Page 33 of The Hitchhiker in Panama
“The catamaran is going to detach from us and fall back. When they are clear, we will detach from the tugboat, and fall back as well. The tug unties and goes forward out of the lock. We will follow him into the next lock and do the same thing we just did. Okay?”
We nodded and reported to our stations. Amy untied her line, giving me some slack to take it off the cleat.
“See you soon!” she called, laughing as they motored backward.
When we were loose from the tugboat, we backed up too. I watched David pivot his boat away from us, giving Jonas more room.
“Fucking catamarans.” Eivind smirked.
“What does that mean?”
“They have two engines. They can turn on a dime. He’s just showing off now.” Eivind winked at me.
When the tug was clear, we motored through to the next lock and tied up. This time Amy was at the bow, so one of the guys tossed the line to me instead. He missed, and the loop splashed into the water.
“Hurry!” David called out from the helm. His friend pulled the line up and heaved it at me again. This time the toss was good, but I got slapped with wet rope. Eivind chuckled next to me and, once I got the loop on, I wiped my face off on his sleeve.
He grunted and laughed, pushing me away.
We sat together at the stern this time, dangling our legs over the back of the boat and watching the gates close. The water swirled again. We raised, detached, and did the whole thing one last time before motoring through into Gatun Lake.
We cheered and high-fived, but Jonas looked grim.
“Marcella, get started on dinner. Elayna, help with the lines.”
I stood with Eivind. “What’s going on?” I asked him.
He grimaced. “We have to tie up to the mooring ball.” He pointed to a large disk floating in the water with a metal loop on top. “It’s not a regular mooring ball, and we have to share it.” He shook his head. “This is going to be complicated.”
I stayed out of the way as best I could. Eivind ended up jumping onto the mooring ball, which was big enough for him to lie down on. He ran lines from the bow and stern to the loop at the top, and whenStarry Horizonscame up to the other side of the mooring ball, we passed lines from bow to bow and stern to stern. A web of lines secured us all together.
Marcella had been busy cooking a Thai green curry dish, which Elayna bowled up and brought into the cockpit. We all—Manny included—ate quickly and quietly.
It was nearly seven o’clock. Jonas’s eyes were lined with exhaustion and there was a slump to his shoulders. Eivind watched him carefully.
Elayna brought up a bottle of sparkling wine. “A toast!” she called out, popping the cork.
Eivind narrowed his eyes at her but accepted a glass. Raising it up, he said, “To Jonas. Great job getting us through today.”
They hugged and slapped backs, and we downed our wine—all except Manny, who couldn’t accept a drink on duty. Shortly after, his pilot boat came and Jonas walked him out to the gate and shook his hand. We all shouted and waved goodbye from the cockpit.
Eivind started rounding up empty glasses and dishes. “Okay, time to clean up and go to bed. It is an early morning tomorrow.”
I grabbed a stack and followed Eivind behind, while Elayna whined, “It is barely eight. We have plenty of time.”
Eivind ignored her and set Marcella to washing dishes while he cleaned the table in the cockpit. I dried the dishes and chatted with Marcella and we all tried to ignore Elayna’s sulking.
Jonas had disappeared into his cabin, and he returned with a pillow and sheet. He passed Eivind and squeezed his shoulder before heading up to the cockpit. Eivind’s eyes followed Jonas, worry creasing them.
Sixteen
The next morning I woke up early, before everyone else. I crept out of my bunk quietly so as not to disturb Marcella, and poked my head out of the companionway. I spotted Jonas sleeping on the bench seat of the cockpit. A softly lit sky greeted me, and the sun peeked over the edge of the horizon.
A weight on the stairs settled behind me and a hand came into view on either side of me. Eivind gripped the handrail, and the warmth of his front pressed into my back through my clothes.
He whispered into my ear, “God morgen.”
I turned my head a little and smiled at him. Eivind’s warm breath brushed my face, minty fresh. He let his nose tickle my cheek just in front of my ear.
