Ruby looked. She saw the approaching flash in the sky before she heard it. Soon it took shape. The plane was going slowly, not in a straight line, but weaving its way towards the island.

“It looks as if it’s searching for something,” Dirk commented.

“They might be searching for us. I was afraid of that when I couldn’t call in last night or this morning. Hopefully we can assure them we’re all right when they fly over, so they won’t touch down and not waste any more of their time.” Steadily the plane zigzagged closer. Then it must have spotted the group on the beach, because it nosed down and flew straight at them. Now how to tell the pilot they were fine? Ruby wondered. She gave a thumbs-up sign, not really expecting it to do any good. It didn’t. The amphibian plane circled, obviously taking a good look at the beached canoe with its mangled outrigger. It circled again, flew out to sea, turned, and prepared to land.

Ruby shook her head wildly, dancing up and down and windmilling with her arms for the plane to move on, muttering all the time, “We’re okay, don’t waste your time. Just go back to base,” but the pilot didn’t see, or didn’t understand her frantic gestures and continued on his chosen course. The familiar tearing sound of the floats touching the water, followed by a quick adjustment to counteract the side-wind, then the plane came taxiing toward the shore.

“We’re fine,” called Ruby as soon as the door opened. “We’ll be on our way soon. No need to worry.”

Casper stepped out onto the float. The usual big grin was missing, a frown taking its place. “What happened to you lot? Why didn’t you call in last night?” It almost sounded like a bark.

“The radio transmitter got drenched and now it refuses to work. I’m sorry to have added this problem to your heavy schedule,” Ruby explained.

For goodness sake, the man looked as if it was all her fault.

Resentful as she had been of the beaming smile before, she now wanted it to flash out so she would stop feeling guilty. She managed to hold back a comment on his tone of voice, identifying the worry that caused it.

Casper threw out an anchor and went inside the plane. Ruby could hear him talking on the radio.

Good, now everybody would know they were safe.

She knew only too well that people the length and width of the country would have been alerted the night before. All would have been praying valiantly for protection and safety for the missing group.

Closing down the transmitter, Casper came out again and, without a moment’s hesitation, jumped off the plane and waded to the shore. “Let’s have a look at that thing,” he said, and marched over to the radio, still baking in the sun. He quickly spotted the source of trouble. “The batteries have leaked. They really don’t like to be submerged in water, you know,” he said, pointing out two little spots of brown. He took new batteries out of the watertight tin with tools he had on him and replaced the ruined ones. “That should solve the problem.”

Now that his grin was back in place Ruby found she could do without it after all.

The conceited so and so, she fumed inwardly, did he have to gloat?

Casper turned on the radio. Nothing happened.

Ruby giggled. That should teach him!

But Casper wasn’t fazed.

“So it needs some more work,” he shrugged, and continued to take some bits and pieces out of the radio, commenting on them as he went along. It was all totally lost on Ruby who didn’t even try to understand. Impatiently she shrugged.

“Look, I don’t know the first thing about the technical side of it. You might as well save your breath.”

~ Mended Wings ~

by

Naomi Holland

“Right. Will you marry me?” Casper was down on his knees, but not in an attitude of supplication due the nature of the question but merely because the radio was down on the beach.

“What?” spluttered Ruby, stunned.

“You heard.”

“Why would you want to marry me? Why would I want to marry you, come to that?”

He must be crazy. Or playing a sick joke.

“I want to marry you to take care of technical matters for you,” grinned Casper. “And you might want to marry me to have somebody look after you.”

“You must be joking. I’ve never heard of such a ridiculous reason given at a marriage proposal,” Ruby sputtered.

Casper wasn’t put out by Ruby’s scorching reply. “How many have you heard, all up? They’re valid reasons in my book. You think it over for a while and I’ll ask again at some stage,” he said, as the radio let out a triumphant blast of static, then settled down to a steady hum. Casper turned some knobs and got through to the radio center.

“This is working again for now. I’ll arrange for a replacement set to be flown to your place, so this one can come in for a proper overhaul.”

“Thank you,” Ruby managed to ground out.

“You’re more than welcome. Much as I would like to linger in your presence, it looks as if your canoe is almost ready to be launched, so I’ll be going now. See you soon.”

His extravagant smile came across to Ruby as more of a smirk. What was it with this guy?

A wave of his hand to the men working on the canoe, and Casper waded back into the sea. Ruby looked at his disappearing figure.

Of all the arrogant, presumptuous, conceited attitudes, his trumped the lot, she fumed. What did he think, that he was irresistible? And here she’d been determined to be reasonable in his presence only for him to blow it all sky high.

“When will you marry him?” said Dirk at her elbow.

Smartly Ruby turned towards him. “I’m not,” was her emphatic reply.

Dirk was nonplussed. “Why not? He’s a good man.”

“How do you know? You’ve only seen him a few times, same as I. Anyway, I’m old-fashioned. I want the man I marry to love me,” Ruby argued.

Dirk shook his head. “In this country that’s not old-fashioned, that’s new nonsense. Tuan Casper will treat you well I’m sure. You should consider his proposal.”

Sometimes Dirk’s fatherly attitude got on Ruby’s nerves. This was one of those times. She kept a tight rein on her temper as she said, “Kelasi is putting the outrigger on the canoe now. I’ll start packing up all this dried stuff and get ready to move on. Maybe you could help to carry the awning down to the beach, so it can be put in place as soon as the boat’s in the water.”

Dirk went to do as Ruby had suggested without any reply. Straight away Ruby was sorry for the way she’d talked to him and had offended his dignity; she didn’t need to tell him what to do, he knew better than she did. After a little internal struggle, she followed him and put her hand on his arm.

“I’m sorry I snapped at you, Dirk, but I do look at marriage differently than you. And I’m not interested in a husband at the moment, really I’m not. I’m happy at what I’m doing and I’m happy living where I am. If I married, I might have to move away, did you realize that?”

“It would be better for you to have a husband,” Dirk replied mildly but stubbornly, not giving up on his ideas so easily. “A good woman like you should have a husband and children, but I won’t say anymore about it now. Let’s get moving and try to make up for some of the time we lost.”

~ * ~

The two-hour trip to their next port of call helped a lot to smooth Ruby’s ruffled feathers. The sea was flat and quiet this day. Balmy tranquility stole away most of the agitation of her heart. By the time they arrived at their scheduled destination Ruby was, at least outwardly, restored to her calm, competent self. If there was a little corner of her heart that longed to respond to the happiness Casper Winkelhoek radiated, she was certainly not going to admit it to anybody, least of all herself.