The Rocking Boat

On top of everything else, Laura came down with a moderate case of sea sickness. Jay walked her back to the cabin and got her snugly into bed. He asked if she wanted him to stay with her, and she replied that she would be fine alone. “Go and enjoy your time with your friends, but don’t be gone too long.”

She was a trooper, but her disappointment was obvious and justified. Laura was classy and supportive enough to have avoided mentioning the impact of Cathy’s victory on their new house plans. Jay knew that negotiation was on his horizon. He told himself that at least, unlike him, his wife had not expected the promotion. As he approached the door, she said, “I believe in you.” He wondered what he could have ever done to deserve a woman like this as his soul mate.

Walking through the long narrow hallways of the ship, Jay was experiencing his own form of sickness— heartbreak. With both his son and daughter headed for college in the next few years, he knew he would soon also be suffering from “mal-tuition.” After his unfortunate overly candid conversation with Dr. Pat earlier that evening, he was in no mood for company. He wished he could avoid even his own. Jay commiserated to himself, “To add insult to injury, I will have a target on my back over the next two days with that cowboy from Texas. Why did I open my big mouth to that guy? I am such an idiot!”