by Sposs, Mike
“That was then, this is now. I have had so much happen to me in the last month, you can't deny that. I just want some time, and maybe the space will do us both some good,” she said.
Kevin persisted. “There has to be more to this. Is it something I did, or failed to do?” he asked.
“Kevin, it is not anything like that at all. I want our relationship to be just as it is. I love you dearly. I just don't want either one of us doing this under duress. There is no need to rush. You are going out to sea, and I will be fully occupied in the short term. I am not turning you down. I am just telling you to wait a little,” Pat said pleadingly.
“I don't have any plans to get another boyfriend. You are the one I love. Trust me on this Kevin, and don't worry. You are the first one to ever propose to me and I think it's sweet of you. I can fight off those cowboys in Texas without a ring,” she said.
Kevin just sat there in silence. He thought about what Mr. Sharpe had said to him about Pat. “Your relationship with Pat Washington isn't likely to last once she is done going to school, unless you are ashore with her. If you are serious about her, give that some thought. I have given you a lot of advice over the years, and I haven't been wrong yet, have I?" he had said.
He comforted himself with the knowledge that at most he would be gone for three months. He didn't have to stay out six months if he didn't want to. He knew he would have to change something; he was not going to lose this girl. He couldn't hide his disappointment, but he didn't want to even begin to try to talk her into something as serious as this.
They walked slowly back to the condo. Pat worked on Kevin as they walked. She slowly got him to see her point. It dawned on him that he was being iterative again and she was ahead of him as usual. She wasn't going to play sea wife. She was going to get in front of that one from the get go. Once that thought hit him; he settled down and his mood improved at least a little. He knew himself that he didn't want to sail that much longer either. The detail wasn't there, but the big picture was.
The next day, Kevin got his ship. The S.S. Diane was going to be his new home for the next several months. Kevin went aboard and looked her over. He brought Pat with him so she could get a taste of what the life was about. He gave her a quick look at the bridge, engine room, cargo holds, and his quarters. Pat was amazed at how compact everything was, and concerned about how old the boat was.
Kevin just shrugged, "This is actually a dying industry Pat. Once maritime subsidies go away, these boats are going away. This is the cash cow stage of life, as the current crop of Boston Consulting Group MBAs would say. The owners are milking this as hard as they can. When the milk is gone, they will buy foreign flag vessels and operate them with foreign crews that are way cheaper than union labor," he said.
They kissed and said their goodbyes under the shadow of the Diane. "Well, it's back to the old ways for us, back to writing letters back and forth. It's not like we haven't done this before," said Pat forlornly. Kevin watched from the ship's stern as she waved. The big old boat singled up the lines, and finally slipped a remaining spring line. She was already pointed downstream; the tide and river current were running together. Within minutes, she was clear and heading down the channel to sea.