First Mates

“You’re not looking forward to your birthday?” He wasn’t very old, so she didn’t know why he seemed to dread turning thirty-five.

“No, I’m not. How old are you?”

“I’m thirty.”

“Thirty? I thought you were much younger than that.”

She smiled. “People always say that I look younger than my age.”

As they ate their meal, he continued their earlier conversation. “So, what happened? Why have you had to bury yourself in your work?”

She paused, finishing her entrée. “Let’s just say it was a love relationship that went sour. That’s all I want to say right now.”

The waiter returned. “Would you like to order dessert?” They ordered chocolate cake.

She grinned as she tasted the first bite, enjoying the rich sweet confection. Curls of steam filled the air as the waiter poured their fragrant black coffees. She found the hot drink was a nice complement to their tasty dessert.

He placed his cloth napkin over the empty plate. “That was an excellent meal.”

She drank her last drop of coffee and placed the china cup on the saucer. “It sure was.”

“Do you want to go for a walk on the deck?”

“Sure.”

As they walked on the deck, they passed other couples. They finally stopped as she gazed into the dark water. The waves crashed upon the ship and the obsidian sky twinkled with stars. “I can’t remember the last time I’ve seen such a beautiful night.”

He leaned against the railing and looked up at the sky. “It is nice, isn’t it? Have you lived in Miami your whole life?”

“No. I’m from Maryland.”

“Maryland? What are you doing in Miami? That’s a long way from home.”

She frowned as she toyed with her purse strap. “I love my parents and my family, but when it was time for college, I got a scholarship to a university in Florida and I was more than eager to leave. I was not too enthusiastic about life on the farm.”

“So, your parents have a farm?”

“Yes. It’s been in the family for two generations and my father loves it. It’s a dairy farm so we’ve got tons of cows. I just didn’t like all of the chores that had to be done each day. It takes a while to milk all those cows, even though we use a milking machine. Whenever I go home to visit, I always have to get used to the smell all over again. Have you ever been on a farm?”

“No, can’t say that I have.”

“Well, you’re not missing much. My dad loves the animals and so does my brother Mark. He’s already taken over a lot of the farm duties since my parents are getting older. Mark’s married and he built a house on the property. I’m glad he decided to stay on the farm because my parents couldn’t run it forever.” Just thinking about the stench and labor on their dairy farm made her cringe.

“You hated it that much?”

She nodded. “Yeah, it was pretty awful. I hate the smell of a farmer. My family didn’t really take many vacations since we couldn’t leave the farm in someone else’s care for very long. So I didn’t get to travel much growing up. As soon as I was eighteen, I was out of there.”

As they continued their walk, she told him the most important thing about herself—her deep faith in God and her baptism when she was twelve. “My parents have always stressed that having a deep faith in the Lord is important, especially in today’s world,” she remarked.

Plates of elegant fruits and cheeses adorned the tables on the upper deck for the midnight buffet. Flocks of passengers watched the crewmen as they created a large sculpture of a fish from a block of ice.

Winston selected a small plate of treats, and as they shared the snack, their fingers touched as they grabbed strawberries and cheese. Later, they resumed their walk.

As fatigue settled into her bones, Rainy suggested they visit the hotel coffee shop. As they continued their conversation, she noticed the velvety darkness gradually fading. “We’ve been talking most of the night!” She yawned and he suggested escorting her back to her cabin. “Hey, you’ve made me do all the talking. You didn’t tell me anything about yourself.”

He chuckled. “We can save that for another day.” As she unlocked her door, he touched her arm. Tingles of delight raced up her limb and she accidentally dropped her room key. Winston retrieved it and pressed it into her palm. “Rainy, this has been the nicest evening I’ve had in a long time.” He touched her face before he strolled down the hall.

She swallowed, clutching the doorknob. “Good night.” She closed the door and paced her room, full of energy. She plopped onto the soft bed and selected a piece of fruit from the basket that her best friends, Sarah and Rachel, had sent her as a bon voyage gift.

She parted the curtains and gazed at the endless expanse of sea. As she finished her pear, she realized this was the first night since her breakup two months ago that she had not dwelled on her relationship with Jordan.

Her ringing phone interrupted her thoughts. After she dropped the pear core into the trash can, she lifted the receiver, wondering if Winston was calling her from his room. “Hello?”

“Hey, Rainy!” Sarah and Rachel’s voices sounded over the wire.

“You guys, what are you doing calling me on this cruise? You know how expensive this phone call is!” She smiled, gripping the receiver, enjoying the sound of her best friends’ voices.

Sarah chuckled. “We’re at my house. Rachel is on one phone and I’m on the other.”

“We just wanted to make sure you were okay,” Rachel added.

“Girl, you sure were a basket case earlier. You looked like you were going to cry when we left you on that dock!” Sarah commented.

She could imagine Rachel nodding emphatically. “Yeah, girl. You sure were in pretty bad shape.”

Rainy thought about how much she had been missing Jordan since their breakup. En route to the Miami cruise ship dock, Sarah had stopped at a light, and a tall, chocolate-brown man jogged past. He looked so much like her ex-fiancé Jordan she had to fight to stay in the car. She had pressed her hands together when he paused at the light. While running across the street, the jogger glanced at the car. She had frowned as she looked at the stranger, disappointed that her imagination was playing tricks on her again.

That had been happening a lot, her seeing a man and assuming it was Jordan. The second time it had happened was when she attended a gospel concert with Sarah and Rachel. She’d dropped her pizza and soda while grabbing the stranger’s arm. He pulled away as Coke and food splattered on his white T-shirt. She muttered an apology as he disappeared in the crowd. Closing her eyes, she recalled the sweet memories of her ex-fiancé. But thoughts of his infidelity reminded her of why he was no longer in her life.

Rachel huffed through the receiver, bringing Rainy back to the present. “Don’t zone out on us! I just asked you a question and you didn’t answer.”

Rainy shook her head slightly and sat on the bed, gazing at the fancy fruit basket. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”

“I asked if you received the fruit basket.”

She continued to stare at the basket. “Yes, I got it. Thanks, it was sweet of you two to send it to me.”

Sarah chuckled. “And you still haven’t told us if you’re okay. Will you be all right on that cruise all by yourself?”

Thoughts of her romantic evening with Winston Michaels filled her mind. “You two shouldn’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

Sarah continued. “Well, I’m thinking about booking a cruise in the future. Are there any eligible men on the ship? I’m determined to find myself a husband.”

Rainy rolled her eyes. “Oh, brother,” she muttered.

Rachel grunted. “Sarah, some of us aren’t as desperate as you are to find a man! Don’t you know you need to find happiness within yourself before you go on some big manhunt?”

When Sarah and Rachel broke into an argument, Rainy knew it was time to end the call. “You two stop fighting. I think it’s time for us to get off of the phone.”