Bahia Escondida, Columbia: Miles is floating in the Sea, running from his photojournalist life, having seen too much and been burned by it; for it. Jarred from his thoughts, he is confronted by Enzo, reef conservationist/biologist; he is too close to the endangered coral. Anger and tension give way slowly to begrudging respect and slow comradeship. Both men have been burned by life, confronted with too much, both just want to coexist peacefully with nature, to be quiet for a time. Both are disquieted by the tension that eddies around them, between them, the unspoken, unasked-for pull of the current.
– Once more, Ryan Moore’s characters react to the pull of attraction as it ebbs and flows like the Ocean; neither is looking for the passion that will explode like the abrupt Storm that has them seeking shelter and Heat from each other in a small conservation hut. Miles finds Enzo gone in the morning, not wanting to ‘mix business with pleasure.’ A curious statement that leaves Miles adrift, packing up to leave, but not quite ready to go.
– A final reconciliation/reunion that leaves the reviewer’s romantic heart beating a bit too fast; hands touching beneath the water’s surface; a slow walk along the ebb tide. Sigh.
– ‘Riptides’ is Ryan Moore’s ‘freebie’ story detailing Enzo’s trauma from disillusioned grad student to seasoned Conservation Biologist, his history of blurred lines between professional and love lives. From Columbia to Chile, then to Manilla and back to Columbia, Enzo has learned hard relationship lessons on sustainability ‘when professional and personal interest conflict.’
– Enzo’s mantra not to mix ‘business and pleasure’ causes him to run from Miles at first, but he realizes theirs isn’t a professional relationship, and he adapts to sustain his own personal life, much as he does the Coral ecosystem. Personal growth. Bravo, Mr. Moore!
