Ready to Come About by Sue Williams

Author:Sue Williams
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Dundurn
Published: 2019-05-17T16:00:00+00:00

EIGHTEEN

ONCE INIA WAS TIED to the pontoon, the polícia marched us into the marina building. The receptionist watched us walk by and looked at me with apologetic doe eyes. I flashed a conciliatory smile in return.

The uniformed constable got right down to business. The local boatyard was next door; we could stay where we were until it reopened Monday. Good, great, we said. We’d be billed for the tow in. These rescues weren’t cheap. Yes, of course, we said. And we had to surrender our ship’s papers. If we lacked regard for our own safety, that was one thing. However, he wasn’t about to let the likes of us put this historical seafaring nation at risk. Only when Inia was deemed seaworthy, which would be decided through an inspection for which we’d be charged an additional to-be-determined amount, would we be free to re-enter Portuguese waters. David swallowed hard and handed over the documents.

On our walk back to Inia I pushed all unpleasantness aside. “Dear, we just got ourselves across the Atlantic Ocean. We’ve got some serious celebrating to do!”

Unshowered, unchanged, and unconcerned about it, we walked over the bridge toward the ancient city centre. We wound up in a tiny, almost-empty restaurant off the beaten path. The waitress, happy to have business, closed her glamour magazine and brought over the customary plates of olives, cheese, and rolls the instant we sat down.

David ordered wine in Portuguese. She smiled.

And we toasted Saint Christopher.

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