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The doctor said that sailing would be okay if I don’t exert myself too much — right now all I need is a cane for support, soon, not even that.
Just like last time we were here, I’m waiting for her arrival. It takes a while, but here she comes, pretty in pink with her cozy pink sweater, maternity leggings, and denim jacket.
“Am I late?” she asks, pure sunshine.
“You’re always on time!” I say, arms wide open over the bow.
I support my weight over one of the ropes, and with my other hand, I help her up. She immediately sits down and inspects the picnic basket I brought.
“Sparkling apple cider and oysters, huh? You still remember!” Elsa says, delight in her voice.
“Yeah, pretty sure that’s the night the kids were conceived!” I release the ropes and let the boat set sail.
“I was already pregnant!” she corrects me laughing.
“Eh, whatever!”
While I work the sails to get us away from the marina, Elsa picks up the bottle and removes the cork. The cork comes out with little to no effort, and the little liquid that escapes it goes straight into her mouth.
I let go of the ropes and go sit by her side. For a second, I just take in the view. The clouds are fluffy cotton candy over an azure sky. The ocean is a calm sheet, barely touched by the wind that hits the bay, and the wind itself is soft and chill, just strong enough to pull a sail, but not strong enough to give me trouble. I do notice a subtle chill in the air since it’s now fall and the beautiful tapestry of colors from the changing leaves add to the charm.
“What are you thinking?” she asks, offering me a glass for myself.
“Nothing in particular. Just…” I take a sip and point my free palm toward the sky. “The weather is so nice. It’s not too cold yet and it’s beautiful. No one is around. It’s like we have the whole ocean to ourselves.”
“It is!” she says, smiling. “You picked the perfect day!”
I give her a double take, then clear my throat. “Do youknowwhy you’re here?”
The sly fox shrugs. “I have afaintidea. But don’t worry, whatever you do, it’s going to be a surprise!”
“Really?” I dig for an oyster and a slice of lemon. “How?”
“Because I’ve been waiting for so long, I’ve pictured it in my head three dozen times already. But I know none of them are right. Only what’s real is what matters,” Elsa says as she leans her head against my shoulder.
“Whew… That’s a lot of pressure!” I say, letting out some nervous laughter.
She digs for an oyster herself, eats it with the little fork, and then discards the shell inside the basket alongside the ones I left there.
Once she’s sitting straight again, I place my arm around her shoulders and feel for the little package in my back pocket that’s been burning a hole in it ever since I put it there this morning.
“Elsa…” I start what’s meant to be my little speech. I’m sure I will mess up, but I’m also sure that’s part of the process.
“You turned a sad lie I created for myself into the most beautiful of truths. I… I never knew what I was looking for until I found you. This is where I thank you for finally making my life complete and…”
I open the ring box for her to see. The woman at the store said to invest three months’ salary, so I went all in. It’s big and flashy, but it’s proof of my love for her.
“Harvey!” I hear a gasp for air suspended in her breath, and she looks at me, in complete disbelief.
“Elsa, will you be my wife?” I say, trying to keep a straight face.
She looks from me to the ring, takes it out of the box, puts it on her finger, and admires what it looks like in her hand.
“This is a yes, okay?” she says, looking at me sideways.
Growling with excitement, I bring her close to me and kiss her, a sweet peck on the lips that takes its sweet time there, allowing us to just taste each other for a while.
Soon that kiss turns heated, and we abandon our drinks near the picnic basket, and I bring her to sit in my lap facing me, already feeling hard and ready for her.
