Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter forty-one of "Dark Desire." This chapter has plenty of Tommy/Kim. Tommy's teaching Kim to live off the land continues in this one. Surviving off the land can be quite challenging. It takes time and patience to learn the fundamentals of it. Stay tuned for chapter forty-two.
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Chapter 41: Back to the Hut
Tommy and Kim reached the hut within five minutes. They sighed in relief and went inside. They stopped next to the table and took their backpacks off their backs. They laid them on the table, unzipping them. They reached inside, taking out each of their coconuts and laying them on the table. They looked at each other, forming big smiles on their faces.
"I can't believe how many coconuts we picked!" she exclaimed.
"I can't either," he agreed. "You did an excellent job at climbing that tree and picking the coconuts."
"Thanks," Kim pointed out and tapped the tip of his nose with her finger. "You did an excellent job at doing both too."
"Thank you," Tommy said, taking her hands into his and rubbing the backs of them with his thumbs. "I am looking forward to showing you how to prepare coconut."
"I heard the coconut is fresh if the water tastes sweet, but it has gone bad if it tastes rancid," Kim said, licking her lips.
"That's right, Kim," Tommy admitted, kissing her forehead. "The coconut has to be heated first before it can be cracked opened and the meat extracted. It takes about fifteen minutes to heat it."
"I see," Kim whispered in awe. "How do we get the meat out of the coconut?"
"You have to crack it open with a cleaver or an axe. Then you use a knife to get the meat out of the shell. The meat will still have some brown stuff on it. You use the knife to cut it off. Then you put the meat in a bowl and eat it. You can add it to soup or eat it as a side dish," Tommy explained.
"It sounds pretty easy," Kim said eagerly. "I hope you don't get the idea of throwing coconuts at me in the future."
"I won't," Tommy said, letting go of her and smiling teasingly. "I have to say you look like one of those hootchie-cootchie girls in pictures that Paddy had in his drawer in The Blue Lagoon."
"No, I don't," Kim said, shaking her head.
"Yes, you do," Tommy said, nodding fast.
"No, I don't," Kim said and blew a raspberry.
"Yes, you do," Tommy responded and made a funny noise.
"No, I don't," Kim said and smacked him upside.
"Yes, you do," Tommy commented and tweaked her nose. "That's final. In fact, I might as well do this."
He grabbed two coconuts and held them against his chest. He proceeded to move them up and down.
"You're a hootchie-cootchie girl! You're a hootchie-cootchie girl!" Tommy taunted and spun the coconuts. He spoke gibberish before acting as if he were throwing them upward. "You're a hootchie-cootchie girl! You're a hootchie-cootchie girl!"
"I am not!" Kim retorted playfully. "You better cut that out! I mean it!"
He turned around in circles. "Hootchie-cootchie! Hootchie-cootchie!"
She growled in mock annoyance. "All right! You asked for it!"
She walked over to the bed and grabbed the pillow. She went over to him as he faced her. She smacked him in the face very hard. He fell on his back, dropping the coconuts. He twitched twice before losing consciousness. She threw the pillow on the bed. She moved closer to him. She screamed when he regained consciousness and grabbed her in which he pulled her on top of him. She smacked him on the chest.
"You are such a meanie, Tommy!" Kim yelled and blew a raspberry.
"I am proud to be a meanie," Tommy said with pride. "You ain't changing me at all."
"Hey, don't say ain't," Kim scolded, shaking her finger in his face. "It's not a word."
"Hey, you just said it," Tommy pointed out in playfulness.
"Only because you made me," Kim said, winking at him.
"Yeah, right," Tommy retorted in much sarcasm.
"Nice use of sarcasm," Kim complimented and kissed his cheek.
"Why, thank you," Tommy responded in much gratefulness. "There is something I would love to see."
"What?" Kim wondered very curiously.
"I would love to see Bulk and Skull try to live off the land," Tommy answered, wiggling his eyebrows. "There is little doubt in my mind they wouldn't be able to do it."
"I feel the same way," Kim agreed. "Those bullies hate working hard. They have waited until the last minute to do projects more times than I can even count."
"I wouldn't be surprised if Bulk and Skull are taunting your friends about your disappearance," Tommy murmured, swallowing hard.
"Oh, yeah," Kim commented with a nod. "Of course, they always get a dose of karma delivered to them after they pick on people."
"I could say my shooting green energy from my eyes at their feet and hitting them as they reached the dumpster and flipped forward was karma for taunting me in that alleyway," Tommy said, smirking.
"I wish I could've seen Bulk and Skull end up in that dumpster," Kim said, giggling to herself. "I would've been laughing my ass off."
"I was laughing deep inside myself," Tommy admitted and babbled in a quiet manner. "I even flipped my Power Coin like I was playing Heads or Tails."
"I wonder who came up with that game," Kim whispered and licked her lips.
"I don't know, but it does demonstrate probability. The chance the coin will land either way is fifty percent," Tommy explained.
"In poker, the chance of getting a high card is fifty percent. The chance of getting a royal flush is fifteen thousandths of a percent," Kim murmured and smacked her lips.
"I know," Tommy said, pushing himself into a sitting position. He observed her moving back. "Probability is such an interesting topic."
"You are so right," Kim said as she balled her hand into a fist. She pressed it against his cheek. She planted a kiss to it. "It is a lot of fun figuring out the chances of certain scenarios happening."
"Probability can be applied to animals quite well. For example, a cheetah cub has just a five percent chance of making it to adulthood," Tommy pointed out matter-of-factly.
"A mother cheetah can have up to eight cubs in one litter, but it is likely only one or two will make it to adulthood," Kim whispered sadly. "It doesn't seem fair, but it is what it is."
"Mm-hmm," Tommy said, nodding slowly. "Cheetahs may not be the best fighters, but they can run very fast. They have to be in order to catch Thomson's gazelles."
Tommy rose to his feet with a loud grunt. He grabbed Kim's hands, pulling her to hers. He released his hold on her. He grabbed the coconuts and laid them on the table.
"Not once did I ever see myself climbing a palm tree to pick coconuts," Kim admitted.
"Most people don't," Tommy responded, picking up a coconut. "I recall Sarah poking holes in a coconut to drink some water in Return to the Blue Lagoon. She gave some to Richard before she drank any."
"I don't blame her for doing that. She considered his and Lilli's welfare to be more important than her own was," Kim murmured gently.
"She may not have been Richard's real mother, but she loved him like he was her own," Tommy said, warmth echoing from his voice.
"If Sarah had lived, something tells me she wouldn't have objected to Richard and Lilli's relationship at all. Though they grew up like siblings, she knew feelings could easily change. In civilization, I believe she would've encouraged them to run away and live life to the fullest," Kim pointed out and sighed contently.
Tommy emitted a soft snort. "Sarah would've seen Sylvia as very uncivilized due to her spoiled attitude and her contempt toward Lilli. I have little doubt she would've smacked the snot out of her for trying to steal Richard away from her daughter."
"You don't mess with a widow's daughter and get away with it," Kim said, giving a sharp nod.
"Yep," Tommy agreed with a snicker. "Lilli thought Richard was interested in Sylvia. She tried to 'win' him back by dressing up and wearing makeup. Of course, she made a mess of herself. He thought she was being silly. He went out with Sylvia. She washed herself off in the waterfall pool. Quinlan accosted her there. He wanted her pearl. He dragged her back to the hut. He got it and tried to rape her. Richard came to the rescue. They fought for a time before he took off. Richard lured Quinlan to his death in the jaws of the shark in the tidal reef area."
"Richard returned to Lilli and apologized to her for hurting her. She revealed she was pregnant. She told him she wouldn't stop him from setting sail at dawn with Captain Hillard, but she wanted to raise her child away from civilization and guns. He agreed and decided to stay with her," Kim said, sniffling as she wiped a tear from her eye. "After the ship departed, they frolicked like nothing happened to interrupt their blissful life. A year or two later, they were shown playing with their daughter."
"Their fates may never have been revealed, but at least the family got a happy ending," Tommy said, shuddering. "They deserved it."
Kim chuckled in a soft manner. "Mm-hmm."
He tossed the coconut into the air, catching it easily. He repeated both of his actions four times. He tapped it on top of his girlfriend's head very gently. She couldn't help but laugh.
"What are you trying to do, crack open the coconut on my head?" she teased.
"Yeah," he answered, pulling the coconut away. He narrowed his eyes at it. "In fact, I can see a crack in it."
"That means I have a very hard head," Kim said, touching the top of her head. She snatched it out of his hands and tapped it on his. "I hope I make another crack in this coconut."
"I think you will. I have a very hard head," Tommy commented and put his hands behind his back.
Kim pulled it away and narrowed her eyes at it. "I made another crack in the coconut."
"Great," Tommy responded in happiness. "How about I take it from you and hit you in the head with it until I form about another crack?"
"No way," Kim yelled and blew a raspberry.
"Yes way," Tommy said and grabbed it away from her. "Ha, ha. I got the coconut now."
"Now, hit me on the head with it. Form another crack in it," Kim threatened with playfulness. "I dare you."
Tommy shook his head. "Nah. I think we have enough cracks in the coconut."
"Spoilsport," Kim mumbled.
"I heard that," Tommy retorted and pointed his finger in his face.
"That you did," Kim said, giggling loudly. She grabbed his finger and shook it at a slow yet steady pace. "Perhaps I could keep shaking your finger forever."
He pulled his finger away from her. "I am not so sure about that."
Tommy and Kim shared three sweet kisses. They rubbed noses and pressed their foreheads together. They stayed this way for thirty seconds before pulling apart. He flicked her nose twice.
"What do you say we go for a little swim at the waterfall pool before I show you how to prepare coconut?" Tommy suggested.
"Okay," Kim agreed. "How about we eat some eggs and passion fruit there?"
"I'd like that," Tommy said in much eagerness. "Now, let's start getting our stuff together."
"Yeah!" Kim yelled excitedly and went over to the bookcase, where a basket containing passion fruit lay. She grabbed it and brought it over to the table. She laid it there and proceeded to take fruit out of it.