Page 22 of The Voice of Wild Places
Watt did, and quietly said, “Thank you.”
Cornelius watched him light the end with a match, transfixed by the cherry glow.Watt took a long, hard pull off the gasper, eyes shuttering in relief.He exhaled through his nostrils, and opened his eyes.
Cornelius quickly looked away and lit his own cigarette.They listened to the men talk around them, their shared air tense.Cornelius longed for it to stay like this forever, this stiff coexistence cushioned between them.But it only took two glasses for the alcohol to traitorously loosen his tongue.He quietly asked, “Feeling better?”
Watt’s brows pinched in confusion.
Cornelius gestured vaguely to his own face.“You didn’t look so well, earlier.”
“Oh,” Watt said.He took another drag before continuing.“I’m fine, thank you.I—I do not do well on boats.”
Cornelius laughed, startling Watt.“What a trip this is going to be for you.”
“I’ll manage,” Watt said, not quite snapping but without a doubt on the defensive.Cornelius thought, ‘the pup has some bite after all.’
“I know.”Cornelius exhaled into a cloud of smoke.He watched Watt examine his words, searching for the hidden meaning within them, except there was none.“I think it’ll take much more than a sensitive stomach to bring you down, Johnson,” Cornelius added, clarifying that he was sincere.
The corner of Watt’s lip twitched upwards.“Thank you,” he said, but it came out almost like a question.
Cornelius nodded.There.Olive branch extended.
“I was wondering if we could talk,” Watt said, and the branch trembled.
“Hmm?”
“About the route.Perhaps over breakfast tomorrow?”
“Perhaps,” Cornelius echoed, butting his fourth cigarette of the night out.He tossed back his drink, then fixed Watt with a faux solemn stare.“Or perhaps we could talk now.”
“Oh.Alright,” Watt said and shifted in preparation to stand up, but waited for Cornelius to make the final move.
Cornelius stood and exited the saloon without looking back to see if Watt was following him.Only once he stepped up to the railing on the upper deck did Cornelius allow himself to glance over.Watt stood close beside him, hands in his pockets and shoulders tense.When their gazes met, it was Watt who looked away first.Cornelius would be damned if he spoke first, so he listened.
He listened to the ship’s relentless droning as it carved through the ocean.He listened to water struggling against metal, against the ingenuity of man.The inevitable.It was late, but not so much that they were the only ones awake.Cornelius tried to remember the last time he was somewhere that held none of the noise pollution that humans brought.Even here, in the middle of the ocean, it was inescapable.
“I need rules, Cornelius.”Watt admitted.
Cornelius’ gaze cut sideways to Watt, who watched him intently.Watt didn’t look away this time when their eyes met, in fact he seemed empowered by Cornelius’ attention.
Cornelius scoffed, but was unsure why.“I told you.Treat me like a colleague.”
“I don’t like my colleagues.”
Cornelius laughed.
Watt didn’t.
“Oh, come on.Everyone likes a fella like you.”He motioned to Watt’s entire being.
“That’s not what I said.”Watt bit out, crossing his arms.
Cornelius withheld another laugh, but just barely.Everything was soft from the whiskey, and Watt was acting like a petulant child.It was adorable.“Alright, you don’t like them.”Cornelius allowed.He turned and leaned back against the railing, crossing his arms as he faced Watt.“But I’m willing to bet you give every single one of them a smile and your best manners, eh?”
Watt wrinkled his nose, then winced in response to the pain that must've been lingering there.Watt turned his gaze to the ocean, which was just as well.Cornelius didn’t have room for anything like guilt.If anything he’d done Watt a favor, adding some character to that statuesque nose.One thought collided with another, and soon Cornelius was in dangerous territory.Staring at Watt, cataloging every decades-aged feature of his face.
Quietly, and without looking at him, Watt asked, “Does that mean you want me to smile at you, then?”
Cornelius said nothing.His pride wouldn’t allow him to answer honestly, and he didn’t have the strength to lie.Methodically, Cornelius pulled out his cigarette case and retrieved one of the sticks inside.He lit up, and Watt stared at him as he took a full drag.Cornelius lifted a brow and offered him the cherried cigarette, and was shocked when the man took it again.Cornelius lit up another, and the men smoked in relative silence.Watt coughed every now and then, but he didn't put out the cigarette until it was fully burnt out.
