Kiss On The Bridge (16 page)

Anneli sat on the floor thoroughly exhausted.
A rogue tear fell from her eye, cascading over her cheek.

Wade knelt. “What’s this?”

“Nothing,” she blurted. Using the back of her
hand Anneli swiped the tear away.

“When tears fall from your eyes it means
something.”

Anneli glared at Wade before sprinting up the
stairs to the deck. She marched to the bow of the yacht to look
down through the water, lost in her thoughts. Wade stopped working
to climb the stairs. Standing on the deck he hesitated. He wanted
nothing more than to walk over. Instead he decided to wait. At the
end of the day they had nothing except time on their hands. He knew
whatever bothered Anneli she’d admit it sooner or later.

Anneli slowly squatted, her gaze cemented
onto the surface of the ocean. Every few seconds she lifted her
hand to wipe her eyes. Her quiet sobs helped Wade to decide he
should be by her side.

“If I have done anything to upset you, please
let me know?” he questioned, his voice sounding calm.

Anneli stood, looking solemnly into his eyes.
Her tears gave her away. “How I feel has nothing to do with
you.”

Wade stepped back. His puzzled look betrayed
his sincerity.

“I said everything wrong!”

“It’s okay. I have thick skin.”

Anneli gave a nervous chuckle, crying at the
same time. Her sobs grew to be uncontrollable. Wade reached out to
cradle her in his arms, showing all the patience which helped to
make part of his character.

Anneli lifted her arms to hug him back. She
felt ashamed at sobbing. She lifted her head again, looking Wade in
the eyes.

“You don’t have to say a word. I think I can
have a good guess at what brought forward the emotion.” Using his
left hand, Wade gently caressed her cheek. For a long suspenseful
moment he looked lovingly into her red rimmed eyes. Sweeping her
closer he held her tighter in his arms so he could kiss her.

Anneli kissed the man back, rekindling the
kiss on the bridge. This time it felt more intimate; more
loving.

Caught in the heat of the moment, enthralled
by each other’s company, they were totally oblivious to the cargo
ship heading their way.

Wade kissed Anneli’s cheek before moving his
lips so they were hovering over her ear. Lovingly he whispered the
three words she so desperately wanted to hear.

“I love you.”

For his three word sentence Wade received a
massive hug around the neck.

“Up to this point I’ve been waiting to hear
those words. It’s the reason why I’m crying. I love you too. I
doubted whether you felt the same way. Please understand I wanted
to be sure.”

“I understand completely,” Wade advised. “I
want you to know I’d love to spend the rest of our lives
together.”

A blast from a fog horn directly ahead of
Charlotte turned Wade’s head to the left. He stared gob-smacked at
the cargo ship bearing down on them. Running to the middle of the
bridge, he grabbed hold of the wheel, yanking it down. The wheel
partly turned before locking into position.

“We’re not changing course quick enough,
what’s wrong?” screamed Anneli.

“The wheel won’t budge. The rudder must be
broken. I have to fix it,” blurted Wade starting to panic.

“We don’t have time,” yelled Anneli, staring
at the approaching ship.

“There has to be time. When I give you the
signal, turn the wheel.”

“What about the engine, will it start?”

“No, there’s too much sea water in the
fuel.”

Wade ran to the stern of the yacht and
prepared to dive overboard. Anneli watched in horror as he stood
staring into the water.

“What’s wrong?”

“The long drag line has snagged the rudder.
If I can’t loosen the rope I’ll have to cut it away. Its sole
purpose is used in case someone falls overboard. It’s a last line
of defense to get back into the boat.”

“Wade, whatever it is you need to do you’ll
have to hurry. The ship’s not stopping.”

He gave Anneli an unsettling look. “Under no
circumstances come into the water. If you do, there’s no way back.
The batteries are dead from being submerged in water. There’s no
way of lowering the dive ladder.”

“I fully comprehend what you’re saying.”

Wade dived over the side. Three quick strokes
saw him reach for the frame of the rudder. Already he could feel
the current trying to prize his fingers away from his only
hand-hold. He’d been correct about the rudder being jammed by the
safety rope. Pushing his head above the water line he called.
“Anneli, I need a knife.”

“Okay.” She raced downstairs to the galley.
Opening the cutlery draw she found a steak knife. Sprinting back on
deck she spied a short length of rope hanging from the wall of the
bridge. She grabbed it before running back to Wade. She looped one
end of the rope over a cleat, the other end of the rope she wrapped
about the knife then lowered it over the side.

Wade immediately tried to pry the rope free;
to no avail. A sudden strong surge of cool water brushed past him
making him lose his substantial grip on the rudder. Reaching out in
desperation Wade snatched hold of the rope slithering through the
water. A moment of panic swept his mind. His knuckles turned white
clutching the rope when it started to drag him along at a body’s
length from the stern of the yacht. Charlotte was being sucked into
the current. Each second he delayed the current will grow stronger
making the relative easy task of freeing the jammed rudder much
harder. If at anytime he lost his grip on the rope, he’d be swept
away from Charlotte.

Wade could feel the vibration of the cargo
ship tearing through the water towards them. He must be back on
deck before the water around Charlotte turned into washing machine
turbulence by the ship’s giant propellers. If he wasn’t, death
might come knocking. Hand over hand he gripped the rope.

Finally Wade made it back.

Anneli leant further over the side. “Wade,
you’ve been down too long.” In a desperate move she banged the side
of the yacht.

Wade heard the noise. He couldn’t spare the
time to look up. He didn’t know exactly how many minutes remained
before the cargo ship’s giant propellers started to churn the water
near the yacht. All he knew when it did it’ll be impossible to
re-tie the rope back together.

Another blast from the cargo ship’s giant fog
horn sent a shiver down his back. He set to work gathering the rope
in one hand only to release it in his other hand while clutching
the line still connected to Charlotte. The loop at the end of the
fifty foot length of rope eventually came into view. Grabbing the
loop, he cut the rope free of the rudder. He planned to grab hold
of the shortened end above the rudder, slip the rope through the
loop and tie it off. He’d hang on while Anneli turned Charlotte
away from the cargo ship.

Wade could easily accomplish the task on dry
land. Underwater in the ever strengthening current, a cargo ship
closing fast, the job seemed to be a monumental task.

Using the knife, Wade hacked the snag out of
the rudder, finished the job and watched the rope uncoil.

Surfacing, he waved to Anneli. Before she
could move a wave created by the turning cargo ship knocked against
Charlotte. Anneli overbalanced. Managing to face the wheel house, a
second wave larger than the first, slammed against the hull. The
third wave to hit Charlotte sent her back flipping into the
water.

Wade watched in horror as Anneli floated away
from the yacht. He took little comfort at knowing the cargo ship
seemed to be changing direction. If he didn’t let go of the drag
rope he couldn’t catch Anneli. If he let go of the rope they’d be
adrift. To get back onto the deck he’d need a miracle. Without the
engine working and a broken boom he couldn’t turn Charlotte, let
alone navigate back through the current to rescue Anneli. A few
hours alone in the middle of the ocean might see Anneli eaten by a
shark.

Wade acted quickly. His decision must work.
Anneli’s life depended on him being right.

He let go.

Plowing through the water in a desperate
freestyle swim to the exact place he saw Anneli, Wade forced his
arms to move faster than he thought possible. Fortunately freestyle
just happened to be his favourite swimming stroke back in school.
He won every short course event, however it had been a long time.
In seconds his shoulders were starting to scream for rest. He
pushed the thought behind him. The debate about leaving Anneli in
the water to die never eventuated.

Seeing splashing at little closer than what
he anticipated helped Wad to move even faster. He’d accept any luck
coming his way, no matter how trivial. He didn’t have time to waste
on idle chatter. He needed to get Anneli back to the rope before he
ran out of length.

Through Wade’s water swamped eyes, Anneli’s
form looked a blur. His fingers felt flesh. Wrapping his arms about
her shoulders he immediately changed swimming style to lifesaving
back stroke, forcing his feet to pound the water. In the distance
he thought he saw a black fin surface. A shark must have picked up
the frantic vibration.

“Kick, hard, Anneli,” he coughed.

Wade felt two feet starting to beat the
water. Glancing over his shoulder he saw Charlotte entering the
dark water. She seemed to be picking up speed. Wade roughly
calculated the distance. Catching sight of the end of the drag rope
he realized he must go faster. If they missed their ride the shark
would feel their frantic swimming style and decide to investigate
further. Wade surmised they wouldn’t be in the water long enough to
drown.

Wade pressed on. His shoulder cramped so he
changed arms.

In a race changing anything usually saw the
person losing. Wade never gambled. Above all else he needed to win
the race.

Wade closed in on the disappearing rope. The
shark closed in on the swimmers. Timing needed to be perfect. Wade
decided in a heartbeat how to win. It might be his only chance to
pick up speed.

He let go of Anneli, yelling.

“Catch me.”

Wade grabbed hold of the rope. He allowed it
to slip through his fingers. He watched wide-eyed as the knot he
tied at the end came closer. He marveled at how fast it approached
his hand. He didn’t want to think about the inevitable if his
fingers slipped over the knot. He couldn’t accept floating in the
middle of the ocean, no hope of a rescue, waiting to die from a
hungry shark.

“Anneli stretch out your hand,” he
called.

She did exactly what Wade told her to do.

He grabbed hold of her wrist. His fingers on
his free hand felt the knot at the end of the rope. Using a boxer’s
fist he clenched the knot.

Wade and Anneli were immediately pulled
through the water at speed.

Wade grimaced at the pain of being dragged
apart. “After climbing over me, grip the rope. You’ll have to
hurry, I can’t hold on much longer.”

Anneli completed the stunt in seconds. Wade
waited for her to grip the rope using two hands before twisting the
end of the rope around his wrist. He now took the time to search
for the shark. Satisfied it decided to swim away to look for an
easier dinner, Wade turned his attention to the cargo ship. The
massive vessel didn’t even bother to send a rescue party.

The gap between them looked to be quickly
widening. Soon the ship will be gone.

“Nice swim,” whispered Anneli.

“Thanks for the compliment. Let’s pat
ourselves on the back after we get back onboard.”

“I agree,” said Anneli. Looking ahead she
added. “Charlotte’s stern looks so far away.”

“It sure does.”

The two started to make their way towards
Charlotte. Wade wound the rope around his arm, urging Anneli to
keep going. The distance between the stern and the two castaways
slowly narrowed. At the halfway point Anneli’s speed started
slowing. Wade too could feel his strength being eroded.

“We have to move faster,” croaked Anneli.
“The water is getting colder.”

“I can feel it too,” replied Wade.

Determination willed Anneli’s hands to grip
the lifesaving rope. Hand over hand she pulled her body ever closer
to the yacht, closer and closer, ever closer.

They made slow agonizing progress.

Anneli felt tired beyond belief. Her eyes
were closed. Her hands only moved in a robotic action. Out of the
blue Anneli’s left hand knocked the frame covering the rudder.
Startled at feeling something hard, she opened her eyes. She
quickly reached out for a strong hand-hold. They’d finally won the
battle to get back to the yacht. Now they needed a miracle to get
back on deck.

Although the current felt worse, her miracle
came from Wade. He untwisted the entire length of rope before
winding a section closest to Charlotte around Anneli’s wrist. For a
while she could relax to regain her strength.

“Wade, how are we going to get back onboard?
The short piece of rope I attached to the knife doesn’t look strong
enough to hold you or me.”

“I’ll climb aboard.” He wrapped the end of
the main rope about his wrist and proceeded to tie a knot in the
rope two feet above Anneli’s wrist.

“Hang on for a little longer, I’ll pull you
up.” Wade winked at her before using the knot for a good foothold
in which his feet could push against.

Anneli watched Wade’s entire body hover above
the water line. He groped for the top edge of the wall. In one
massive push off he dived over the side.

Anneli didn’t have time to feel isolated
before Wade’s head appeared over the side. He yanked on the rope,
hauling in the catch of the day; one gorgeous mermaid.

“Welcome aboard,” boasted Wade
triumphantly.

“Thank you.” Anneli flopped onto the deck,
staring at Wade through slits.

Both lay on the deck hugging each other in a
loving embrace. For a long time they stared at each other too tired
to move.