The man goes over the instructions on how to drive it, which all seem fairly straightforward. We’re warned where not to go, what to avoid, and which roads to stick to. There’s even a fully detailed map in the glove compartment, highlighted to show exactly where we’re allowed to ride.
After he signs off on everything, Nate turns to me and opens my door, offering his hand to help me up.
He looks at me with an intensity that I’m almost certain mirrors my own.
I place my hand in his, and that electric current is back—stronger than before.
This is only day two.
Is it even normal to feel this way on day two?
Or is this some sort of visceral reaction that only seems to happen with him?
I climb into the dune buggy, and he walks around the front to his side.
We buckle in, and I pull out the map, trying to figure out which direction we should head.
“I think if you move down to the right,” I say, pointing, “we’ll be on the right path.”
He leans over to look at where I’m pointing and nods. “Yeah, that looks about right.” He pauses, then glances over at me. “Are you ready?”
Somehow, it doesn’t feel like he’s just asking about the buggy ride.
Somehow it feels like a loaded question about life… and the direction it could take.
Am I ready?
I guess I’ll find out soon.
13
Lizzie
We start along the path, and it leads us into a palm tree forest. And it looks endless, at that. Rows and rows of tall coconut palms stretching so far ahead it almost feels like they’ll never stop. It’s absolutely stunning. The smell of salt water floats in the air, making everything feel incredibly tropical, like we’ve driven straight into a postcard.
Nate turns to me with a mischievous smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.
“Are you ready to go a little off-road?”
I smile back. “I have a feeling that any answer but yes is wrong.”
He laughs and shifts the buggy into gear. We take off, and the sand scattered over the gravel kicks up behind us in a hazy cloud.
I can’t resist—I throw my hands in the air. It’s one of those perfect moments: sun shining, sunglasses on, and the air hinting that summer is just around the corner. The wind whips my curly hair in every direction and I immediately reach up to tame it,laughing at the hopeless effort, a huge smile planted on my face anyway.
The buggy can only go about sixty miles per hour, but because it’s small it feels so much faster, like we’re flying instead of driving.
Nate suddenly pulls up the handbrake and turns slightly, fully committing us to the off-road experience.
I throw my head back and laugh. It’s the kind of laugh that bubbles up before you can stop it—the kind that makes you feel like a kid again and completely free for a second.
After a little while, he glances over at me.
“That path looks like it leads to the water. You want to go have a look?”
I pretend to think about it for a dramatic second. “Yes… and yes with a side of please.”
We take the turn, and as we pass more palm trees, the water begins to peek through in flashes of blue. The closer we get, the more it opens up, until we reach the end of the forest where it spills out onto soft sand. He finds a place to park.
