Page 65 of The Hitchhiker in Panama
“Very good,” said King Neptune. “Who is next?”
Elayna stepped forward. “I am Elayna, a deckhand aboardEik.” She reached into the bag by her side and pulled out three oranges. “I will juggle for my passage.”
While we weren’t moving quickly,Eikdid bob and sway in the waves and I watched in disbelief as Elayna started to juggle the three oranges. She planted her feet wide in the cockpit at the helm and tossed each orange up. As the boat moved, she swayed her hips or bent her knees, gimballing her body to stay level.
With each trick, we gasped and clapped until one particularly bad lurch knocked the oranges off balance enough that they tumbled to the floor around the cockpit. We all scrambled after them, laughing and attempting to catch them before they went overboard.
“Nicely done, nicely done.” King Neptune applauded. He turned to Marcella. “And what do you have to present to appease King Neptune?”
Marcella saluted. “I am Marcella, galley wench extraordinaire. And I have a special treat for King Neptune—and the crew!”
Marcella disappeared downstairs and returned with a plate full of mini tarts. Each tart was delicately swirled with whipped cream, and as I bit into mine, the sweetness of the chocolate mousse inside hit my tongue.
Everyone made appreciative yummy noises while we ate our bite-sized treats. Jonas—I mean King Neptune—ate the last one. Then he swallowed and wiped his hands off.
“I am pleased to announce that King Neptune has deemed you all worthy pollywogs and has granted you permission to sail over the equator and into the southern hemisphere.”
We all cheered, “Huzzah, King Neptune!Bravissimo!” and Eivind wolf-whistled loudly.
Jonas turned to Marcella. “King Neptune declares that some libations are in order.”
Marcella disappeared downstairs again and handed us our plastic wineglasses and a chilled bottle of sparkling wine. King Neptune poured us each a glass.
Eivind climbed out to the back of the boat with the bottle of wine and, holding his glass in one hand and the bottle in the other, tipped the bottle to spill some wine overboard, a tithing to King Neptune. We raised our glasses in a toast.
“To crossing the equator!”
We drank and laughed, teasing one another over our talent shows. Elayna told us she had picked up juggling from a man she’d hooked up with once in the Mediterranean—he had been an entertainer on a cruise ship.
“Okay, it is hot under this toga.” Jonas broke character and stripped his toga and beard off. He sat at the helm, keeping an eye on the chartplotter. After a few minutes, he downed the last of his drink, climbed to the back of the boat, and lowered the swim ladder down.
“Is it really safe for all of us to go swimming?” I asked.
“We are going to set up a line,” Jonas answered, “floating from one side of the boat to another, a big loop. We will swim near the loop. With the sails down and no wind,Eikwill be gently bobbing along.”
He pulled a line out of one of the cubbies in the cockpit and went to work setting it up. When both ends were tied to the boat, he tossed it overboard.
“Roll the sail in.”
Eivind cranked down on the winch and the genoa furled up.Eikslowed.
“Just a few moments left!” Jonas called out. “Three . . . two . . . one!” He pulled out a bullhorn and blew it. Eivind hooted and leaped off the back into the water. He splashed and resurfaced, howling.
Jonas rolled his eyes. “Your swimming pool, ladies.”
I let Marcella and Elayna stand on the edge first. They both leaped into the air together and squealed as they splashed around. I eyed the ocean carefully as I stepped down onto the swim platform. The water was so clear, I could see everyone’s legs kicking, keeping them on the surface. Eivind was further out, toward the loop, but he dove down and kicked, propelling himself back to the stern.
“Oh, Jesus,” I muttered under my breath.
“Darling.” Eivind chuckled. “Are you scared?”
“Okay, it’s unreasonable. Iknowthat the boat is not going to float away and I’m not going to drown and nothing is going to eat me. But it’s still scary.”
“Do you want a snorkel mask?” Jonas offered from above me. “Maybe it will help you to put your face under the water and look down.”
“No, I can do this.”
“Do you want to jump together?” Eivind called up.
