Page 82 of The Sailor in Polynesia
I sat at a café in Opua, New Zealand, barely able to take my eyes off him. He couldn’t see me—the café was in the parking lot andEikwas out on the far dock, the dock with a locked gate and a big sign that said Quarantine. But Jonas was unmistakable out there. He, Eivind, and the man who must be the new crew member they’d taken on in Neiafu, Lovell, were sitting out on the deck ofEik, chatting with the immigration officer.
Lila was next to me, vibrating in her seat. While I knew she was excited to see Eivind safely on land—she’d flown from Tonga to New Zealand instead of joining the men on the weeklong sail to New Zealand—shelovedhelping me plan a surprise for Jonas.
We watched asEikpulled away from the pier and motored through the marina.
“Now?” Lila asked.
“Let them get tied up first.”
“If you’re not careful, Jonas is going to connect to the marina Wi-Fi and book a plane ticket to come see you before we get down there.”
I laughed. Lila had been my little helper over the past few weeks, reminding Jonas that booking a flight would only cause additional stress for him and the weather to sail south was unpredictable. He couldn’t leave Tonga to sail for New Zealand until the weather was favorable, and who knew when that would be?
Eiksettled into her new slip and I had no more excuses. My stomach fluttered as we walked the dock, passing boat after boat, all the cruisers there for cyclone season.
Lila power walked next to me until she caught sight of Eivind on the dock coiling lines. She jogged to him and he wrapped her in his arms, squeezing her tight. I passed them on the dock, letting them have an adorably tender moment to themselves.
Lovell seemed to recognize me, and grinned. He tossed his head back and, with a cockney accent, said, “He’s inside, writing the logbook and such.”
I climbed aboard and into the companionway. I had to take a couple of steps and duck down before I could see Jonas at the navigation table to my right. He was bent over the table, writing out the log entry forEik’s voyage. I knew this was a bittersweet moment for him. The last we had talked, he had planned on listingEikwith a broker here in Opua. This could be Jonas’s final log entry. His frustration with me over the past few weeks had come out in his emails; he wanted to make plans for what was next, but I hadn’t wanted to jinx things for myself.
Reaching into my bag, I pulled out a fresh green coconut, husked to perfection.
“I have something for you.”
Jonas startled in his seat and gaped at me, stunned and frozen. I held out the coconut and he blinked.
“Mia.Mia!” Jonas rose and enveloped me in a hug. I let the coconut tumble down and land gently on the carpet so I could wrap my arms around him too. On the bottom stair, I was slightly taller than Jonas. I bent my head to press into his shoulder.
Jonas pulled back first. “How are you here?” he said, incredulous. His smile was wide, his eyes crinkling at the corners.
“I flew in a few days ago and met up with Lila.”
He bent down and picked up the coconut. “You brought this for me?”
“Yeah, I did.” I giggled nervously. “You wouldn’t believe how many stores I had to run around to find it. Coconuts aren’t as plentiful here as they are in French Polynesia.”
“Oh, Mia.” This time Jonas pressed his hand to the side of my neck and slid his fingers into my hair. He pressed our foreheads together. “Mia, Mia...” he chanted in hushed whispers. His hand tightened, and he tugged me in for a kiss that started gently. Our mouths slid together, Jonas pressed into me, and I heard the thunk of the coconut hitting the floor again.
When we finally came up for air, Jonas took a step back and had to adjust himself.
“What aboutWelina?” he asked.
I shook my head. “I sold her. Her new owners flew into Tahiti last month and we closed.”
Jonas placed his hands on my shoulders, eyes wide in surprise. “What does this mean? What are you going to do withoutWelina?”
I tilted my head up at him. “Finding you was a good place to start.”
He kissed me firmly, once, twice, again and again until I was laughing and he had to move to kiss my cheeks.
“We have so much to talk about.”
He pulled me down to sit on the love seat with him. “Tell me everything.”
“When you left Moorea, I knew I had to do something else. I was unhappy; I never wanted to sail alone, and frankly, I was angry atWelina.”
My boat held so many old memories, and while the newer ones—with Jonas—were good memories, everywhere I turned I saw Liam too. “I love sailing, butWelinawas... she was messy. Even selling off or throwing away things was only a few drops in the bucket. I couldn’t see a way out that was better. I wondered about getting back into videos too. I have all this camera gear. It was amazing—I made a little video with the action camera: me lifting the anchor by myself, raising the sails, and having a lovely day sail back to Tahiti.”
