My Writer's Cramp Pieces

That Day at Sea

A young couple on an outing gets trapped by a raging sea...

That Day At Sea

         Mary Ann and I decided to row out a ways. Our boat was small, a loaner from a friend. Neither of us knew much about boats except that this one smelled like fish, and was old.

         We never planned to go far, but the day was calm, the sun was warm, and our cooler was filled with ham sandwiches, iced drinks, and some of her mother’s oatmeal cookies.

         I suppose I should introduce myself. I'm Teo -- Theodore James Wilson, a first year premed student at Baylor University on a full scholarship -- not the kind for poverty -- but for merit. Based on that, you can pretty well figure out that I wasn’t a dummy. But the day I took Mary Ann out in that small boat was the stupidest thing I’ve ever done.

         So far I’ve said little about Mary Ann. Where do I start? She has hair woven in sunbeams --there’s just no other way to describe it. And it's full of curls that make you want to grab hold and keep one of them in your fingers or at your lips forever.

         Mary Ann's eyes are the rarest shade of amber, fringed by dark-chocolate eyelashes that she flits downward with the most teasingly, delightful flutters you've ever seen. The lightest sprinkling of freckles dots her nose – angel kisses, my grandma used to call such things. I'm not sure about the angels, but I know those freckles drive me wild with desire.

         And even on that day, when my foolishness almost took our lives, Mary Ann's dimples still smiled at me. And throughout what came, she never once gave in to angry words or berated me for my stupidity. Perhaps her freckles are not really angel kisses, I think they are the sign that Mary Ann is an angel.

         That day, full of happiness for the warm pleasure of being together, we ran to the boat. I pushed it forward into the bay, and Mary Ann sat on the seat perfectly straight, her posture that of a queen.

         I almost fell, I was staring at her so hard. The boat nearly slipped from my grasp. But I recovered, jumped in and paddled us further out.

         We crested the waves -- a wild ride for a bit, and then I steered toward calmer waters. It seemed the further I took us from the shore, the less the up and down movement of the water, so I rowed for quite awhile.

         Then I sat back and enjoyed our visit, drinking in Mary Ann’s beauty. We finished lunch, and then she rested her head in my lap. Heaven could come no closer.

         Such a pleasant, idle day, we spent bobbing gently up and down. The rhythm of the waves seemed to spread its spell on us. Mary Ann fell under first. I watched, enchanted as her eyes closed, and she fell into slumber. Although I spent some time studying the lips I hungered to touch, I too, at last grew weary and closed my eyes for a second.

         The boat drifted, and the sea began to churn, but I felt no trepidation as I slept. If I dreamed at all, it could only have been of the one asleep in my arms. But then, when the sky had darkened to gray, and the waves were a writhing serpent, I opened my eyes to see white water surging and cresting over the brim of our boat.

         At first I felt only a slightly apprehension at the sight, but then my terror grew fierce as I realized that land was no longer in sight. I cried out. Mary Ann's eyes opened and she stared worriedly into mine. I knew I must stay calm for her sake.

         Gently, I disentangled myself from the softness of her body, rotated my head in every direction, and prayed for a clue. But neither my eyes, nor Mary Ann's could see the smallest hint of land.

         With a lump in my chest, I glanced up at the gulls flying overhead. They were all bound for the same direction. Could they be headed for land? If I was wrong...

         I kissed Mary Ann. Then I explained my idea. She saw my worry, and yet her eyes held no hesitation, only trust.

         “I'm going to paddle us in that direction,” I told her gently, waiting to hear her objections. She offered none. Her hand simply touched my shoulder and squeezed a moment, and then she nodded, and asked how she could help.

         At that moment rain began to fall, and I soon had need of her assistance. Mary Ann bailed as I rowed. It grew into a steady downpour, and her light blue skirt darkened to navy, her blouse grew see-through with wet, yet never a moment did she complain. She kept on bailing even when waves plastered her hair to her face and filled the boat faster than she could keep up.

         An hour later our boat tossed about like a twig on a fast-moving river, yet land was finally in sight. I paddled harder. Mary Ann bailed faster. With God’s grace we made it to land. My poor, sweet girl was exhausted, and my blistered hands were so painful I could scarcely move them.

         Rain-drenched and weak, we walked to the nearest inn, and there we flung ourselves on the mercy of the landlord. A kindly man, he wrapped blankets about us and plied us with food and hot drinks.

         We told our story to all who gathered around. I proclaimed my stupidity, but Mary Ann insisted on speaking of my bravery.

         Even at the end of that horrid day, bedraggled and wet, with full justification for a shortness of temper, Mary Ann turned to me with a gentle smile and said, “Thank you, Teo, for saving my life. Because you were there, I was never once fearful. I knew that as long as I was with you, everything would be okay."

         Do you see why I'm convinced that Mary Ann is an angel?


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