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“I haven’t done it since ‘Nam.”
“What is it?” Doris tipped her head.
“A joint. Marijuana.” Marge waved it back and forth at us.
“Oh, my!” Doris wafted her hands in front of her face. “No, thank you. I’ve never done that.”
“Oh, come on, Doris. It will be fun.” Alice snatched the joint from Marge, who grumbled her displeasure. Alice wasted no time in grabbing a flaming stick and using the tip like a lighter. She puffed it between her lips, and after a moment, she coughed out a billow of smoke.
“My turn.” Marge grabbed it back, taking her own puffs before handing it to me.
I stared at it for a moment before shrugging, “Oh, what the hell. We’re trapped in a jungle surrounded by things trying to kill us. At least this will take the edge off.”
I took a big pull, closing my mouth and widening my eyes as I fought to keep it down. Finally, I lost the battle, and I hacked and coughed until my eyes watered. “Oh, man,” I choked out. “I haven’t done that in a while. Here, Doris. Do you want to try?”
She looked at the joint like it was the devil himself. “Oh, no. I can’t.”
“It’s just a plant, Doris.” Marge cleared her throat, coughing one last time. “A plant put here on this earth by God himself. Why would he put it here if he didn’t want you to enjoy it? It’s no different than having a glass of wine.”
She twisted her lips, then shook her head. “No. I don’t think I can.”
“No peer pressure.” I started to hand the joint back to Marge. “But let us know if you change your mind.”
Just before the joint got back into Marge’s hungry fingers, Doris squeaked out. “Okay! I want to try it!”
“You do?” we all echoed as I pulled the joint back.
“Like you said, it’s a plant. It’s natural. And I am making it a point to try new things and face my fears, so yes. I want to try it. Just a little.”
I passed her the joint, and we instructed her on what to do. She took a small puff, her blue eyes flashing wide as it hit her lungs. A moment later, she hacked and coughed, sputtering to catch her breath.
“Oh, that was terrible!”
“Yeah, it’s better in brownies,” I said, chuckling. “And you’re a hell of a baker. Maybe when you get back, we’ll have you whip us up some pot brownies.”
She giggled, and so did I. Then I realized my hit was already taking effect. “Oh my. It’s starting to kick in.” I smiled, already feeling the tension slip away.
“Yep. I’m feeling it,” Alice agreed, leaning back on her hands with a sigh. “This is what I’m talking about.”
Marge snuffed out the joint and put it back in the little brown container. “Probably stick with a hit each for now just to take the edge off and see how it goes. Don’t want anyone getting too high and wandering off to get eaten by a jaguar. We gotta get us all back in one piece for the wedding.”
The wedding.
Mywedding. It felt so far away as I sat beside the fire, lost in the jungle.
“I can’t believe I’m getting married in five days. Well, that is if we make it out of here.”
“We’re getting you out of here and to that wedding if I have to hike us out of here ourselves. You’ve waited decades to be with Tom. We’re getting you down that aisle.”
“Thanks, ladies,” I said, but the sentiment wasn’t there.
“What’s going on, Sylvie? You don’t seem as excited about your wedding as you should be.”
I let out a lengthy sigh. “I know. And it’s driving me crazy. I have waited more than half of my life to be with Tom. I knew the moment I laid eyes on him that he was it ... my other half. The only man for me. And I still feel that way now. I love him with every ounce of my being.”
“So, what’s wrong then?”
I shrugged. “I have no freaking idea. There’s just something deep in the pit of my stomach that doesn’t feel right, and I’ve tried like hell to identify it. I can’t. Everything with Tom is perfect. There’s absolutely no reason not to be panicking right now that I may miss my own wedding, but ... I’m not. If I missed it, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.”
