Page 38 of The Love Position

The man nodded and reached to take her bag. Jessica passed it to him, then helped Sophia get her suitcase onto the boat.

Sophia stood at the edge of the dock, suddenly aware that getting herself onto a small boat was yet another life skill that had passed her by. She knew how clumsy she was at the best of times and didn’t want to start her trip by pitching into the harbour.

‘Take my hand,’ Jessica said.

Sophia did, holding her breath as she stepped onboard, then allowing Jessica to pull her into the centre.

‘Thank you.’

‘No problem. You gonna be sick? I know the smell from the sargassum doesn’t help.’

‘I don’t know. I’ve never been on a boat before.’

‘What, never?’

She shook her head.

‘Well, if you need to barf, just do it over the side and I’ll hold your hair back.’ Jessica turned to the man. ‘Sir? How long is the crossing?’

He pointed at a sticky label on his chest with the word ‘Mauna’ written on it.

‘O-kay… How long is the crossing, Mauna?’

The man rolled his eyes, pointed aggressively at the label, then mimed zipping his lips shut.

‘You can’t talk? Sorry, let me try to remember my ASL.’

Sophia watched as Jessica’s hands moved, making signs. The man got angrier, shaking his head and gesticulating between the label and his mouth.

‘I’m sorry, Mr Mauna. I’m doing my best here.’

Sophia took her phone out, quickly googled ‘Mauna’, then showed Jessica the screen.

‘You’ve taken a vow of silence? Why didn’t you say?’

The man threw his hands in the air, turned and stomped into the small cabin.

‘Well, namaste to you, too,’ Jessica said under her breath.

Sophia giggled. ‘He doesn’t seem very happy,’ she whispered.

‘If there’s ever a man who needs a bit of yoga in his life, it’s him. I hope the rest of the staff have a better attitude.’

‘Me too.’

The two women sat in the shade as the captain waited for more passengers, Sophia feeling more nauseous every minute from the smell of the seaweed.

No-one else came, so the man untied the bow line and reversed away from the dock.

Sophia gripped the side of the boat.

‘Can you swim?’ Jessica asked.

‘Am I going to need to?’

Jessica shuffled closer, putting her hand over Sophia’s. ‘Highly unlikely, but I can ask our friendly captain for a life-jacket if you like?’

‘I think I’ll be okay. It’s the smell and sight of all that—’ she gestured to the water around the boat, ‘—that’s making me feel queasy. It was never in the pictures.’

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