Chapter 6

Okay – you gotta understand that certain bodily functions still function, no matter what the circumstances are, and now was no exception. When things got too intense I pulled back and mumbled something about checking on the anchor lines, and making sure the riding lights were turned on. Actually, she was pulling back and mumbling too – I caught something about "cleaning up in here, and then come up and help if you need it."

Actually, the kind of help I needed right then wasn't the kind I'd even mention at that point, so I said "No, I have a routine that I follow, so that I don't forget and leave anything out. But thanks anyway." She nodded, and turned to start tidying up. "By the way," I said, "You'll need it sooner or later – we have a small head, with a sea toilet and a porta-potty, just on the other side of that panel. There's fresh water too, but it's not for drinking. I've got bottled water for that. I use the fresh tank mainly for bathing, and for rinsing off the salt after a swim or a dive out here. You could brush your teeth with it, I guess, but I wouldn't drink it."

"Thanks! I think I do need to take care of a couple of things right now, and I was wondering what the facilities were like." She looked in the tiny cubicle; "Even a shower! Does that mean hot water?"

"Well, yes, a little," I said, "but go easy on it, please; the tank isn't all that big, and I hate to shave with cold water!"

There was that giggle again. "I'll be sure to leave you enough for that, Cap'n, but I do like looooong hot showers!" And there was that blush again, and she quickly shut the panel while I just as quickly headed up topside, counting on the fresh evening air to provide a bit of suddenly necessary cooling.

All was okay topside, and after running through my mental list I sat on the cabin roof and went over the day's events. This had started out to be just another aimless -- mindless? -- excursion, and suddenly I was realizing that I'd been doing these mindless things all along. I had been on autopilot for too long, and someone had just switched it off, and I was flying – or sailing, actually, by the seat of my pants. And now that someone had just come up topside, dressed in jeans and a blouse, (a little wrinkled from that waterproof bag, but she filled them nicely) and she sat down beside me.

"Hi sailor!" she chirped, "a doubloon for your thoughts!" She caught my quizzical expression, and said "Isn't that what the pirates in these here waters were all after?" And then she cocked an eye at me and said "Arrrrr, matey! Shiver me timbers, where's yerrr parrot? Did it fly away?"

I started laughing, and couldn't stop! Her expression was so damned cute, and I couldn't stop looking at her, and then we were both laughing so hard we nearly fell off our perch, and then we were steadying each other, and studying each other, and then we stopped laughing, and I looked into her eyes, and she was looking at me, and I don't know whose arms went around whom first, but there we were just hugging each other for dear life, and she looked up at me and I kissed her. And she kissed me back! Thought I'd died and gone to Heaven, so I did it again just to make sure. Nope, one part of me did indicate that I hadn't died yet, and if this wasn't Heaven I didn't care – didn't need to look any further. Didn't want to be anywhere else but right here. And with what little resource of faith I had left I was praying "God, if you're real, please don't let this end!"