Mañana - A Better Day

"Oh...whatever your speed in knots is, you add about ten percent and that's about miles per hour." Jim said, "Okay, watch as I turn the wheel. As the rudder turns the boat, the headsail and the mainsail will stay with the wind, or at least try to. When you reach too far and they can no longer follow the wind, you've hit a dead sail. That means the wind is blowing in a completely wrong direction and your sails aren't doing anything."

He turned the boat and it tipped alarmingly. The sails started to flutter about, no longer pulled taunt by the wind.

"Are we gonna tip over?!" Emily squeaked in surprise.

"Nah, she's got a real deep keel on here and it'll keep the boat upright...for the most part. Don't sail completely sideways to the wind when it's nasty out. It could capsize if it pushes hard enough." Jim explained, "You can watch here as I turn the rudder back around, the ship will naturally right itself when the ocean moves. The sails will pull taunt again and...we're off!"

The speed wasn't exactly eye-splitting or even fast, but it did seem exciting.

"So does this boat have an engine? What if something goes wrong with the sails?" Emily asked.

"Yea, there's an old gas engine in the boat. It's a little seventy five that'll push this ship. This ship is about thirty feet long so you can't expect great speed out of the engine." Jim said, turning the wheel sharply so that the ship turned tightly, leaning out far.

"Whoa!" Emily squealed, grabbing the railing near her.

"Alright. So that's half the sailing. Here's the other half. Sailing into the wind is going to be a necessity if you are going to get anywhere." Jim explained, "Now this is done by cross-cutting the wind. You make long lengthy switch-backs that will take you into the wind. This is one of the most challenging things because if you head too far into the wind, you'll come to a stop and if you sail to far over, you'll just head sideways. You have to find a good angle with the wind. Come here and take the wheel."

*******

They had been sailing for three hours already. Admittedly they had only run back and forth near Isle De Margarita, but Emily was extremely excited to know that she could just sail on her own. Right now the headsail was spy back around the cord and the mainsail was fluttering uselessly in the wind. Jim had showed her how to drop the anchor and keep the boat in the same area. Naturally they would float about and drift, but it would be slow and take time to get them anywhere.

Right now, Emily and Jim had fishing poles in their hands and were sitting on the side of the boat.

"We're really not catching much are we?" Emily asked, looking over at Jim.

"Well maybe the fish just aren't biting today. Best time to fish is at dusk anyway. When the sun is going down and the ocean so still warm from the sun." Jim said, reeling his line in.

"Wait, wait! Whoa! Come on! Yea!" Emily cheered, pulling back on her pole.

Her pole bent almost completely over as a fish fought on the other end of the line.

"Jim! Jim help!" Emily cried as the fish started to pull her towards the railing.

Jim wrapped his arms around Emily and grabbed the fishing pole in his hands. Together they pulled back hard on the pole. The line slacked and a fish leapt out of the water. Emily marveled in surprise at the huge fish that leapt into the sky. Shining in the sunlight, water splashed away from the giant, angry looking fish. It seemed to eye her cheekily as it turned over and sank back into the water. It disappeared under the water again and the pole was yanked forward in their hands.

"Holy crap! That Barracuda has to be at least five feet! Damn!" Jim laughed, "Come on! Pull!"

They dragged on the line and there was a loud twang. The line snapped and they were thrown back on the deck. Jim hit his head against the deck and Emily fell on top of him. She laughed loudly and pushed herself up, brushing her hair out of her face.

"Sorry Jim." Emily giggled, still lying on him as she looked down at him.

"You know that fishing line was forty pound line. That's one big fish." Jim said, looking up at Emily.

"I'm not gonna give up. I'll catch that bastard." Emily grinned widely, "The way he eyed me...he was making fun of me."

"Are you going to lay on me all day?" Jim asked, putting his arms around her waist.

Emily blushed and smiled. She decided to just throw morals and care to the wind. Leaning down, she kissed him on the lips and put her hands on his face. Jim stifled a laugh as he kissed back. Water splashed happily against the hull of the boat as they laid together on the deck, kissing and making out. Emily put her hands on the deck and pushed herself off Jim.

"Come on, let's go down on the bed." Emily said, turning to the hatch that led into the ship's cabin.

The cabin was a simple, but cozy one. It had a few cupboards, a bathroom, a single propane burner for a stove and a bed in the bow of the boat. Behind the bathroom, towards the rear, was the engine compartment that held the ship's tools, spare parts and the old engine. Emily climbed down the ladder and led the way over to the bed.

"This is surprising coming from you Emily. I figured you to be uptight about your sex life." Jim said, "Desdemona sure described it that way."

"Shut up before I come to my senses." Emily said sharply before putting her arms around his waist, "And neither of us want me to do that right now."

"Alright, alright, I won't argue." Jim smiled, "Glad to see you loosening up."

"Shut up." Emily said again, kissing Jim on the lips, "Forget all the pleasantries. Let's just have sex already."

Jim grinned and undid her shorts. He pushed them down and blinked in surprise.

"I thought you hated that?" Jim asked as he looked at the tiny bikini bottom.

"I haven't done laundry in a few days okay! Shut up!" Emily blushed, quickly pushing the bikini bottom off, "Just get your clothes off.

She quickly pulled her shirt and top off, leaving her naked on a pile of clothes. Jim chuckled put his arms behind his head. As he looked at her, Emily was getting uncomfortably aware of a growing heat in her nether region.

"So all fire and sure I'm going to have sex with you are you?" Jim asked, looking over Emily's naked body.

"You're an ass!" Emily said, grabbing him by the front of his shirt, "Get on the bed!"

She twisted and shoved him onto the bed. Before he could get up, she leapt on him and ripped his shirt open. Putting her hands on his chest, she kissed him and pushed her tongue into his mouth. He wrapped his arms around her naked back and returned the kiss.

"You know I was just messing around with you?" Jim said with a smirk.

"I know and you're an ass. You and Leo are quite the pair." Emily mumbled as she undid Jim's pants.

"A little voracious are we?" Jim smiled as she pulled his pants and underwear down.

Emily scooted back and started to jerk him off with both hands. Emily couldn't properly remember the last time she had sex. All she could remember from it was that it had felt good. Very good. At the moment, that was the only motivation she needed. She was wet and her inhibitions were so far from her right now that she didn't care in the slightest that she had only known this man for a week.

Lifting herself up, she sank down on his cock. It split her inside open and she groaned, biting her lip. It felt so good to have him inside her. She put her hands on his stomach and closed her eyes, letting the sensation of being so deeply penetrated fill her body. It made her fingers and toes tingle and her stomach was going numb. She took a breath and moved up and back down. A fresh surge of pleasure exploded through her insides, making her give a sharp moan.

"Emily? You alright?" Jim asked.

"Oh yea...it's just been a while. It feels good." Emily sighed, moving her pelvis around in circles slowly, trying to get a little more accustom to Jim's size.

"Yea, it definitely feels that way." Jim said, commenting on her tightness.

"Alright...that's better...let's try this again." Emily said, moving her feet forward to allow her better leverage.

She pushed up and back down. Delicious, wonderful pleasure seeped forth into more of her body. She moaned happily and kept going. Her muscles were starting to move of their own accord; wonderful bliss-inducing pleasure tingled through them. It crawled up her spine, making the back of her head tingle oddly. She felt Jim's hands caressing her body as she moaned pleasurably. Jim could feel her pussy holding him tightly. Her insides her making his dick hot and wet from top to bottom. It felt amazing to be cradled so tightly in her.

"Ahh...Emily...you're wonderful! It's so tight inside you!" Jim moaned.

"Ohhh you're wonderful too...you're so big." Emily groaned, laying forward onto his chest.

She wrapped her arms around his head and moved her crotch up and down faster, driving his cock as deep into her pussy as she could with each motion. Emily squirmed and her cunt hungrily devoured him again and again. Juices were splattering all over as she lustfully rode him.

"Ooooh...Emily...let me! Here, let's switch!" Jim said, wrapping an arm around Emily.

He rolled over and drove himself inside her. Emily cried out and arched her back as her pussy was rammed full of his meat. She looked up at him with desire burning in her eyes. He gripped her waist and pushed himself in and out of her as fast as his cock would let him. Emily screamed with ecstasy, her entire body shaking with pleasure. Her cunt squeased and almost seemed to suck on Jim's hard shaft. Jim loved the feeling of being so deep inside her quaking womb.

"More! More! Jim! Fuck me harder!" Emily cried desperately.

"You know you almost scream as much as Desdemona!" Jim grunted, "I love screamers."

"Oh god yes!" Emily moaned ecstatically as she began to cum.

Jim felt her orgasm as much as she did. Her pussy clenched tightly and it felt like it was drawing him in. He grunted and moaned at the increase in pressure. Her entire body shuddered with ecstasy, as if electricty was coursing freely through her. She moaned and arched her back, pushing towards Jim. It drew his own orgasm forth and he shoved into her once more, making Emily's body erupted with pleasure. He yanked out of her and shot cum up her stomach. Emily breathed heavily, trying to catch her breath. Jim jerked himself and shot another thick glob on her belly. He sighed and sat back on the bed.

"Dang...you're good...that's one tight pussy." Jim sighed, wiping the sweat from his forehead.

"Come here..." Emily breathed, holding her arms out.

"You want more?" Jim asked.

"No...I wanna cuddle." Emily sighed as he laid down next to her.

"One time? That's it?" Jim said.

"Shut up." Emily mumbled, cuddling up to him.

"You're not like Desdemona at all then." Jim chuckled.

"Shut up." Emily said, twisting his nipple painfully.

"Yeeeouch!" Jim jumped, "Hey!"

"It's been a long time since I've had an orgasm like that. Now I wanna take a nap." Emily grumbled.

"Alright fine." Jim sighed.

*******

Emily awoke before Jim. She slipped out of bed and put her bikini back on. She didn't really feel like getting completely dressed so she just tossed her shirt around her shoulders. Climbing up the ladder, Emily stepped out onto the deck. it was later in the afternoon than she had expected. The sun was starting towards the horizon and it had to be at least dinner time. At that thought her stomach growled loudly.

"Didn't even catch anything today." Emily grumbled, walking to the back of the boat.

She slipped off the side and into the water. Her body felt grimy after sweating that much during sex. She sank into the water and let the ocean engulf her. She looked around at the ocean floor forty feet beneath her. It was sandy and long seaweed swayed around in random places. A large rocky outcropping in front of her was covered in colorful anemone and a school of bright sunfish swam over it. Turning around, she kicked to the surface and climbed back onto the boat. Sometime she would have to find that air pump Leo had been talking about so she could go explore. She would also need some good goggles for that.

Walking across the white deck of her new boat, she stopped at the bow and looked at the island in the distance. The low-set tropical Isle De Margarita, her new home. It always seemed that, with every new hardship she found here, a few more wonderful things surfaced. If things continued this way, her life would be perfect before too much longer.

Her stomach grumbled and she sighed. She would have to get this whole 'fishing as a job' down first though. That and she would have to catch that cheeky Barracuda that still had her silver hook hanging out the corner of it's mouth.

*******

CHAPTER 6 - BREATHE IN, BREATHE OUT, MOVE ON

Emily howled with laughter as she pulled back hard on the fishing pole. She had tied a new hook on it the next day and went fishing early in the morning. Since she had dropped anchor and reefed the sails, she had caught three large fish already. She had cut, beheaded and cleaned the fish before hanging them by their tails from the railing on the back of the boat. This fish was bigger than all of them, at least fifteen pounds.

Compared to her and Jim's fishing the day before, Emily was doing amazing. She had been fishing for less than three hours now.

"Ha! Come here you big fat bastard!" Emily cheered as the fish fell onto the deck with a loud thump.

She quickly pounced on the slimy fish, driving her cleaning knife through the fish's eye. It's thrashing and flopping slowed and stopped. She sighed and began to clean it. It had become rather easy for her to behead and clean fish now. She simply cut their head off and ripped their insides out with her knife. All the guts went into the water to be eaten by the small schools of fish that seemed to congregate around her boat. Emily leaned over the railing and she hung a bucket over the side of the boat to get it full of water. She used it to wash the blood out of the fish as best she could before washing her hands off and using it to wash the excess off the deck. She hung the fish with the others off the back rail. She had strung a rather nifty little chain back there that had a hook on it every few links. She found the hooked snagged easily through the fish tails and they hung there without much of a problem.

"Well that looks good." Emily said, brushing her hands off, "Time for a swim."

Emily pulled off her skirt and loose white shirt, hanging them through the wheel at the helm. She had found the little air pump that Leo had been talking about in the cabin of the boat. It was wired to a car battery, which didn't exactly give her confidence in it. But she turned it on and it hummed and buzzed as it spun. The pump and a spool of tubing were screwed to a wooden plank together. She found that the pump pushed air through the tubing just fine.

And so she put it on the deck near the bow. At first she didn't realize what the loops screwed to the plank were for until she realized that they fit well around the railing posts that went around the deck. She hooked them around two posts and found the plank held fairly tight. Apparently this would keep the pump from going overboard. Turning the spool of tube, Emily fed it over the sided of the boat until she could reach it in the water. The spool was just big enough to hold about fifty feet in length.

"Whoop!" Emily called as she leapt over the side of the boat.

She fell into the warm water with a splash, her hand grabbing the boat's anchor line to keep her from going too far. She had a pair of goggles around her neck that she had found in the boat. They were good swimming goggles that held tight to her face and covered her nose. She surfaced and slipped them on, sure to shake all the water out of them first.

"This should be so much fun! Emily giggled, grabbing the air tube.

Sticking it in the side of her mouth, she immediately found that there would be a challenge with this. The pump didn't stop

Pumping air at all and so she couldn't keep her mouth closed over the tube the whole time. As she pulled herself downward on the anchor line, bubbles rising up from her mouth. She kept sinking downward, looking at the amazing world around her for the first time with such clarity and wonder. Emily pushed all the way to the bottom of the ocean, sinking into the waist high seaweed that grew freely all around. It felt ticklish and fun to her as she walked through it, kind of doing a moon-hop to move along. She took a deep breath from the tube in her mouth and continued to move. The tube pulled gently along with her.

The seaweed tickled around her legs and brushed against her bikini as she walked along the sandy floor. Fish swam around ahead of her and the sun glistened down through the water. It was unbelievably beautiful down here and it made Emily never want to leave. She could see the magic of being a mermaid, just being allowed to live in this beautiful, swaying world. She took another breath and pushed off, rising up to land on a rocky outcropping. The rocks were sharp under her feet and she had to walk gingerly to not hurt herself.

As she walked along, the air tube pulled back in her, keeping her from going forward. Turning around, she found herself a good distance from her boat, which bobbed in the water above her. Her hair floated playfully around her head as the ocean seemed to sway as a whole. She reached up and gently pushed it back. A colorful school of fish broke behind her and swam around her as if she were some immobile object. The fish started and shot away when she crouched and kicked off the bottom. She let the air tube slip out of her mouth and float to the surface on it's own.

Emily surfaced and took a breath, looking up at the bright side of her boat. That still sounded strange to hear that. Her boat. She swam around and climbed back onto it.

"Next time I need to pick a shallower place." Emily said, looking around at the clear ocean beneath her boat.

*******

Forty one dollars. A good haul for eight hours work. Sean had bargained her back down to a dollar twenty-five per pound of fish. She didn't mind too much. Things were cheap here on the island. It was as if the outside economy couldn't touch them here. She ended up buying another shirt and pair of shorts, had her laundry done for two dollars and bought a gallon of gas for her scooter. She was left with thirty four dollars. It was mind-boggling to see how far money went here in comparison to back home.

She put the rest of the money in a small box on her shelf that she proceeded to hide behind a number of trinkets and under a small handkerchief. Emily wasn't very trusting of these islanders yet. As the sun set on the island for almost the second week on the island, Emily was finally starting to get into the groove of things. She had fish to eat, she had money to earn and she had friends to chat. Things were going well. She flopped back on the hammock and put her hands behind her head. Today had been another good day.

"Hey! Emily! Day's not over yet! I'm tired of you missing our parties. Get up, come on." Desdemona called from the front of the hut.

She walked through the colorful curtain that covered the door and looked around.

"Hey. Get up. We're having another party tonight. It's going to be like the third one you'll have missed." Desdemona said, holding up a flashlight in her hand.

"Why didn't anyone tell me before this?" Emily asked, sitting up.

"Well we figured you'd have to come into town around dinner time for something. You've never done that yet." Desdemona sighed.

"I've never wanted to walk through the woods in the dark. I don't have a light." Emily said, "So I make a fire when the sun starts to set, I cook my dinner and I go to bed when it gets dark."