Between Lester and Benxamin they tried to stop the bleeding from Victor's leg. The young man seemed unconscious. Benxa touched his brother's cheek with little blows, he called his name several times, but he always kept calm so as not to make Lester more nervous. Victor opened his eyes, but the lack of sleep, the good nutrition and the scorching heat made him feel as if his leg was missing, luckily it wasn't.
Lester used his body as a shield to protect Victor from the sun, even though his skin was more sensitive than the twins'. Noticing his kind gesture, Victor began to move to avoid worries.
“Friends, I'm fine.”
Benxamin during all this time did not utter a word. So Lester decided to talk to Victor about whatever logical thing he could think of to keep him awake.
“Can you tell me how to get the water out of the coconut, please?”
“Sure, Lester,” Victor said.
Victor sat by himself, preventing Lester from helping him.
“You don't have to... You just have to tell me,” Lester declared.
“I won't give you any more drama than necessary,” Victor said wryly.
He gave instructions to both boys on how to handle the canoe, how to collect water among other important details so that they would be alert in case they were forced to fish on their own. Benxamin did not reproach him for anything, he followed all his recommendations to the letter, except to hunt or fish for an animal.
“We must watch all the time around us. We will take turns every 8 hours, I will be the first,” Victor said.
“Don't be ridiculous. You have to rest,” Lester answered.
“I wish we could make a sail to move faster, but we don't have a mast or oar to use it,” Victor thought.
The weather worsened, it rained torrentially again, the breaking of the waves rocked the small canoe. Lester grabbed Victor and also did the same with Benxamin who had gotten used to keeping his distance from people. But his attitude was not because he was still angry with his brother, he wanted to show that he was someone of total trust for his friends and the leader that this crew needed since Victor wasn't in his capacity to do it.
He thought about it well, Benxa analyzed the environment. When everything calmed down, he was going to warn that he had to start the canoe motor again and go anywhere. Collecting water in times of rain through empty bottles was a wise choice. They were scared but when the waves calmed down, from time to time they opened their mouths as wide as they could and drank all the water within their reach.
Benxa hugged the boys: a strange and welcoming reaction to the others.
“I'm sorry. I should be more helpful on this,” he murmured.
Saying those words was for weak people according to him. However, in his thoughts he had said them many times, but it was more because he didn't want to show any vulnerability.
Victor responded. “No, bro. I'm the one who should apologize.”
“Let's stop this talk when we're on the island,” Lester interrupted.
***
Another day, with some wind but sunny, they took the opportunity to start the motor of the canoe, dying would never be an option. Benxamin remembered his conversation with Stella when he once told her that he would never risk him life for someone else's and began to doubt.
He slowed the canoe down to keep as much gasoline as possible. Victor had a fever, the bleeding stopped but his wound began to ooze. Benxamin avoided looking at him but his feelings remained with him. The real blood was not the blood he assimilated he would witness when he studied criminology the following year. Lester thought about how to treat the terrible wound, he collected seawater through an empty soda can and when he was going to use it on Victor's leg, he warned him.
“Don't do it. I know you're trying to heal the wound but it's going to get more infected.”
“This water is not treated.” Benxa explained.
Lester hadn't noticed and apologized.
“I thought that since it was salt water... ”
Suddenly, Benxamin saw a cargo ship in the distance and began to yell for help.
“Please help! HELP!”
Victor, who had no strength to move, tried to raise his hand. Lester got up and waved his arms in all directions, taking off the green shorts he was wearing to use it as a flag and attract attention. The ship never headed towards them.
The guys lost heart, Lester dressed again and sat down. He looked at his hands and the sores on his fingers. Out of the three of them, he seemed to be the strongest in terms of his physical condition. He watched Benxamin shake his head several times sleepily as he focused his eyes on an endless sea.
“It's my turn, Benxa. Go to sleep.”
“No, I'm going to lead this. Take care of Victor.”
“I will do it, Benxamin,” Lester emphasized.
While the boys argued over who was doing what, Victor confessed all his secrets. They turned to look at him.
“I was working as an actor for a shit series and soon I would have my first leading role. Someone told me that recently. I auditioned last week, but they didn't pick me. Getting what you want will never be easy. I thought of so many other proposals that have nothing to do with acting to earn money. I lied to you about my job as a salesman, Benxamin, Lester. I… ”
And little by little he began to tell about his real occupation, his work as an interpreter for Ernest's clients, and how he had realized that his boss's daughter was attracted to him.
“That girl, Tamara, has told her father that she wants me to be able to study at a university. I told him that he could deduct it from my salary, but I know she wants something more from me that I'll never give her. She sometimes flirts with me, I tell her to leave me alone, but she doesn't listen to me. She tells me that Ernest can get Stella fired from her job or that she can find a way to take away your scholarship, Benxamin.”
“But that's not all,” he expressed something weirder. “Ernest says he wants to help Lester and his family with the debt his parents have. I don't know why he's interested in getting involved with it. Perhaps he wants to be so generous with me that he agrees to whatever his daughter asks of him, but I know there's something else. Before coming here, I heard that someone in the organization was killed for refusing to cooperate with one of his businesses. I want to quit before he gets me involved in something else. I don't know if it's true.”
”You didn't tell me that. We can report it,” Benxamin responded.
“Let's talk to my mom. She will know what you can do, plus she has several friends that can help you,” Lester asserted.
“I don't know. Do you think we'll see your mother again?” said Victor.
Lester didn't hesitate for a moment in his answer; “I won't be your boyfriend if you think that way.”
Benxamin laughed with what little energy he had.
“Dear Victor, we will get out of here…. Victor?”
He closed his eyes. Lester gave him water to drink while stroking his head. This was not to be the end of the friendship they built over 10 years.
“We have to keep him awake,” Lester said.
Benxamin saw another boat not far away and tried to jump into the water, Lester stopped him.
“No... wait! You are tired, Benxamin. You will drown!”
“Lester! I… ”
“No, Victor is alive. Don't do this.”
The boat moved away. Benxamin stopped being Benxamin again.
“If Victor dies it's because we're not doing anything to help! I DON'T WANT TO LOSE HIM LIKE OUR MOTHER!”
“We'll get out of here,” Lester answered.
“My brother has to… I don't want… ”
“Please, I don't want to lose you two,” Lester declared.
Benxamin wanted to hug Lester but he didn't, it wasn't his way of expressing emotional support and he looked at nothing again.
“You're right, I'm scaring you with my attitude. I just want to get out of here.”
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