In The Navy Days

Sailing

Rick:
I woke up the next morning in a parking lot with a stiff neck. I sat up and looked around, we were in the parking lot of an abandoned factory. Way to go Chris, way to freakin go. After a little while I opened the door and got out of the car stretching my body. It was only 8:30am I never usually wake up that early, Chris usually did. 'I should probably wake him up' I thought to myself, I nodded my head and walked around the front of the car and opened the driver side door which Chris left unlocked- he was slacking. I punched Chris in the arm and then ducked to miss his 'reflex'. Chris slowly got up and glared at me.

Chris:
"Get in the car." I grumbled as I slammed my door closed which made Mew jump, she rubbed her eyes and looked at me. I ignored her and started the car, Rick got in, closed the door and then asked me where the dock was. "2 friggin miles away- we didn't have to be there until noon." I growled as I looked at the clock. "We could always get real breakfast, I still have a little money left." Mew said. I nodded my head, stepped on the gas, rolled down the window and stuck my hand out. We drove down an empty street for about five minutes and then I took a sharp left into a busy two lane street.

Mew:
Note to self: Chris does not like being woken up earlier than he needs to be. I glanced at his hands strangling the steering wheel. At about 9:00am Chris stopped in front of an IHOP. "What the hell is this?" he asked slurring his speech making it even harder for me to understand him. "Pancakes?" I said to him, he'd obviously never seen one before- this was going to be an experience. Chris looked over at me, "just pancakes?" he asked. I shrugged "I think there's other breakfast food too." I said, and with this Chris pulled to the side of the street and parked in between two other cars, leaving not even an inch is space in between them. We walked into the IHOP and I shuddered- just about everyone had a fake orange tan, even though it was about 85 and sunny outside. Everyone stopped and looked at us comparing our wrinkled shirts to their freshly pressed tanktops and our dirty jeans to their professionally dry cleaned short shorts. Compared to the waitress who seated us I looked like a ghost. I hated these people.

Rick:
When the waitress came back for our order she was on roller skates. Seriously? The building was the size of a hotel room. "what'll it be?" she asked slowly as if she was talking to a foreign person who didn't understand English good. "Miss." I said irritably "we're from the same country as you. We literally came from a few states over." I watched her orange turn red and heard Chris try to stifle his laugh behind me. "I thought you guys were from Ireland or something I dunno you're just so pale.." she said trailing off, she'd stopped due to my wife's glare "we're probably just so pale because everyone here is orange," my wife said flatly "just get us a pot of coffee and a big stack of pancakes." she said slowly to the waitress who just nodded and skated off incredibly embarrassed.

Chris:
I was liking Rick's wife more by the day, she looked like she wouldn't hurt a fly but she was fierce as fuck. After about ten minutes the waitress came back, still beet red and without her roller skates. She put down the pot of coffee and stack of pancakes on the table and scurried away, she came back a little later with plates and cups she mumbled something and then rushed away. I looked over at Rick and we both started laughing, I looked over at Mew and nodded at her. Rick grabbed a few pancakes off the stack and dropped them on his plate, I did the same and Mew took the last two. I looked over at her "do they have that syrup stuff?" I grumbled. She nodded her head and pointed to a container next to me. I looked at it and then picked it up.

Mew:
I watched Chris pick up the syrup container, I don't think he's ever seen one before because he just turned it upside down and waited of syrup to come out. He tried a few more times, my husband besides me was laughing so hard he was going to choke on his pancakes. I slowly took the syrup container out if his hands and showed him how to open it. I pushed the handle down towards the container and the metal cover on it slid backwards. I handed it back to Chris who mimicked what I had shown him and poured a little too much syrup onto his pancakes. By a little to much I mean his pancakes were swimming. It didn't seem to bother him, he set to work eating. Our waitress never came to check in on us at all the whole time we were there. By the time we had finished there was a quarter pot of coffee left and one syrup soaked pancake. I left 15 dollars on the table and we left. By 10:30 we were back in the SUV, Chris looked over at my husband, "we should have been getting up now." he grumbled as he started the car and pulling aggressively into the road.

Rick:
We arrived at the 'dock' right at 11:00. The 'dock' we were at was the back of a water front restaurant. Chris turned in his seat "stay here." he told us, I nodded my head as I watched him walk up to the back door and pound on it until it was opened. Chris talked to whoever opened the door for about five minutes and then turned and nodded to us, I opened my door and helped my wife out of the SUV. I opened the trunk, gave her her bag, then took mine and closed the doors. We walked up to Chris who was now standing next to a boat. A tiny, rickety speed boat. I looked at Chris then down back at the boat. Chris looked at the guy that have us the 'tickets' and then at the boat.

Chris:
"You're gonna need to produce something a little better." I growled at the man who went pale in return. He stood there mortified, I rolled my eyes "you could either get us something better or you'll be floating in the morning." I told him. This time he nodded his head and went back inside. Ten minutes later he came back and asked us to follow him. I followed the short, fat man down the board walk. Rick followed behind me and behind him his wife. After a little bit we came up to a slightly bigger boat. I nodded my head and went aboard, Rick followed and them helped Mew onto the boat. There was a little square door under the main deck, I some how managed to get through it. I walked into a small dimly light room with two queen beds smashed together so they'd fit. Rick came in after me and dropped his bag. I turned and looked at him, "where's your shadow?" I asked him. He shrugged "she's probably just taking it all in." he told me. I nodded my head and went back up into normal lighting. Mew was sitting on the bench towards the back of the boat with her bag at her feet, I walked over to her and she looked up at me. The boat was turned on and started moving. "You okay?" I asked her. I don't know what made me ask her that, I never actually cared about anyone else besides Rick. He was always the exception, I guess there was another now- I don't know how I feel about it. Mew sniffled her nose and shrugged "I'm not sure." she said grabbing her bag as she stood up.

Mew:
I looked up at Chris who gave me a reassuring nod. The boat rocked gently and the breeze blew my hair back and I shivered. "You should go below deck." Chris suggested, I nodded my head and took a few wobbly steps to the little door. I walked into the dim room and waited for my eyes to adjust. My husband was asleep on one of the queen beds, I took off my shoes, put my bag down and curled up next to him. I heard Chris walk back up the stairs and close the door.