Chapter 1: Ron and Mary Enjoy their Last Day

Sunlight streaming through the curtains woke Ron. He slowly came to and felt Mary against him, still asleep. He gazed at her happily and kissed her. That woke her too, she opened her eyes and smiled at him making his heartbeat go faster. They both enjoyed the still novel experience of having a naked body against them.

Kissing each other, they lay in each other’s arms for a while, then Ron looked at the time. It was nine thirty. We’d better move, he told her, we have a schedule to keep. They kissed again then Ron went to get up. He felt something cold against his leg and looked into the bed. There was his sheath from last night. He picked it up and was relieved to see it was still full of his sperm, so he felt sure it had slid off after he had slid out of Mary.

He took it with him and put it in the bin in the bathroom. He had a quick shower, then went and prepared a breakfast while Mary had a shower. They sat down to bacon, eggs, sausage, baked beans and fried bread. It was soon polished off as they both had an appetite for some reason. Finishing off with a coffee, Mary said she would clear up whilst Ron got underway.

Ron started the engine, leaving it running to warm up whilst he went ashore and undid the mooring ropes, pulled up the mooring pegs and came back on board. Putting the gangplank up on the roof, he sat by the tiller, put the control in forward and as they moved off, he steered out into the middle of the canal.

By now Mary was washing up in the galley. It felt strange to be doing so whilst the room was moving, albeit slowly. Once she had finished, she went up and sat the other side of the tiller to Ron. He gave her a big smile as her head appeared out of the hatch which gave her a lovely warm feeling.

Ron explained that they had an hour’s sailing until they reached the winding hole to turn round, so it would be two hours until they got back to where they were now. There were no locks on the way so nothing would slow them down. They sailed along happily in the sunshine, Mary taking a turn at the tiller. Mary said, “It’s going to feel so strange whilst you’re away, I won’t be able to get to sleep.” Ron told her that he would feel the same, “I’ll be counting the days,” he told her. As they cruised along, they discussed their hopes and dreams for the future.

Mary told him she sometimes dreamt of being married and having a couple of children, but once she had got settled in over the shop, time just seemed to rush by, and there were very few boys in the village, none of which she was attracted to. “I guess I drifted into expecting that I would stay as I am indefinitely.”

Ron told her that once he had moved onto the boat, he had never really stayed in one spot long enough to meet anyone, and with him being so shy with strangers, it would usually take him a long time to feel at ease with anyone. He looked at Mary and smiled, “I don’t know what happened last Friday,” he said, “I felt like I’d known you forever the first time we met.” He paused for a moment and said, “I can’t believe that was less than four days ago.”

“But going back to future plans,” he continued, “I guess I just settled into life alone on the boat and was content. I too dreamt occasionally of having a wife and family, but it seemed so unlikely I just accepted things as they are, taking the idea of a family as being just that, a dream.”

As he finished speaking, they could see the winding hole up ahead. Ron stood up and as the bow reached it, he turned sharp left and put the engine in neutral. By the time the prow bumped into the bank at the end of the branch, the boat had almost stopped. Keeping the tiller hard over to the right, he put the engine back in gear and the accelerator on very slow. The nose stayed pressed against the bank whilst the stern started slowly moving up the canal, until the side of the boat was almost against the other side of the winding hole.

Putting the engine in reverse, still on very slow, then moving the tiller over to the left of centre, the boat started reversing up the canal as the prow came out of the winding hole to swing round to face back the way they had come. Once the prow was pointing at the middle of the canal, he put the engine in forward, straightened the tiller and increased speed. They sailed off back down the canal they had just come up. The whole operation had taken less than five minutes. Mary thought it was amazing.

Sailing back, although it was the same canal they had just come up, the view was totally different going in the opposite direction. As they chatted away, new views kept appearing, so it seemed no time at all until they were back where they had moored last night.

They soon came to the tunnel. As they approached, they could see a headlight way down in the tunnel. Ron told Mary that meant there was a boat already in the tunnel coming towards them, so they had to wait until it came out. It only took ten minutes, then waving as it passed them, they could see the daylight at the far end showing that the tunnel was clear, so they sailed into the tunnel. Ron had done some calculations and decided with their late start, they were going to be pushed for time getting back.

Explaining the problem to Mary, she said “How about I raid the fridge and make us some lunch, then you can keep going and we can eat as we sail.” Ron said that was an excellent idea, so Mary disappeared below.

Soon she re appeared with a plate of ham sandwiches, some crisps and a bowl of fruit. They ate as they sailed then Mary made them a coffee, which was also drunk as they floated along. When they had finished, Mary washed up and returned to give Ron a break on the tiller.

Soon after they passed the other winding hole, then came to the next lock. They were in luck, the gates facing them were open, so they were able to sail straight in. Following Ron’s suggestion, Mary stayed with the boat as Ron would be quicker operating the lock. Twenty minutes later they were on their way again.

The same thing happened at the next lock. Ron explained that it meant there wasn’t a boat ahead of them, the boat that had passed them at the tunnel going the other way was the last one to use the locks so the gates facing them were open.

About five o’clock they came to the village where they had dined the night before. They moored up and went into the village where they picked up fish and chips, some cakes and a bottle of wine. Returning to the boat, Ron said they were doing well for time, so they would eat their fish and chips at the table, then get underway again, eating their cakes as they sailed.

Fish and chips with a glass of wine might not be the ideal meal, but they both enjoyed it. As soon as they had finished eating, they sailed on, sitting with their glasses of wine as they went. After a while, Mary went below and brought up the cakes they had bought, two profiter rolls and two cream buns. They had one each, both ending up with cream on their faces.

They had just finished when they arrived at the last lock. The gates were also open waiting for them. When they came out, Ron went below to make a coffee leaving Mary at the tiller. She felt quite proud sitting there alone, sailing along. Soon Ron was back with the coffee which they sipped as they sailed.