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She and Will were friends – and that was it, right? They talked, he was kind to her away from everyone else, and seemed to just ‘fit’… but had he said something to Marie?
Did he want something more?
They hadn’t even kissed yet or delved down that path,yet she was picking up all the pieces to see how they would all fit. She told him she didn’t want some elaborate, strung-out romance saga, asking him to be a friend - but that had been a lie.
She wanted someone to care for, someone to care forherin return. A friend, a companion, a lover… a half that would fit with her own shattered half, somehow becoming ‘the whole’ that would be bigger than them all. The last thing she wanted any of this to be was destructive towards anyone.
Bo who liked her books, Jared who’d given her the key until he thought she’d stolen from the captain, and Shepherd – who was just there if needed. Even Red Marie had a role in all of this somehow, and she didn’t want to hurt the woman by asking what her ‘scars’ were. No, some things were private and hurt more to talk about it - resulting in hearing the dreaded ‘I’m sorry’s’that didn’t fix anything. It simply didn’t matter; she was a part of Will’s team.
They’d taken refuge together – and that was where the mental zipper snarled. If Calista allowed herself to hope for more, it couldn’t be at the expense of the others… no matter what.
Looking down, she realized she’d eaten the entire bowl of oatmeal without tasting a single bite or hearing any of the discussion around her.
“Avast, ye maties!” Jared said boisterously, interrupting her thoughts. “To the deck with ya’ landlubbers. We’ll be swingin’ the cutlasses today…”
There was a loud clattering of dishes, excited voices, and footfalls on the wooden flooring that echoed loudly, as several made their way up to the deck in the sun.
Blinking against the bright light, she saw there wasn’t a cloud in the sky above them. Looking around, she sawseveral people were looking overboard on the ‘port’ side of the ship that she was coming to learn… and walked over to join them.
Glancing down, she saw several dolphins racing alongside of the ship and felt her heart skip a beat. They were seamlessly gliding in and out of the water effortlessly, almost as if they were racing. It surprised her to see how fast they were actually moving, casting her eyes upwards to see that the sails were indeed full.
Her whole being felt alive, causing her to smile broadly. She realized that she wasn’t even aware that her skirts were being whipped about by the wind. She was just here – a part of this existence, and it was a phenomenal feeling of freedom.
Looking at the starboard side of the ship, she saw Will, Jared, and Shepherd hefting a wooden beam onto the railing… snapping audibly at each other, fastening it into place.
“Hold tight, let me get this looped over…”
“It shouldn’t take you thirty minutes unless you’ve been lollygagging…”
“I don’t lollygag – and you know that…”
“But youdoget an eyeful of your sweet miss every chance you get…”
“I’ll thank you to shut your yap now…”
“Just loop the rope over the beam, would ya’ now, cap? It weighs a ton!”
Calista laughed softly to herself, turning her face back towards the dolphins and pretending it was because of that… and not Will getting called out by his friends. She didn’t know why they were tying a wooden beam onto the railing, but it looked exceedingly heavy.
“Alright crew!”
A voice called out a few moments later, causing her tolook back, only to see that Will had left the two men there. He was taking the steps up to the helm once more, disappearing out of sight.
“Get ready to have some fun – and fair warning? You’ll be sore tonight,” Jared smiled broadly at everyone, causing a shiver down her spine. He looked almost decidedly happy at the thought.
He picked up a wicked looking cutlass that was lined up on a nearby table, brandished it like he’d been born with one in his hand, and swung it hard towards Shepherd – who also had one in his single good hand.
They parried for a few moments, causing the swords to clang loudly, just before the two men stopped… moved to hug each other – and sang both swords with a coordinated swing towards the railing.
*THUDDDDD*
Both swords wobbled from where they were now imbedded in the wooden board that was fastened to the railing – and Calista understood. To keep the ship from being damaged, everyone safe, and no mishaps… they would be swinging the massive cutlasses at the railing to learn how to ‘fight’ in a safe manner.
They lined up the people, two at a time, with at least seven feet between them, giving them a chance to swing several times at the timber. Calista was shocked at how heavy the cutlass was – and how bulky. She couldn’t imagine swinging the wide sword… or any sword… to save her life. Just the realization of how life must have been was eye-opening.
Hours later, arms aching, she was surprised that Red Marie invited them all to a reading. She sat there, among the others, as the woman held up two very worn-out books.
“Jawsby Peter Benchley… orMoby Dickby Herman Melville?”
