An ambitious software engineer finally decided to take >>a vacation. He booked himself on a Caribbean cruise >>and proceeded to have the time of his life. At least for a while. >>A hurricane came up unexpectedly. The ship went down >>and was lost instantly. The man found himself swept up >>on the shores of an island with no other people, no supplies, >>nothing. >>Only >>bananas and coconuts. >>Used to five-star hotels, this guy had no idea what to do. So, for >>the >>next >>four months he ate bananas, drank coconut juice, longed for his old >>life, >>and fixed his >>gaze on the sea, hoping to spot a rescue ship. >> >>One day, as he was lying on the beach, he spotted >>movement out of the corner of his eye. It was a >>rowboat, and in it was the most gorgeous woman he had >>ever seen. She rowed up to him. >> >>In disbelief, he asked her: "Where did you come from, >>and how did you get here?" >> >>"I rowed from the other side of the island," she said. >>"I landed here when my cruise ship sank." >> >>"Amazing," the software engineer said, "I didn't know >>anyone else had survived. How many of you are there? >>You were really lucky to have a rowboat wash up with >>you." >>"It's only me," she said, "and the rowboat didn't wash >>up: nothing did." >>He was confused, "Then how did you get the rowboat?" >>"Oh, simple," replied the woman. "I made it out of raw >>material that I found on the island. The oars were >>whittled from gum-tree branches, I wove the bottom from palm >>branches, >>and >>the sides and stern came from a eucalyptus tree." >>"But, but, that's impossible," stuttered the man. "You >>had no tools or hardware - how did you manage?" >> >>"Oh, that was no problem," the woman said. "On the >>south side of the island, there is a very unusual strata of exposed >>alluvial rock. I found that if I fired it to a certain temperature, >>it >>melted into forgeable ductile iron. I used that to make tools, and >>used >>the >>tools to make the hardware. But enough of that. Where do you live?" >>Sheepishly, the man confessed that he had been sleeping on the >>beach the >>whole time. >>"Well, let's row over to my place then," she said. >>After a few minutes of rowing, she docked the boat at >>a small wharf. As the man looked onto shore, he nearly >>fell out of the boat. Before him was a stone walk leading to an >>exquisite >>bungalow painted in blue and white. >>While the woman tied up the rowboat with an expertly >>woven hemp rope, the man could only stare ahead, >>dumbstruck. >>As they walked into the house, she said casually, >>"It's not much, but I call it home. Sit down, please. >>Would you like to have a drink?" >> >>"No, no, thank you," he said, still dazed. "I couldn't >>drink another drop of coconut juice." >>"It's not coconut juice," the woman replied. "I have >>made a still - How about a Pinacolada?" >>Trying to hide his continued amazement, the software >>engineer accepted, and they sat down on her couch to >>talk. >>After they had exchanged their stories, the woman >>announced, "I'm going to slip into something more >>comfortable. Would you like to have a shower and a shave? There is >>a razor >>upstairs in the cabinet in the bathroom." >>No longer questioning anything, the man went into the >>bathroom. There in the cabinet was a razor made from a >>bone handle. Two shells honed to a hollow-ground edge >>were fastened to its tip, inside a swivel mechanism. >>"This woman is absolutely amazing," he mused. "What >>next?" >>When he returned, the woman greeted him. She beckoned for him to >>sit down >>next to her. "Tell me," she began suggestively, slithering closer >>to him, >>brushing her >>leg against his, "We've both been out here for a very >>long time. You've been lonely. There's something I'm >>sure you really feel like doing right now, something >>you've been longing to do for all of these months." >>She stared into his eyes. He couldn't believe what he >>was hearing - this was like all of his dreams coming >>true in one day. >>"You mean...," he replied, "I can check my e-mail from >>here?"
