Page 14 of The Hitchhiker in Panama
Eivind laughed. “Then I know what time it is.” I checked my watch, which read 4:34 p.m. “Sundowners!”
It was a little earlier than I typically started drinking, but I also knew a lot of people on the dock always had a beer in hand. Eivind led me back into the boat, where we found Jonas now sitting at the table with his laptop. Eivind reached into the fridge and grabbed a beer. “Jonas,øl?”
“Ja.”
Eivind tossed the beer at his brother. “Lila, would you like a stubby?” He grinned mischievously.
I clapped my hands to my face in mock horror. “Oh no! I led you astray. This is not a stubby. This is a tinny. A stubby is a bottle; a tinny is a can.”
Eivind laughed again and I was learning to love his smile. It came easily and often. Jonas was nice, but he was more reserved than Eivind.
“I liketinnybetter.Stubbysounds like a stiffy.” Eivind pointed to his crotch to make sure his meaning was clear, and I burst out laughing. I even caught the corner of Jonas’s lip twitching up. Eivind pulled out two more beers. “Come on, let’s go up top and leave my brother to his work.”
Eivind handed me my beer, grabbed a bag of chips, and climbed back up to the cockpit. He settled into a cushion, leaning his back against the wall, his foot on the bench, and his knee cocked up against the side. I sat next to him, crossed my legs, and popped my beer open.
“You and your brother must be close,” I said. “To go sailing together for so long.”
“Yes and no. We were not close before. But now we are best friends. And that was what we wanted. Why I came.”
“The boat belongs to Jonas?”
Eivind nodded. “He wanted to do this for a long time. And the timing was good for him with his work, so he bought the boat. Not many people would want to do this. He couldn’t find someone to go with him, so he asked me.” He shrugged. “It turned out to be a good decision. I am happy here. OnEik.”
“What does Jonas do for work?”
“He was an engineer, but he left that job to do technical writing. He works for a scientific journal, editing and proofreading the articles.”
“And what about you?”
Eivind reached over and pulled the bag of chips open, taking out a handful. “I do nothing. I am the loser brother.” He smirked at me.
I reached my hand into the bag and grabbed a big chip. I pointed it at him. “I don’t believe that.”
“I went to university and graduated with a degree in chemistry, to be in science like my big brother. But instead I ended up working in a restaurant. So that is what I do.”
I shrugged and took another chip. “After uni I worked in a call center for a few months, as a temp job, even though I have a degree in engineering. I saved up money to travel. Those jobs may be things we do now or things we do forever. I don’t think my life will be all about what I do for a job, though.”
Eivind winked at me. “So smart.”
“The question is, what do youwantto do?”
Eivind let his head loll back and he blinked up at the sky for a few minutes. “I am not sure.”
“Really? No big dreams?” My brain had a hard time wrapping itself around the idea that someone my age wouldn’t know what they wanted to do with their lives.
He laughed. “I am living in my brother’s dream.”
“Okay, well, do you like it?”
“I do. There are always many projects to do on the boat, and I get to work with my hands a lot more. All the systems are interesting to me, but the engine especially. We have lots of books, and do not tell Jonas, but if something were to go wrong . . .” He shrugged and grinned. “I might enjoy the challenge.”
“That’s kind of the hands-on side of engineering, yeah?” I nudged him. “I’ve got the degree, but you probably know more about engines than I do.”
“What is your plan with your degree?” He leaned in closer to me.
“When I’m done with my trip, I’ll be interviewing for jobs in engineering on the east coast—Sydney or Brisbane, probably. In a few years, I should be able to buy a house, and then, of course, have a family.”
“That is . . . a lot of plans.”
