Somebody To Love: Bachelor in Paradise – Interview With The Bachelor ~ Backstory Part 3

Sul! Sul! This is Roxanna Llama-Llama reporting to you LIVE from Sulani. Tonight we are at The Sand Bar in Ohan’Ali Town where I have been invited to my first Kava Party. And, let me tell you that kava is one scrumptious yumptious drink! No wonder everyone on the island joins in when there’s a kava party.

Tomorrow is the official launch of “The Bachelor in Paradise” show and we get to meet all the contestants and find out a bit about them in the afternoon. But in the morning, I have convinced Rick to get that make-over. Manu….he seems to be my go-to for island info…told me that Mele Kahananui, is the island’s beautician and hairstylist. She has her own business and sells a line of natural island-based products. She and her husband, Alika, are Sulani’s ambassadors.

I heard that she makes this herbal concoction to give you the “mermaid hair of your dreams”. I mean don’t get me wrong, I look absolutely MARVELOUS all the time, but this heat and humidity have turned my naturally curly hair into a frizz zone. Plus, I heard this moisturizer is infused with coconut, and I do love coconut. I’m a “put the lime in the coconut”* kind of gal.

I am getting to meet a lot of the locals at this party and getting some more insider’s info on our bachelor, “Island Rick”, as the locals call him. I was talking to Manu and he told me that when Rick first arrived on the island, he nearly drowned. I was in shock. I had seen Rick swim out to the buoy with Benny and Rick was a very strong swimmer. Plus, Rick looked pretty good in his swim trunks too. I decided to ask Rick about the incident.

The foosball tournament had ended and Rick had won. He was surrounded by a bevy of island beauties, but he saw me calling him and came over to the bar. Before I had a chance to say anything, Benny wandered over to show me some more photos he had taken of Rick and Dolphina (the dolphin). “Hey, Rick, I got some great photos of you and Dolphina. She seems really dedicated to you. I think she’s sweet on you!” Benny said with a teasing laugh showing me the great shot he took.

“Well, I guess the feeling’s mutual. She risked her life to save me, so a little fish snack is the least I can do for her,” Rick replied nodding his head.

“What? Dolphina saved your life?” I looked at Rick in disbelief.

“Oh yeah, Rick was telling me the story when we were over at the buoy taking photos. You know, because I’m interested in diving, so he was giving me some pointers…and…well…Rick nearly drowned when he first got to Sulani…” Benny said matter-of-factly.

So what Manu had said was true. “Oh my gosh! Rick, what happened?” I asked.

Rick took a sip of his kava drink before he continued. “Well, it was about a month after I first came to Sulani. I hadn’t bought that little piece of paradise yet but was interested in doing some diving. So, I went on a night dive, alone, and didn’t tell anyone, which is a real no-no. I really wasn’t thinking straight. It was kind of overcast, but I figured I was fine. I had purchased a rebreather and was underwater for quite a long time. I was out further than that buoy, in deep, open water. When I surfaced this thunderstorm had come up suddenly and there were lightning flashes all around me and I knew I had to get out of that water. FAST!”

“…And it was dark, I could barely see the shore. The rain had started coming down hard, and the waves were getting rough. Normally, I’m a strong swimmer, but I was tiring. And then I saw it, a lone fin in the water. It was a shark…”

Rick cleared his throat, “I have to tell you I was scared. Here I was alone in the middle of the ocean and there was a shark circling me. I just stopped swimming and tried to calm myself.

The fin disappeared, but then I felt something grab me from underneath the water. Like I was caught in a whirlpool, but it must have been the shark. I was going under and I wasn’t coming back. I really thought that was the end. I tried to smash the waves trying to free myself from its grasp and somehow managed to get loose and started frantically swimming towards the buoy. A huge wave crested over me and I must have hit my head on the buoy because suddenly everything went black.

I must have been unconscious for several minutes and it’s a miracle I didn’t perish under the waves. When I came to, there was a dolphin nudging me towards the buoy, like it was trying to hold me up. That was Dolphina. I was weak and had swallowed so much water but managed to grab the buoy and hold on. When I looked around, there was a dolphin pod surrounding me, like they were protecting me.

When I had rested a bit, I slowly swam towards shore. But Dolphina never left my side. Like she was telling me to lean on her if I got tired and that she would bring me safely to shore. I owe her my life.” Rick finished and ran a hand through his hair.

I think my hands were shaking as I wrote down his story. Sharks! There are sharks in these waters? Memories of watching all those “SimJaws” movies came rushing back to me. “Oh my gosh, if it hadn’t been for Dolphina, you wouldn’t be sitting here today!” I replied thinking how lucky Rick had been.

“Yes, that’s probably true. And it’s because of Dolphina that I bought the island. After telling Manu what happened, he introduced me to Makoa Kealoha, who is a conservationist on Mua Pe’lam. Makoa talked to me about how the dolphins needed protection and that every year so much toxic garbage ends up in the ocean. He asked me if I would be interested in helping to protect the dolphins and keep the nature reserve clean. I said that I wanted to do all I could to help. And so that little sand spit was for sale, and I bought it, and now I organize beach clean-ups and clean up flotsam from the ocean,” Rick said motioning all around him with his hands.

“So, you’re a conservationist now?” I asked, doodling wave patterns in the margin of my notebook.

“Oh, no, not by a long shot. I just help out. But, it’s something I am becoming more interested in”, Rick said as he stroked his beard thoughtfully.

“Last call!,” shouted Manu. Oh, my word. Where had the time gone? I had to be up early. The show started the next day. I needed my beauty rest. I couldn’t have bags under my eyes on sim tv! I saw Benny showing off his muscles to some sims…I have NO idea why…but waved at him and bid goodnight to Rick and headed out the door.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

It was a beautiful night and the scent of gardenias filled the air. Walking down the pathway to our beach hut, an elder was sitting on a bench enjoying the night air. As I passed him, he called out.

“Are you that reporter gal? The one who’s doing the show?” he asked looking at me intently.

“Why yes, I, Roxanna Llama-Llama, am the hostess for The Bachelor in Paradise show,” I smiled, happy to think that maybe I had a new fan.

“That bachelor…Island Rick…he’s in trouble you know…” he said as he skewed up his face to have a better look at me.

“In trouble? How is Rick in trouble?” I stopped, wondering what this elder was talking about.

“She wants him,” he continued.

“Oh, there’s someone on Sulani who has a crush on Rick? Well, she should have applied as a contestant…” I started to reply.

“NO! You don’t understand. She had him once but he got away from her. She won’t rest until she has him,” he snapped.

“Oh really? And who is this persistent sim?” I asked, patiently waiting for the name of this sim.

“The Sea Witch,” he said looking around him as if he feared being heard.

Oh, now my curiosity was piqued. Obviously, there was a story here so I sat down beside the elder and opened my notepad. So much for my beauty sleep.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Long after Roxanna, Benny, and Rick had left for The Sand Bar, a sim emerged from the water on Rick’s island calling his name.

“Rick…Rick….come to me…” she called, almost as if she was singing his name.

He did not come to her. Where was he? She wandered over to a table and saw a poster with a photo of him on it.

What is this? Bachelor in Paradise? Rick? Seven lucky contestants. One will remain and he will find somebody to love? Did they not know WHO they were dealing with? These contestants would NOT have a chance with him. Rick was destined to be with HER!

She had found him floating adrift in a churning sea. The sky was dark. The waves crashed over his prone body. He wasn’t breathing. She felt drawn to him and she had rescued him. Bestowed the “kiss of life” upon him. She felt it the moment their lips touched. He had what she needed to regain the Kingdom that had been wrongfully taken from her. He had the “rare trait” she was looking for.

She could have taken him to the depths with her that night except for those wretched dolphins. She hated dolphins! They surrounded him and he had slipped away from her. He was the one she needed and the one she would have.

And so each full moon she returned to him, casting her magic upon him to strengthen the visions he had of her. But her magic on him faded each month with the waning moon and then he remembered nothing of her.

For seven long years, she had waited for the rare moon to appear. And soon…soon..it would be here and she would come to him. Her powers would be strongest then and he would be unable to resist her. And then, he will take the “fruit of the sea” that she offers to him and they will be joined together. Forever.

And, nothing will stop her and no-one will stand in her way.

No-one.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Author’s Notes:

“fruit of the sea” refers to the legendary mermaid’s kelp, which can turn a mortal sim into a mermaid.

Dolphina is a brave dolphin and probably saved Rick from that sea witch. Based on true stories of dolphins saving humans from sharks. Very fascinating. Read more here.

Credits:

“lime in the coconut”, lyrics from the song, Put The Lime In The Coconut, 1971, Harry Nillson.

I found a Sulani elder sim on the gallery. I changed his clothes and placed him in the world. Thank you to victoriasi115 for creating him.