Supratentorial Dust Storms and Tumbleweeds

Voyage on the Bremen (#green)

Having set sail from Rotterdam, the Boston-bound Bremen pitched and rolled through a disagreeable English channel. Students and pensioners lingered in the dining room and milled through the corridors of the worn, low-cost passenger cruiseliner. A sandwich board advertised the evening's film at the small on-board theater: The Flim Flam Man.

Hubert and Sven, having just met at dinner, entered and looked around for empty seats.

"Let's sit by that cute girl over there," said Sven, nudging his new buddy towards two threadbare seats beside a thin girl with long straight black hair who sat alone. Hubert agreed she was cute but Sven got the seat next to her first. 

The film began, but soon the storm picked up and the small vessel heaved and surged in earnest. The theater began to quickly empty out. Sven excused himself leaving Hubert alone with the girl. 

Hubert moved over a seat, put on his most charming smile, and introduced himself to the girl.

"Nice to meet you. I'm Susan," she replied.

"I'm going to medical school in Boston," said Hubert.

"Oh, that's nice. I'm headed to college," replied Susan.

Hubert noticed Susan looked quite green. He also worried Sven might come back. He had a feeling about this girl and he didn't want any interference.

"Should we go upstairs and get some air on deck?" he suggested. 

"That sounds great," said Susan. 

They stood and made their way through the rows of seats to the exit. The motion of the boat caused Susan to stumble into Hubert and he caught her lithe frame. The back of his necked tingled.

Up on deck Susan sucked in deep breaths of cold air. The wind provided relief from the nausea. Holding onto the rail with both hands as the wind whipped her hair wildly, she tried to look towards the horizon. 

Hubert leaned nonchalantly next to her and began telling her all about the research he had done all summer at a laboratory in Heidelberg. He didn't really want to go to medical school, he wanted to be a scientist, but it was better than the threat of getting drafted to Vietnam, and his parents really wanted their only child to be a doctor. 

Susan smiled and nodded intermittently but said very little. She was trying very hard not to vomit on this handsome young man. 

Hubert couldn't believe what an amazing listener Susan was. He knew he wanted to marry her. 

All Susan could think about was if she did vomit she had to make sure she vomited downwind. She was too sick to really pay attention to what he was saying.

"So Saturday after next then?" Susan heard Hubert ask.

"What?"

"We'll catch a movie when we are on solid ground again?"

Susan smiled and nodded.