Undine Chronicles Ch. 01

After she leaves, we may never find each other again. I don't know if I can stand losing her. She's here now, trembling, holding me more tightly than ever before. She seems to want to lose herself in kissing me. This kiss feels like goodbye. She slips over the side.

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I have to put into port for provisions. It's been over a month now, since I last saw her, and it hurts, but I've got to move on. Without her, this anchorage is pretty desolate, and I've had it up to here with desolate. I need the company of other people. I'm going to winter among my own kind. Maybe I'll be back next spring, in hopes of connecting with her again, but somehow, it feels like a once-in-a-lifetime gift.

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I usually tie up to the courtesy dock while I do my shopping, but I decided to stay for a few days, and so I splurged for a transient slip. I've finished my shopping for provisions, so now I'm going to kill some time in the ship's store, maybe do some impulse buying.

Pearl is busy at the cash register, so I just wave at her as I enter. I don't know her very well, but she's always been friendly. She's also knowledgeable about marine hardware, and in the past, has helped me locate hard-to-find items for my boat. I'm ashamed to say that I've never been responsive to the warm friendship she offers.

I wander around the store, and pick up a few odds and ends as the crowd begins to thin out. Seeing my chance to check out I head for the register. As Pearl begins ringing up my items, I notice that she wears a wedding band on her middle finger. A widow... I wonder... she might have a boyfriend...

I've become reaccustomed to closeness with a woman. I don't want to go back to being lonely. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

"Hey Pearl, you doing anything tonight? There's this movie I want to see, and..."

FIN

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