Chapter 8: Saralinda

I think Moira and I were a bit late getting to the dining room. Everybody else seemed like they were already there, and there was music playing and lots of wine. I thought that maybe people would be dressed up, this being a really expensive yacht, but I guess they're not like that.

Moira had thrown on a long skirt with many layers of colorful fabric and a gauze blouse. She didn't even bother with a bra, and she's not exactly small upstairs. I guess I wasn't too surprised after seeing her topless all afternoon in her room – even when Gary came in! I couldn't believe that.

I looked around the table. Gary was wearing – god, I don't know – I guess they were some kind of woven cotton pants that were striped in orange and red and yellow and green, and a Mexican cotton shirt, and strapped sandals. Like a hippy on a beach, or something, only he didn't have long hair. Jake looked like he was still wearing the same jeans he'd been wearing before, but maybe the t-shirt was a clean one. That was really everyone I knew.

Gary introduced me to the others – Joanne, who was, like, thirty-five, and just seemed really nice, like she'd never be able to be mean to anybody. And Simone and Tori, who looked and acted like they were mother and daughter, except that Tori was clearly in love with Simone. Tori looked even younger than me, but I was maybe the next youngest person I'd seen on the boat so far. Everybody else looked to be in their 30's to 40's.

Down at the far end of the table were an old French guy named Henri, two women who looked like guys, who's names I missed, and this young guy named Sid who was all muscles and good looks, like he was a buff model or something. And there was one very striking blond woman with her hair in two braids, Ingrid. She was tall and strong-looking, like if you put Gabrielle's head on Xena the Warrior Princess's body.

Gary offered me some wine, and I made the mistake of looking into his eyes again. I almost flinched away. His eyes are so incredibly blue – they're unreal. You feel like you're falling in. They're not menacing at all – really nice actually – but I still found them almost overwhelming. His mouth, though – there was nothing but kindness at the corners of his mouth. I let him pour me some white wine, and it was good – not sour like some wine I had before once, but not too sweet either.

Then a woman named Kate came in, along with the chef, Michelle. They were bringing the trays straight from the kitchen, and setting them up. I guess we'd be served like at a buffet. With – what did Moira say – fifteen people on board, I guess that makes sense to do. Gary handed me and Moira plates and told us to start.

It wasn't like anything I'd ever eaten before – I mean, there was a salad and fish and rice and some vegetables, but none of it tasted like I expected it would. The salad had a sweet and sour fruity dressing that Michelle told me had pomegranate juice in it. The fish was rolled around spinach, and there were sesame seeds in there, and it tasted like maybe some teriyaki sauce or something. And sesame oil – at least that's what Michelle said. The rice was sticky. And I didn't even recognize most of the vegetables. But wow, was it ever good.

And Gary kept pouring me wine, and nobody made a big deal about my being there, but they didn't talk around me either, and Moira sat beside me explaining anything that was being talked about that I wouldn't understand, almost like she was my translator or something.

When everybody was finished, Michelle ran back to the galley and brought out some dessert. Gary had me try some dark, red wine he called port, to drink with this pear and walnut cake thing that Michelle had made.

Then Michelle said she was going to take some food up to Tony, who I guess was driving the boat. And Joanne and Henri got up to clear the table; Moira said it was their night to do dishes.

And the rest of us sat there talking and drinking and laughing and listening to the music (none of which I recognized). Sometimes, a song would come on and Moira or Gary, or sometimes both of them, would sing along. Moira's voice is so beautiful. Gary's isn't bad either, I guess. Sometimes a song would come on and everyone would sing, except me since I didn't know the music. I guess I'd heard of the Grateful Dead, but it's not like I'd ever actually heard them before. It wasn't what I'd expected at all.

When Henri and Joanne came back from doing dishes, the crewmen (crew people?) said they were going to play some poker and disappeared carrying off a couple of bottles of wine with them.

The whole evening, though, I kept looking over at Kate, and I kept noticing that she was watching me with a frown. It was – disconcerting. Humph. 'Disconcerting' was one of my mother's words.

When the music stopped – I guess we'd run out of CDs– Gary stood up and said he was going to bed. Kate went with him. Simone and Tori had slipped off earlier, I guess, leaving just Joanne with Moira and me.