First Mates (5 page)

“Why?” As she held her fork in midair, she wondered if he'd lost his mind.

“Because I've been wanting to do something since I first met you, but I've been too embarrassed to ask.”

“Well, what did you want to do?” Her mouth watered for her strawberry pie. Layers of fresh berries and cream cheese were encased in the piecrust.

“I want to feed you.”

Her eyes widened as she gazed at the other people sitting on the boat, enjoying their meal. “Feed me? Why?”

He shrugged. “I know how much you want that pie, and feeding it to you will make me so happy.”

He removed the fork from her fingers before feeding her the first bite of luscious pie. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the sweet, tangy flavor. Winston relished the next bite. Back and forth they enjoyed the sweet treat until the fork scraped the crumbs from the plate. With a large ivory napkin, he brushed the crumbs from her lips. They then strolled to an outdoor deck.

The glowing sun dipped in the sky, turning the luminescent day into fading twilight. He placed his arm around her waist as they watched the horizon.

As the golden globe finally dipped over the horizon, she closed her eyes, basking in the happiness of being with Winston.

Soon, they walked back to the beach. Rainy's foot
steps were weary as they managed to find the last ferry to the cruise ship.

Passengers' voices chimed with delight as they talked about their day, the velvet blackness of the sky a testimony to the late hour. Rainy and Winston's silence was filled with peace and comfort.

After they entered the deck of the cruise ship, Rainy walked around, suddenly full of energy. “I guess I shouldn't have had all that coffee during dinner. You know there's no midnight buffet this evening.”

“Did you want to spend the rest of the evening together? We could sit on deck and have something to drink.”

“That sounds like a good idea.”

“Why don't we go back to our rooms and drop our stuff off,” he suggested. “I'll walk you to your room first.” She nodded. They walked to her room, and she dropped her beach bag into her room and then she accompanied Winston to his room. She followed him into the cabin, anxious to see his private quarters. As soon as she entered she saw the empty bottle and she stopped, shocked.

“Winston, what's this?” His smile melted as she lifted the empty liquor bottle.

W
inston cringed as she gazed at the empty liquor bottle. Rainy's mouth dropped open as she fingered the thick container.

“Winston?”

“I think you'd better sit down. It's going to be a long night.” He pulled out a chair. After she sat, he opened a large bottle of water. He poured the beverage into foam cups.

She leaned her elbow against the desk, cupping her chin in her hand. Had God led her to this room tonight to show her that Winston was a phony Christian like Jordan?

“I know you're probably upset and surprised, but could you just hear me out? Promise me you won't pass judgment about anything until I'm finished speaking, please?” His hazel eyes were full of warmth and compassion, and she forced herself to open her mind and heart, and listen to his words.

“I know I haven't told you a lot about myself since we've been on this cruise. I know all about you and your life on the farm. You've told me about how you came to accept Christ when you were twelve.” He paused and stared through the window.

“When I went away to college, it was the first time I'd ever lived away from home. I was nervous. I just wanted to continue to make good grades in school and I missed my folks.” He sipped his water.

“Well, when I was away at college, I found that I was nervous before exams. My roommate suggested that I try having a few drinks before I studied the night before a test. I was never a drinker before because my parents forbade it. However, I went ahead and tried his advice once. I found that the alcohol did relieve some of my anxiety.”

He paused for several seconds before continuing. “Anyway, from that moment on, I found that whenever I wanted to drown my pain and sorrows, I drank alcohol. Remember that woman I was involved with, the one I told you about earlier on the cruise? I'd mentioned that she joined the Peace Corps.”

She nodded. “You said her name was Tonya.”

“That's right. Well, I started drinking even more after she left. I managed to graduate from school and start working, but it took me a while to admit that I had a problem and to do something about it. I joined Alcoholics Anonymous and I started to lean on God. During my college years and a short time after that, I had almost abandoned God and I paid for it. I fell by the
wayside. But then I joined a church in the area in which I'd relocated and I visited my pastor.” He finished his water and he began to rip the foam cup into tiny pieces. “Anyway, Pastor Jake reminded me that we're all sinners. When we mess up, we just need to confess our sins and ask God to forgive us.”

Winston continued to speak and Rainy continued to listen. He spoke of his battle against alcoholism and the trials and tribulations in his life where he felt he had no choice but to drink. He also revealed that due to recent circumstances, he'd been tempted with the solace of alcohol again.

Her mind was crowded with so much information that she thought her head would explode. Questions and concerns scattered throughout her brain so fast that she didn't know which to ask first. Weak sunlight spilled through the window, announcing the dawn of a new day. She rubbed her forehead, gazing at the bottle. “When did you buy the bottle of Scotch?”

He sighed. “I didn't buy it. My co-worker purchased it for me as a gift. I guess he didn't realize that I didn't drink. He gave it to me right before I made the trip to the ship.” She sighed, running her fingers through her hair.

“Rainy, I know you're ready to go back to your cabin. You look tired enough to fall asleep on your feet. But before I walk you back to your room, I need to ask you something.” He fumbled with the torn cup. Rainy gazed into his troubled hazel eyes and nodded for him to continue.

“I want to know if you're mad at me. I still want to date you and everything. I just hope what I've revealed to you tonight won't be the catalyst that'll end our spending time together.” She abandoned her chair and sat beside him on the bed.

“I'm glad you told me about this. It just shows that you're willing to tell me the truth. As you said, we're all sinners and we need to admit to our transgressions and lean on God for support. It's hard being a Christian and living by God's rules, but with His help we can overcome our weaknesses.”

He nodded. “Amen to that. Part of my problem with my alcoholism was that I did put God on the back burner, not relying on Him for support. I feel that my faith is so much stronger now.”

She closed her eyes, sending a silent prayer to God to help Winston with his weakness. She opened her eyes and they shared a brief hug.

“How about you walk me to my room, Winston? I'm so tired.”

“I know you are.” Glancing around his small cabin, she was again reminded of the reasons why it was not a good idea to be alone with this gorgeous man for long.

“Come on.” He helped her up, and they walked to her cabin. “I'll see you later on today.” He gave her a small smile before she entered her room.

She took a long, hot shower. She washed away the dirt and sand accumulated during their daylong excursion on Grand Cayman. Lying between the crisp cot
ton sheets, Winston's testimony played in her mind. Relief flowed through her veins as she clutched her pillow. He trusted her, and she now knew he was a Christian. He had his struggles, but he now leaned on God to get him through the rough times.

Before sleep claimed her in its deep depths, she remembered another question she wanted to ask Winston. He said due to recent troubles he was tempted to drink again. She wondered what recent troubles he was referring to? Again she wondered why he was so sad. She needed to ask him all about this as soon as possible. She cared about him, and if he was going through a rough time, she wanted to be there for him as a friend.

 

The following day, the huge boat pulled into the port of Jamaica. The horn blew, announcing their arrival. Rainy breezed into the dining room in the middle of the morning and found Winston at their table, feasting on bacon and eggs. He signaled the waiter for coffee. “I can't wait to see the waterfall,” he commented.

Her mind was still full of concerns about what he had revealed the previous day, but she decided not to bring up the subject for the time being.

A few hours later, they trudged over rocks as they trekked to the falls. As the sun shone on the clear water, diamond chips seemed to sparkle on the surface. Rainy stopped and snapped another picture.

Since she had not had a lot of sleep the prior night, she found herself struggling to stay awake as they tried to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the tropical island. She
glanced at Winston throughout the day and noticed he was also having trouble staying awake.

As they conversed with natives and visited the gift shops, she saw him looking at some expensive Jamaican pottery. “Are you thinking about buying one of those?” The thick jugs were painted in dark bold colors and Rainy thought they would look nice as decorations in a living room.

“I might buy one for my mother. I haven't bought anything for her yet and I think she might enjoy this. She collects pottery.”

He selected one of the containers and told the clerk to gift wrap it for him. “I think I'll have them ship it to my parents' house. I don't feel like lugging it back with me.”

She gazed at his handsome profile, wanting to soak up as much information about his life as possible, like an eager sponge. “Do your parents live in Miami?”

He chuckled. “Not anymore.” He named a small Florida town, a few hours' drive from Miami, where they now lived since his father had retired. “I want to send her this vase now so that my mom can receive it and enjoy it for a while before they take their trip.”

Puzzled, she asked for more details. “What trip?”

“They bought one of those big trailer trucks and they want to drive around the country and see the sights.”

“By themselves?”

He continued to grin. “Yeah. Since my dad's retirement, they've been acting like they're teenagers again.”
He fondly shook his head. “I don't understand it, but as long as they're happy, I'm not going to worry about it.”

He filled out the necessary paperwork so that the clerk could ship the item to his parents' home.

“I'm sure your mother will enjoy her gift.”

He squeezed her shoulder. “I think she will, too.”

“Do you miss your parents since they've moved?”

“A little bit. I used to drop by and visit often when they were still living in Miami. Now that they're farther away, I can't see them as much as I'd like.”

“I'm sure they miss you, too.”

He shook his head. “I doubt it. I get the feeling they just wanted to get away from everybody and be by themselves. Sometimes I think they forget about me and my brother Deion.” He watched the clerk as she continued to wrap the vase. “As a matter of fact, I speak to my uncle Greg and aunt Gladys more than my parents.”

“Really?”

He nodded, explaining that his uncle was his father's brother and he grew up spending a lot of holidays at their house with his family.

When they returned to the ship that evening, they stood on the upper deck and enjoyed another midnight buffet. The stars twinkled in the sky, and she realized that the following day would be their last full day aboard the cruise ship.

 

Winston awakened late the following day. The bright sunlight spilled into his cabin. As he lay in bed, he
thought about what he had revealed to Rainy two nights ago.
I avoided mentioning our conversation yesterday, but I can sense that she has a lot of questions about my drinking problem.

Rubbing his eyes, he finally struggled out of bed. Gulping a large glass of water, thoughts of the fattening meals served on the cruise entered his mind. While at home, he frequented the gym at least three or four times a week. The ship had a small gym on the first level, and during this trip he had not exercised even once.

He changed into his workout clothes and strolled to the gym. He would get at least an hour of exercising done before he indulged in a tasty lunch. Opening the door, he spotted Rainy on the treadmill.

 

A breath of air flew across her skin as the door swayed open. She groaned, wishing to be alone for her workout. A soft gentle smile curled Winston's lips as he entered the gym. His light-colored warm-up suit clashed with his cocoa-brown skin. “Hi, there.” Selecting the adjacent treadmill, he threw his gym bag on the floor. “I'm glad we're the first ones in the gym this morning.”

“Hi, Winston.” Her disappointment disappeared like ice during a spring thaw. She smiled as she adjusted the speedometer.

He set the treadmill to his desired speed. “I didn't know exercise was part of your routine.”

“Yeah, me and Jordan.” She paused. “We used to go
running together all the time. I've missed my workouts since I've been on this cruise.”

“I agree with you about that.” His feet pounded against the running machine. Adjusting the controls of her treadmill again, she gazed around the gym. The room was small and it contained three treadmills, three StairMasters, a weight bench and a section set aside for aerobics. The alabaster walls and cool temperature made a comfortable workout atmosphere.

Soon she was running along with Winston. She ran five miles and Winston ran six and a half. She did toning and stretching exercises while he lifted weights. When they were finished with their workout, they poured cups of water from the cooler and sat on a mat. They leaned against the wall and drank their beverages. Moisture caused her outfit to stick to her skin like glue, and vivid thoughts of a long, hot shower played in her mind.

Winston's labored breathing slowly became steady. “So, did you sleep well last night?”

She nodded. “The ship lulled me to sleep.” She paused and took another drink of water. “You know, I wanted to talk to you about what you told me a couple of nights ago. But I didn't bother mentioning it while we were in Jamaica yesterday.” She sighed. “I did think about what you revealed to me. I've been thinking about it for the past couple of nights. I think it was brave of you to tell me about your experience, and I'm glad that you trust me.”

“Thank you.”

“But I did have another question that I wanted to ask you.” She placed her empty water cup aside. “I wanted to know what's been on your mind lately. You had said that you were tempted to take a drink the other day and that you poured the Scotch down the drain. Is something wrong? Did something happen to you recently?”

She watched him, wondering if he was okay. There were times after her breakup with Jordan when she was at the end of her rope. However, with the support of her church family, and prayer, she found that she could cope with such a devastating disappointment.

He dropped his cup on the mat. “Yes, as a matter of fact something did happen to me recently. It happened six months ago.” She wiped her sweat with a towel as she waited for him to continue.

“I lost a family member six months ago.”

“Oh? Somebody died?”

He nodded. “It was my twin sister, Pam.”

She gasped, clutching her cup. “I'm so sorry, Winston. What happened?”

“She died of cancer. This Sunday will be the first birthday I'll be spending alone without her. That's why my brother Deion gave me this cruise as a gift. He knew how hard my first birthday without her would be.”

“Oh, I honestly don't know what to say.” She wondered how to offer her warmth and comfort. “I guess you two were pretty close?”

He nodded. “I was real close to my sister. We used to get into a lot of mischief while we were growing up, and she initiated it most of the time.” He chuckled, his
hazel eyes twinkling with warmth. “I still think about her a lot, and I dream about her, too. That was why I almost had a drink a few mornings ago. I had just had another dream about Pam. I just feel so sad sometimes. It just overwhelms me. I'm learning to deal with the pain, though. I'm not hurting nearly as much as I was six months ago.”