I see him through the mists of dawn. The apparition which had scare had scared me witless, is actually a ghastly man on a wheelchair. His face is bandaged. His eyes I cannot see. The white gauze covering his skin just below his forehead which slashed to parts of his cheeks remind me of a scene from a war movie I had watched during my university days.
"Is someone there?" His deep voice growls at me.
"I am sorry. I did not see you." I say.
"Are you blind?" He asks in a dry voice.
Touché. He is indeed blind.
"No, but it is always misty here by the sea and the sun has not quite risen." I answer back.
I think of running away from him. He cannot possibly see, can he? Then I wonder if he could hear well. Am I as nimble as I think I am? Or will my gargantuan shoes give way?
"Still there?" He asks.
His voice is like roaring thunder.
A redundant question but I still think about running.
He does not wait though and lashes out at me.
"I was wondering if you know where I can find someone to work for me the next three months." He says suddenly.
I look beyond him, into the mist that does not hide the gargantuan size of his yacht. The sneakers I once called gargantuan pale in comparison. A whole lot. The word Equanimity is plastered on its side. It is one of the grandest I have ever seen.
"You need crew or domestic help for your yacht?" I ask.
I think that I can cook him the local cuisine if he is looking for a chef or more down to earth cook I will say. He is not local judging by that blond hair, the paleness of skin which has yet to see sun...
Back to my premature job targeting, it will not matter that I am not a good cook or whether it is actually authentic. He will never know. Filthy rich like him only come once to this God-forsaken place and then never come back.
"Not exactly. I am looking for something on a more interpersonal level." He says.
My eyes widen and I am glad that he is blind. He will not catch my extreme surprise.
"This part of the country is more conservative than the northern coast. If you sail a few more hours to the north, you will come across the pier of Belatek Island. It is touristic and you can find what you are looking for there." I say.
"How do you know what I am looking for?" He asks, in a crisp voice.
It is horribly hard to read his expression because his face is a total mask with that gauze.
"Belatek has women." I say, without batting an eyelid.
"No men?" He asks.
He scratches his head.
Ouch, I did not know what his preferences were. But then, how could I tell from that face which I can barely make out?
"I don't think there are many men available, but I wouldn't know for certain." I say.
The gender disproportion of the sex trade is obvious. It is not even legal in this country.
"I take it that the men are seafaring folk then. There is no tribal war there, is there?" He asks.
I shake my head. Did he just come sailing right through this part of Asia without doing any background research first?
"No war but piracy is prevalent in the eastern coast but the northern side of the peninsula is generally safe. Not much of hiding places here due to the straight makeup of the coast. No small islands whatsoever. Further the mainland town is self-sufficient." I say.
"My captain says that there is a small island that we can see right from this pier." He says.
"Yes." I reply.
"You said no small islands whatsoever." He repeated my words.
"Oh, that island...Boneka Island. It's haunted so it doesn't count to me. Even pirates don't go there." I say.
"You really believe that?" He asks.
"I only know that no one ever goes there. So do not go there for your own safety." I say.
"But the fact that it's haunted. Do you think it is?" He pesters me.
"I don't know." I say truthfully.
"Well, where are all the Belatek men?" He asks, bridging our earlier conversation before we sidestepped into haunted islands.
I wonder how to answer his question.
"There is not much demand for men, therefore they find other jobs." I answer. "Men generally work on the cruise ships, and only a small majority are fishermen due to the dwindling catch. Some move to bigger towns in the heart of the peninsula." I continue.
"What a disproportionate island with females only. Must be heaven for men." He says.
I smile at him but I realise belatedly he would not be able to see it.
"I see. So what is it do you think I am looking for which is available in Belatek?" He asks.
Have I not just answered his question? Only that he wanted men.
"Men." I say.
"I think women have more patience with me." He says.
I see him smile for the first time.
This poor man must be confused. He desires men but wants to sleep with women.
"Whichever gives you more satisfaction?" I say.
Not sure if I was asking him a question.
"Men or women aside, why not you since you are right here in front of me?" He asks.
I hear a shuffle and a thud. Then I am falling down through the mists. Next thing I know is that I am grasping the wooden edge of the long pier.
"Goodness, take my hand!" He shouts.
I see the white gloved hands dangling in front of me and I grasp more than his hands. I take his arms. My fingers sink into his skin.
"I don't want to fall. I can't swim." I mutter these two sentences like a mantra, over and over again.
My feet are dangling below the pier.
"You will not fall. Listen to me. Hold on to me tight." He says in a stern voice.
At the same time, his free arm pulls my other arm up. Then he manages to reach for my shoulders. With a sudden great lift, he pulls me up like a crane.
Due to the momentum of his lift and subsequent release, I crash down into his chest like a wrecking ball.
We were silent for what seemed to me a long time. Like someone paused a movie. I can hear my own muffled breathing against his chest. I can feel his heart beat.
His arms which had circled mine now strokes my head.
"Are you alright, Miss...? I don't even know your name." He says.
I nod. And this time he is aware of my acquiescence because he feels me moving my head against his chest.
"There now. You did not fall into the sea." He says.
