those red shorts you wear too.” He chuckled and then continued. “Okay, for real, do you want to go shopping for anything, or are you all set?” said Sam, double checking.
“I’m good. See you later.”
Chapter Five
So, the voyage began and the three-set sail, planning a month of the expedition, to find the Island with the Crystal Core. As the trip started, Maria could barely control her excitement.
The first week she literally drove Sam crazy, going repeatedly over the maps and stories. He finally told her to chill out and relax. After all, they had plenty of time. Maria laughed and realized she was tense, so she sat back and tried to enjoy the trip. It could not have been any better at this point. She was on her way. She had gotten everything set, it was all in motion, she had the shop all under control and everyone was taking care of things. She was having a hard time relaxing with the excitement of being on the trip and the anxiety of what would come to pass.
The weather was perfect, the sky full of sunshine and the water as calm and as smooth as glass. The days were spent on the deck. Sam was always taking his position at the wheel, the proud sailor on a quest for gold, with a cigar dangling from his mouth and a martini in his hand. He really was quite a sight. If he was not at the wheel, he was puttering fixing things or cleaning the sails. He said if the sails were not cleaned daily, the salty air weakened the threads, which could cause a lot of damage. He had a huge 16-foot mop, and he cleaned the sails faithfully. It seemed to be a lot more work than Maria cared to learn. Sam loved it though. His boat was his pride and joy, and it was truly his own and something his father did not leave to him. I guess that made him love it more.
“Sam, what do you say, let’s take a break from sailing and take a dip.” Maria suggested one afternoon.
“That sounds great. Hey Sumshi, let us put it on hold for a bit and take a swim?”
Sumshi slowed the boat down until it stopped and set anchor so the two could swim. He went about his business, as usual.
Maria stood along the railing and dove in. The water felt great. It was cold but refreshing. She swam around for a few minutes.
“Hey, are you coming in?” She yelled up
“I’m all set. I like watching you.” Sam responded. He did not really want to jump in. He loved the ocean, but always had a slight fear of “Jaws”.
“Oh, come on, you’re a big boob, it feels great.”
“I’m okay, really.”
“Alright. I am going to frolic and enjoy myself.” Which Maria did for a few moments, before finding her way over to the ladder.
Sam had a towel waiting for her when she came aboard.
“Did you enjoy?” He asked as he wrapped her in the towel.
“That was so refreshing. The water is so crystal clear. You should have joined me.”
Sumshi pulled up the anchor and they started off again.
The evenings, of course, were full of wining and dining and dancing beneath the moonlight sky. There was a very mystical feeling being out in the ocean, sailing under the stars. There was a feeling of complete aloneness. It was not the same as being alone when one would normally have quiet time. This feeling was almost a deep meditative state. Not a thought in your mind, just the bright stars and a dark sky surrounding you. The water swaying against the boat and the reality that you are surround by a vast ocean. It really makes you realize just how small we really are.
Maria would often sit out at the railing and watch the star filled sky. It was so relaxing, mysterious, and arousing, and the thoughts of all that she had planned, and the excitement of the Island was sometimes intoxicating.
All in all, the trip started very well, and for everyone, it was a little different. Each had their own thoughts and excitements and often all three would be lost in that dreamland of wondering.
“Sumshi, can I prepare dinner tonight?” Maria asked one night.
He looked at Sam, and with an approving nod, he told her that would be fine.
Maria got changed and went into the galley. She decided on linguini and clam sauce and a nice Caesar salad. She got all her ingredients together and started to get a pot of the water together for boiling. She could hear Sam up on deck listening to his music. He was playing Hotel California by the Eagles. The ocean made the music amplify. While he was on deck, Sumshi was setting the dinning table. Everyone was happy.
She started making the salad dressing. She tossed the fresh romaine lettuce in a small strainer and arranged the lettuce in a large red bowl. As she mixed her ingredients, olive oil and salt and pepper. She smashed 3 garlic cloves, laying her knife flat on the cloves and giving them a good whack. A little trick she learned; that was especially useful in separating the cloves from their shell. It worked every time. She diced them up and added them to the mix, and then separated the eggs and whisked the eggs yokes in, then she pulled out her sacred ingredient, the fresh anchovies. She found that fresh anchovies were so much better than the canned. She put them in a small bowl and ground them down, the best she could, until they made a paste and squeezed just the right touch of lemon in. That made all the difference. Then the other sacred ingredient, the hot mustard. It gave it a nice bite.
After she was done, she tossed the lettuce with fresh parmesan cheese and set that aside. By then the water was boiling for the noodles, giving her time to start the sauce.
The sauce was quite simple. She added olive oil and garlic and sautéed that for few moments, and then added the fresh clams, that Sumshi already had prepared ahead of time. She added salt and pepper and a little bit of white wine. The key was not to overcook it. Probably one of the few dishes that the longer you cook it, the flavor changes. At the very end, she added just a touch of fresh garden tomatoes. A small amount, for color and flavor.
She stood there, took a sip of her wine, and smelled the delightful clam sauce and thought out loud, “Life is good.”
“Okay, you guys, it’s ready. Is the table all set up there?” She yelled out to the guys.
“All set Maria, I’ll be down to help you.”
Sam came down and helped her carry the dishes up. The dining table was set beautifully. Two glasses of wine, a few candles lit all over the table and rose petals spread out on the white tablecloth.
“Wow, you out did yourself on the table. It is just linguini and clam sauce, not prime rib. This looks nice.”
Maria smiled at Sam, thinking he was up to something too.
They both sat down and started their dinner. It was incredibly quiet for a few moments, each lost in thought. Maria took a sip of her wine and started to sweat a little. She took a deep breath and took another sip.
“Hey are you ok?” Sam noticing her.
“Yes, I am just getting some sort of hot flash, maybe the wine. I’ll be right back.”
Maria went down to the galley and got a washcloth and ran some cold water over it and covered her face. She was a little flushed; she thought it was just the anticipation. Okay, she said to herself, let us get this over with. She made her way back up to the deck and there was Sam
