Bad Son Rising (10 page)

William was describing the team structures. Each team was led by an engineer. The group was working on over three dozen water systems, at any time, in neighboring villages. Short on vehicles, projects within a thirty minutes to an hour range were accessed on foot, others that were in excess of an hour to an hour and a half away were reached by jeep.

At the end of the orientation, William handed the three new recruits a piece of paper with information on each of their projects, outlining the issues and current status. Zac devoured the information, 05:00 couldn’t come soon enough. His assignment was a village of several hundred people with a non-operational hand pump that had been installed in the late ‘70’s.

Katje and Anneliese reentered with the rest of the group at 19:00. Eager to see if they’d be working alongside the handsome American, they both grabbed at his paper, successfully snatching it from his hand. Scanning the paper, a wide-eyed look passed between them.

Zac didn’t have to wonder for long what the look had meant as they viewed his assignment at the Ngamouni work site.

“Who did you piss off?” was all Anneliese said.

The Ngamouni site had been dubbed the “cursed” site. Not only was it a circa 1978 well and pump in serious disrepair, the town had previously suffered multiple waves of the Ebola virus and lost twenty-five percent of its population. Prior to going out into the field, Zac and the other new recruits were given a crash course on staying healthy and surviving.

The other large, and it was a very large factor, which had made Ngamouni a dreaded site for project workers, was that it was one of the sites under the management of a 6’5”, 300 plus pound, wild red-haired, bearded British engineer named Niles Cross. Given to foul temper and an even fouler mouth, Niles’ reputation for reducing staff to tears was legendary.

For every facet of the water system that was fixed at Ngamouni, three more would fail.

Giving Zac a once over, the assessment was clear on Niles’ face, coddled pretty boy American. Inwardly, Zac laughed, knowing Niles would be surprised at the muscle and brawn hidden under his shirt and the smarts and engineering knowledge hidden under his perfect bad boy hair.

“Nice shoes,” the Englishman snickered, checking out Zac’s LeBrons.

“What size are you?” Zac didn’t skip a beat. He’d met dudes like this, they loved to intimidate and the moment you showed weakness they grabbed you by the balls and sautéed them for lunch. If you didn’t respond to the bullying, they’d immediately back down.

“Thirteen,” there was bragging rights in that one word.

Zac laughed, “You’ve got some wake boards there. But no prob, I can hook you up.”

Clearly not the response he was expecting, Zac already had him off balance.

“Oh. Ok, cool.”

That very night, Niles was sporting his new LeBrons and laughing heartily with his new boy, Zac Moore, in the dining hall. From other tables, workers looked on, amazed. How had the new American gotten into Niles’ good graces? No one got along with Niles and very few lasted for any length of time on his projects.

A very astute engineer, Niles Cross quickly learned that Zac Moore was much more than a pretty American, proving daily that he was highly capable in multiple areas and willing to take on whatever was thrown his way. Niles soon began tasking Zac with assessing problems of the existing system and teaching him about installing the latest technology which had been developed at Oxford University.

Using a system very similar to text messaging, the smart water pump information system measured the pump’s water flow and the movement of the pump’s handle. Zac quickly mastered installation and repair of the devices, as well as had a natural knack for training the parties responsible at the village level.

Within weeks, Zac was traveling to multiple sites working on the messaging systems. Because of his physical strength and strong problem solving skills, the young American often ended up doing a lot more than the job he had been sent in to do, and anyone who had judged him right off the bat, quickly learned that he was the first person to get his hands dirty on a site. Female team members were often treated to his shirt coming off as he labored, and they had a joke about putting together a project fundraising calendar featuring pictures of him.

With his first shipment of LeBrons almost sold out, Brian had another case coming to Zac, who had sold them to teammates and villagers alike. In some cases, he used them to barter for goods and often for Ngok beer, which was available only in the Congo. Multiple pairs of LeBrons were used to fund parties where Zac procured cases of the beer. His entrepreneurial skills were just something he couldn’t seem to leave behind.

With a boom box blaring down by their small lake one Friday night, the full moon with its ring of haze shone through the canopies of the trees, casting ethereal shadows on the makeshift dance floor near the water’s edge. Beer in hand, Zac was leaning against a tree trunk talking to Niles and watching Katje and Anneliese dirty dance with one another and with anyone who strayed near them. As the beer continued to flow, more and more of the men enjoyed the beautiful blondes rubbing themselves along their bodies. For men stuck out in the wilds for months at a time, this kind of attention and stimulation was the stuff of wet dreams and had been the impetus for more than a few.

“I’d love to do them together,” Niles growled.

Zac choked on his swallow of beer. Laughing, “Well, then stop scaring them and maybe they’ll treat you to a little two on one action.”

“They’re hot, huh?” The burly man nudged Zac.

“They will rock your world,” Zac smiled knowingly.

They stood in silence for a few minutes watching Katje and Anneliese do their stuff as they grabbed more and more of the staff, male and female alike, to dance with them. The staff let loose with abandon under the night’s full moon.

“Damn, here comes El Capitan and the Ice Princess,” Niles remarked.

Walking down the path toward the party were William and Lily. Both looked serious and uptight, extremely uncomfortable under the light of a hedonistic moon.

“So what’s their story? Are they a couple?” Zac hoped Niles had some knowledge.

“Not quite sure. He’s very definitely got the hots for her, but not sure if he’s bonking her.” He laughed a devious laugh, “There’s a bet amongst us project leaders if they’re doing the dirty or not.”

“Well, let me be a good host,” Zac said and grabbed two fresh beers and made his way over to William and Lily.

“Welcome to our Friday night soirée.” Smiling brightly, Zac handed them each a beer.

Clinking bottles with William, he all but ignored Liliana. Since William’s reaction on his very first night, Zac had avoided Lily like the plague. Seen everywhere with either the two German girls or Niles, Zac’s plan was for William to stop feeling threatened.
Fucking small penis syndrome,
Zac thought to himself.

“I’m hearing good things about you, Moore.”

“The whole thing is fascinating.” Zac changed his position so that Lily was cut out of the conversation and his entire focus was on William. “I love the integration of technology into what was a manual process for so long. It’s exciting stuff.”

Lily soon wandered off into the party while Zac and William continued to talk and move on to their next round of beers, as Niles and some of the other project leaders migrated into the conversation with William. Keeping a keen eye on her whereabouts, Zac hung out with the project leaders for a few more beers before making his way to the beer shack and not returning.

As he made his way through the party, Katje grabbed him and pulled him into a dance with her and Anneliese. The boom box now blasted some traditional tribal drum music. The heavy beats filled the sultry air and under the light of the full moon, sexual energy permeated the night. You could feel it. Every pound of the drum was like driving deep into someone, surrounded by more wet warmth.
There’s going to be a lot of sex happening tonight,
Zac laughed to himself.

As the German’s sandwiched Zac, he gave himself over to the atmosphere of the party and let the beat take him away. After a hard week out at the sites, it was great to let loose and celebrate all that they had accomplished. Anneliese was rubbing herself down the front of his body and Matt was on the other side of Anneliese. Zac knew the night could quickly descend into a full blown orgy and he didn’t want to be at the center of it. That would not serve his plans.

Catching her out of the corner of his eye, the moonlight glinted off her hair as she stood at the water’s edge, alone, seemingly transfixed on the trail of light the moon cast along the gentle wake. Still dancing, he watched her standing there so still, and he thought about what it would feel like to be there behind her, with his arms wrapped tightly around her, feeling her leaning against his chest.

Dancing away from Anneliese, Zac grabbed two beers. Checking on William’s whereabouts, he noted the man was deep in conversation with his back toward the water. Silently, Zac took his place alongside Lily and handed her the beer. Taking a long sip, she did the same, as they stood there looking out over the water.

Zac finally broke the silence, “We’re a long way from New England and even a longer ways away from Newport Beach.” He wasn’t just talking about mileage.

Lily nodded, “I hear you’re doing a great job on Niles’ sites.”

“I do my best.” His eyes remained trained on the water.

“Well, I’m hearing good things about you, Zac.”

Finally, he turned to look at her, “You sound surprised.”

A half-smile tugged at the corners of her lips, “Yeah, I am.”

“Wrote me off as a frat boy, huh?” He was fighting hard to suppress a smile.

“Maybe I did.” She was so serious in her honesty.

“Maybe you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover.” His look was very pointed, his eye contact intense. And then with a half-smile of his own, he turned and headed back to the party, leaving Lily standing exactly where he had found her, but now with a cold beer in her hands and some new thoughts in her head.

Later that evening she would see him leave with the two German girls. The look on her face was one of pure disgust, indicating that she hadn’t initially judged him wrong, that he was a pig with women and to steer clear of him at all costs. But if Liliana Castillo had been even the slightest bit honest with herself that night, she would’ve had to admit that her displeasure was borne of pure jealousy, for she wanted the attention Zac was bestowing upon Katje and Anneliese, because she knew what it felt like to be wrapped up in his arms and the thought of him holding either one (or both) of them in the way that he held her on the night they danced, pissed her off to no end.

Without her knowing, Zac saw the look on Liliana’s face and his heart soared. If she didn’t give a shit about him, she wouldn’t have cared who he went home with that night. But it ticked her off and she couldn’t hide it. It was in that moment that Zac Moore knew his plan to win Lily’s heart was starting to work.

Realizing that sometimes less is more, his limited interaction with her appeared to be making her all the more curious about what he was doing and who he was doing. Inwardly he laughed,
if you only knew how obsessed I am with you. If you only knew how much I want to feel you in my arms again. If you only knew…

William Bray was incredibly predictable in everything he did. His naturally methodical nature was the perfect skillset for ensuring that a multi-site project ran like clockwork. There were never any surprises with William Bray and that made figuring him out less than a challenge for Zac Moore.

Having never worked at “getting a woman,” Zac wondered if his behavior was duplicitous in his master plan to get Liliana Castillo or because he genuinely had feelings for Lily, if that made it OK. He wasn’t really sure. Getting Lily would have been a chess games as it was, but adding in the William component, made it a much more skilled match, if only just for the additional work and bullet dodging. He was going to get the girl and he was going to snatch her away right from under the other guy’s nose. And William’s predictability made it easier for Zac to map out his moves. Lily, on the other hand, was not quite so predictable, and that was the wildcard in the situation. Zac loved the challenge.

Phase one was much more focused on William and the work than it had been on Lily. He knew that removing all outward focus from Liliana would get William to stop seeing him as a threat. In doing so, the Brit would not go out of his way to keep them far apart.

It was during that time that Zac found his love for what he was doing was sincere. Throwing himself into the work, he truly exceeded everyone’s expectations, including his own. The immediate feedback of seeing children dancing around as the water pumps became operational was heartwarming. Knowing that the clean water he was helping to bring to them would ensure they lived longer, healthier lives filled him with a satisfaction he had never known. He was doing for others. And he loved it. With each success, he found himself more deeply entrenched. With each failure, he found himself more committed to finding a solution and turning it into a success. Doing for others, something he did not have a lot of experience with, gave Zac that elusive high he had sought in so many ways and never found. This was the thrill he had been seeking in all the wrong places.

Lying in his bed one night, exhausted from another day of physical labor in the near equatorial heat, he wrote a note to his father.

I now understand what your summer in Zambia after your freshman year in college meant to you. You’ve often told me that summer was the most transformative time in your life and provided the passion that became your direction and your future. I get it, Dad. I finally understand what you were saying to me. LOL, I was always thinking, oh geez, there he goes again with the Zambia story. But now I understand.

When I see the impact my work is having on people’s lives, it feels amazing. I know what I’m doing is helping to give these kids I meet a chance to grow up and I can’t imagine doing anything else. They have so little, but yet, they are always filled with joy and they remind me so much of Nathaniel and Portia. Those two are just so happy with simple things. Like the joy they get sitting on the beach and digging up clams. They can do that for hours and they’re happy. And now I’m part of something that not only saves lives, but makes people happy and I can’t imagine doing anything else. Yes, this is me, your son, saying this. LOL, you can pick yourself up off the floor now. I guess I was listening to you. At least a little.