from his wallet. "Is this enough?" he asked holding it out to the driver.

 The driver looked at him like he was a loon and then quickly took the bill from his hand. Tom waited a moment for the driver to see if he had any change coming but the driver only waved him on. Tom guessed he was being ripped off but at this point, he didn't care. He was just glad to be on his way to the next part of this crazy trip. All he needed to do now was buy a beer and then come back. That should be easy enough. He climbed into the van along with the three other people already onboard. He sat across from an elderly couple eating white rolls that had a meaty substance inside and gave off a sweet aroma and next to a younger man that looked at Tom with interest as he sat down.