First Mates. Cecelia Dowdy

noticed the velvety darkness gradually fading. “We’ve been talking most of the night!” She yawned and he suggested escorting her back to her cabin. “Hey, you’ve made me do all the talking. You didn’t tell me anything about yourself.”

      He chuckled. “We can save that for another day.” As she unlocked her door, he touched her arm. Tingles of delight raced up her limb and she accidentally dropped her room key. Winston retrieved it and pressed it into her palm. “Rainy, this has been the nicest evening I’ve had in a long time.” He touched her face before he strolled down the hall.

      She swallowed, clutching the doorknob. “Good night.” She closed the door and paced her room, full of energy. She plopped onto the soft bed and selected a piece of fruit from the basket that her best friends, Sarah and Rachel, had sent her as a bon voyage gift.

      She parted the curtains and gazed at the endless expanse of sea. As she finished her pear, she realized this was the first night since her breakup two months ago that she had not dwelled on her relationship with Jordan.

      Her ringing phone interrupted her thoughts. After she dropped the pear core into the trash can, she lifted the receiver, wondering if Winston was calling her from his room. “Hello?”

      “Hey, Rainy!” Sarah and Rachel’s voices sounded over the wire.

      “You guys, what are you doing calling me on this cruise? You know how expensive this phone call is!” She smiled, gripping the receiver, enjoying the sound of her best friends’ voices.

      Sarah chuckled. “We’re at my house. Rachel is on one phone and I’m on the other.”

      “We just wanted to make sure you were okay,” Rachel added.

      “Girl, you sure were a basket case earlier. You looked like you were going to cry when we left you on that dock!” Sarah commented.

      She could imagine Rachel nodding emphatically. “Yeah, girl. You sure were in pretty bad shape.”

      Rainy thought about how much she had been missing Jordan since their breakup. En route to the Miami cruise ship dock, Sarah had stopped at a light, and a tall, chocolate-brown man jogged past. He looked so much like her ex-fiancé Jordan she had to fight to stay in the car. She had pressed her hands together when he paused at the light. While running across the street, the jogger glanced at the car. She had frowned as she looked at the stranger, disappointed that her imagination was playing tricks on her again.

      That had been happening a lot, her seeing a man and assuming it was Jordan. The second time it had happened was when she attended a gospel concert with Sarah and Rachel. She’d dropped her pizza and soda while grabbing the stranger’s arm. He pulled away as Coke and food splattered on his white T-shirt. She muttered an apology as he disappeared in the crowd. Closing her eyes, she recalled the sweet memories of her ex-fiancé. But thoughts of his infidelity reminded her of why he was no longer in her life.

      Rachel huffed through the receiver, bringing Rainy back to the present. “Don’t zone out on us! I just asked you a question and you didn’t answer.”

      Rainy shook her head slightly and sat on the bed, gazing at the fancy fruit basket. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”

      “I asked if you received the fruit basket.”

      She continued to stare at the basket. “Yes, I got it. Thanks, it was sweet of you two to send it to me.”

      Sarah chuckled. “And you still haven’t told us if you’re okay. Will you be all right on that cruise all by yourself?”

      Thoughts of her romantic evening with Winston Michaels filled her mind. “You two shouldn’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

      Sarah continued. “Well, I’m thinking about booking a cruise in the future. Are there any eligible men on the ship? I’m determined to find myself a husband.”

      Rainy rolled her eyes. “Oh, brother,” she muttered.

      Rachel grunted. “Sarah, some of us aren’t as desperate as you are to find a man! Don’t you know you need to find happiness within yourself before you go on some big manhunt?”

      When Sarah and Rachel broke into an argument, Rainy knew it was time to end the call. “You two stop fighting. I think it’s time for us to get off of the phone.”

      Their argument stopped and Rachel commented, “Well, we don’t want to keep you, girl. We’ll say a prayer for your safety and be sure to call us when you stop at your ports of call.”

      Rainy said goodbye to her friends, touched that they were so concerned about her safety during this cruise. She replaced the receiver on the cream-colored phone. Nostalgia filled her soul as she realized she really did miss her friends even though she’d only been gone for less than a day.

      She again thought about the evening she’d just spent with Winston. She removed her journal from the desk drawer and wrote about Winston Michaels and about the cruise. Her fingers flew across the paper, as words flowed from her hands, describing her curiosity about Winston and her desire to know everything about him. She stopped writing suddenly, gazing at the cream-colored walls.

      I feel like I opened myself up, and told him all kinds of things about me, but he made no effort to tell me about himself. Could Winston be hiding something from me?

      Chapter Two

      “Come on, Winston, let’s trick her again!” suggested Pam. Winston was seven years old, and Pam’s mischief was in full swing that day. He nodded and they hid while his mother called their names. They jumped out of the closet. “Boo!” they yelled.

      “Come out of there!” Their mother glared at them as they scrambled out of the closet.

      Cold rivulets of sweat dripped down Winston’s forehead as he awakened. He blinked and stared around the small unfamiliar room, baffled. His heavy breathing slowed as the gentle sway of the boat calmed his frazzled nerves.

      Memories of boarding the cruise ship the previous day crashed his mind as he pushed the quilted comforter from his sweaty body. He stood on his shaky legs as he willed his muddled mind to awaken. Pam continued to plague him in his dreams, and he wondered when he would be able to sleep through the night.

      While engulfing deep breaths of air, he stretched. He plodded to the closet and removed his carry-on suitcase. He dropped it onto the bed and opened it. The caramel-colored bottle of Scotch remained nestled among the folds of his garments. His dry, parched throat could use a sip of cool sweetness, and nothing would taste sweeter than a drink of Scotch. He licked his lips as he continued to stare at the enticing bottle.

      The alcohol had been a bon voyage gift from one of his co-workers. All of his friends and acquaintances knew he didn’t drink alcohol, but sometimes a person or two did forget about his beliefs. He removed the bottle and opened it. His lips were inches away from the nozzle, and he inhaled deeply.

      Clutching the bottle, he walked into the bathroom and poured the rich brown liquid down the toilet. The sound of it flushing away gave him an odd sense of relief and sorrow. Trudging back into the bedroom, he placed the empty bottle on his dresser. Since Pam’s death I’m finding it harder to stick to my sobriety vows. Jesus, help me.

      He opened his heart and mind to the Holy Spirit. Tension eased from him as he gazed at the weak sunshine sifting through the window. Enjoying the warm glow, he turned toward the clock.

      “It’s so early,” he mumbled. I wonder if they serve breakfast at seven o’clock on this ship. As he pulled cruise ship brochures and pamphlets from the desk drawer, he forced his near-slip from his mind, causing him to remember his late night with Rainy Jackson. She was a breath of fresh air!

      Entering his bathroom, he took a long, hot shower. He dressed in the first pair of swimming trunks and T-shirt he found in his drawer. Minutes later, he walked the length of the dining room and scanned the tables, surprised that a lot of elderly couples were already up, enjoying their meals.

      Where was Rainy? His stomach