Week #32: Creative Writing Project – Wayfarer

Write a story about high school sweethearts coming across one another after many, many years apart.

Naomi

“Why? You know I’m well rounded and have good social skills, so why?” I demanded.

“Honey, we just want you to have a normal teenage experience. Nothing about your life has been normal thus far, and we want you to have the opportunity to know how normal teens function. It’s just two years and then you’ll graduate and you can decide what you want to do next.” My mom said, choosing her words carefully while keeping an eye on the fishing pole thrown out of the cockpit.

“What if what everyone thinks is normal teenage behavior is actually super dysfunctional, and I’m the normal one?” I challenged.

My mom sighed. We’d been having this same argument for about 5 months now as we made our way back stateside. I’d been homeschooled for as long as I could remember and our home was a 42 foot sailboat, Wayfarer. The location of our home changed, sometimes daily. We’d stayed in Barcelona for 6 months when I was twelve, but in my memory, that was the longest our home had been stationary. As far as I could piece together, we’d circumnavigated the world twice and then spent a lot of time bumming around the Mediterranean and the South Pacific Islands.

This boat and this ocean were my home and I wasn’t about to give them up to make nice with a bunch of landlubbers who didn’t give a crap about listening to the weather each evening before bed.

“Naomi, I know you’re scared, but you need to know what the real world is like in case you want to join it someday. We wouldn’t be able to live with ourselves if we didn’t give you that opportunity. You can always hop back on board as soon as you graduate, or even get your own sails if you wanted.”

“Mom, I’m not scared.” I practically growled before heading up to the foredeck to stretch out and watch the world go by.

Despite what I told my mom, I was terrified. I’d spent years with my parents and random children we’d met in ports along the way. There were organized play dates with other cruisers’ kids and arrangements to meet cruiser friends in port at certain times of the year, so it wasn’t like I was totally without friends. Being alone didn’t bother me. I liked the solitude, the freedom and the independence. They called to me as I trimmed sails and listened to the water rush past the hull when my parents left me alone to tend the boat while they did repairs or relaxed. They’d been doing this more often in the last year, and I loved it.

I was terrified that I’d lose that feeling on the land, and when I came back to the ocean, I wouldn’t be able to find it again. I was terrified that I’d lose myself, and at the moment, I loved the person I was. I know that’s hard to believe from a 16 year old, but I’d always had a well developed sense of self. I knew what I wanted and I was confident in my own abilities. I could drive a dinghy when I was 5, knew how to properly trim sails for the wind conditions when I was 8, and could navigate without GPS by the time I was 12.

I didn’t know how to be me on land, and I was terrified.

But if mom and dad were going to make me do this, I’d put my best face on, dig in, and get back home as quickly as possible.

.

Calder

It was the first day of junior year and I was already falling asleep in my first class of the day. How anyone could not fall asleep in AP European History was a mystery to me, and I’d only been sitting here for 15 minutes. I nodded off again as the teacher droned through the syllabus.

I jerked awake to the sound of the wooden door at the side of the classroom opening to reveal a girl walking through and handing a note to Mrs. Blechwood. I’d never seen her before, and I knew everyone in our sleepy little beach town.

“Go ahead and have a seat dear. We were just going through the syllabus.” Mrs. Blechwood motioned the girl toward the empty seat in front of me.

She was wearing a heavy wool sweater, worn jeans with a small brown stain on one knee, and a pair of black chucks. Her Jansport backpack looked brand new. The girl sat down quietly in front of me, setting her backpack on the ground. Her wavy brown hair hung past the back of the chair, almost touching my desk. It had streaks of blonde and red and every color in between. It looked windblown and a little messy even though it was foggy and not windy outside. Hair had never been so fascinating to me before.

She smelled good too. She didn’t smell like perfume or shampoo, but she smelled like when the wind blows across the salty ocean. That, and a faint hint of lemon. It made me think of water, and wood.

“Can I borrow a pen?”

I startled as I realized I was no long staring at the back of the girl’s head, but right into her grey-blue eyes. I couldn’t tell what color they were. Were they blue? Were they grey?

“Can I borrow a pen?” She said again. I handed her the one that I’d been pretending to use. She paused, assessing the situation, and gave me a slight smile before saying thank you and turning around again.

I could be real smooth sometimes. At least I kept myself from banging my head on the desk in shame.

When the period ended, the girl returned my pen with another thank you, and before I knew it she was walking out the door.

.

Naomi

One day done, only a couple hundred more to go. I groaned inside.

I walked to the locker I’d been assigned and was on my fourth try opening it when I got bumped into from behind. I whirled around, ready to yell, but instead came face to face with the boy from my AP European History class.

He was tall and was wearing long surf shorts and a hoodie with the logo for Val’s Surf Shop in the middle. He had hair the color of sunshine peeking through the clouds, a washed out blonde. His blue eyes were bright and kind. I hadn’t gotten a good look at him this morning, but now I was sure. I wanted to paint him so I could remember how he looked just in this moment as he peered down at me.

“Saved your life,” he whispered and then showed me the football in his hands. I nodded and he threw the ball down the hallway to one of his friends.

He started to walk away, but I took a deep breath and said, “Thanks.”

He turned back around to face me. “No problem. You’re new right?” I nodded. “Welcome. How was your first day?”

“Honestly, a bit overwhelming, and now my locker won’t open, so I can’t just dump everything in it and forget about it, which is really what I want to do.” I was rambling.

As I spoke, a smile was growing on his face. When I finished he said, “My name’s Calder.”

“Naomi.”

He reached for the paper in my hands with the locker combination and immediately started spinning the knobs until he popped the lock off and placed it in my hand. I reached up to open the locker with a smile on my face.

“Hey, cool puka shells. They look awesome, not like those knockoffs you get at tourist stores.” Calder pointed to my wrist which revealed my bracelet.

“Yeah, thanks. I made it.” I replied.

“Wait, you made that?”

“Yeah, they’re real cone shells. I collected them and then strung them together. For some of them I had to drill holes, but that was no biggie.” He took my hand gently as I held it out to him so he could get a better look. His hand was warm and calloused.

As he studied the shells I wondered if he noticed my callouses too. I’d had them for years from handing lines and constantly working on the boat with my parents. I wasn’t embarrassed about them, but I’d seen the other girls around school. Let’s just say that most of them were very put together, and probably didn’t have callouses on their hands.

Still holding my hand, Calder looked at me and said softly, “Tell me one more insanely interesting thing about you before I have to go to practice.”

I flushed. He let my hand go. I was sure I’d be labeled as the weird outsider, but I never thought I’d be labeled as insanely interesting.

I smiled, a real full mouth smile this time, and said the first silly thing I could think of, “I know how to tie 8 different types of knots.”

I closed my locker and said over my shoulder, “See you in the morning, Calder,” as I walked down the hall smiling to myself.

I took my bike back to the marina where my mom picked me up in the dinghy. They were looking for a house to rent, but until then, home was still on the water. “How was your first day?”

“It was crowded and it looks like I already know most of the stuff they’ll be teaching in Calc, although that might be for the best. AP chem might kick my butt with the labs, but it looks like it might be fun too.” I related to her. I’d always shared everything with my parents. They were my parents, but also my best friends. Being in close quarters could do that to a family, if you were lucky.

“Did you make any new friends?” My mom asked with a hopeful gleam in her eye.

“There was a girl in my chem class, Taylor, who seemed nice and I ate lunch with her, so there’s potential. There’s also this guy in my AP Euro class who looked totally asleep in class, but helped me with my locker this afternoon. So, don’t worry mom. I won’t be the total loner, outcast you’re worried I’ll be.” I replied laughing.

.

Calder

We’d been exchanging interesting things about each other every school day for two weeks and I still felt like Naomi was a complete mystery to me. She would ask me to tell her something in the morning during AP Euro and I would ask her to tell me something by her locker after school on my way to practice.

I knew that she could tie knots, speak four languages, knew all the major constellations, was an only child, had been home-schooled until now, could wind-surf decently (whatever that meant), and that she’d eaten fugu. I had no idea what to make of that insane list.

Who was this girl? I couldn’t get her out of my head. My football coach even took me aside at practice last week to ask if there was anything wrong. Ugh. I couldn’t afford to be distracted right now, but I couldn’t help myself.

I was thinking about all this on my way to the marina early on Saturday morning. My older brother worked on The Flyer, a fishing boat, and called yesterday to say they’d need some help landing their catch the next morning. Since I turned 16 I’d taken any odd jobs that came my way to help contribute to the house. It was just me and my mom, and my brother when he was on dry land. My mom worked at the local Albertsons, and with what my brother made, they could usually put enough together to pay rent and bills. I’d have to figure something out for school books and sports equipment on my own this year though. Considering that I was a good enough kicker, I might be able to get a scholarship for college in football or soccer. My dream was to go to the Coast Guard Academy, so I could be out on the water, but also helping people. Any money I spent now could be an investment into my future, or at the very least, a ticket out of this sleepy town.

I arrived at the docks to the typical fog-filled bay. The sea lions barked from the dock they’d taken over across the water and I could hear the fog horn outside the breakwater every so often. It smelled like fish and the wind over water. It reminded me of Naomi, minus the fish.

My brother clapped my back when I launched onto the deck of The Flyer. “You know the drill,” he said and pointed to the collection of bright orange fishing bib coveralls on hooks near the door to the galley.

I ate my lunch a block away on a bench overlooking the bay because the worst lunch was a lunch next to the fishing boats. The fog had cleared to reveal breezy skies, sparkling blue-green water, sea otters, and tourists. During the summer, tourists from the valley made their way to our sleepy beach town to get out of the heat. It was consistently 30 degrees cooler because of the marine layer. The town made almost all it’s money during the tourist season and then hobbled along on the fishing fleet and local day-to-day business the rest of the year.

Halfway into my peanut butter and jelly I spotted a windsurfer headed my way down the bay. The kayakers and little laser sailboats were struggling to maneuver through the strong breeze, but the windsurfer was steady and confident. They tacked through the bay, getting closer and closer, until I realized it was a woman. She was bundled up in a wet suit, but her feet and head were bare, and I’d recognize that hair anywhere. I stared at it every morning.

Naomi’s hair trailed her head, blowing freely out behind her from a high ponytail. The smile on her face was more brilliant than anything I’d ever seen. Here was a woman who looked like the embodiment of confidence and freedom. I’d only seen glances of that confidence at school, and certainly not the freedom. I felt like I’d intruded on a moment, one that she wouldn’t want anyone else to see.

.

Naomi

I was sitting at the table in Calder’s kitchen. No one else was home. He’d told me that his mom and brother were both working, but that we could study at his house. We had midterms coming up and Calder asked if I wanted to come over and study on the rare day he didn’t have practice after school. It was the first time someone had asked me over to their house. I used to take the dinghy to my friends boats’ all the time, but we usually went ashore where there was more room to do whatever we wanted.

I studied the kitchen and the dining room as Calder got us some snacks. There were photos everywhere of him and his mom and brother. I got up for a closer look.

“That was when we took a trip to San Francisco when Greg graduated from high school. He wanted to see the Golden Gate Bridge, so my mom saved up and we spent the weekend there.” Calder said from behind me.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to be nosy.” I said apologetically.

“Don’t be sorry about being curious. Ask me anything.” he said.

“Anything?” He nodded. “Do you ever wish you didn’t have so much stuff?” I asked honestly.

Calder laughed and then saw my face and stopped. “Oh, you’re serious. Sorry, I didn’t really expect that. Um. Well, we’re not exactly well-off around here and to be honest, we can barely pay the rent sometimes. Most other people at school have houses that are a lot bigger and have a lot more stuff. So I guess the answer to your question is no. What made you ask that?”

I could see he was curious, but I wasn’t ready to tell him that I didn’t even have a quarter of what he had, so I made something up. “I didn’t mean to pry, I’m just really interested in minimalism and the impact it could have.”

Calder looked at me like he was trying to figure out if he believed me or not.

“Ready to study?” I asked to distract him and break the tension.

.

Calder

“My brother is home with his girlfriend. Can we please just go study at your house today?” I pleaded with Naomi. I did not want to deal with my brother and his “you must succeed for the good of the family” lecture and I did not want to hang out with his girlfriend, Shauna. She was really nice, but she was so into my brother it was almost embarrassing just being in the same room with them.

“Nah, we can study another time.” Naomi said while stuffing books and papers in her locker.

“Naomi, I don’t have another time. The season is almost over and this is the last afternoon off for the next month. I’ve never even seen your house. Please.” I gave her another pleading look.

She studied me and then hung her head slightly in defeat. “Fine, meet back here in 30 minutes and bring a waterproof jacket and a beanie.” She told me.

“What? It’s not supposed to rain. Is your heater broken or something?” I was confused.

“You said you wanted to come over. You either trust me or you don’t. See you in 30 min?” She said seriously.

I nodded, still confused. What was I getting myself into? But the past three months of hanging out with Naomi had been an amazing adventure. She said things that surprised me constantly and her world-view was enlightening. She was smart and funny and honest. Of course I trusted her, so I showed up 30 minutes later with a raincoat and a black beanie tucked into my backpack alongside my AP Euro textbook.

When I got there Naomi was on the phone and she gestured for me to walk with her. She didn’t have a car so I figured she lived close by.

“Yeah Mom. I’m bringing that guy from my AP Euro class home to study for the afternoon… Yeah can you meet me?… oh perfect… yeah I can pick you up after your dinner if that works… okay, see you in a few.” Naomi said into her phone.

To me she said, “Sorry, that was my mom. I had to work out transportation.”

“No worries.” I focused on where we were headed. I hoped she didn’t live in one of those new condos overlooking the bay and hadn’t wanted me to see how fancy she lived.

Ten minutes later I was still lost in my thoughts when Naomi said, “We’re almost there, but I need to ask a favor from you.”

“Anything.” I immediately responded, and meant it.

“Can you not tell anyone where I live? It’s not that I’m embarrassed by it or anything, but I’m not sure people would understand, and I just don’t want to deal with that kind of attention at school.” She rambled a bit when she was nervous.

“Sure, no problem.” I reached out and touched her arm gently. “Really, I won’t say anything to anyone.”

She nodded and walked ahead of me. Looking up, I realized that we were at the marina. Did she live above one of the shops or something? That wasn’t embarrassing.

We approached a woman who I immediately recognized as Naomi’s mom, even having never seen her before.

“Mom this is Calder. Calder, this is my mom.” Naomi said.

“Nice to meet you ma’am,” I responded politely.

“Have fun studying, but not too much fun.” Naomi’s mom laughed and winked. Naomi smacked her gently in the arm. “Seriously, there’s food in the fridge for dinner and your dad and I will be back here at 9 pm. If you’re not here we’re going to have to re-think letting you do this.”

“Yeah mom, I get it.” Naomi said seriously and then opened her hand for a set of keys. They had a weird little foam piece that said “West Marine” on it. “Have fun.” Naomi said and started to walk off. “Nice to meet you.” I said over my shoulder as Naomi dragged me along after her.

Before I could say anything, Naomi led me down one of the docks and stopped in front of about 5 dinghies all tied up to cleats on an open part of the dock. She clambered into one, stuffing her backpack up front and plugging the key into a little Yamaha outboard. When she had it started, Naomi looked up at me.

She was grinning from ear to ear and had the same confidence I’d seen on her face that day she was windsurfing. This was the Naomi that made my heart skip a beat.

“And where is your house exactly?” I asked slowly, a wide smile sneaking onto my face as I looked at her.

She just pointed out into the bay where hundreds of boats were moored.

I stepped into the dinghy, never taking my eyes off of her as she untied the lines and put-putted out to a beautiful sailboat.

“Welcome to Wayfarer,” Naomi said as she tied up the dingy alongside.

.

Naomi

This felt like the craziest thing I’d ever done. Even crazier than getting lost in the floats with my friend Cam in La Paz during Carnival. No one knew that I lived on a boat. There was no going back, and I was scared, but I knew Calder well enough to know that he wouldn’t tell anyone. I trusted him.

He’d been quiet, eyes full of wonder, darting between me and everything that was around him. He seemed to be comfortable around and on the water, which made me feel better about sharing this part of me with him. We settled at the table and he was just looking at me, studying my eyes, my hair, my mouth. He was waiting for me to talk and I knew he wouldn’t push me.

I got up, taking two steps to the fridge to get us sodas. When I sat back down I said, “This is going to count for all my secrets for the next month.”

He laughed and the sound made me feel safe, and happy.

“So… in case you were blind, this is my home.” I paused to collect my thoughts. “I live on a boat. In fact, I’ve lived on this boat for my whole life. My puka shell bracelet… I collected those cone shells from a beach in Hawaii myself. I’ve been around the world twice from what I can calculate and I’ve never been in the same place for longer than 6 months. My parents wanted me to have a normal teenage experience so they grounded us here for the next two years so that I can learn to be normal.”

I waited for his response. He looked around slowly, taking it all in and inhaling deeply, his gaze finally landing on me.

“It’s really nice to finally meet you Naomi.”

I stilled as he held my eyes. I’d shown him who I really was and he knew it. He didn’t try to tell me how different and cool I was. He didn’t try to minimize how special this home was to me. He didn’t shut down because he didn’t know what to do with me. He just held my gaze.

.

Calder

I couldn’t look away from her. There she was, this amazing and interesting and wonderful person, just sitting in front of me letting me really see who she was. She was taking a chance on me and there was no way I was going to blow it.

“I’m sure you have a million questions,” Naomi said quietly.

“I do, but I’m sure you’ll answer them when you’re comfortable sharing. Hopefully that’ll be in the next two years, but I’ve got time after that too.” I said to try and make her feel more comfortable, but only realized what I’d implied as her face turned a cute shade of pink. “Anyway, now that I’ve embarrassed myself, we should probably get some studying done.” I recovered.

We studied for about an hour before she gave me the grand tour. It didn’t consist of many steps, but with each step there were stories that came along with each thing she pointed at. We made it to her room. She called it her bunk. There were drawings covering the walls, all done in pencil or charcoal. I knew she was taking art at school, and she was really talented. There were landscapes of marinas and rocky beaches, of small fishing towns, of gnarled fisherman, little kids, and then there was me.

“You drew me.” It wasn’t a question, and it wasn’t quite a statement either.

She waved her arm to encompass all her drawings and said, “I draw things that are beautiful. Things that give me hope. Things that need to be seen.”

“And which one of those am I?” I asked quietly.

“All of them.” She said softly before turning back to her tour and a story about having to literally dive into the fridge to get stuff on the bottom shelf.

The tour took us up on deck. It was dark by now and the marina was lit up. I could see people at restaurants with bay views having fancy dinners, cars driving by on the marina street, and far down the bay I could see the fishing fleet getting ready to head out the next day.

I didn’t realize that Naomi had left my side until she gently touched my shoulder and handed me the beanie and jacket I’d brought. “Told you you’d want them.” She said.

She sat down, leaning against the deck as it rose to the next level. She grabbed my hand and pulled me down next to her, draping a blanket over our legs. We were quiet for a few minutes until she said, “This is my favorite place in the world and this is my favorite thing to do in the world. It doesn’t matter where in the world I actually am. Just sitting here watching the world go by makes me feel whole.” She paused and glanced at me quickly. “Does that even make sense?”

“Yes.” I managed to croak out. I was apparently at a loss for words.

“When I’m at school I feel trapped, like the walls are starting to close in on me. Sometimes I feel like I can’t get enough air in class, so I ask to go to the restroom, and instead I end up on my back in the middle of the student garden. It feels more natural there, but I still don’t know if I’m meant to be on land.” She looked at me again then, but didn’t turn away.

“Calder, I want you to know that when I’m with you, I don’t feel so trapped. I can breathe more easily, think more clearly. That’s why I wanted to bring you out here, so you’d know what I really meant when I told you that.” Naomi said to me.

She leaned toward me hesitantly as if gauging my response. I met her halfway, raising a hand to run through her hair. The kiss wasn’t long, but Naomi’s lips were soft and tasted slightly sweet. The kiss felt like a promise, and a coming home, and a beginning all at the same time. When our lips parted I rested my forehead against hers and said softly, “I’m here. What do we do now?”

“We watch the world go by Calder,” Naomi said as she found my hand and wound her fingers through mine.

.

Naomi

I was sitting in a hospital waiting room and I might be hyperventilating. I’d called Calder and managed to tell him where I was in between sobs and stuttered breaths. He was on his way. My Aunt Viv was already on a plane from San Francisco.

Strong arms encircled me and I breathed in Calder’s fresh soap smell, and sobbed all over the front of his shirt. He was still in his pajama bottoms, it being so early and all. As my heaves for breath diminished, Calder said, “Tell me what happened.” So I did.

As soon as we found a house to rent about a year ago my parents had gotten into this exercise kick. They were systematically trying to learn all the “land” sports to see if they liked any of them. They’d tried tennis, running, hiking, and they’d even tried dancing. They’d moved on to biking and had been getting up early to ride together. They hadn’t even seen the truck before it hit them along a deserted stretch of Highway 1. They’d been rushed to the hospital. I’d been told that my dad, who’d been riding on the freeway side of my mom, had died instantly from the impact. My mom was in emergency surgery, but they didn’t know if she’d make it.

It was all too horrible to think about and I just shut down when I’d finished telling Calder what happened. He’d pulled me onto his lap and was hugging me desperately, whispering that it’d be okay every once in a while.

About an hour later we still hadn’t heard anything from the surgeon working on my mom, but my Aunt Viv had arrived in all her glory. When I was a kid my mom always said that Aunt Viv was the adventurous one, but Aunt Viv had settled down in the bay area to run a non-profit helping minority communities combat climate change. So I knew my mom was full of it. I ran to her as soon as I saw her through the automatic doors. Calder stayed where he was to let us have a moment.

“You must be Calder. I’ve heard a lot about you,” Aunt Viv said to him when I finally let her go and we walked back to where he’d been standing.

“Yes ma’am.” Calder said, shaking Aunt Viv’s outstretched hand.

“I’m going to go see if I can talk to a doctor.” Aunt Viv announced to no one in particular. A half hour later she came back to the waiting room with red puffy eyes to tell me that my mom hadn’t made it through surgery.

I collapsed into Calder, who gently scooped me up. He talked to my Aunt Viv for a few minutes, all the while holding me to his chest. All I heard was ringing in my ears. They must have decided something because Calder walked me outside to his beat up Honda Civic and gently placed me in the passenger seat, buckling my seatbelt for me.

“Naomi, I need you to focus on me for just one minute, okay?” Calder asked me. The authority in his voice caught me off guard and I focused on his face. “Hey there, love,” he said more gently. “Your Aunt is going to take care of everything today, but she needs to know if your parents had a place where they kept important documents.”

I managed to get out the words “safe” and “downstairs closet”.

Calder called my Aunt to relay the message.

“Where do you want to go?” Calder asked me.

“Home,” was all I could manage.

In about a half hour the car stopped and Calder lifted me out of my seat. “Naomi, I need you to focus on me again, okay?” He said as he walked. I lifted my tear-stained eyes to his. “I’m taking you home, but in your condition I’m going to make you wear a life jacket in the dinghy. Okay?” I nodded. I was with it enough to know that I would be no match for the water today if I fell in.

We made it to the boat and I staggered to my bunk. Calder settled in next to me. He rubbed my back through the sobs until I fell asleep.

.

Calder

“You let her do what?” I was practically screaming into my phone.

“Calder, you’re not responsible for her and you certainly can’t make her decisions for her. I let her go by herself because she knows what she’s doing and she needed to get away.” Viv said calmly on the other line.

Naomi’s Aunt Viv had temporarily moved down to our sleepy little beach town to help Naomi finish up high school. Naomi had turned 18 right before her parents accident and didn’t need a guardian, but Naomi had decided that she needed to stay and finish out the last four months of school. I was selfish enough to hope that part of her made that decision because she wanted to stay with me.

“I don’t want to make decisions for her and I know I’m not responsible for her.” I suddenly felt defeated. “I love her Viv. I just don’t want anything to happen to her.”

“I know honey. It’s been three months and she’s still grieving. She needed to get away from everything, be by herself for a bit, work things out without the drone of us landlubbers.” I could hear her smiling at the last word. “Calder, I know she loves you more than even she thinks she does, but we both know if you push her you might just lose her.” Viv paused for a moment, as if weighing whether to continue. “You know you might lose her anyway. I don’t know if she’s meant to be grounded.”

“I know Viv.” And I did. I knew.

I was at the dock to meet her on Monday afternoon when she got back. I brought tacos and we sat on the same side of a picnic table facing the bay while she told me about her trip. After she ate her tacos and one of mine she looked at me with panic in her eyes.

“Calder, I’m so sorry. I should have told you I was going. I just… I just needed to go. I love you, but I just needed to go. I’m sorry.” Naomi still looked at me with that panic in her eyes.

Slowly I reached up to tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear and leaned my forehead against hers. She shuddered as she let out a deep breath. “I’m here. What do we do now?” I whispered.

.

Naomi

There was a week of school left and I’d finally come to a decision. I was going to take Wayfarer and go.

I had the life insurance and savings from my parents and I could re-launch my parent’s travel blog that had made some money. I’d also started a small made-to-order art company. It was just word of mouth right now, but I could create and mail pieces from anywhere in the world. I would have enough money for boat repairs and food. That would be enough. It was going to have to be enough, because I couldn’t stay. I hurt too much.

I hadn’t told Calder yet. He’d gotten a full-ride scholarship to the Coast Guard Academy in Connecticut and was set to leave in two weeks for pre-season training for football. It was his dream to be in the Coast Guard and help people. I knew that if I asked him to come with me he would, but I couldn’t keep him from his dreams just because I needed to escape dry land for a while. I couldn’t live with myself if I was that selfish.

The boat was loaded and ready to go for a run down to Cabo San Lucas. Past that, I didn’t know where I’d head. Maybe down to Panama and then bum around the Caribbean for a bit. The beauty of a cruiser life is that you don’t have to have a long-term plan if you don’t want to. They rarely work out the way you expect anyway.

On the last day of classes I met Calder at my locker, like I had every day for the last two years.

“Tell me something insanely interesting about yourself,” he said, like he had every day for the last two years. I’d never failed to tell him something that at least he found insanely interesting. Today I just looked at him and tears came to my eyes.

“Let’s go for a walk,” Calder said.

We walked to the marina and along the boardwalk holding hands, but in silence. We slowed and I turned to face him. I stood up on tip toes and brushed his lips with mine, then I took one purposeful step away from him.

“I have to go.” I whispered.

“I know.” Calder replied.

We looked at each other. I took another purposeful step away from him, trying to put distance between us and lessen the pain. It wasn’t working.

“Ask me to go with you.” Calder said.

“I can’t.” Tears ran down my face.

“I know.” He smiled sadly, tears running down his face too. “What do we do now?”

“We go see what the world has to offer us.” I nodded and walked away. Calder didn’t follow me.

.

10 YEARS LATER

.

Calder

“What’s this?” Melody asked holding up a tattered postcard. I took it and studied it. It was from Naomi and it had a picture of the Sydney Opera House on one side and a drawing of a child fishing from a pier on the other. I had a whole box of these, postcards from around the world with drawings of beautiful things, things that needed to be seen, on the other. Naomi would send me one every couple of months from wherever she happened to be. She never wrote anything and always knew my address despite moving every couple of years. Viv probably told her.

Naomi’s Aunt Viv and my mother had become close when Viv decided to re-locate permanently to our sleepy little beach town to watch over the house that Naomi’s parents had ended up buying right before their accident. Viv never seemed to know where Naomi was in the world when I asked, but after a couple of years, I decided that she just wasn’t going to tell me.

“It’s a postcard from an old friend. Her name is Naomi.” I told Melody.

“There are so many of them. Your friend must really miss you.” She said this in the way only a five year old could and it not be awkward. “Do you miss her?” Melody asked innocently with big brown eyes.

Melody was my brother Greg’s daughter.

“Every day buttercup.” I responded before taking the box from her and putting it in the back of the closet in my old room at my mom’s house.

“Go get Jake and get your stuff. I don’t want to be late for work.” I told Melody and shooed her out of the room.

It wasn’t really okay to take them to work, but everyone was looking the other way for the next couple of weeks until they started school. It was shitty for them and for me, but I didn’t really have any other options.

That afternoon the fog rolled in and I could hear the foghorn all the way from the Coast Guard station in the bay. The radio crackled every so often from boaters trying to find the harbor entrance in the fog. Melody and Jake were playing quietly in a corner. I felt, for the first time in months, that everything might just be okay. And then I heard it on the radio; a voice that I would never forget.

“This is Wayfarer calling the harbor master. Out.”

“Harbormaster here. Wayfarer switch to channel 64. Out.”

“Copy that, channel 64. Out.”

I launched myself out of the chair to switch the radio to channel 64.

“Naomi. It’s great to hear your voice. What brings you back to our foggy shores? Out.” I’d forgotten that Paul, the harbormaster, was friends with Naomi’s family.

“Hey Paul. Good to hear your voice too. I’m looking for a mooring or a slip for a couple months. Viv had surgery and needs a little help. Out.”

“For you, anything. There’s a slip open here at the marina. Come on in. It’s right past Val’s Surf Shop on the boardwalk. Can’t miss it. Out.”

“Thanks Paul, I owe you one. Out.”

“See you soon Wayfarer. Out.”

Then there was static. My mind was racing and pretty soon my feet were too.

“Chris, can you cover here for the next couple of hours. There’s something I need to check out down at the boardwalk.” I shouted toward the other room as I bundled up the kids and their toys.

“You got it boss!” Chris responded. There were perks to being in charge, and working with people who knew me.

I wrestled the kids into the car and sped toward the boardwalk. They asked a million questions as I drove, but I was too busy trying to get a glance at Wayfarer as she came through the bay to answer them.

The kids followed me as I jogged down the boardwalk toward Val’s. I stood above the docks and watched Naomi expertly maneuver Wayfarer into the slip and secure her to the cleats. Her hair was windblown and her cheeks were pink from the cold fog.

I saw Paul jog down the dock to sweep her into a great big hug. Naomi gave him one of those confident, freedom-filled smiles as they chatted.

Then her gaze swept up to the boardwalk and found mine. Her eyes went wide as she smiled brightly. Naomi put a hand on Paul’s shoulder to silence him and he turned to see where she was looking. She started walking up the dock toward me and I couldn’t help but walk toward her. That smile was like a magnet and I couldn’t stop myself.

We met somewhere in the middle and I lifted her up into crushing hug.

“Missed you,” Naomi whispered in my ear. I didn’t want to let her go, but eventually I put her back on her feet and took a step back to survey her.

“You look happy Naomi,” was all I could come up with, because she did. She looked really happy.

We exchanged pleasantries, until she froze. I followed her gaze over my shoulder to where it had landed on Melody and Jake who were standing at the top of the dock watching us. “Oh. Um. Sorry, I guess congratulations are in order.” Naomi stammered. I smiled at her presumption.

“Melody, Jake, come on down here and introduce yourselves.” I called to them.

When they reached us, Melody was the first to speak. She was the braver of the two even though she was only five and Jake was already seven. “Hi, I’m Melody and this is my brother Jake. I’m five and he’s seven.” She reached out her hand and Naomi shook it. Jake edged behind me a little more.

“It’s nice to meet you. My name is Naomi and I’m an old friend of your dad’s,” Naomi said kneeling down so she was face to face with both kids.

Melody laughed. “He’s not our dad silly, he’s our uncle. He’s watching us for a while until mommy is all better.” She paused and put a finger to her mouth, working something through in her head. “Wait, you’re postcard girl. My uncle has a whole box of postcards from you. Have you really been to all the places on the postcards?” Melody demanded.

Naomi said to me, “It seems like I’ve missed some stuff.” To Melody she said, “Yep, I’ve been to every one of them and I’ll tell you all about them if you want.” At that, Melody jumped up and down and started yelling “story time” at the top of her lungs.

Naomi beamed.

“Are you hungry? Can I buy you dinner?” I asked.

Naomi responded with a grin and said, “Tacos?”

.

Naomi

Over tacos Calder filled me in on the past couple of years.

He’d been stationed down in Savannah for two years when he got word that his brother Greg had been lost at sea in a storm during a fishing trip. Shauna, his wife, was distraught. She’d started trying different substances to deal with the pain and landed on alcohol as her preferred numbing agent. She lost her job when she couldn’t show up to work on time and child services had tracked her down when Jake hadn’t been to school in three weeks without any word as to why. Calder’s mom couldn’t support all of them and take care of the kids and Shauna at the same time and that’s when she called Calder and asked him if there was any way he could get a transfer to the Coast Guard station back in their little sleepy beach town.

So three months ago, Calder had moved back home, gotten Shauna admitted to rehab, filed for custody of Greg’s kids and tried to put all their lives back together again.

Aunt Viv hadn’t told me any of it, and I talked to her every two weeks on my sat phone. Why didn’t she tell me? Usually she updated me and gave me his new address whenever he moved. I’d have to ask her later.

I asked questions, trying to figure out what storm I’d sailed into this time. But as always, storms on land were much more complicated than those on the water.

After dinner, we took the kids back to Calder’s house and tucked them into bed. Melody asked for a postcard story, so I had Calder dig out the box and let her pick one. She chose one from the Philippines, so I told her the story of free-dive clamming with the locals. They’d approached the Wayfarer and, with limited communication, I was able to figure out that they were offering to take me clamming in exchange for beer. I sent a message to my friend Miguel and his family letting them know I was doing something crazy and to come looking for me if I didn’t radio again in a couple hours. They’d been anchored just on the other side of the bay. I’d never been clamming before, but got the hang of it quickly and came home with two dozen clams bigger than my outstretched hand. When I went to shuck the clams to make some clam spaghetti, one of them had a pearl inside. I explained to Melody how rare it was to find a pearl inside a clam.

When Melody had finally fallen asleep, I snuck out of the room to find Calder leaning against the wall in the hallway. I leaned next to him.

He reached out and gently touched the pearl hanging from a silver chain around my neck. In a breathy voice he said, “You never cease to amaze me.”

I reached up and drew him into a kiss. I don’t know why I did it. Maybe it was because I missed him or because he still thought I was the best thing since sliced bread, but I kept kissing him as he pulled me closer and we stumbled into his old room.

In the morning I woke up warm and groggy, snuggled up next to Calder, who was still sleeping soundly. I thought things were good between us physically in high school, but give a guy ten years to grow up and mature and wow. I still couldn’t think straight.

I shimmied out of bed to find my clothes. Calder was still sleeping when I slipped out of the room. I’d left him a note with my cell number and told him I’d be at Aunt Viv’s.

.

Calder

The past two months had been a dream. Naomi was living with Viv and helping her recover from a routine hip replacement, but she spent most of her nights with me at the house or on Wayfarer when I could get my mom to watch the kids.

I hadn’t wanted to push her about the last ten years but I was curious. She was the same confident and intelligent and amazing Naomi that I’d known in high school, but now there was also an added layer of contentment and hopefulness. I wondered if I had extra layers too.

We were curled up in her bunk on Wayfarer. She’d never switched to the larger bunk in the aft that her parents had occupied. As far as I could tell, she used it for storage. All she said when I asked was that it just didn’t feel right.

I kissed her neck and asked, “Has there been anyone else?” I could tell Naomi knew immediately what I meant from the look in her blue eyes, but she took a minute to answer me as I kept kissing up toward her ear.

“If you want a real answer, you’re going to have to stop. I can’t think straight when you do that.” Naomi teased and only when I stopped did she continue. “There was one that I thought might work out. We sailed together for almost a year. He was a real beauty, but he was controlling and frankly not very nice when the weather got bad. We had a big falling out after riding out a storm in the Sulu Sea. I left him on a dock in Boracay and haven’t looked back.”

I almost choked. “You just left him on a dock?”

“I made sure he had his passport.” Naomi grinned and I kissed her. “What about you? Anyone else?”

“Nothing longer than a couple months, and I moved around from post to post so much after the Academy that it didn’t really make sense to get tied down. And then when my brother died, no one seemed to be able to reach me anyway. I still feel like I’m coming out of the fog sometimes.” I told her frankly. “Do you ever feel that way?”

“After my parents died, I was in a fog all the time. I think you, what we had, was the only thing that kept me from spiraling into despair. As soon as I left that harbor on Wayfarer, and looked around and saw ocean all around me. That was when I felt like I could breathe again. Really breathe.” Naomi paused. “I’ve been chasing away the fog every day since then. Being on the ocean helps. Being in nature helps. Doing my art helps.” She looked up at me then and continued softly, “Knowing that you’re safe and following your dreams helps.”

“Naomi, I don’t know what I’m going to do when you leave again.” I told her. Secretly, I hoped that she would calm the growing fear in my heart. I hoped she would tell me that she’d decided to stick around for a while to see what an adult “us” might turn into. When she didn’t answer, I looked at her and gently lifted her chin to meet my gaze.

“You know I can’t stay. And you know you can’t go. Those children need you and you need them.” She said softly.

“I know, but do you ever think there could be a time when you could stay? Stay with me?” I pleaded.

“I don’t know Calder.”

“Tell me something insanely interesting about yourself.” I said to her and instead of giving me an interesting funny fact, she held my gaze and said, “I love you.”

“I love you too Naomi”

.

Naomi

Two months after that earth-shattering night aboard the Wayfarer I knew it was time. I’d felt the pressure growing to put roots into the earth, but the ocean kept calling me. I tried to ignore it, for Calder. I tried to distract myself, for Viv. I tried to make it go away, for Melody and Jake. But I couldn’t. The ocean found me in the breeze I inhaled, the foghorn I could hear, the smell of salt and dying kelp. It haunted my dreams just like it haunted my waking hours. It called me home and I couldn’t escape it.

That morning I woke up in Calder’s bed and just sat on there in a daze. I knew.

Calder came into the room from the shower, blonde hair tousled and smelling like soap. He took one long look at me and said, “Okay.” He wrapped me in a hug as tears weaseled their way out of my eyes and said, “Okay, just let me get some clothes on.”

Calder walked me to the marina. I’d made it a habit to have Wayfarer stocked up and ready to sail at a moment’s notice, so all I had to do was get on board.

Calder stopped me at the top of the dock and spun me around to face him. His face looked panicked.

“Ask me to come with you.” He said.

“I can’t.” I replied. It was like deja vu.

“I know.” He smiled sadly, tears running down his face. “What do we do now?”

“We go see what the world has to offer us. Don’t wait for me Calder. You deserve better.” I nodded and walked away. Calder didn’t follow me.

.

8 YEARS LATER

Calder

“I got a postcard from Naomi today. Do you want to see it?” Melody asked me at the dinner table.

Since Naomi had left the last time, she’d stopped sending me postcards and started sending them to Melody. She and Melody had really bonded and Melody was heartbroken when Naomi left.

“No thanks.” I replied. Christina gave me a look from the other side of the table. Christina was my fiancee and I’d told her everything about Naomi, but she still got a little ruffled whenever Melody mentioned Naomi. I couldn’t tell if Christina was jealous about Melody’s attention or if she was worried that any mention of my former lover, best friend, soul mate (who knew at this point) would cause me to relapse and call off the wedding. Our wedding was in 6 weeks for the love of pete. I loved Christina and she knew that, but I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I’d had a really difficult time getting over Naomi the last time she left.

After dinner Christina cleaned up the dishes while I helped Melody with her homework. In the middle of some algebra problem we had no idea how to solve, Melody asked, “Do you really love Christina?” My mouth must have gaped open because she quickly continued, “I mean I know you do, but, enough to marry her? I like her, I really do, but I just want to get this out there… You don’t seem happy, not like you did with Naomi.” Melody’s gaze returned to her paper quickly.

“Mel, I love Christina. She’s a wonderful woman and she’s going to be a great mother figure for you and Jake.” She wasn’t looking at me. “Look at me for a minute. Love is a complicated emotion and it’s not just something that we have for people. I know you miss Naomi, but Naomi loves the ocean more than anything else. No person can compete with a love that vast. I can’t compete with the ocean and I don’t want to. Christina is the best thing that’s happened to this family in a long time, Mel.”

Melody was looking at me like I had two heads and in upset thirteen year old teenage fashion, she suddenly grabbed my wrist and walked me down the hall to my old bedroom that was now being used by Jake. She sat me on the bed and then rummaged around in the closet and pulled out a box. Mel opened it and poured hundreds of postcards over me and onto the bed, then ran across the hallway to her room and returned with another box. She stood before me.

“Uncle Calder, there are hundreds of love letters here all addressed to you, because that’s what they are. They’re ten years of love letters, even though they don’t have any words on them. Naomi thought of you and loved you every single day for ten years and then she came back here and showed us all how much she loved us for four months.” And then she held out the box she hadn’t dumped on me. I opened it slowly, looking through hundreds more postcards. They had writing on them. Naomi had been writing to Melody for eight years. I looked up at Melody’s tear-stained face.

“Naomi’s been writing to me since she left, but they’re still love letters to you. Eight more years of love letters. She knew you wouldn’t want to read them, that you’d try to forget about her and move on like she told you to do. Naomi loves the ocean, but it’s never been a contest. You always win.” Melody said to me quietly before leaving the room and closing the door. I could hear her out in the hallway telling Christina that I had some work to do and was hanging out in Jake’s room where it was quiet.

I sat there surrounded by postcards. I pulled one from Melody’s box. It was from Barcelona. It read:

Hey Mel – Happy 8th birthday sweetheart. I hope you make Uncle Calder take you to ice cream. Make him get the pistachio and then watch his face. He hates pistachio, but he’ll do it for you! You and Jake would love the buildings here. There’s an architect named Gaudi would makes fantastical houses and cathedrals and parks. I heard about your grandma. I’m so sorry. I’m sending hugs and kisses across the world to all of you. Love, Naomi.

And another from Greece. It read:

Hey Mel – Good luck starting middle school. Remember who you are and don’t let anyone else tell you differently. Don’t be afraid to talk to your Uncle. He might be awkward and nervous sometimes, but he’s kind and caring and loves you more than you know. Here in the Greek Isles, kids don’t have to start school for another couple of weeks. They dive from rocks into the crystal clear waters without a care in the world. I wish I could join them and feel that freedom, but today I’m missing you all something terrible. Take care of your uncle and brother. Love, Naomi.

I kept reading. One by one, I read them all.

.

Naomi

“What am I doing here Aunt Viv?” I asked from her front door.

Instead of answering me, she just ushered me into the foyer of the house. “Can I get you anything? Something to eat or drink?” Viv asked.

“You can tell me why I left Wayfarer in Jamaica and flew across the country to see you.” I said with some snark in my voice.

Aunt Viv looked at me. There was pity in her face. “I didn’t want to tell you over the phone and I didn’t know what you’d want to do about it.” She studied me as I slowly sat on the sofa, suddenly afraid of what she was going to say next. “He’s getting married.”

The wind rushed out of my proverbial sails and I was suddenly adrift.

“I’m sorry honey.” She was hugging me now.

Still in shock I said, “No, there’s nothing to be sorry for. He did what I told him to do.” A tear escaped and rolled down my cheek. “Aunt Viv, is she good enough for him? Is he happy?” I asked.

“Honey, no one is ever going to be good enough for Calder in our eyes, but she’s a nice woman and does well with the kids. As far as happy goes…” Viv paused. “I’ve never seen that boy truly happy unless he’s with you. But he’s doing well enough as far as I can tell.”

“I’m happy for him.” I got out. “I don’t want to cause trouble for him, but I would like to see Melody before I go. Could you arrange a day with her without him knowing?” I asked.

“I think I can handle that.” Aunt Viv replied.

Melody arrived at Aunt Viv’s house the next morning. It was a Saturday, so Aunt Viv told Calder she wanted to take Melody to the farmer’s market and for a walk around the bay.

Melody launched herself into my arms when she spotted me in Aunt Viv’s foyer. We hugged and cried and then she told me everything that had happened in the last eight years. She was effusive in her chatting until we got to the last year when she suddenly went quiet, as if finally realizing why I was there.

“You know he’s getting married. That’s why you’re here.” Melody said quietly.

“Aunt Viv didn’t tell me until I arrived. Is he happy Mel?” I asked her.

Practically ignoring me she went on more excitedly, “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe you’re here. I knew you wouldn’t let him marry her. You came to get him back and whisk him away on Wayfarer.“

I put a hand on her forearm to calm her. “Mel, is he happy?”

Melody’s face fell. “You’re not here to stop the wedding are you?”

“If he’s happy that’s all I could ever ask for.” I told her honestly.

“Do you still love him?” Melody surprised me with her question. I loved her honesty and bluntness, but I couldn’t answer her. I didn’t know.

Instead of answering, I walked over to the table and pulled out a piece I’d been working on just for her. It was a painting of kids in Greece diving off the cliffs into crystal clear water. I thought I’d gotten the recklessness and freedom just right in the colors and the way the wind moved through the kids’ hair and the waves crashing against the rocks. Melody gasped when I held it out to her.

“It’s for you. You can tell your uncle that I sent it to Aunt Viv for you.” I told her. She hugged me for so long I thought she might not let me go, but Aunt Viv came to the rescue saying that it was time for Melody to get home. I made her promise not to tell her uncle that I was in town.

“When am I going to see you again?” Melody asked hopefully.

“Sooner than the last time.” I promised her.

.

Calder

I passed Melody’s room and froze. There was a new painting up on the wall and I knew the style. I’d read a description of this painting on a postcard. Melody was laying on her bed listening to music and when she saw me studying the painting, she slowly pulled off her headphones.

“Where did you get this?” I asked her.

“Aunt Viv had it for me when I went over there yesterday.” Melody responded. She wasn’t any good at lying. I think it was that she never made eye contact when she lied. As I looked at her, I could see tears welling up in her eyes and I sank onto the bed to wrap her in a hug.

In between sobs Melody said, “I miss her so much and I don’t know when I’ll see her again. What if something happens to her and Wayfarer. The only way we’ll know is that there won’t be any more postcards.” She sobbed into my chest some more until I pushed her away to look at her. I knew she wasn’t talking about Aunt Viv.

“Where is she?” I asked.

“At Aunt Viv’s. She’s leaving tonight. She flew.” Melody responded.

“She flew?” That was not Naomi’s style at all.

“Aunt Viv told her it was an emergency. And then when she got here, Aunt Viv told her you were getting married.” Melody admitted.

“She wasn’t going to see me, was she?”

“She told me that as long as you were happy, that’s all she could ever ask for.” Melody hiccuped between deep breaths.

I sat outside on the front steps that night until I could see the sun bringing light over the foothills. And then I got up to get ready for work.

.

4 YEARS LATER

Naomi

I knew I’d be back to this sleepy little beach town, and I knew that this is what I’d be coming back for. Wayfarer and I had been close, just a couple days sail down the coast, when I got the call from Paul over my sat phone. So here I was in a black jersey dress looking across the cemetery into the fog and wishing that Aunt Viv were here to say something that would make me feel less alone.

And then there they were. I expected four of them, but only saw three. A beautiful 17 year old girl ran toward me at full speed, practically knocking me down in a hug. I held her tight until the two men joined us. One, a handsome 19 year old in a Navy uniform. The other was Calder, looking older but still handsome and fit in his black suit.

Melody hugged me tightly again and whispered in my ear, “He didn’t marry her,” before letting me go. I met Calder’s eyes and it hit me so hard that I almost lost my balance. He stepped forward and grabbed my arm to steady me.

I’d loved this man for twenty-four years and no matter how many times I tried to runaway, I always found myself right back where I started. I’d told myself over and over again that he was better off without me and that I couldn’t give him what he needed.

As I looked into his eyes I knew it might have been true at one point, but it certainly wasn’t true anymore.

“Hi,” Calder whispered.

“Hi,” I whispered back and then sobbed into his chest as he wrapped his arms around me.

.

Calder

Aunt Viv’s funeral had been a week ago. Melody had started her senior year of high school and Jake was back at the base in San Diego. Naomi had been busy dealing with her Aunt’s estate. She’d been over for dinner a couple times, so I knew she was planning on selling the house. Past that, I had no idea what her plans were and I was too afraid to ask.

Melody was off at a friend’s house for the night and I’d invited Naomi over for dinner. She looked tired when she showed up at the door, but gave me a big smile when I handed her a glass of wine.

We settled in at the kitchen table and were nicely settled into a conversation about the weather when Naomi asked, “Why didn’t you marry her?”

I almost choked on my wine and she grinned. She didn’t want to talk about the weather, she wanted to talk about insanely interesting things.

I took a breath before I started. Naomi deserved the truth. “I saw the picture you painted for Melody the day after you saw her at Aunt Viv’s. She broke down and told me Aunt Viv had tricked you into town, but that you were leaving that night. I sat on the front steps all night trying to decide if I was going to run across town and stop you from getting on that plane, but I could never make myself get up and do it. I didn’t want to chase you. I wanted you to think that I was happy so maybe you would stop beating yourself up for leaving all the time. Maybe you would find happiness yourself.” I paused to collect my thoughts.

“Naomi, I came home after work that day you left and told Christina that I couldn’t marry her because I didn’t think I could ever stop hoping that you’d come back to stay someday, or that you’d ask me to come with you. I know you told me not to wait and that maybe you’d find someone, but it didn’t matter. I told Christina it wouldn’t be fair to her to marry me. I had the kids, who I love, and I have my job, that I also love. It was enough.”

“Enough about me. Tell me something insanely interesting about you.” I said in an attempt to change the subject.

Naomi smiled at me, the tiredness gone from her face.

“When I came back to bury Aunt Viv, I told myself that it would be the last time I’d come back. You were happily married and the kids were both doing well. I wasn’t going to stir things up again and there’s still places I haven’t seen.” She paused to sip her wine. “But then I saw you at the cemetery and you had this look of contentment on your face and the kids looked happy, and I realized that right here is my favorite place in the world. With you. With them. I decided right then that I wanted to stay for a while regardless if you were married or not because you’re my favorite people, my favorite person, and I’m having a hard time finding peace without you.” Naomi rambled on.

“You want to stay?” I asked incredulously.

“At least until Melody is off at college and then maybe you could come with me sailing for a while.” Naomi paused as if wanting to take back her statement. “I mean if that’s okay with you and you want to. And I can stay on Wayfarer or find an apartment… or…” She paused again and then said, “Honestly, I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to stay here with you and I’d be crushed if you didn’t want to come sailing me me. But I can deal with both of those as long as you’re happy.”

I was in shock I think. “Let me get this straight. You want to live here with me and Melody until she graduates high school, and then you’re asking me to come cruising with you for a while?”

Naomi looked me right in the eyes and simply said, “Yes.”

It took me a few moments to get my head on straight. This was what I’d hoped for for all those years that I’d loved this wonderful woman sitting right in front of me. I trusted that she’d told me the truth. She truly did want to be right where she was.

So I said, “Okay. What do we do now?”

“I’ll go get my toothbrush from Wayfarer.” She answered as she started walking to the front door. I caught her before she got there and pulled her in for a kiss. And then another, and another.

Between kisses I said, “I have an extra toothbrush you can use. Don’t leave.”

“Good, I’ve done too much leaving. I don’t want to do it again.” Naomi said and pulled me down the hall.

Advertisement