Lost at Sea

Ch. 11

As the summer drew to a close, there was an almost imperceptible shift between the two of them. Neither of them would admit it, but they could both feel the tension in the air. Though they'd never directly addressed it, they were both painfully aware that they would only have through the end of summer together. Sally didn't know how she knew this, she just always had. Almost since the moment they met. Gods and mortals weren't meant to mix for long; there would always be an expiration date.

The evening of September 21, Poseidon made her his most elaborate meal yet. Plates were heaped with lobster, steak, and fresh vegetables drizzled with a savory lemon butter sauce. He made a whole production of it, pretending to taker her order and serve her food like he'd seen her do when she still worked in the diner. The whole thing made Sally laugh so hard that tears were streaming down her face. When she was finally able to compose herself, she took a bite.

"Well?" he asked, expectant.

"Wonderful, as always. A meal fit for the gods!" she boasted, thrusting her fork into the air.

They continued to laugh and talk and savor their food until every plate was bare. With the food gone, so were the distractions. The mood quickly grew sober.

"Sally, I--"

"You're leaving," she interjected. "I know. I don't know how I do, but I do. Tomorrow's the fall equinox, the official end to summer. And summer was all we were meant to have, wasn't it?"

He slowly nodded. "I wish I could say that it was otherwise. I must return to my home at sea; I've already been away too long. But I can't just leave you. I can't bear it. And what will you do?"

"I'll do what I've always done," she said with a sad smile. "Take care of myself. I've been doing it long enough to be pretty good at it. It's a bit late in the season; I think I'll hunker down here, at least for the winter. See if I can get my old apartment lease back. My lifeguarding position will soon be over, but I think they'd take me back at the diner. I'll work, and save. Just like before."

"At least let me do one thing for you," Poseidon responded. "Stay here. As long as you like. Don't worry about rent, save all that you can. You deserve at least that much from me."

"I just might take you up on that. Though I can't imagine being here without you."

"Then let's stop thinking about tomorrow. Let's just enjoy tonight."

She nodded and leaned across the table to kiss him.