Figured It Out

Bringing the Bella down from full to normal speed I stay on course for the passage. As the minutes tick by I start to become concerned about what was keeping Winona and Grandpa and before long I am **** to bring us down to slow, or around 5 knots. My worries rise as Winona returns alone.

“Wh-What’s wrong?”

Hovering by the door Winona looks back down the steep stairs. “He’s coming. He took a bit to get going.”

“He d-d-doesn’t usually take that long waking up.”

“Avery. Baby.” She says softly. “He’s an elder and he’s ill. He goes at his own pace. Are we in a hurry?”

“No. Not really.”

“There ya go.” She says, though for the first time I sensed her concern rising as well. “He seems okay but…” Her voice trails off a moment. “He told me he was going to see the doctor after the weekend. You should probably make sure he does that.”

“I w-will.”

She smiles and pats my arm. “Here he comes.”

You wouldn’t have known a thing was wrong with him as Grandpa comes scampering up the steps and into the bridge as scruffy and bright-eyed as ever.

“Cap’n on deck!”

“Sir!” I snap to attention.

He chuckles and comes in behind me to lay his hands over my shoulders.

“H-How are you doing?”

“Never better!” He says. “Been a long time since I’ve been woken up by a beautiful woman. I thought an angel had come to take me home.”

“Ha! Angel!?” Winona guffaws. “Behave.”

“You are h-home, Grandpa.” I mutter.

He squeezes my shoulders. “I was summoned?”

“We’re c-coming into the islands.”

“Water?”

“Calm.”

“Wind?”

“Eight knots, coming in straight from the West.”

“That it?” He says. “It’s nothing you can’t handle, Buttercup. Take us in.”

“Me!? B-But…I’ve never…” My heart starts to beat faster as the vice of anxiety squeezes in around it. “You’ve alway t-taken this part.”

“A first time for everything.”

“I c-can’t…”

“You can.” He says warmly. “I’ve seen you manage far trickier maneuvers in the harbor. You’ve got a deft touch there, my boy. A real natural.”

“B-But that’s the harbor. It’s s-safe there.”

“What’dya think, Win?” He asks. “Think Avery can handle it?”

“I know he can.” She says with a big confident smile. “You can do it, baby.”

That was no fair! In the past I’d always handed over the helm at this point no matter how much he encouraged me as I didn’t want to damage Bella or be the cause of a disaster. But with Winona looking on and urging me one how could I say no? Grandpa pats my shoulders then reaches over my right one to offer me his polarized shades. After a deep breath I take them and slip them on. Not only do they dim the glare of the sunny day they also help me see through the sheen of the water’s surface.

“Is looking cool needed for driving boats?” Winona laughs.

“For driving boats? Nah.” Grandpa says. “But it impresses the ladies.”

“Ha ha ha! It works!”

“Instruments.” He says.

I scan across the bank of screens and dials in front of me.

“Chart.”

“On course.”

“Radar.”

“Picking up the Trident p-port side.” I nod off to our left where the three jagged peaks that I’d been using to guide me were just passing by. My eyes then shift to the gap between the mainland and one of the near islets. “Passage ahead looks clear.”

“Sounder.”

“10 meters but a reef to p-port and shallowing to starboard.”

“Watch that portside.”

“Yes Sir.”

“What’s her draft?”

“Um…two and a half.”

“Two and a half?”

“S-Sorry. Two point seven m-meters.”

“There ya go. Now’s not the time for approximates. AIS.”

“N-Nobody in the area. A b-big container ship in the lee side strait but they’re w-way out. We’re alone out h-here.”

“Watch for pleasure cruisers, you never know where they’ll pop up.”

“Aye.”

“She’ll drift starboard on ya about halfway through. Be ready.” He pats my shoulders then backs away. “Take us through.”

Winona is at my side watching the passage get closer and closer while at my back I can feel Grandpa’s eyes watching me. With them counting on me I block it all out and focus at the task at hand. Bringing up the throttle back back up a notch I hold our course steady. Yes I had to watch that reef to the left and yes the current made a sudden pull right just as Grandpa had warned but before I knew it…we were through! And it had been easy! So easy I thought that I must be missing something, but we were through and into the wide calm strait that followed Ehkolie’s South shore. In inclement weather I could imagine that would be a tricky spot but today it had been as easy as popping a wheelie on my dirt bike. Grandpa was right. He had put me through far more challenging maneuvers than this in the past.

“You’re in good hands, Anna.” Grandpa says, then pats my back. “Alls well?”

Looking back over my shoulder at him I nod. “Smooth sailing, C-Captain.”

With pride glimmering in his eyes he winks then excuses himself from the bridge to go grab himself a beer.

Far too caught up in the majestic scenery of Ehkolie to our left and the tail’s islands and islets to the right Winona was oblivious to my little personal victory. That was okay by me. I still stood taller and held my head higher.

“Ooo, man!” She marvels, rubbernecking left and right. “It’s beautiful!”

I nod up at the binoculars hanging beside her. “Keep a lookout and y-you’ll probably see some orca.”

“Killer whales? Seriously?”

“Oh yeah. They love hunting through here.” I point right to the criss-crossing straits and inlets that spread out like a web through Ehkolie’s tail. “We almost always s-see them here this time of year.”

“COOL!” She grabs the binoculars, gives me a hard hug and harder smooch, then hurries down and back out to the tip of the bow to start scanning the water for those telltale black blades slicing through the surface.

Before long Grandpa joins her. He hands her a cold one and starts to point things out in the distance. I smile. Just by his gestures and where he pointed I knew exactly what he was telling her. I even knew one or two of the jokes he told to make her laugh. It must have been awesome for him to have a fresh set of ears to hear his old Grandpa-isms. With me at the wheel looking after the driving the pair of them could just enjoy the ride. I liked that. It was…empowering. There was nothing like being at the wheel of a ship to make a person feel in control of their destiny.

It wasn’t more than an hour later when I notice Grandpa pointing something out in the open water. A hoot from below a moment later announces the spotting of a mother orca and her calf.

“AVERY!” Winona cries while pointing as hard as her arm could point. “Whales! Actual whales! Ha ha ha! There they are!” I smile and give her a wave. She brings the binocs up and watches them crest and blow. “AAAAHHH!!! There’s a baby one!!!”

Seeing my soulmate so jubilant I am pierced through my heart by my love for her all over again. Everything I ever wanted was right there in front of me. A beaming smile on his face Grandpa looks up at me a moment then back to her to share in her happiness. I look up at Grandma perched above the gift I’d brought just recently then out to the infinite blue skies beyond. In that moment everything just…made sense. Just when I thought I understood my grandfather yet another level of insight reveals itself. Other called him eccentric, some thought him cracked, but the way I saw he’d somehow figured it out. He’d cracked the mystery of life, love, and everything else worth knowing.

“I get it, Grandpa.” I whisper. “I really d-do.”

The whales parallel us for a short time then head on their way, leaving joy and a magical memory in their wake, while up ahead our destination for the evening slowly glides into view. This wonderful day promised more magic yet.