I said goodbye to everyone. I’d decided to finally leave the island paradise I’d called home for what felt like an eternity though it was only a few weeks. My horsecart arrived, a young driver with his son along for the ride. We headed off in the direction of the pier, and the rain began to pour down. Young kids ran behind the horsecart, chasing after us and laughing. One young boy held on to the back of the cart and ran with it, keeping pace all the way to the harbor, his young legs in perfect rhythm with those of the old horse, Rusty.
My mask and snorkle were strapped to the outside of my pack, and when we arrived, I pulled it off and gave it to Alan, the young son of the also very young horsecart driver, himself perhaps no more than 25. I wanted to leave it in the hands of someone who I hoped might use it more than I would once I left the island.
I sat waiting for the fastboat, and watching the storm clouds roll in. The thunder and wind picked up, and the sky looked ominous. Big waves delayed the boat from Bali, I was told, but it would arrive soon. As I sat there, taking in the scene of this enchanting island for one last moment, I had a strange feeling come over me.
I was not going to get on that boat.
Maybe it was the storm in the distance, or the fact that it was already over an hour late and would mean I’d arrive quite late to Bali. Maybe it was the fact that I just wasn’t ready to leave. I’m not sure why, but at that exact moment I made a spontaneous decision: I was not leaving on that boat. Not today.
I didn’t tell the boat company that I was going for fear they’d try to convince me to stay. I didn’t care about the possibility of loosing the ticket. I didn’t care if all the boats might be full the next day. I grabbed my backpack and walked in the pouring rain to where the horsecarts were waiting and got in one. I was going back home for another night.
The horsecart pulled up and everyone at the bungalow looked shocked and a bit worried to see me. Had something happened? Was there a problem with the boat? I just smiled and explained that I decided I wanted to have one last swim. It was the first time it rained that much while I’d been on the island and I wanted to swim with the rain coming down. The truth was, I just needed another night.
I threw down my bags, put my swim suit back on, and was in the water floating under my favorite sky, the raindrops falling softly on my lips. It was the best decision I’d ever made, simply because I made it and never once looked back. Sometimes you guide yourself toward the things that matter most. And if that means one final swim, one last chance to share a moment with a group of people that make you feel good, the only option is to do it.
Thanks to everyone who made me never want to leave. You know who you are.
