The Number 8

Chapter 4

“Do you need help down there, mate?” came a voice from behind him.

“Erm… No… No thanks, I’m fine,” Dante mumbled as he tried to get himself together.

They were at Hot Water Beach and Dante had been the last to disembark. In his haste to catch up with the rest of the group he had rushed down the stairs, tripped and fallen flat on his face. He felt the sand beneath him, hot on his skin from a full day of sun. He must’ve been on the ground a second or two before instinct kicked in and he thrust himself to his feet with ease. As he brushed the sand off his face and clothes he turned towards the kind soul that had offered his help. It was the bus driver.

“Kid. Watch your step next time. Lucky it was only me that was here to see that. I’ve seen the same happen to other kids and they were legends for the rest of the trip,” then, just to rub it in he added, “in a bad kinda way.”

His physique was not what Dante had come to expect of bus drivers. Muscular, but not tall. He was sat on the edge of his seat facing the doorway so Dante couldn’t be sure but his height must’ve been around 5’10. His salt and pepper hair was neat and combed to the right. He was clean shaven and seemed fairly upbeat. He must have been in his late forties and he had something about him that drew Dante in.

“Thanks for the warning, Mr…” Dante said, walking back towards the driver.

“Mr nothing. Call me Ben.”

“OK, Ben. How long have you been driving these tour buses then?”

“A few years now. Mostly this route. It never gets old.”

“So I guess you aren’t from here originally?”

“No, lived in England for most of my life but…I much prefer it here.”

Dante was sure he heard his voice crack a little but didn’t push it any further.

“Where do you live now then?” Dante asked.

“Here and there. Most of the year I’m driving these tours so I don’t really get a chance to settle down.”

“Did your family move out here with you?”

“What is this, twenty questions?” He smiled, then quickly changed the subject. “I wouldn’t miss out on the beach if I were you. Some pretty amazing views down there and after your little…accident,” he smirked, “you need a swim to clean yourself up.”

Then, before Dante had a chance to respond, he used a lever by his foot to close the doors.

Rude, Dante thought.

Dante got the hint and made his way down the sandy path. He had a strange feeling about this driver. He wasn’t your average bus driver and he clearly hadn’t taken this job to make any friends. But then again, Dante had gotten a little personal pretty quickly. If someone had asked him certain questions he would be taken aback. He wasn’t in the habit of telling strangers his personal business.

Everyone has secrets, Dante, he thought.

But Dante was here to do, not to think, so he wandered off.

Chapter 5

He felt the sun caressing his skin as he edged along the path. New Zealand had had a warm winter and Dante was lucky enough to be there for the start of spring. A magical time of year. But while the days may be warm, the nights would not. About halfway down to the beach, it got too sandy for his shoes to be effective, so he took them off and carried them under his arm. The sand was a comfortable temperature but he had to skip the first few steps so his feet could adjust. He could abide dry sand but loathed it wet. It had no business getting into the cracks and crevices it found its way into.

He rounded the last corner and was met with a view that he had been hoping for since he left England. People playing volleyball, others swimming and catching the waves. Asmir was with a group who were relaxing in what looked like holes in the sand that they had dug with spades. The sea, the sand, the sun. It was perfect. He hoped there would be more of this to come.

Asmir was lying on his back with his shades on in a hole that was way too small for him.

“Typical. Look at everyone else’s hole. Deep and long enough to fit them in comfortably. Look at yours, shallow and half your size. You may as well be sitting on the sand.”

Asmir cooly pushed his shades down his rather large nose and said, “Wanna come in?”

Dante sighed and grabbed a spade that someone no longer needed and began to dig his hole. Deeper and longer than anyone else’s. It took him a while but it was worth it. He sank into the deep pool of warm water and exhaled loudly.

“Amazing isn’t it?” Annie asked from just over his left shoulder.

Dante was so relaxed that he couldn’t even verbalize a reply. He just paired a grunt with a thumbs-up gesture.

He only had a few minutes to himself before Asmir got sick of pretending that his hole was adequate and rolled into his. A wrestling match ensued that dragged in a crowd. They exaggerated pro wrestling moves that they had seen on TV and got roars of laughter from an adoring public. Annie and Becki even picked sides. Annie had backed him, Becki had gone for Asmir.

“Dante, you’ve got this!” Annie cheered from the side.

“I think I backed the wrong guy,” Becki jeered, trying to get a reaction from Asmir. And she did. He stepped up his game.

After a few minutes they got tired and lay back in the pool that was about as big as a hot tub and let the sun hit their faces. The crowd dispersed and neither of them spoke for a while. They were still getting used to the fact that a few days before they had been in rainy England and life, at least for him, had sucked.

Then out of the blue, Asmir spoke. “I told you you would like it here. It’s exactly what you need.”

It was.

A few minutes later Mel walked up and announced that they could take surfing lessons for a small fee and that they would be starting soon. He was too relaxed to even contemplate surfing at this point. He loved to surf and was very competent but the waves weren’t brilliant and he had other plans for his money on this trip. But he didn’t try to explain that to Asmir because he knew he would offer to pay for it, so he just told him that he was too relaxed and was a little jet-lagged. A white lie.

He managed to motivate himself sufficiently to make a sand pillow so that he could watch the people who were taking part and, more importantly, watch Asmir make a fool of himself.

He watched as one instructor took the beginners and another took the advanced group. Of course Asmir went with the advanced. He had never surfed a day in his life and while his instructor was getting their equipment ready he was keeping an eye on the beginners group. It was smart really. Get the basics without the long arduous talk that comes with it. It would become evident to the instructor within the first couple of waves that he had no idea what he was doing. But the chances of him being sent back in when he was already that far out were not high, so it was a risk worth taking.

“He’s never been before, has he?” Becki asked pointing out past the breakers at Asmir.

“Of course not. I mean…look at that,” Dante chuckled as he watched Asmir paddle furiously but once again miss the wave.

Annie dropped into his pool and made herself a sand pillow to match Dante’s before adding, “His timing’s all wrong. He waits until the last second before paddling. That works in some places, but not on a break like this.”

This made Dante look over at her in admiration.

“You surf?” he asked.

“A little bit, here and there,” she grinned without looking back at him. He knew what this meant. What she was really saying was, “Yes, I surf and I’m probably a hell of a lot better than you.”

“Favorite place to surf?” Dante asked.

“Hawaii, for sure. But I know Becki loves…” She paused, waiting for her friend to end the sentence.

“Fiji, no doubt,” Becki added.

This sent each into their own daydream about their perfect wave. The feel of the water underneath them as they paddled their hearts out not knowing whether it would be for nought, the moment they knew they were dropping in, the feeling of being perfectly balanced as they shifted their weight from side to side and the invincibility. That was what dragged Dante back each time. The feeling that nothing, not even Poseidon himself, could stop him from riding this wave until it’s last ripple.

“Oi, snap out of it, we’re leaving.” Asmir was standing over him dripping water on his face.

“What happened? Where is everyone?” Dante said, wiping his eyes.

“Over there, let’s go,” Asmir said and began walking towards the path.

“Did I fall asleep?”

“Yeah, mate, look at your hands, you look like an old man!” He laughed as he picked up the pace.

Dante glanced at his hands and Asmir was right. He’d fallen asleep in the warm water and his hands were evidence. All wrinkled and pale.

They rounded the corner and Dante saw the rest of the passengers climbing aboard the bus, then spotted that Asmir was heading in a different direction.

“Az, where you going?”

“Cut my leg. Mel’s taking me to the local hospital to get it sewn up.”

“Let’s see.”

Asmir turned and raised his leg, “It’s just a graze. She’s being dramatic. I think it’s her first tour. She’s being extra careful.”

It wasn’t just a graze, but it wasn’t severe either.

“Are you there for the night?”

“Hell no. I’ll be back at the hostel tonight, save some food for me!”

With that he turned and hobbled over to a waiting taxi and was gone.

“Oi, kid, let’s go!” Ben was leaning out the door glaring at him.

“Coming!

Chapter 6

Dante knew that he would never hear the end of this. Asmir was playing it down now, but later on he would retell the tale of how he cut his leg so deep he could see bone. Probably because of a shark attack or razor-sharp coral that fought back. Asmir liked to exaggerate a little at times. It wasn’t that he didn’t live an exciting life, because he did, he just didn’t mind embellishing a detail here and there.

The group were sat in the bus waiting for somebody to make a decision.

“Hey! Hey! Driver, are we just going to sit here?” Viktor shouted from his seat halfway down the bus.

Ben sat completely still at the front. He was texting someone.

“Oi! Do you hear me?” Viktor shouted again.

Ben winced a little this time. He clenched his jaw tight but made no other movement.

“Is this guy deaf?” Viktor asked the whole bus. People were wide-eyed with horror at his behavior. But only Dante spoke.

“Sit down, Viktor, stop showing off.”

Viktor turned towards him slow, like a villain in a Marvel movie about to make a powerful speech. Ben peered over his shoulder and saw this scene unfolding. He placed his phone carefully on the dashboard and stood up.

“Both of you sit down, we’re leaving.” His voice was calm but stern.

They did as they were told. Ben kept his eyes on Viktor for a few extra seconds. This had the desired effect. Viktor turned away and gazed out of the window. It was an alpha male thing. The one who turns away first loses.

Mel had obviously texted Ben and told him to make sure the passengers got safely to the hostel. The hostel was only a short drive inland from Hot Water Beach.

They were there within minutes. The screech of the microphone got everyone on the bus sitting bolt upright. Dante’s heart was pounding hard in his chest, he’d been rocked to sleep by the gentle hum of the bus. Being jerked awake wasn’t exactly pleasant.

Ben’s voice came over the speakers assertive and unapologetic. “Right, you lot, get off my bus. Inside you’ll find a lovely lady called Fiona that will let you know what rooms you’re staying in. I know you’re all lazy Uni students who don’t get up before one at the earliest, but tomorrow’s an early start. We leave here at 8:00am. Got it?” There was a collective groan from everyone, but not from Dante. He wasn’t here to sleep. He was here to do and you couldn’t do with your head on a pillow.

Ben continued, “In the morning you will walk through the beautiful Karangahake Scenic Reserve, we’ll stop for lunch and then those of you who want to go black water rafting will go in the afternoon.” This time there was a tired cheer from the bus. black water rafting. Dante had looked it up because he hadn’t ever heard of it. He’d only heard of White Water Rafting, its well-known cousin. His research informed him that it was basically exploring underground caves, but with the added benefit of being chest deep in water so dark that no light could penetrate. The rafting part actually meant sitting in a rubber ring. It sounded dangerous and completely out of his comfort zone, which meant he had to do it.

Ben wasn’t done yet. “If you don’t want to do that, then the alternative is to take the tour of Waitomo glowworm caves, of course, if you don’t want to do either…well, why are you even here?”

There was a low chorus of chuckles. Unlike the others, Dante had done a little research and knew what the glowworm caves looked like. They were breathtaking sculptures that Mother Nature had gifted the residents of Waitomo and the thousands of tourists who came through every year. They also had the added benefit of being inundated with millions of little worms that covered every crevice and made the caves glow even in the pitch black. But what they didn’t know was that it wasn’t really a choice between black water rafting or the glowworm caves because the caves that the rafters explored were also filled with these incredible creatures. So the choice was easy for him.

They piled off the bus wearily and waited patiently as Ben opened the baggage hatch. All the guys sprang forward to help Ben get them off. It wasn’t purely a selfless gesture, at least not on Dante’s part. It was because the quicker the baggage was off, the quicker he got to his room. It took the guys no more than two minutes to get every item on the floor in front of the hostel. The girls grabbed their bags and shot inside. The entire process was completed in about seven minutes. Dante was the last inside and he was greeted by a hoard of his fellow passengers attempting to sort their accommodation. He guessed he would have to stay in a room of about six because he was going to be last to the front. He was wrong. Ten minutes later he finally got to the counter.

“Hey Fiona, I’m…” but she interrupted him.

“You must be Dante Darion or Asmir Nankin, right?” she smiled.

“Err…yeah, I’m Dante.”

“Great! Here’s your room. You two have a twin,” she said happily, probably because he was the last person.

“Umm…OK. How did we manage to get that?” he asked, a little confused.

“Mr. Nankin booked it a week ago. In fact, he had booked a twin in every hostel on your route, except one place where sharing is not possible.”

“A week ago? That’s not possible, I only said yes to this trip about three days ago.”

She handed him the keys and said, “Well he must have been very confident you would say yes. The room’s just down the hall. Last one on the left.”

He thanked her and rolled his suitcase down the bright red hallway. He was a little puzzled.

Asmir wasn’t that good at reading him, was he?

He waved to the other passengers who had their doors open and they waved back. He got to his room, fumbled with the keys and then slowly opened the door. He flicked the light on and stood in the doorway for a moment. It was a nice room, much nicer than you would expect from a hostel this cheap.

The room, just like the corridor, had bright red walls. The ceiling was white as was the carpet. Not really a good idea when your main clientele are young people only staying one night. The T.V. was small and old fashioned, but he didn’t expect to be watching any of that on this trip. The windows were large and he was sure there was a spectacular view out there, but right now it was so dark that the only thing that could be seen were the few blades of grass directly outside that were being lit up by his room.

He quickly checked the bathroom. It was simple: white tile, shower, sink and toilet. He was a little disappointed there was no bath. He didn’t like to admit it, but he was partial to a bath now and then. Not because of its relaxing properties but because it always reminded him of home. He couldn’t explain why, it just did. The beds were side by side and a little too close for his liking. If Asmir had been there right now, he would have moved them straight away, but he wasn’t there yet, so he didn’t bother. Then, on the bed that he had decided he would take, he saw a small envelope which had fallen off the pillow. He picked it up and sat down to read.

Inside, in Asmir’s writing, it said, “I know what you’re thinking and yes, I really do know you that well.”

Chapter 7

Dante was in no mood to fraternize that night. Neither was anyone else it seemed. There was barely any noise in the hall for the rest of that evening. A few doors squeaked open, the sound of low whispers and the odd pitter-patter of footsteps on the floor above, but nothing that disturbed him. And still no sign of Asmir.

Dante spent about ten minutes in the shower with the heat turned up high. The heat because he was cold, the length of time because sand had gotten everywhere. But once he had located and removed every troublesome grain, he got out, dried himself off and let out a long sigh. He was glad that he had the room to himself, even if it was only for one night. He threw on some boxers and leaped into the bed. The mattress softly cushioned his fall. He got under the covers and turned off the bedside lamp.

He lay there expecting to fall asleep within minutes. But it turned out he couldn’t turn off his brain. It was whirring at lightning speed. His home, his ex-girlfriend, his Uni course. All the things that he wasn’t happy with in his life. The things he wished he could change. He almost felt like a bit of a coward running away to New Zealand to escape his problems. It wasn’t really his style. But if the last few months had taught him anything it was that he wasn’t sure what his style really was. But he did know that he wasn’t this. He wasn’t someone that lay awake thinking about his problems and feeling sorry for himself. The more he thought about home the more guilty he felt about leaving his Mum to deal with everything alone. He had rushed off to deal with his own demons and hadn’t even thought about how his Mum may be feeling. She had been his rock the last few months. More accurately, they had been each other’s rock. Their house was the safety zone. He could go to her in the knowledge that there was no judgement being passed. He had bawled all night the night he had found out about his Uncle and she was there. He had been shitty to Asmir and she was there, telling him to forgive, to let it go. When his relationship fell apart she was there, being a mother, a father and a friend.

One solitary tear rolled down his face as he lay there. It rolled down his cheek and then curved towards his jaw. It held there for a second before falling to the pillow. That was it. The last tear of the trip. Dante was sure his Mum appreciated the time to grieve alone but everyone needs someone and he had to be her someone. A phrase that his Mum had always said kept replaying over and over in his mind. Each time he heard it it sounded more and more like her. Her calm soothing tone and her over-emphasis of the word “you”. “Just me and you, Dante, me and you against the world.” That was all he could think about until he drifted off into a deep sleep.

Asmir was lying in a hospital bed, waiting to be released. His gash had been a little worse than originally thought. Ten stitches the doctor had said. But there had been complications. As he had been about to leave, the stitches had begun to come loose. Once they were repaired, the doctor had urged him to stay overnight to ensure there wasn’t a repeat.

“You’re joking, right?” Asmir asked.

“Mr. Nankin, as I said, I think you should remain with us overnight. I am led to believe that you are on a tour of both islands. If you leave us and your stitches come out again, you will have to come back to us which would ruin your trip.”

“Yes, we understand, doctor. He will stay overnight,” Mel said without even glancing over at Asmir, who was giving her the stink eye.

The doctor bowed like a martial artist about to go into battle and left them standing in the hallway.

“So instead of staying in a comfortable hostel with an all-you-can-eat breakfast in the morning, we’re staying…here,” Asmir whinged and gesticulated to the harshly lit hall they were standing in that smelled like a mixture of disinfectant and freshly filled bedpans.

“Just for tonight. Now come on. Back to your room.”

Mel placed a palm in the middle of his back and led him towards the lumpy bed that he had been so glad to get out of earlier.

He perched on the side and gently swung his injured leg on first before lifting the other one and covering himself with the thin white sheet that would offer no protection from the cold whatsoever.

He lay back and hoped sleep would come easily. It did for Mel who was curled up on a nearby sofa with a blanket, but sadly not for him.

His mind drifted to Dante and the difficult summer he’d been having. Asmir would never admit it, but Dante was his Yin. Yang needed a Yin. Complete opposites but ultimately dependent on each other. He knew who he was. He was the guy that liked to party, to have fun and create memories. Dante was the sensible one. Reliable and determined. Together they made up for each other’s flaws. Like most best friends they would rather take a Mike Tyson right hook to the eye socket before admitting they needed each other, but it was a fact. In reality, he needed this trip too. His University grades had not been good either. He wasn’t too concerned with that, but his Dad was. His Dad was a Russian lawyer from a line of lawyers. It was expected. His Dad had always clung to the hope that Asmir would follow in his footsteps. He held that misguided vision until a couple of months ago when Asmir’s grades came through. Asmir hadn’t heard anything from his Dad about “the proud Nankin name” since, which in some ways pleased him. His Dad was off his case and he could do what he wanted. But he also hated seeing the disappointment in his Dad’s eyes as he read the grades. Asmir actually thought he saw the moment that his Dad’s dream for him died. It was right around the second sentence of Asmir’s grade report.

Asmir knew what he wanted. He hadn’t even told Dante. In fact, he hadn’t even verbalized it. He was scared to say it out loud because that would make it real. His Dad would never back him and he wasn’t even sure if his Mum would, but he knew Dante would. Dante was all about chasing your dreams. Creating plans and going for it.

Blah Blah Blah.

Easy for him to say. His Mum wasn’t nearly as tightly wound. Asmir’s parents expected excellence and there were only two things he was excellent at. The first was drinking ridiculous amounts and retaining his sober reflexes. This was only useful when you arrived home with two bottles of vodka in you and could still socialize with your parents’ guests. The second was more useful and was unquestionably his passion: photography.

It had not been a lifelong passion. He had stumbled upon it by chance. In University, he had gone around all the societies trying them out for himself, one by one. He had enjoyed a few but only repeatedly frequented two, the poker society and the photography society. Poker because he liked to hone his deception skills there. Most people in that society didn’t like him very much because he talked continuously. To make it worse, he was actually quite good so he ended up winning a few of the games. He wasn’t typically competitive, but poker brought it out in him. Every time he lost, even if it was one hand, he’d bite his tongue and only unclench when he won the next one. Then, of course, he would start talking again.