You Have a Boat
Paige wants to learn to sail. Mack has a boat.
At the bar
Mack parked his truck near the side street entrance to the tiki bar and outdoor seating area of The Pirate’s Cave. He checked the clock on the truck’s display screen and noted it was 11:25 a.m.
I think they open at eleven, Mack thought to himself. I wonder where everyone is.
There were no customers visible in the tiki bar. One bartender behind the bar spotted Mack and said, “I’m sorry, sir, we don’t open until noon.”
The bartender was a slender, petite young lady with sandy blond hair and a slightly crooked smile.
“Oh, I thought you opened at eleven,” Mack replied. “I can come back.”
“Don’t move,” the second bartender said to Mack. This other bartender was a head taller than the first and appeared fit, yet with nice curves. Her off-the-shoulder black hair framed a smiling face and sparkling brown eyes. “I love your shirt. I have a schnauzer.”
Mack smiled and walked toward the bar.
“The shirt was a gift from my ex before she became my ex,” Mack explained. “When we split up, she got the dog, and I got the shirt.”
“Can I take a picture of your shirt?” the dark-haired young lady asked. “I want to show my mom. She’s going to love it.”
Mack shrugged his shoulders and said, “Sure. I guess that would be okay.”
The dark-haired young lady pulled out her phone and took two pictures of Mack’s shirt.
The bartender who first spoke laughed at her co-worker. Then she told Mack, “If you want to, you can sit here at the bar and drink a soda or some water until we open if you don’t mind watching us finish setting up the bar.”
“My first job was working in a restaurant. I used to help the bartender set up for the lunch trade every day,” Mack said. “I don’t mind waiting.”
Mack sat on a stool near the corner of the bar. The first bartender, the shorter girl with sandy blond hair and pale green eyes, informed him they served Pepsi products.
“Would you like a Pepsi?” the bartender asked, holding up an empty glass.
Mack nodded. “Sure. Pepsi’s fine.”
The dark-haired bartender, who had momentarily gone inside the restaurant, reappeared with a rack of bar glasses. “By the way,” she said to Mack. “I’m Sarah. This is my friend Paige.”
“I’m Mack. It’s very nice to meet you.”
Paige handed Mack his Pepsi and turned to resume the conversation she’d been having with Sarah before Mack walked in.
While Paige cut up lemons and limes, Sarah put away the clean bar glasses she brought from the kitchen. Mack opened his tablet and started reading. He had not read very far when Paige interrupted him.
“That’s country,” she said. “I’m just a country girl from Oklahoma.”
Mack played back in his mind Paige’s last few words and realized she was referring to her use of the expression “I reckon.” He laughed and told her, “I grew up cropping tobacco. You don’t have to explain country to me.”
“Do you live close by?” Paige asked as she finished cutting the last piece of lime and putting the pieces in the tray.
“I used to,” Mack said after sipping his Pepsi. “I grew up just up the road at Wrightsville Beach.”
Paige nodded and refilled Mack’s Pepsi from the soda gun. “Where do you live now?”
“Until the divorce, I lived in Raleigh,” Mack replied. “Right now, I’m living on my boat in the Yacht Club marina.”
Paige turned her full attention to Mack. “You live on a boat? What kind of boat?”
“It’s a 37-foot sloop,” Mack said. “A sailboat.”
A bright smile lit Paige’s face. “One reason I moved here from Oklahoma was to learn how to sail. One day, I’m going to own a sailboat and sail it from here to the Bahamas. I just need someone to teach me how to sail.”
The invitation to offer to teach her was clear from the hopeful look in Paige’s eyes.
“I’d be glad to teach you,” Mack said. “I was a sailing instructor at Camp Riversail up on the Neuse River on the other side of New Bern in my much younger days.”
Paige scoffed. “You don’t look that old to me.”
“Thank you,” Mack said with a bow of his head. “I try to stay in shape.”
“Whatever you’re doing is working,” Paige said. “Can you really teach me to sail?”
“When is your next day off?” Mack asked.
“If you’re serious,” Paige said as she handed him a lunch menu, “I’m off on Monday.”
“Meet me on the beach at Shoefits Cove Monday morning at eight o’clock,” Mack said. “Wear something you don’t mind getting wet in.”
Paige scrunched her brows. “Am I going to get wet?”
Mack laughed. “If you want to learn how to sail and not just how to steer the boat, then you’re going to get wet.”
At the cove
A bleary-eyed Paige found a wide-awake Mack waiting for her on the beach at Shoefits Cove on Monday morning at eight o’clock. Mack wore red beach britches, a light blue swim shirt, and sandals. A pair of sports sunglasses protected his Arctic blue eyes from the morning sun.
Mack watched Paige approach, taking in the loose-fitting white t-shirt that stopped just short of hiding the bikini bottoms she wore. On her feet, she wore a pair of Sperry boat shoes.
Paige’s sandy blond hair hung loosely around her shoulders. A pair of aviator sunglasses hid her pale green eyes. Mack patted the pocket of his beach britches to ensure the glasses strap he’d brought for her was there.
“Good morning,” Mack said when Paige was close enough to hear him without shouting. “Are you ready for your first sailing lesson?”
“That’s why I’m here,” Paige answered. “Where’s your boat?”
Mack pointed at the small sailboat pulled up on the beach. “For your first lesson, this is our boat.”
Paige took a step back. “I should have known. You don’t even own a sailboat, do you?”
A puzzled look crossed Mack’s face and then a scowl. “Did you think I was going to take you out on a thirty-seven-foot cruiser for your first lesson?” He shook his head and said, “I tell you what, let’s leave this boat here for a few minutes. I’ll take you over to my boat so you can see I actually have one. Once you’re convinced, if you still want to learn how to sail, we can come back here and start your lesson.”
Paige’s shoulders slumped. “Mack, I’m sorry for jumping to the wrong conclusion. Guys constantly hit on me at work, and for a minute, I was afraid you were just another one of those guys.”
Mack took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I should have met you on the dock and introduced you to my Casa en el Mar before bringing you down here to the beach to begin your lesson. Come on. I think you’ll like her.”
“Her?” Paige said, her warning lights flashing again.
“My boat,” Mack explained. “Her name is Casa en el Mar.
Paige’s warning lights stopped flashing, and an amused smile formed on her lips.
“Home on the sea,” Paige translated. “Yes, I’d like to meet her.”
© 2021 Douglas W Davis
© 2023 Douglas W Davis
