It was very quiet under the rainbow umbrella on my last evening. I was chatting with Ali and drinking Teh Botol because I had a midnight flight to look forward to that night. Ali was grumbling because he had to pull up all the beach chairs alone since Gede had gone with Ketut to see off Sonia and Stacy at the airport. They were off to Sumatra on the next leg of their holiday which they planned to finish up in Thailand. I bought him a beer to soothe his troubled feelings and he went and collected Bakso for both of us while Ibu Made was eating sweet corn, as usual.
Sonya and Ketut had enjoyed a wild and wonderful week together, surfing, clubbing and partying in general. One night they stayed late at the rainbow bar with a bottle of Sonya's duty free Jim Bean and when I walked past on my morning stroll there they were sitting side by side on a bench a little the worse for wear and still in last night's clothes. "Oh my God" said Sonya "I can't believe I slept on the beach. My Mum would kill me." By the end of their week's adventures Ketut had some very nice new surf brand clothing but it didn't look as if his dream of a motorbike would come true this week either!
Meanwhile Gede and Stacy had just spent a lot of time quietly hanging out together. There had mean many moonlight walks on the beach and Stacy had, as invited, gone to Gede's brother's tooth filing ceremony. Ibu Made had lent her a sarong and kebaya and sash suitable for such an event and she really did look beautiful, if a little incongruous with her wild white blonde hair almost tamed in a knot on top. Ali who was feeling a bit left out of the whole thing in general was heard to remark "Gede has lost his....". Perhaps luckily I missed hearing exactly what it was that Gede had lost because the police helicopter flew overhead just at that moment.
On the same night that Ketut and Sonia would later fall asleep on the beach we all got a bit of a surprise when Gede and Stacy turned up on a Vespa scooter. When asked by Ketut who owned the scooter Stacy replied "Well me really but Gede is going to look after it for me until I come back again next holiday and he can earn a bit extra money with it the evenings taking passengers." Ketut looked fit to choke and was heard to mutter something about the likelihood of Gede being the worst Tukang Ojek Kuta had ever seen and that his monkey face would scare away the customers. Gede just laughed and broke into a dance made up of monkey like posturing. Actually I think I have seen the same dance at one of the traditional Balinese dance productions that are put on in hotels and restaurants from time to time. Who would think Gede had it in him?
Anyway on that last night just as I thought I would have to leave without saying goodbye to Ketut and Gede a taxi pulled up and out spilled Ketut, Gede and surprisingly Stacy with her backpack. They hopped over the wall first Gede and Stacy who raced over to the Rainbow bar followed by a rather droopy looking Ketut.
"I couldn't get on the plane" said Stacy
"Oh no! What happened" I sympathised "Overbooked or delayed? Where's Sonia?"
Stac's face broke into a huge grin which was mirrored by Gede's "Somewhere over Java I should think by now" she said " I just didn't go. I didn't even get to the check in. My visa is good for six more weeks in Indonesia and I didn't want to go so I just didn't. What I need now is a very cheap hotel!"
Ketut flopped on the sand back into broken hearted mode and Sonya and Gede sat together on the bench to share a beer. Stacy shouted a beer for Ali and Ketut too while Ibu Made laughing until her whole body shook dropped the cob of corn only half eaten in the sand. At this point along came Bob from Perth "What's going on here then?" he asked.
......and that is where I left them all that last evening of my holiday. I can't wait to get back in a couple of days and see what they are all up to.