Page 22 of A Ferry Merry Christmas
Even with her defenses up, Avery found Harrison entertaining, easy to talk to, both amusing and intelligent. She liked that he didn’t seem to mind the wait, showing patience and a positive attitude. Certainly, chatting with him helped the time pass. Otherwise, Avery would have been bored and restless like many of her fellow passengers.
“I found the best way to get to know someone is to ask questions,” he said, holding the last of the popcorn in his hand.
“That works for me so long as it’s a two-way street.”
He gestured toward her. “Ask away. My life is an open book.”
She eyed him carefully. “Okay, tell me about your last serious relationship and why you split.”
He groaned. “Sorry, I’m not willing to walk through that minefield.”
Avery couldn’t help it, she laughed.
His brow creased with speculation. “You did that on purpose, didn’t you? What was that—some kind of test?”
“You passed,” she said, still having trouble holding back her amusement.
“I suppose you’re going to bring up religion next.”
“No, you’re off the hook.”
“Good. My turn.”
She nodded and signaled for him to continue. “Have at it.”
“All right,” he said, as if thinking hard. “Tell me your favorite childhood memory.”
She mulled over her answer. “That’s deep. Let me think.” There’d been several that immediately came to mind. One,however, stood out. “I was around eight or nine and wanted more than anything to visit Disneyland. As young as I was, I knew a trip that expensive was more than my grandparents could afford. Instead, we drove to South Dakota, where my great-grandparents once had a farm. We saw Mount Rushmore and met all kinds of relatives. One of my great-uncles still farmed wheat. I ate corn right off the cob and got to hold piglets and milk a cow. It was amazing.” Reliving those memories warmed her heart.
They continued with the questions, each taking a turn. Harrison was right, this was a good way to learn about each other and what was important.
Although they were involved in their discussion, Avery couldn’t help noticing that those milling around the area were growing increasingly impatient at the time it was taking to get the ferry up and running again. Crew members came and went but offered little in the way of information. Voices were getting louder as people grew more and more agitated.
“Hey, look.” The middle-aged man with the glasses who was part of the band sat in one of the booths. Excitedly, he pointed out the window. Several commuters raced to the side of the ferry. The musician stood, directing others to what he was staring at in the distance.
Harrison moved closer to the window to get a better view.
“What is it?” Avery asked, curious herself.
“It’s another ferry,” he told her, wearing a puzzled frown.
“It’s empty,” the band guy shouted, then added for emphasis, “The ferry is completely empty. No cars. No passengers. That ferry should be coming to rescue us. Instead, it’s sailing directly past us and heading to Seattle while we’re trapped here.”
“Empty?” Avery repeated, wondering what that might mean.
As if reading her mind, Harrison suggested, “I imagine the Department of Transportation is sending another ferry to Seattle to replace this one.”
“It certainly looks that way,” James agreed. Avery had glanced his way every now and again. The poor guy, who sat with his shoulders slumped forward, kept an anxious study of his phone, as if he expected it to ring at any moment. He’d mentioned that a neighbor had come to sit with his wife and that helped relieve his mind somewhat. It couldn’t be easy to see an empty ferry pass him by, though.
It made sense that the WSDOT would look for a way to solve the problem by recruiting another ferry. With theYakimabreaking down, the backlog of passengers and cars waiting must have crowded the already busy streets of Seattle. The terminal must be bursting with walk-on traffic.
It was crewman Earl Jones’s bad timing that he should walk through the passenger deck just as the other ferry sailed past.
“Hey,” the band leader shouted, waylaying Earl. “There’s an empty ferry out there.”
Earl paused mid-step and turned to face the angry crowd. “Yeah, I know. The backup in Seattle is closing down streets and . . .”
“Why are you not more concerned about us, instead of what’s happening in Seattle?” someone Avery couldn’t see shouted. Whoever it was did nothing to disguise his anger.
