A Sunset in Sydney

by Sandy Barker

  Ignoring my astute inner voice, I leant into him, telling myself not to ruin the day. I’d sort everything out some other time. Siobhan seemed to understand without me uttering a word and the three of us stood together in silence, smiling faces tipped to the sun, as we sailed towards Molokini.

  When the boat finally approached the atoll, I realised with delight that it was a lush, green crescent. For some reason, I’d been expecting bare volcanic rocks, like we’d seen along the coastline. Offset against the vibrant sky, it was breathtaking. Even the sight of half a dozen other boats anchored in the atoll didn’t dampen my excitement.

  “This is going to be incredible,” I said, almost to myself.

  “And look at the water,” said Siobhan. “I haven’t seen this colour before. It’s stunning.” She was right. “We should name it,” she said.

  “What a lovely idea,” I said, turning to her.

  “Oh, I like to name colours, especially when they’re like this, rare, you know?” She stared down into the water. It wasn’t just one colour, but a fluid amalgam of many shades of blues.

  “Let me know what you come up with,” said Josh, taking his phone out of his pocket. “I’m going to get some more shots.” He smiled at me before heading towards the bow of the boat.

  Siobhan and I were silent while we each searched for the perfect name for the colour of the water. Just as “fifty shades of great” popped into my mind, Siobhan leant over and in a near-whisper said, “Cobalt from the blue.”

  I actually gasped. “I love it,” I said, and she beamed.

  “It’s ours.” We grinned at each other.

  *

  It’s very difficult to giggle underwater and not fill your snorkel and mask with water. I discovered this while giggling underwater. The fish at Molokini were not just plentiful, they were also very friendly, and when fish are friendly with pretty much every part of your body, it tickles, which makes you laugh. I came up to clear my mask for about the sixth time—I’d lost track by that stage.

  Josh popped up beside me and we both treaded water, our fins flowing through the water below us.

  “You keep laughing,” he said, laughing at me.

  “I know. They keep tickling me.”

  “Isn’t this incredible?” he asked rhetorically.

  I replied anyway. “It’s incredible. I had no idea there were places like this. The water is so clear.” I held my breath and stuck my mask below the surface of the water, so I could see to the sandy bottom below us. The water was around fifteen metres deep where we were, with near-perfect visibility to the ocean floor the whole way down.

  I lifted my head from the water just as a woman started screaming, “My ring! I’ve dropped my ring! Oh, my god, my engagement ring!”

  She was one of the honeymooners. There were four honeymooning couples on board, and I had quickly confirmed to the crew that Josh and I were not a fifth one. This woman had obviously ignored the skipper’s advice about not wearing jewellery into the water, and I only felt mildly upset for her—the skipper had been quite clear about the risk.

  We watched as one of the crew members donned flippers, took off his shirt, and dived into the water. He emerged next to the woman and asked where she thought she’d lost it. She pointed to the area where they’d been snorkelling, which was close to the atoll wall and probably not very deep. Then he took a big breath and went under the water. Josh and I shared a look, then put our masks on so we could watch the rescue mission unfold.

  The crew member swam around close to the ocean floor, and it looked like he was being careful not to upset the sand as he searched. He didn’t have any breathing gear—he was free-diving—so he had to come up for breath a few times. The woman and her new husband, meanwhile, had re-boarded the boat. She looked like she’d gone into shock, and another crew member wrapped a towel around her as she sat sobbing inconsolably on the deck.

  It was all very dramatic, and that’s coming from me.

  The diver came up for air a fourth time and he must have spotted the ring, because then he swam directly to something, picked it up, then swam to the surface and held up the ring. By this time, most people from the boat were watching—some from the deck and some bobbing in the water like us—and there was a round of cheers and applause.

  The bride got to her feet, tears hastily wiped away, and jumped up and down squealing with delight. She grinned at her obviously relieved husband. The crew member climbed on board, slipped off his flippers, and presented her with the ring. She put it on her finger before throwing her arms around his neck and hugging him tightly. “Thank you, thank you, thank you,” she said. When she released him, still grinning, he seemed a little embarrassed by all the attention.

  That was when the skipper called out over the loudspeaker, “Now the entertainment is over, folks, lunch is served. We have a wonderful buffet for you on the deck. Soft drinks are included, and alcohol is available for purchase at the bar.”

  “Should we go up?” asked Josh.

  “Yep. I’ll follow.” I swam behind him to the boat where we queued to climb aboard. Crew members were collecting and rinsing our snorkels, masks, and fins, ready for us to use again when we got to the turtle-watching spot later in the day.

  We made our way over to where we’d left our stuff and I retrieved our beach towels from my bag. I wanted to dry off and put something on over my bikini, because the sun was high in the sky and I didn’t want to get burnt. “Seen Siobhan?” I asked Josh.

  He shook his head and ran a towel over his hair. “I saw her in the water earlier, but I didn’t see her when the ring was being rescued.”

  “Fancy wearing an expensive diamond ring into the ocean,” I scoffed.

  “Fancy buying someone an expensive diamond ring,” Josh scoffed back. Wonderful. So “anti-relationship Josh” was making an appearance. I ignored him and slipped on a T-shirt and a pair of shorts and slid my feet into my flip-flops.

  Just then, I heard a huge laugh which I knew belonged to our missing Irishwoman. “Well, we found Siobhan,” I said, heading towards the sound of her voice. She was seated at the bar, charming one of the crew members.

  “Sarah, Josh, come and meet Paddy,” she called out, waving us over.

  “Hello Paddy,” I said as we got within earshot. Paddy smiled as he cut a lime into slices.

  “He’s Irish,” said Siobhan. I had figured as much with a name like Paddy. She took a sip from a plastic cup and cooed, “Ooooh, this is delicious.”

  “Would you like one?” Paddy asked me and Josh.

  “What are you making?” asked Josh.

  “It’s a caipirinha,” he replied.

  “Two,” I said, raising my hand. Josh flicked an amused glance at me.

  “My treat,” added Siobhan.

  “No, you got us drinks yesterday,” I protested.

  She wasn’t having it. “Put them on my tab, Paddy.” She’d been there long enough to run up a tab?

  “Did you like the snorkelling?” Josh asked her.

  “I loved it. Beautiful. But I was starting to get pink—I’ve got my grannie’s pale skin, I’m afraid—so I popped back on board. That’s when I met Paddy.” I was guessing she was on her second drink, or maybe her third.

  Paddy shook the cocktail shaker, placed two plastic cups on the bar, filled each with some fresh mint, muddled the leaves, and poured out the cocktails. He added a slice of lime to each and handed them across the bar.

  “To my new besties, Josh and Sarah.” We three tapped our cups together and Josh and I took a sip.

  “Mmm, that is delicious. Thank you.”

  “A pleasure,” Paddy replied with a smile.

  A line had formed behind us, so we stepped to the side. “Did you want to come get some lunch?” I asked Siobhan.

  “Oh, the buffet! I had completely forgotten. Let’s go and see.”

  “I can take our drinks over to where our stuff is, if you like?” Josh offered. “I’ll grab my lunch after you.” It was a go
od plan, as it would be a little tricky to juggle a drink and a plate while trying to load it up. After she paid her tab, I grabbed Siobhan’s hand and pulled her towards the line for the buffet.

  “So, how are you doing?” I asked. I had been wondering how she felt about being on board with a bunch of honeymooners, considering she was supposed to be one too.

  She didn’t even pretend that she had no idea what I was talking about. The smile vanished, her shoulders drooped, and she sighed heavily. “Oh Sarah. In truth it’s been harder than I thought. I didn’t even consider that coming here alone I’d be surrounded by people celebrating their new marriages. What was I thinking?”

  I wasn’t sure what to say to her, so I just reached over and squeezed her arm. She turned back towards the front of the queue.

  My last break-up had been completely different to Siobhan’s. I’d been so furious with my ex that the anger had carried me through the grief. Sure, there were times when I was sad about the break-up, but I didn’t really miss him. Mostly, because he’d cheated with a friend of mine and we’d been together less than a year. Whereas Siobhan and Liam had been together for an aeon. And even if they weren’t passionately in love, she clearly still loved him. She must have missed him like crazy.

  We eventually made it to the buffet table and let’s just say they hadn’t scrimped. Even Siobhan perked up a bit when we saw the spread of seafood and salads. I piled as many prawns on my plate as I could, added some salad, and grabbed a knife and fork. If I’d been a more dextrous person, I would have made a plate for Josh, but being a klutz comes with its limits.

  We went back to Josh, picking our way carefully around people who were sprawled on the deck of the boat. Not surprisingly, we’d taken so long that his drink was finished and the ice in mine had melted. We sat down as he got up.

  “Wow, that looks good,” he said.

  “There’s still lots left and there shouldn’t be much of a line now,” I replied. When he left, I picked up a prawn and broke its head off. I tossed it into the water and watched as a handful of fish made a beeline for it. I then peeled off the shell and popped the pink and white flesh in my mouth. Delicious.

  I realised that Siobhan was watching me in horror. “What?” I asked.

  “I can’t believe you can just rip its head off like that. Don’t you get squeamish?”

  I laughed. “No, definitely not. I’ve been eating prawns like this since I was little. Hang on, does that mean you’ve never had a prawn?”

  “Well, no, I have. You know those little tiny ones that come in take-away fried rice?” I knew the ones. I pitied the person whose job it was to take their heads and shells off. How fiddly.

  “Here.” I expertly shucked a prawn and handed it to her. She took it with a slight frown on her face. Then she shrugged and took a big bite. I watched her chew, her expression changing. She swallowed.

  “Oh, feckin’ ’ell! That’s fantastic. That’s the best thing I’ve had in my mouth in ages!” She laughed loudly at her own crudeness, then popped the rest of prawn in her mouth. By the time Josh got back with his plate, we’d eaten all the prawns and Siobhan was a fairly decent prawn shucker. “I’m going back for more,” she said, jumping up and taking our plates with her.

  “What was that about?” asked Josh.

  “Siobhan has discovered the prawn.”

  “Ahhh, yes, an important milestone in any woman’s life.” That made me laugh, and he smiled his shy smile—the one where he’s trying to be funny, but he’s not quite sure if he’s pulling it off.

  Siobhan came back with two plates piled high with prawns. I should have told her that I’d had my fill, but she was so keen to get her shucking time down, I let her do all the heavy lifting and ate a few more. Josh had some too, but Siobhan ate the bulk of them.

  “These are now my absolute favourite thing to eat in the entire world.” As someone who’s no stranger to hyperbole, I loved her effusiveness. Just then, Paddy arrived holding a tray with three caipirinhas on it. I looked at Siobhan, who looked at me, and then we both looked at Josh.

  He just shrugged. “My treat.”

  “A man after my own heart,” said Siobhan taking one of the drinks from the tray. I noticed that she winked at Paddy and he smiled back.

  When Paddy left, I turned to Siobhan. “He’s cute.” I raised my eyebrows at her.

  “Paddy? Oh, I suppose if you like tall, handsome men, he’s okay.” I rolled my eyes. “I asked him out, you know.”

  “You did not!” I laughed when she nodded and sipped her drink. “Good for you, Siobhan!”

  Josh joined in, “So, when are you seeing him?”

  “Tonight. We’re going for burgers and beer.”

  “Brilliant!” I declared.

  She grinned. “And we may get a chance to do some other stuff too,” she added, then giggled. Josh and I shared a look. I was very happy that our new friend was getting back on the horse, so to speak.

  *

  An hour or so later, the boat was anchored just off the coast at the primo spot for seeing sea turtles. We all lined up to collect our snorkelling gear, and I was one of the first people off the boat, eager to see a sea turtle for the first time.

  I bobbed in the water waiting for Siobhan and Josh to join me, paddling my flippers slowly to keep me afloat. Just then a head popped up out of the water and an ancient-looking face regarded me. I was so gobsmacked to see a turtle up close, I forgot to call out to my friends. The turtle and I watched each other, and then it disappeared below the surface.

  I rushed to get my mask and snorkel on, and when I looked below the surface, there were actually five turtles below me! I paddled my flippers gently so I could stay in one place as much as possible while I watched them. They moved so gracefully, their flippers barely moving, almost as if they were swimming in slow motion.

  One of the turtles swam too close to another, and the second turtle turned and snapped at the first. It made me laugh, but I stopped as soon as I started. I didn’t want to have to surface again to clear my mask. The turtles were moving away from me, so I started kicking my fins to follow. Josh appeared beside me, tapping me on the shoulder. I waved and he waved back. I held up five fingers and pointed at the turtles and he nodded and gave me a thumbs-up.

  After what must have been about fifteen minutes, the turtles we’d been following got too far ahead of us. I wanted to turn back, so I stopped swimming, lifted my head out of the water and took off my mask. Josh came up next to me and took his off too.

  “Wow!” I said, half-smiling, half-laughing. “That’s one of the best things I’ve ever seen. Thank you again for booking this trip for us.”

  He swam closer and pulled me to him, our legs entwined underwater. “I’m glad you’re enjoying it. It’s fun watching you have such a good time.” He pulled me closer and kissed me, a kiss that was salty from the seawater and sweet from the cocktails. When he pulled away, he said, “You’re beautiful, do you know that?”

  I very much doubted I looked beautiful with wet, salted hair plastered to my head, a snorkelling mask resting on my forehead, and no makeup on, but he looked so earnest I just said, “Thank you.”

  “You are. I know you don’t think you are, but your joyfulness—how much you love being here—that’s what makes you beautiful.”

  “Oh.” It was a lovely thing to say and I rewarded him with another kiss.

  The skipper’s voice called out over the loudspeaker, “Fifteen more minutes, folks, then back in the boat.”

  “Let’s find Siobhan,” I said. I started swimming towards the boat, not bothering with my mask and snorkel. I looked for her amongst the other bums in the air, and saw her red swimsuit and black hair floating close to the boat. “There,” I said to Josh and he nodded. We swam over, and I tapped her on the shoulder.

  She sputtered a little as she lifted her head out of the water. “Sorry,” I said. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”

  She laughed her hearty Siobhan laugh. “Oh, no mi
nd. How brilliant is this, then?” she asked.

  “Did you see some turtles?” Josh asked.

  “Yes, there’s a bunch right below us.”

  “Oh cool.” I pushed my mask down and popped my snorkel in my mouth. Josh and Siobhan did the same and the three of us bobbed next to each other as we watched another pod. I would find out later from a crew member that it’s a “flotilla” of sea turtles. They were my new favourite animal.

  We heard the bell ring underwater and lifted our heads. “Time to re-board the boat, folks,” said the skipper. There was a collective groan from the group, as though we were schoolkids and he’d just shortened recess.

  We made our way back onto the boat, surrendering our equipment and gathering our things. The bar on the boat was closed, but we promised to meet for a pre-date drink at the resort before Siobhan went out with Paddy.

  The rest of the boat trip and the ride in the van were reasonably quiet. It had been a big day—exciting and fun, but also quite tiring. I was looking forward to a long hot shower before we met Siobhan for a drink.

  Chapter 13

  So, the hot shower turned into hot sex—one of the benefits of having a shower built for two. We were late to meet Siobhan for the drink, but only by a few minutes. She didn’t seem to mind—or perhaps she didn’t notice—because when we got to the bar, she was chatting up the bartender.

  Just seeing her made me happy. She was one of those people who radiated good humour and joy, and considering what she’d been through, I thought that made her even more lovable. As we approached, she said something to make the bartender laugh and when she saw us, she greeted us with, “Oh, hello you two,” and a broad grin.

  I gave her a hug as though I’d known her for years, because that’s how I felt, and Josh and I sat on the barstools either side of her as she introduced the bartender. “This is Keone,” she said, laughter still lingering in her voice. Siobhan was making friends all over Maui.

  “Aloha,” said Keone. We heard it dozens of times a day, and I didn’t think I’d ever get tired of it. Although it’s most often used as a greeting and to farewell someone, it actually means “love, peace, and compassion”—isn’t that a lovely thing to say to people?