First Mates

As they conversed with natives and visited the gift shops, she saw him looking at some expensive Jamaican pottery. “Are you thinking about buying one of those?” The thick jugs were painted in dark bold colors and Rainy thought they would look nice as decorations in a living room.

“I might buy one for my mother. I haven’t bought anything for her yet and I think she might enjoy this. She collects pottery.”

He selected one of the containers and told the clerk to gift wrap it for him. “I think I’ll have them ship it to my parents’ house. I don’t feel like lugging it back with me.”

She gazed at his handsome profile, wanting to soak up as much information about his life as possible, like an eager sponge. “Do your parents live in Miami?”

He chuckled. “Not anymore.” He named a small Florida town, a few hours’ drive from Miami, where they now lived since his father had retired. “I want to send her this vase now so that my mom can receive it and enjoy it for a while before they take their trip.”

Puzzled, she asked for more details. “What trip?”

“They bought one of those big trailer trucks and they want to drive around the country and see the sights.”

“By themselves?”

He continued to grin. “Yeah. Since my dad’s retirement, they’ve been acting like they’re teenagers again.” He fondly shook his head. “I don’t understand it, but as long as they’re happy, I’m not going to worry about it.”

He filled out the necessary paperwork so that the clerk could ship the item to his parents’ home.

“I’m sure your mother will enjoy her gift.”

He squeezed her shoulder. “I think she will, too.”

“Do you miss your parents since they’ve moved?”

“A little bit. I used to drop by and visit often when they were still living in Miami. Now that they’re farther away, I can’t see them as much as I’d like.”

“I’m sure they miss you, too.”

He shook his head. “I doubt it. I get the feeling they just wanted to get away from everybody and be by themselves. Sometimes I think they forget about me and my brother Deion.” He watched the clerk as she continued to wrap the vase. “As a matter of fact, I speak to my uncle Greg and aunt Gladys more than my parents.”

“Really?”

He nodded, explaining that his uncle was his father’s brother and he grew up spending a lot of holidays at their house with his family.

When they returned to the ship that evening, they stood on the upper deck and enjoyed another midnight buffet. The stars twinkled in the sky, and she realized that the following day would be their last full day aboard the cruise ship.