Disputed Sea - 11. Disp Ch 11

After having another look at our new quarters and the main living area again, we returned to the boat which took us back to the yacht, where we sat down to discuss the planning of relocating to Misery Island and agreed that the sooner we do the move the better so that the ship can be sent away from the region. When Sandra and her kids arrived back from their day trip to the islands, we all sat down for lunch.

“Are you sure about all of this Xander, about giving us the Bungalow on West Island?” Sandra asked once we were all seated in the lounge. “Yes, we are sure, you are welcome to stay there as long as you need to stay, and we will keep you fed for as long as need be, plus we will even try and get you some work to get by. Just to let you know, we will be remaining in the region as well, but we can’t tell you where, which is to protect you from any harm, as we are loosely involved in a political conflict of sorts. Just telephone us on Langs or my mobile phone, and we will be there for you,” Xander said to Sandra.

“I don’t know where we would be if it wasn’t for you… probably at the bottom of the ocean as fish food is my guess,” Sandra said as she had tears rolling down her cheeks, “You are most welcome, and just to let you know, that we are your friends for as long as you need us, and that invite is not from just me but also my guardian, who happens to be a very influential businessman,” Xander said in response, as he handed over a box of tissues to her.

While Sandra and her four children continue to rest, we were busy packing everything that we had unpacked, ready for yet another move, this time I was hoping that we would be staying put for a while, as I was getting a little tired of all the moving that we have done lately. “What is wrong, you have gone all silent, and I can see that you have something that is troubling you,” Joshua said to me, bringing me out of a daze, of which I was not sure how long I had just been standing there gazing out the window or our suite.

“I am tired… tired of all this moving, of all this uncertainty, and all the danger that we seem to be facing all the time… It is just not what I was expecting in a relationship and a job, and now I am wondering if there is a future with staying in a situation like this,” I eventually said to Joshua. “You want to leave here? Or do you want to leave me?... I do not want to lose you Kit, you are my world, my everything,” Joshua said to me.

It was silent in the suite, as my mind swirled looking for answers and for something to say in reply, and eventually, I took a deep breath before facing Joshua. “I think I need time to think this over, and I need it to be away from here and from everything else that is happening in our life… I need time to myself to try and work out what I want, whether it is with you or if it is for me heading in a new direction, at the moment I have no clue,” I said, as I saw tears coming down Josh’s face.

“Please, please don’t go… I love you, and I can’t be without you… I just would be lost without you,” Josh said to me, “I am sorry, but I have made my decision, I will be leaving tomorrow, and I would like you too not to contact me for a month, just to allow me time to work things out,” I said to Joshua. “Will you be going back to the family station,” Josh asked me, “I am not certain at the moment, all I know is that I need time to myself to think,” I said, as I finished packing my bags.

Picking up the internal phone I dialled a number, “Xander, it is Kit here, I am leaving the island, can you please arrange me accommodation for tonight and a flight back to the mainland please,” I said when the call call was answered. “Yes, I can do that, but I would like to know why?” Xander responded, “ Joshua can tell you in the morning, we are having a trial separation, I just need to return to the mainland,” I replied, “Very well, I will get it organised for you,” Xander said before ending the call.

Twenty minutes later I was delivered to the main jetty on West Island, where a vehicle was waiting to take me to the tourist accommodation, where there is one bungalow available for the night, and luckily there was a seat available for tomorrow afternoon’s flight back to the mainland.

I had a very restless night’s sleep and the following morning after finding some breakfast at a local café, I went for a very long walk along the beach until I came across a large radio transmitter, and seeing a rough track nearby, I headed inland, and coming out on the main highway, that runs for most of the length of West Island. I had no idea where I was or how far I had walked, but I guessed that it had been some distance.

I had only walked for about 5 or so minutes when I saw a small sign on the side of the road, near a side track, and I heard a vehicle approaching. The white Ute stopped when he saw me standing on the side of the road looking at the sign. “G’day mate, where did you appear from?” the man with a mixed heritage appearance asked me. “Hi, I went for a walk along the beach from my accommodation and I sort of lost track of time and distance,” I replied.

“You most definitely have done that mate, jump in and I will take you back into town,” the man said to me, and I was soon in the passenger seat and travelling back into the main village on West Island. “My name is Kip. How far out do you think I have walked?” I asked. “Well Kip, it is a bit over five kilometres to the visitor centre from my gallery, so you have probably been walking for about an hour and a half, and my name is Greg,” the driver said to me.

“Well, that is a lot further than I thought I had walked, at least I will sleep well tonight, from all the extra exercise,” I stated, and about five minutes later, we pulled into the car park of the visitor centre, where I thanked Greg for the ride back to the settlement, and wished him a good day, and I walked the short distance back to the accommodation. “Mr Ashburton, you are ok. We were starting to get a bit worried about you,” the receptionist said when I arrived back at the accommodation.

“I am fine thanks, I just went for a super long walk along the beach and ended up near the transmitter, and someone was kind enough o give me a ride back here,” I replied. “Well as long as you are ok, there are several messages for you here,” the receptionist said as she handed over three folded notes to me, and I thanked her and walked back to my room nearby.

I looked at the first message, “Kip, can you please call me. I have tried calling you but it has been going to voicemail. I don’t want you to leave, I love you very much. Joshua.” The second message was similar, “Kip, please call me. I don’t want to lose you, Joshua.” The final message read, “Kipling, I am getting very worried, where are you? Please call me. I want to discuss other options, even if it means me following you back to the family station, Joshua.”

I pulled out my mobile from my pocket and soon realised that my phone has a flat battery, and I realised that I had forgotten to recharge it overnight. After finding the charger, and waiting for five minutes for the phone to charge enough to restart, I dialled Joshua’s phone. “At last, where are you? Are you hurt?” Joshua asked when he answered the call. “I am fine, please don’t fuss, I am ok. I went for a long walk, and I have only just realised that my phone battery was flat,” I replied.

“Oh, ok, well I am glad you are fine. Now, I wanted to ask you if we can stay together, and maybe we go low-key and stay at your family station for as long as you want to stay there. We have enough investments to keep us financially secure for many years to come. I am thinking that maybe we can catch a ride with the ship as it heads back to the mainland, and we slip off the ship when it sails past the station, as it heads to Exmouth for a supply reload, then it will head south for its base at Henderson,” Joshua said to me.

I thought about this for a moment before sighing, “Yes, I guess we can do that, but I suggest that we not swim to shore, as there a Saltwater Crocodiles in that region. Plus the station is a lot further north of Exmouth. We can have the ship ferry us to the mainland by small boat,” I said to Joshua, “That is very good to hear,” Joshua responded, just as there was a knock on the door, and I walked over and opened the door, to find a smiling Joshua standing there, and I just laughed.

We sat down and talked for about half an hour, and I was informed that Xander and Langley and the two butlers had settled into their new home hidden away on the small island, while Sandra and her kids had settled into their new bungalow home on West Island, and that the ship was ready to depart as soon as we arrive back onboard.

It took us six days to arrive near the northwest coast, just north of Exmouth Gulf, where we are out of sight of anyone onshore, and using the ship's Sat Phone I dialled the number for home but there was no answer so I called the other station. “Good afternoon, Warambie Station, this is Flynn speaking,” I heard when the call was answered and I smiled. “Hello, is this the head honcho of that station?” I asked as a joke.

Flynn laughed out loud, “Hello Bro, it’s been a while since we have heard from you, did you try home and not get an answer?” Flynn said to me. “Hey mate, yes I did, where is everyone?” I asked. “Well, I am guessing that the folks are probably on their way back from Exmouth around about now” Flynn replied, which had me a little confused, “What are they doing over there?” I asked. “Just finalising the purchase of Exmouth Gulf Station, we are expanding the family business, and I am hoping you can come home and help us out,” Flynn said to me.

“Oh wow, that is interesting news, and as it happens, I am on a private research and exploration ship anchored just in the gulf now, we have been over at Cocos Keeling Islands for a short while, and before that in the Northern Territory,” I announced to my younger brother.

“Hang on a moment, let me see if I can get them on their Sat Phone to join in the conversation,” Flynn said to me, and shortly after we were having a family conversation over three phones, as I explained what has been happening with Joshua and me over the past few weeks and months.