First Mates

“You shouldn’t judge every man you meet just from your experience with Jordan. Not all men would treat you that way, especially a Christian man.”

She sipped her coffee and placed her cup back on the table. “That’s what I wanted to talk to you about.”

He continued to give her his attention.

“I wanted to know if you were really a Christian.”

He turned away. “I told you I was a Christian the first night we met. Are you asking me if I was lying to you?” His voice wavered with anger and hurt. The server turned the music louder as he danced to the Jamaican tune while wiping the counter.

She barely glanced at the server as she abandoned her meal. “So many people in this world profess to be Christians, but then it turns out to be just talk.”

He sighed and ran his hand over his clean-shaven face. “Why are you asking me this now?”

She nervously stirred her coffee. “When I first met Jordan, I could tell that he liked me. When I invited him to my church and told him how I had accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior, he said that he had done the same thing.” She paused as she put her spoon aside. “Anyway, we worshipped together every Sunday and he even went to Bible study with me. When we broke up, he said he had done all of that just to please me. He said he’d acted the part of a Christian because he loved me so much and he knew how much I wanted a Christian man in my life.”

He shrugged his broad shoulders. “You are a beautiful woman and you’re intelligent, too. I’m not advocating what Jordan did, but I can understand why someone would go through such measures just to have a woman like you in his life.”

She folded her arms in front of her chest, glaring at him. “But don’t you think it’s awful? Jordan claimed that he shared my faith and it turned out that it was all a lie.”

He waited a few minutes, seemingly weighing his words. “Yes, what Jordan did to you was pretty awful. One should never profess a strong belief in Christ when it doesn’t exist. I’m merely saying that a man will sometimes go through extreme measures when he cares about a woman.”

“Jordan didn’t care about me. He only cared about himself. He was a selfish and cruel man.” Saying the words left a bad taste in her mouth. Winston stared, seemingly surprised by her outburst.

“So your boyfriend didn’t care about you?” His voice was loaded with curiosity.

“I don’t want to talk about it anymore. I don’t want to ruin such a beautiful day talking about Jordan.”

They continued to sip coffee and munch on sweet rolls. The server returned to their table and refilled their cups. As she ate her breakfast, she thought about Winston’s advice.

He continued when the server left. “Relationships don’t always work out. Sometimes you have to lean on God and pray for the strength and guidance to move on.”

She sighed and rubbed her forehead. Did she even want to tell him more details about her relationship with Jordan? She certainly didn’t want Winston’s pity. God had blessed them with a glorious and beautiful day. The blue ocean sparkled under the bright morning sun, beckoning them to the pristine beaches. “Like I said before, I don’t want to talk about my relationship with Jordan. I just want to let you know that it was more serious than just a casual dating relationship. That’s all I’m going to say for now.”

“Okay.” He nodded and squeezed her hand.

“Another reason I’ve been avoiding you is because you don’t tell me a lot about yourself. There’s so much about you that I don’t know. Sometimes I get the impression that you’re hiding something from me.”

“What did you want to know?”

“Well, remember when you said that I looked sad sometimes?”

He nodded.

“Well, I think you look sad sometimes, too, and I wanted to know why.”

“I know I promised to tell you more about myself, and I will…soon. I want us to just have some fun on the island today.” He paused, staring at a spot on the table. “I promise I’ll tell you when the time is right. This is one of the most difficult times in my life and I’m having a hard time coping with the pain.”

She squeezed his hand, wanting to give him strength. She felt bad about focusing so much on her own pain when he could be hurting just as much. “Did you just end a relationship, too?”

He shook his head. “No, it’s nothing like that. I’ll tell you about it soon,” he repeated. “It’s such a beautiful day that I don’t want to ruin it by talking about something so sad.” He looked away, and she thought she saw his hazel eyes glisten with tears. However, it was so quick that she wondered if she imagined it.

“I’m so sorry you’re hurting.” Her heart went out to him. “I just wish I could lift our pain and make it disappear.” She sighed. “Only God could perform such acts. Maybe we should pray together. Nothing works as good as prayer when you’re hurting.” He nodded and took both of her hands.

His deep voice was calm and soothing as he prayed to their Heavenly Father. He prayed for guidance during their difficult time. He prayed that they could be lifted from their sorrows, if only for one day. Her soul felt cleansed as she squeezed his hand and said “Amen.”

“Are you ready to have a wonderful day?” she asked as they stood and he left money on the table for the bill. He nodded and grinned as they walked out the door. She spotted the beautiful woman he’d been speaking to the previous day. She was giggling and flirting with an older man. When Rainy stopped walking, Winston gave her a questioning look.

“What’s wrong?”

She stepped away from him. “I have something else that was on my mind.” They stood on the sidewalk enshrouded among throngs of people. “I saw you on the deck yesterday talking to that pretty lady.”

He looked puzzled as he gave her his undivided attention. “What pretty lady?” She again wondered if he was just putting on an act.

“You know, that lady on the deck.”

Chuckling, he continued walking down the street. “What’s so funny?” She planted her feet, refusing to walk any farther.

“You’re funny. That woman was flirting with me. If you had stuck around long enough, you would have seen me leave her after a few minutes of small talk. Her name is Carol, and I think she came on this cruise to find a man.”

“So, this Carol woman was flirting with you?”

He chuckled again. “Of course. Listen, whenever I travel alone I always have at least one woman proposition me for a date. Hey, I’m a good-looking man, so it’s something you have to get used to,” he said with a smile. But she couldn’t get accustomed to women flirting with Winston. “I’m sure you have the same problem.”

“No, I don’t.”

He continued to smile as she gazed at him. “Yes, you do. Haven’t you noticed the men ogling you since we’ve been on this cruise?”

“They have?” She furrowed her forehead as they continued to walk. “No, I guess I haven’t noticed.”

“Well, I have. Do you know what I was worried about when you said you needed a break for the day?” They turned a corner. She barely noticed the throngs of people as they passed by. She was in a secluded world with Winston.

“What?”

“Well, I was worried that you would find another companion. I thought you wouldn’t want to see me anymore during the entire trip.” He stopped walking and gave her an intense look. She breathed the humid summer air, trying to calm her thudding heart.

“I don’t think you realize just how beautiful you are. We’ve been on this sidewalk for close to fifteen minutes and two men have already taken a second look at you. I am very glad to hear that you were jealous to see me with Carol.”

Her lips curved into a smile. “Why?”

“Well, since you were jealous, it at least shows that you care about me and about our friendship.”

He continued, “And when we dock in Miami, I plan to continue seeing you, that is, if you have no objections.”

She smiled, gripping the handle of her purse. “I definitely have no objections.”

“Let’s just have a good time today, okay?”

She nodded eagerly, looking forward to the day.