It was 8 am on the main island and Vanessa was focused on pre-production for her next documentary. She brought her son along during his college break since he was an anthropology major, and because it would be a great way for them to spend time together.
Together they had already worked with a local tour guide to scout locations for potential filming next year. Today they planned on taking a look at a nearby island with an indigenous population which was seemingly untouched by modern civilization.
With both of them dressed for hot weather, and with her camera primed for action, they were ready for the short plane ride. It was one of those small amphibious planes that floats on the water and was tied to the dock.
They pilot was there, and although his English was limited, he was a nice person who was quite knowledgeable about local customs. They made small talk as they prepared for takeoff.
"We get undressed now to go to other island, okay?" the pilot said casually with a thick accent.
Vanessa gave him an uncomfortable look. "No, it's fine. We're okay with wearing our tshirt and shorts."
The pilot gave a confused look in return. "It's rule of the island. All visitors must be unclothed. The indigenous people of the island will not trust you. They will not accept you. Clothes are foreign to them."
She was stunned, and she looked over to her son Brian, who was equally as stunned. Her research had only been preliminary so far and this was the first time she heard anything about this.
"I've worn western style clothing to visit tribes less than 100 miles from here. My camera crew had dressed similarly. It's never been a problem."
"This group is different," the pilot explained. "They are very religious with strict beliefs. They will never accept foreigners who are dressed like you. It is not natural to them."
"How come I was never made aware of this?" she asked, almost in an angry tone.
"I assume you knew. Everyone around these parts know what rule is. My apologies for confusion."
She thought for a moment. "Can you give me a second with my son?"
"Of course, ma'am. I wait here."
Vanessa took her son by the wrist and pulled him aside. They walked on the dock towards the beach. She was visibly upset.
"I can't believe this is happening," she said with a peeved voice. "This has never happened before. I can't believe no one told me about this."
Brian shrugged, trying to remain upbeat. "Well, look on the bright side; we're on a beautiful island. Let's just stay here and go swimming. It's no big deal."
She shook her head. "God, this is so disappointing."
There was a look of frustration on her face. Being the first to document the island really meant a lot to her. It was a huge opportunity and now that goal was quickly fading.
"Maybe there's an exception," he said. "Maybe we could wear our swim clothes. Something small. Maybe that won't be such a big deal to the tribe."
"What if we had to remove it?" she asked.
"I guess we'll figure it out as we go along."
"But what if it actually happened? We have to prepare for anything."
He shrugged. "It's up to you."
Vanessa stood silent for a moment. Thinking. Conflict was all over her face and the day was just so perfect. It was hot, she was energized, and a plane was waiting to take them to new territory.
"I'll have the pilot take us to the island," she affirmed. "I'll see if we can compromise. Hopefully it'll be fine. If not, we'll have to come back."
He smiled. "Staying on the beach isn't so bad. Look on the bright side, either way, it'll still be a fun trip."
They went back to the pilot. Vanessa explained their stance regarding nudity. Her tone was authoritative like she was demanding, rather than asking questions. It was her tenacious side which made her so successful at her job.
The pilot agreed and they had a compromise.
They quickly returned to their tiny hotel by the shore to wear their swimming clothes. Naturally, it only took a few seconds for Brian to strip down and put on his swimming trunks. Vanessa, on the other hand, took several minutes in the bathroom. When she finally came out, she was a bit nervous, but she tried to be brave.
She wore a two-piece bathing suit. Typically, she'd wear a tshirt over it to hide her middle aged body, but she had to be as bare as possible for this. She tried to be confident about it.
"Don't laugh," she said playfully.
She used to be thin, but had put on weight in her older age, mostly around her chest, midsection, and rear end. To her surprise, Brian seemed to be loving the sight of her figure.
"You look, great mom. Seriously, you do."
"Get the camera and let's go."
As they headed out, Vanessa knew her son was telling the truth. He liked her figure. And she appreciated that. She did her best to act confident with her scantily clad body on display and she was aware that he was taking small peeks.
They went to the clunky plane and they knew it was going to be an interesting ride. There were six seats total and some space to stretch their legs. The seats were hard and painful to sit on. It was also incredibly hot and they instantly began to sweat right after the door had closed.
***
Their eyes looked in amazement at the small island. It was beautiful. Untouched by modern civilization. Some of the locals came to the beach, waiting for them, as their plane stopped on the shore. All of the locals were naked. There were at least 10 of them eager to deliver a friendly greeting.
"Wait here," the pilot said. "I be right back."
He exited the cockpit, wearing only a small pair of swimming trunks. They watched as the pilot headed to the beach and greeted the locals. They spoke in a unique language which Vanessa had never heard before. It sounded like a friendly conversation. All of them were smiling.
Moments later, the pilot came back to the plane and he looked like he had some good news.
"The people are very excited to meet you both," he said. "They are very happy for this arrival. They wish to meet the outside world."
"Great!" she eagerly replied. "I look forward to meeting them."
As she got out of her seat and tried to leave the plane, the pilot quickly put his hand up, stopping her.
"No clothes allowed," he said adamantly. "That is their culture."
A shocked look appeared on Vanessa's face.
"But they seemed fine with your swimming trunks."
"That is only to the beach. To enter their land, you must be bare. Land is sacred here. Nudity is their culture. Otherwise, they do not trust you."
She looked dumbfounded. "Can you explain to them that in my culture, clothes are very important."
"I ask many times. They don't change their mind. I even explain that you are mother and son."
"And what did they say about that?"
The pilot nodded and gave a coy smile. "They like this very much. They say you come on right day. There is something special planned. A ceremony. Big one."
"What kind?" she asked curiously.
"I do not know all details. But they like you to come watch. It is very important day in their culture."
A renewed interest piqued in Vanessa. This was a major opportunity and everything had aligned. Whatever was going to happen on that island, she needed to find out. If she missed the ceremony, it would be a big loss.
"Can you give us a few minutes?" Vanessa asked the pilot.
"Sure. Yes. Think about this. If not, we go back."
With that, the pilot waited outside the plane and made conversation with the locals once again.
There was an undeniable tension between Vanessa and her son as they looked at each other. Things were awkward. Yet Brian knew exactly what his mother wanted.
"I think I know what your plan is," Brian said.
"Which is?"
"You want to do it," he opined. "You seem desperate to discover what's happening on that island."
"It could be groundbreaking. We'll be the first westerners to explore it. Who knows how many centuries this culture goes back? Who knows what archaeological discoveries we may find?"
"Should you be the first to say it? Or should I?"
Vanessa took a deep breath. "We should get naked."
Once she said it out loud, it was surreal. The look in Vanessa's eyes was determination. She was willing to do whatever it took to get on that island- including getting naked with her son.
"I'm okay with that, I mean, since it's so important."
"Are you sure?" she asked, with a tiny hint of hesitation. "I'm fine with nudity because I've been around it my entire career. But I don't want things to be unusual between us."
He shrugged. "Frankly, I'm starting to get interested in all this. Like you said, this could be huge."
"I'm so glad you feel that way."
"What's next?" he asked.
"That's the big question. But we already know the answer."
The tension between them reached uncomfortable levels.
"Who goes first?" he questioned.
She raised an eyebrow. "How about the same time?"
"That's the only fair option, I guess."
They were both equally nervous about the whole thing.