Page 45 of The Hitchhiker in Panama
“When I get back to Australia, I’ll find a job. What about you? Do you want to go home when this trip is over?”
“Yes, Jonas and I will move back to Norway.”
“What about work?”
Eivind sighed and ran his hand over his head. “I might get my job at the restaurant back.”
“Oh.” I couldn’t imagine having so few plans in life. It killed me not to be able to interview for jobs yet, but it would be too complicated while traveling. “You don’t want to do something with your degree?” I peered into a display to look at a diorama of the construction of the canal.
“No.”
I waited a moment, but Eivind didn’t elaborate.
We took seats in the theater to catch a cheesy fifteen-minute video about the canal, complete with an animated mascot and nineties soundtrack.
Then we went to the highlight: the shaded bleachers overlooking the lock. We sat and watched—you could even buy popcorn—as several rounds of boats came and went. Sailboats similar toEikcame through with more drama than we experienced. Sometimes we were sure they were going to hit another boat during their maneuvers.
Watching while outside of the canal made it easier to see the process of pulling and stopping the big ships, and we could watch the mules and the crew of the canal work to position everyone.
Eivind kicked his feet up on the seats in front of us. Out of over a hundred seats, we had the place mostly to ourselves. While in the stands, Eivind looped his arm over my shoulders.
“We should go out to dinner tonight.”
“Look at you, all fancy, wanting to take me out on a date,” I said.
“We did miss out on the sunset and dinner last night. So tonight let us go, just the two of us.”
“That sounds good. I don’t have many nice clothes, so I’ll have to wear the same thing I wore last night. Backpacker problems.”
“I do not care what you wear,” he said. “As long as you are with me.”
I smiled and gave him a quick kiss on the lips, and we resumed watching the ship traffic.
* * *
I sipped a cocktail at our table. We sat at a different rooftop bar in Casco Viejo, no less beautiful than the one last night. Eivind and I had arrived about an hour before, and I was on my second mojito of the night. We’d had a stellar view of the sunset and now the skyline was lighting up as daylight faded.
“So, how many girls like me have you hooked up with?” I asked.
Eivind once again looked sexy in shorts and a polo shirt. His sunglasses sat on top of his head.
“Like you? None.”
“Smooth.”
He grinned.
“I’m really curious. It seems like, being single, there would be a lot of casual sex going around.”
“No. In the Caribbean there were a few places where superyacht crews, like Marcella’s, hung out and partied together. But the cruisers . . . most of them are married and older. There are a few single crew members here and there, and I think we have met one or two female solo sailors, but no, there have not been many opportunities.”
“So, with Elayna and Jonas, is it the opportunity, or . . . ?”
Eivind grunted. “I am not sure. For Elayna, maybe she really does like him. But they do not seem to be on the same page sometimes. Jonas is a . . .” Eivind waved his hand, looking for his words. “He likes to stay at home. Elayna, I do not think she sees how he tires out sometimes.”
I hummed and thought about it. “Nah, yeah. I can see that. There is no one waiting back home for either of you?”
“No,” Eivind said, smiling. “I am all yours. As for my brother, his wife left him a few years ago.”
