Sail Away

“That was wonderful last night. Thank you.” Lena let that hang out in the morning air. After a moment, a muffled cry began deep within Cassandra. Lena could see the tears begin to form in the young girls eyes. Lena rose and moved quickly to Lena’s side, throwing her arms around the young girl. Cassandra buried her face in the older woman’s shoulder, her body shuddering from the tearful sobs. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean for it to happen Cassandra. I’m sorry if I hurt you.”

“No, no,,,Lena, please no. It’s not that at all,” said the young girl, regaining her composure. “Am I frightened by what happened last night? Yes, I am. Am I sorry? No I’m not. You made me feel so alive last night. I’m crying because in a few hours, you’ll step off this boat and I’ll never see you again. You’ll go back to your own life with your husband, and I’ll be here. I know it has to be this way, but no one has ever made me feel so whole before, and when you leave, I’ll never have felt so empty.”

Lena held the young woman tightly to her. It was true, and in fact in a few hours they did arrive at the dock. David, Lena’s husband, was actually there, on crutches to greet her with a warm embrace. It was an awkward two hours unpacking their belongings from the boat. Lena and Cassandra worked silently side by side for the most part. David thought the two looked exhausted. He attributed the exhaustion to the fact that the two women had had to manage the boat on their own a few days, and he tried to help where he could.

Finally, the moment came to depart. David gave Cassandra a huge hug, thanking her for her quick action on board that probably saved his life. Cassandra helped him back into their rented SUV and then returned to the dock. She looked deep into Cassandra’s eyes. She could see the pain and felt the emptiness in her own heart. She whispered softly to her, “That was so special the other night, I don’t know what it means. I didn’t expect it.” Cassandra remained silent, her eyes glistening.

“I know, hey Lena, you better go. I’ll never forget you, and I’ll never be able to sit out on the boat in the evening without thinking of you. I want to make sure you know that.”

The two women embraced, and Cassandra luxuriated in the warmth and smells and texture of Lena. Her own heart was breaking within her, but in this case there was no choice. Only time and the sea would bring healing. She turned away from Lena, without looking back and boarded the boat, not sure she’d able to bear seeing the SUV drive away. “Damn, I hate Miami.” She began to rig the boat for her journey home, to the sea.

The End