How do I get myself into these things? Oh yeah, that's right, once again I was trying to help out a friend.
Yesterday while I was writing out my to do list for another boring weekend full of errands and house cleaning chores, all the typical things that filled my usual weekend, all I could think of was that it was the last weekend of summer and I had spent mine working, at work and at home. I had had no time for fun. Then, my phone rang. It was my best friend Amanda. Mandy, being the total drama queen she was, told me that she was desperate for my help.
Her cousin Chris, whom I had met on many occasions and thought was the hottest thing around, had set her up with a friend of his. They were going on a weekend sailing outing and there was no way she was going out on a boat for two days with two guys and no other female. There was no solution other than I go with her. I just had to. It would be a perfect last hurrah to summer. Please?
The "please" did me in. I gave up and packed an overnight bag with swimsuit, cover up, sunscreen and other essentials and was ready and waiting when she picked me up an hour ago. With the top down on her convertible, we drove for the coast, tunes blasting and girl talk all the way.
Now, here we stood side by side in the middle of a posh marina, staring at the vessel we would be boarding; vessel being the appropriate term because this was no sailboat. This was, in anyone's frame of reference, a yacht, a floating palace. Totally not what I was expecting and totally somewhere I did not feel like I belonged.
I leaned toward Mandy and whispered, "Is this what you were expecting?"
"Um, no," she replied just as softly. "Too late now." She reached out and took my hand, each of us comforted by the other's touch and ready to face this on a united front.
"You're sure?" I asked.
"Absolutely. Let's go," she replied.
We looked at each other and grinned like two little schoolgirls. Of course we did. We had known each other since first grade. Two of the most different children had become inseparable from the first instant. Where I am average height, Mandy is petite. I have long deep brown hair; Mandy keeps hers in a short, natural blonde bob. She is a natural at sports and I am a natural at logic and intellect. Mandy is an outgoing, born flirt; I am a mouse. People used to say that she steamrolled me into friendship, or, that I just hung onto her coattails for popularity. Truth was that we completed each other. We each had something the other was missing, plus, neither of us cared a lick about popularity.
We proceeded up the gangplank and looked around. No one was in sight. We picked a direction and headed toward the stern. Rounding a corner at the aft of the ship we found Chris sprawled in a lounge chair relaxing, drink in hand, eyes closed.
He must have heard our footsteps because he stirred enough to ask, "That you Josh? What time is it? I've gotta watch for the girls."
When his question was greeted with dead silence he must have gotten suspicious because his eyes opened a crack. Seeing us standing there he leapt up, in the process, he spilled his drink all over his shirt. "Shit!" he exploded. Mandy and I started laughing. He glared at us. "What time is it girl? I was going to be waiting for you at the gangplank with Josh like proper hosts."
"Don't worry so much. We're early by at least half an hour. Traffic was lighter than I expected. Sorry about your shirt." Mandy said with an ill concealed chuckle.
Chris stalked toward her with an evil glint in his eye. "That's ok, coz," he said. He took her into his arms for a giant bear hug making sure that he got the drink all over her. I broke out into a hearty laugh until he turned his gaze on me. Letting go of Mandy I got my fair share of hug and drink too.
"Chris, damn it, you ruined my shirt," Mandy screeched at him.
"I missed you too, Mandy," he replied, chuckling. "Looks like we'll all need a change. I'll introduce you to Josh then show you where you'll be staying so you can get cleaned up before we get under way."
He walked over to a bar area and pressed a button on an intercom. "Hey Josh, get your butt out here. They're here early. You can tell your captain to make sail."
"I see that they are here," said a voice coming not from the intercom but from the companionway, "and such visions to see."
I rolled my eyes at the line. Guys never meant stuff like that. Mandy and I knew we were no visions. I glanced over at her. She was staring at the man who emerged into the sun. She had told me about her dream man many times, dark curling hair, tall, but not too tall, tanned, brown eyes. This man, Josh, was him, average, yet debonair. He walked straight to her, took her hand and brought it to his lips. "Welcome," he murmured as his lips caressed her hand. Mandy looked like she had been struck by lightening.
He repeated the process with my hand but his lips did not linger. "The captain will be getting us under way. Ladies, if you will follow me please?"
He led the way down the companionway with us all trailing him. He stopped outside a door half way along the corridor. "Ladies, this will be your room. I hope you don't mind sharing. My quarters are across the way here and Chris is in the next cabin along the hall." He glanced at Chris. "You changing too I'm guessing buddy?"
"Yep," he answered. "I'll just be a minute," and he headed down to his cabin.
"Take your time ladies," Chris said to us, including me, but I had the feeling that he was speaking only to Mandy. "There is nothing to see until we round the point which will take at least a half hour. I'll have drinks ready for you?"
"Yes, thank you," Mandy answered. "Screwdriver please?"
"I'll have a Fuzzy Navel if you have peach schnapps please."
"Of course, your drinks will be waiting," he responded and headed down the corridor as Mandy and I entered our cabin.
After closing the door behind us we dropped our bags and just stared at the luxury surrounding us. Granted, this cabin was graced with two twin beds, but that didn't bother me! A flat screen TV on one wall, windows along the other, silk sheets on the bed, our own private bathroom, yes, this was nicer than any hotel room I had ever stayed in.
"Mandy, pinch me," I said softly to her. Catching sight of her hand reaching for my arm from the corner of my eye, I quickly jumped away from her giggling. "Really?"
"You said..."
"I know what I said. It's just a saying!"