“Speed can be one of the most luxurious things in the world,” Lynn said.
Roland was not so interested in the topic, since he had murdered Max. “I know what our outcome will be,” he said, to change the subject.
“How would you know?” Alan asked.
“I just know. I will die, and you will all live.”
“Why do you think that?”
“Because I’m not a good person.”
“So? We know you’re not a good person. You’re a complete jerk. But do you think life is fair?” Alan asked.
“No, but I’m even worse than you think.”
“Oh yeah? How?”
Roland sighed. “I have a huge capacity to hate. And I act on it.”
“It doesn’t matter,” said Alan. “You could be ten times more evil than you are, and that doesn’t mean you’re more likely to die than us, unfortunately. And it also doesn’t mean you’re less likely to have a happy life. That’s how life is. It sucks. This isn’t some Hollywood movie we’re living in. This is life. Which means you’ll probably live long and be happy, will never get punished for your assholiness, will never get what’s coming to you, will not reap what you sow, and we the good people will probably be miserable or die young.”
Lynn and Ray nodded in agreement.
“I appreciate your efforts at comforting me,” Roland said.
“It’s the grim truth,” Alan said.
“Why don’t they make more movies where the bad guys don’t get punished? I mean, it’s so much more realistic,” Lynn said.
“Because it’s depressing,” Ray said.
“That’s true,” Roland said. “Why would people want to see anyone get away with murder?”
“Because it’s real. How’s that?” cried Alan. “Don’t you think people could handle it? Don’t you think it would in fact be beneficial to society to be aware that the world sucks?”
“They do know,” answered Ray. “They just don’t want to be reminded of it in their entertainment. It’s not pleasant.”
“Well, except for the Europeans,” said Roland, treading the ocean with an air of superiority.
“What do you mean?” Ray asked.
“They frequently have two different endings for movies — the ending for the American market, and the ending for the rest of the world. In The Big Blue, the hero at the end drowns in the ocean, but for the American release, they made him swim off into the sunset with a dolphin.”
“I don’t believe you,” Alan said.
“It’s true! You can rent it, if you survive,” said Roland.
Lynn said to Alan, “Don’t you wish you were in a movie — an American one — so you wouldn’t have to die in the ocean, and Roland would get punished for what a jerk he is?”
When Roland woke from his nap, they all began fantasizing about the things they’d do with their lives if they got rescued.
“I want to meet new people, eat succulent foods,” said Lynn. “I want to indulge in all sorts of physical pleasures. Each second of every day is an opportunity to indulge in something incredible.”
“Sounds like you’re definitely over your desire problem,” said Roland.
“Of course. I was over that ages ago.”
“If I live through this, I’m getting more pets,” said Alan.
“Pets? What kinds? More rats?” asked Ray.
“I don’t know. But I wanna lotta pets.”
“But why?”
“For the warmth and the love, I guess.” After a moment, he said, “God, I need my hat back, my head is burning. It’s someone else’s turn.”
Roland was looking away, as if lost in thought, even though he knew it was his turn to give Lynn his hat. When he heard no sound, he glanced at Ray, who was looking at him with an urging expression.
“I have black hair,” said Roland.
Sneering slightly at Roland, Ray gave Lynn his hat.
Sneering slightly at Roland as well, she said, “Thanks, Ray.”
Alan scooped water in his hat and put his hat on his head. “Ahhh,” he said with pleasure, as the water cascaded down his face.
“If I pull through this,” Ray said, “I want to see more movies, make more money, and be dry. Maybe take a vacation in a really, really dry place. Dry and shady. Maybe a desert, under a tent.”
They waited for Roland to volunteer his desires. He didn’t.
“What about you?” Ray asked him. “Is there anything you’re dying to do if you survive this?”
“Interesting word choice,” Roland said.
“Thank you.”
“I’m dying to get a refill,” Roland said.
“A refill?” said Ray. “Of what?”
“Something I used to have.”
“Which was?” Alan asked.
“Oh, something that used to make me feel powerful, unique,” Roland said.
“A drug?” Lynn asked.
“Sort of.”
“Which one?”
“It’s personal,” Roland said.
“What effect did it have?” Lynn asked.
“It could create a state, the prospect of which was pleasant.”
“The prospect of which? But not the actuality?” said Lynn.
“Well, who knows about the actuality,” Roland said.
“What?” said Alan. “Then what are you talking about? I don’t get it.”
Roland shrugged, didn’t answer.
“But you would take it now, if you had it with you?” asked Lynn.
“Maybe,” Roland said. “Or I might wait till things got a little worse.”
“How much worse do things have to get before you’d seek comfort?”
“Having the option to take it would be a huge comfort. But taking it introduces you to a new way of being that you can’t really recover from.”
“It damages you?” asked Lynn.
“I’m not interested in this line of questioning,” Roland said. “All I know is that I was a fool not to get a refill. This whole ridiculous situation would be so much easier to bear if I had the refill with me right now.”
“Thank God at least we have each other,” said Alan. “Can you imagine how much worse things would be if we were each alone in this ocean? I mean, on top of not having the refill? We wouldn’t have these amazing conversations to pass the time.”
“Is that supposed to be a sarcastic, yet deep, thought, Alan?” asked Roland.
“Maybe.”
To everyone’s surprise, Roland took out of his shorts pocket a pack of tuna fish. As soon as they understood that he had no intention of sharing, they said his tuna would attract sharks, and they quickly unclipped themselves from the circle of terry-cloth belts and swam away from him in a healthy fashion. Roland gobbled down his tuna, and rejoined them, holding the limp circle out to them, urging them to clip themselves back to it. He preferred enduring their insults to being alone in the ocean.
Lynn lost consciousness first, or fell asleep, after they had been in the ocean a day and five hours. Roland suggested spitting in her mouth, to hydrate her. But they ended up not doing it, because they had never heard of such a thing.
She regained consciousness forty-five minutes later, just in time to hear Ray rant and rave about the stupidity of having jumped in the ocean. He was cursing himself for having thought of the idea and cursing them for having been persuaded.
“You guys are so malleable, I swear!” he said. “How could you have followed the advice of a homeless person? You guys are insane! Now we’re all going to die because of it.”
Lynn lost consciousness again two hours later. And when she regained it, she was the first to notice a boat the others hadn’t yet seen.
They began waving wildly, but the boat had already spotted them and was coming for them. It stopped a short distance away. The motor was switched off. Six people were standing at the railing, staring down at them. They looked welcoming.
“Do you need help?” a distinguished-looking older man shouted at them.