Ozzy manages a laugh and I feel relieved. I mean, come on, we’ve all been relying on him for so much. What would we do without him? My fishing lesson was more about dry-humping than it was actually fishing, I’m not ready to take responsibility for those duties yet.
‘That actually makes it worse,’ Honey says immediately. ‘You’re supposed to rinse with seawater, then soak in warm water. It breaks down the venom. I think I picked it up from some boring nature documentary my ex used to watch.’
‘Thank God you did,’ I reply. Then I notice something. ‘Do jellyfish stings make your toes go blue?’
‘Oh, no, that’s from when I dropped the hammer on them,’ Ozzy says. ‘It’s the same foot.’
I don’t know if it being the same foot makes it better or worse.
‘Ouch,’ I reply, wincing. ‘I don’t know how you didn’t cry then, and I don’t know how you’re not crying now. I’m almost in tears just from spectating.’
‘Well, it’s not good for men to cry, is it?’ he says as we help him limp up the beach, back to camp. ‘Especially not in tough times.’
‘It absolutely is good for men to cry,’ I insist.
I’m surprised he said that but, then again, other than anger and frustration, he hasn’t been all that emotional.
‘Why wouldn’t it be good for a man to cry?’ Honey asks. ‘It’s normal.’
‘It shows weakness,’ Ozzy tells us. ‘You guys need me strong, not soft.’
‘No, we just need you,’ I tell him.
‘It’s good for everyone to cry,’ Honey insists. ‘Boys, girls, whatever. If you bottle it up then you explode eventually. And it doesn’t always come at the most opportune times. You need that slow release, not catastrophic malfunction.’
‘I’ll risk it,’ he replies with a chuckle.
I smile, but we’re not wrong. He would do well to let it all out, now and then, just to regulate his brain.
‘Hey, Cleo, thanks for not peeing on me, by the way,’ Ozzy tells me.
‘Ah, there’s always next time,’ I joke. ‘But, yeah, you’re welcome. Thanks for not needing peeing on.’
He laughs. This is definitely a conversation I don’t think either of us ever imagined having.
Back at the firepit, Tony and Camilla are piling up coconuts.
‘I thought we could cut some open, drink them, like we’re on a fancy holiday,’ Tony suggests.
‘Sounds great,’ I reply.
Honey takes a pot of water from over the fire and adds cooler water to bring the temp down.
‘Sit with your foot in here for a bit,’ she tells Ozzy.
He lowers his foot in and exhales.
‘That feels loads better already,’ he tells her.
‘Helloooo,’ Lockie calls excitedly as he emerges from the jungle carrying a large wooden crate.
Ozzy perks up.
‘Please tell me it’s survival gear,’ he says.
‘Even better,’ Lockie says with a grin.
He crouches by the firepit and sets the crate down with a thud. Then he pops the lid off.
