The way back was harder than the way out. As Cruz walked up the road to Jelly's villa, he found himself getting short of breath. And he had been so fit following his enforced stay on Henderson island! A couple of weeks of inactivity on Pitcairn and then aboard the HMNZS Kahu as it sailed back to Auckland—that was all it took!
It was a sure sign he was getting old. When Cruz was young, he could spend a whole week loafing in bed, his whole exercise consisting of visits to the bathroom. Yet the moment he got up he was capable of vigorous action, for twenty-four hours or even more, without getting any sleep. It was physical action, too: it usually involved several hours of dancing in a club, a couple of sprints—either chasing someone, or escaping—and at least one hour of sexual intercourse.
