Chapter 5: Recife

Recife is called the Venice of Brazil because it has lots of rivers and streams and other bodies of water everywhere you go. I had been here and headed East for South Africa at the beginning of the cruise from here, so I was more than familiar with the area. I had ported here several times during my Navy years as well.

Rather than deal with all the hassle of finding a car, I just anchored off the beach South of town near the tourist strip. I paddled in and pulled the kayak way up out of the water and went into the Atlante Plaza Hotel. Wow! This thing was huge and all done in a dark blue glass. Gorgeous!

I got myself a tall rum and coke and went back to the beach. The sand here was darker brown and was rougher than in the Rio area. I was just starting to think about rustling up some lunch when I saw a figure down the beach heading towards the water.

I blinked a couple times because I was thinking it was a mirage or that my mind was messed up but I hadn't had that much to drink. Whoever it was stopped and looked out at my boat At Last! It was a woman and she started looking around until she saw me when I stood up. She started running and so did I.

We smashed into one another and I swept her off her feet as we both laughed and laughed.

"I was beginning to think I was that last one alive," I said as I leaned back and looked at her. Very striking face, gentle curves, 20'ish I was thinking.

"You're not, but you're the first stranger I have seen in months," she said.

"Is there someone else alive?" I asked.

"Well, there's my husband somewhere South of here but we split up," she said.

"So I'm the first, huh? Whattaya know about that!" I said.

"So how did you survive? By the way my name is Charlotte Spencer," she said.

"Hi, I'm Hank Myers. I was out in the mid Pacific and sailing for Chile when it struck everyone. I had been stuck without any wind for 3 weeks so I was away from people for over two months when I finally landed in Valparaiso." How did you survive it?" I asked.

"We had just been married and were on a honeymoon cruise down to Rio on his yacht. We heard over the short wave about the pestilence. When we got near Brazil, we anchored well out and stayed there for over two months until we felt it safe to come further south. We thought about going back, but by then we were too low on food," Charlotte said.

"So, why is your husband gone? Is he out searching for survivors or something?" I asked.

"No, well at least only partially, she said. "Truth is we split up permanently. It turns out he is a bore and a brute on top of it. All that time sitting at anchor and worrying got to him. He started drinking and when the liquor ran out he started taking everything out on me."

"When we got here he got drunk and we had a big rowe. I took off. I am nobody's punching bag. Even if he were the last man alive I would have preferred to be by myself," she said.

"Sorry to hear that. I have been sailing alone since June of last year," I said.

"Don't you get lonely?" She asked.

"Ya, well of course, but I don't get into any arguments with myself" I laughed. "Actually it's not too bad. The worst part of being alone is when things get rough. I sometimes don't get to sleep for several days and that can be miserable. As for being alone, I have always wanted to single hand a an around the world cruise and now I have," I said.

"Albert was the sailor. I enjoy it alright a little, but I have many interests, or I did," she said.

"Are you hungry?" I asked.

Not really, but I will come with you. I just woke a few minutes ago and was going to take a dip to cool off and clean up. I have some food gathered in my hotel room, if you want to see what I have," she said.

"Great! Let's go. I am starved," I said. We chatted as we headed down the beach to her room.

"It's mostly canned stuff, but I found a gas two burner stove and it works for me. I miss fresh fruit and veggies the most I think," she said.

"Me too. How about this stew?" I asked picking up a can.

"Fine, not my favorite anyway," she grinned. She had been grinning since I met her. I noticed my own mouth was tired because I had been smiling non-stop too. I gave the stove a couple pumps and lit the burner with a Bic lighter sitting next to the stove. I opened the can and poured it into a pan she handed to me.

"I guess we are going to have to get used to this unless we want to become farmers or ranchers," I said.

"I have no experience with that. I grew up in the city. Everyone I knew lived in the city," she said.

"Well, I grew up in the country, but we didn't farm or anything. I guess we could raid a library somewhere to learn how. The other alternative is canned food for the rest of your life. I think someday a bad can of food would kill you. I am not sure about that," I said. She had put another pan on with just water.

"Well at least you are thinking ahead. Since everyone died, I have been just marking time and just surviving. It's like someone else has been living for me. I have been so unhappy and a few short months ago I thought I was building a life with someone I loved and then it all went to hell," she sniffed.

The stew wasn't really hot, more like just warmed up a little, but I was hungry and I poured it into a bowl and dug in.

She said, "I was just starting to feel trapped here because "he" had left me here alone. Even if I found a boat, I am not sure I could handle navigating and everything." She put two tea bags into cups.

"Well, I don't know your hubby but I have to question the sanity of any man that abandons his wife no matter what the circumstance. You two might have been the only hopes for a future mankind," I said.

"Do we have a future?" She asked.

"Yes, I am sure of it, I said. There are bound to be survivors on remote islands and maybe up in the mountains. I was planning on stopping in the Caribbean and checking several of the islands for survivors. I wasn't about to just roll over and die."

"What I am not sure about," I started again, "is the long term viability of the species. My understanding is that at least 250 individuals are required to maintain a healthy gene pool. Does this mean 250 people need to live in one spot? No, but they do need to mix up the genes sometime down the line otherwise the race could weaken and falter."

"But - It's NOT just about survival," I said. "It's about surviving smartly so we never get so overpopulated again and so that we live by common sense rules rather than by business and politics as usual. We need to build a better world. We also need to get to the stars. I mean, we came damn close this time to wiping ourselves out entirely. I am sure we killed hundreds or even thousands of other species. Who knows how far it's gone?"

She said, "My understanding is that the bad protein was pretty much limited to mammals and for the most part only land mammals that came in contact with humans. That would be dogs, cats, cows, pigs, horses and rats. A lion or wolf would be naturally immune because they avoid us."