First Mates

Their argument stopped and Rachel commented, “Well, we don’t want to keep you, girl. We’ll say a prayer for your safety and be sure to call us when you stop at your ports of call.”

Rainy said goodbye to her friends, touched that they were so concerned about her safety during this cruise. She replaced the receiver on the cream-colored phone. Nostalgia filled her soul as she realized she really did miss her friends even though she’d only been gone for less than a day.

She again thought about the evening she’d just spent with Winston. She removed her journal from the desk drawer and wrote about Winston Michaels and about the cruise. Her fingers flew across the paper, as words flowed from her hands, describing her curiosity about Winston and her desire to know everything about him. She stopped writing suddenly, gazing at the cream-colored walls.

I feel like I opened myself up, and told him all kinds of things about me, but he made no effort to tell me about himself. Could Winston be hiding something from me?

Chapter Two

“Come on, Winston, let’s trick her again!” suggested Pam. Winston was seven years old, and Pam’s mischief was in full swing that day. He nodded and they hid while his mother called their names. They jumped out of the closet. “Boo!” they yelled.

“Come out of there!” Their mother glared at them as they scrambled out of the closet.

Cold rivulets of sweat dripped down Winston’s forehead as he awakened. He blinked and stared around the small unfamiliar room, baffled. His heavy breathing slowed as the gentle sway of the boat calmed his frazzled nerves.

Memories of boarding the cruise ship the previous day crashed his mind as he pushed the quilted comforter from his sweaty body. He stood on his shaky legs as he willed his muddled mind to awaken. Pam continued to plague him in his dreams, and he wondered when he would be able to sleep through the night.

While engulfing deep breaths of air, he stretched. He plodded to the closet and removed his carry-on suitcase. He dropped it onto the bed and opened it. The caramel-colored bottle of Scotch remained nestled among the folds of his garments. His dry, parched throat could use a sip of cool sweetness, and nothing would taste sweeter than a drink of Scotch. He licked his lips as he continued to stare at the enticing bottle.

The alcohol had been a bon voyage gift from one of his co-workers. All of his friends and acquaintances knew he didn’t drink alcohol, but sometimes a person or two did forget about his beliefs. He removed the bottle and opened it. His lips were inches away from the nozzle, and he inhaled deeply.

Clutching the bottle, he walked into the bathroom and poured the rich brown liquid down the toilet. The sound of it flushing away gave him an odd sense of relief and sorrow. Trudging back into the bedroom, he placed the empty bottle on his dresser. Since Pam’s death I’m finding it harder to stick to my sobriety vows. Jesus, help me.

He opened his heart and mind to the Holy Spirit. Tension eased from him as he gazed at the weak sunshine sifting through the window. Enjoying the warm glow, he turned toward the clock.

“It’s so early,” he mumbled. I wonder if they serve breakfast at seven o’clock on this ship. As he pulled cruise ship brochures and pamphlets from the desk drawer, he forced his near-slip from his mind, causing him to remember his late night with Rainy Jackson. She was a breath of fresh air!

Entering his bathroom, he took a long, hot shower. He dressed in the first pair of swimming trunks and T-shirt he found in his drawer. Minutes later, he walked the length of the dining room and scanned the tables, surprised that a lot of elderly couples were already up, enjoying their meals.

Where was Rainy? His stomach growled as he finally spotted her sitting alone. She was eating a toasted bagel and a plate of fruit while she read a book.

“Hi there.” He sat beside her and watched her mouth perk into a smile.

“Hi, yourself. What are you doing up so early?” She glanced at her watch. “If my estimate is correct, you only had a few hours of sleep, like me.”

Frowning, he recalled the vivid dream that had awakened him so early this morning. He pushed the disturbing thought aside as he focused on the cart of pastries, cheeses and fruits being presented to him by a passing waiter. After he had a plate of food and a cup of coffee, he said a brief prayer before answering her question. “I just woke up and couldn’t go back to sleep. I didn’t really expect to find you down here. Besides, I could ask you the same question.”

She shrugged, taking a sip of her coffee, before responding. “I woke up just like you. I had a nice conversation with my friends before I went to bed.”

“Oh? I’m assuming you’re talking about the ones who made you go on this cruise?”

She nodded, smiling. “Yes, they called to check in. I miss them.”

“Have you been friends with them for a long time?”

“I met them in a Christian social group in college. We’re more like sisters than friends.” She continued to tell him about Sarah, who was on a constant manhunt, and about Rachel, who was always having problems paying her creditors. “They disagree and argue a lot, but I’ve gotten used to that.” She mentioned that both of her friends had been baptized while they were still in college. “I was glad I was able to see them accept Christ. One thing we do share is our deep faith in the Lord. We make sure we spend time together regularly. We even eat lunch together once a week. Do you have any close friends, Winston?”

Frowning, he popped a piece of cantaloupe into his mouth and chewed, recalling the good friendships he had made through his Alcoholics Anonymous support group and the buddies he had in his church home. Not wanting to reveal too much to Rainy about his problem, he told her enough to satisfy her curiosity. “I’ve got a few friends through my church who are pretty close to me. I’m also pretty close to my brother, Deion. Even though he’s my brother, I still consider him to be a friend, too.” He pointed to her book. “What are you reading?”

“Just a novel I picked up at the gift shop. I was in such a hurry packing, and I had so much on my mind, that I forgot to pack something to read for this cruise.”

He finished his coffee, signaling the waiter to refill his cup. “Speaking of cruises—” he pulled out a sheaf of papers from the pocket of his swimming trunks “—I was wondering if you’ve made plans about what you’ll do during this weeklong cruise.”

“Do?”

He waited for the waiter to fill his coffee cup before he continued. “Yes, I’m talking about activities. We won’t be returning to Miami until this coming Sunday, so we’ve got six more days of fun before we get home.”

She nodded, as her pretty eyes glanced at the glossy brochures. “When you say home, I’m assuming you mean Miami? Is that where you live? I told you yesterday that I work downtown at the Miami newspaper.”

“I’ve lived in Miami most of my life.”

Together, they scanned the ship’s itinerary. Today they were at sea, but tomorrow they were docking in Cozumel, Mexico. “Have you ever been there?” he asked.

“I’ve been there a couple of times. Once our church group sponsored a trip to Mexico and we stayed in Cozumel for a few days.” She told him what she remembered about the place as he read the list of Cozumel’s attractions.

Rainy picked up the itinerary and read the rest of it aloud teasingly. “Day four, at sea, day five, dock in Grand Cayman, day six, dock in Jamaica—day seven is the last day we’ll have at sea before returning to Miami.”

He chuckled as she placed the papers on the cloth-covered table. “Sounds like we’re going to be having ourselves a nice trip. I’ve never been to so many places in such a short period of time.”

“Me, either. This sounds like an adventure. I’m determined to just forget about everything and focus on having a good time.”

Her dark brown eyes sparkled as she stirred her coffee. He wondered what in the world had happened in her soured love relationship that would cause her friends to force her to go on this cruise. He was tempted to ask, but she looked so happy, he didn’t want to spoil this joyous moment by mentioning the bad experience she’d briefly told him about.

They sat in companionable silence as they finished their food. The waiter returned with the breakfast cart, asking if they wanted more, but they declined as they finished their coffee.

As the breakfast food settled in Winston’s stomach, his fatigue returned. He stifled a yawn as he pushed his cup away. “You know, I was going to go on a swim at one of the pools this morning. But now I think I might go back to sleep for a few hours.”

He watched her as she gathered her belongings and placed them into her large tote bag. “Well, I’m wide awake so I’m going to sit up on the deck and read for a bit.”

“Okay.” He made a note to look for her later when he did take his swim. He watched her lithe body as she exited the dining room. He then stifled another yawn before he trudged back to his cabin. The sunlight was now brighter as it spilled through the small round window. After changing into his nightclothes, he fell into a deep slumber.

Later that day, after a long nap, Winston returned to one of the pool areas, eager to take his swim. He removed his T-shirt and was about to plunge into the water when he noticed Rainy lounging on a chair, wearing a one-piece black bathing suit. Her hair was twisted into a bun, and she was sporting a pair of sunglasses. She was reading a book and when she looked up and saw him, she dropped it on the floor. Smiling widely, he hurried to her lounge chair, sitting in the empty seat beside her.

“Hi.” He lifted her book and when she took it, their fingers touched. Her skin reminded him of warm, soft butter.

“Hi, yourself. Did you have a nice nap?” She placed a marker in her book and set it on the table.

He sighed and ran his hand over his face. Feeling his stubble, he realized he hadn’t shaved. “Well, about as well as can be expected. This boat is always rocking.”

“Does that bother you? I can barely feel it.”

“No, it doesn’t really bother me. Sometimes I have trouble sleeping in strange places. Whenever I’m on a business trip, I always wake up in the middle of the night.”

Rainy sat up in her chair and placed her chin in her hand. He could barely see her gorgeous brown eyes behind her shades. “That reminds me, you still haven’t told me what you do for a living. You know all about me, but I barely know anything about you.”

“Well, I work with numbers, like you do. I’m a financial analyst. I like it well enough. It’s a job.”

An orange beach ball crashed between them, knocking her iced tea off the small table.