Another brilliant piece from a GUNNAS WRITING MASTERCLASS WRITER
The first time Lily travelled on a boat she became desperately seasick. She clutched the rail of the boat and vomited until she was turning inside out. The only thing making her feel any better was the seabreeze on her face, cool and salty. Her hands felt frozen to the rail. Her nose stung and dripped. This would be six days of hell. Six day of island cruising hell.
“Not feeling too great, huh?” it was a male voice, but with her chin now resting on the rail between retches, eyes closed she was unable to turn and look, or to answer.
“First time?” She nodded in response.
“Sucks.” She nodded again.
“It gets better.”
“Promise?” she croaked.
What she had forgotten was the stupid bracelet she packed, the just-in-case one she never thought she’d need but which was however languishing in her suitcase below decks.
“Would you,” she stammered, “do something for me?”
“Course.”
“Would you get my seasickness bracelet from my suitcase?”
“Sure. They don’t work but sure.”
She managed to describe the bag, only retching once during the slow gulping description. He disappeared. She still hadn’t seen his face. Lily felt a panic in her gut, over riding the nausea. What was in her bag? Anything embarrassing? Valuable? She retched again and turned her face to the side, the metal rail cool against her cheek. She didn’t care.
A pair of thongs under ragged jeans came in sight, and the bracelet appeared inches from her nose. She took it and gingerly pushed it over one hand.
“The Japanese have a saying.”
“What?” she wanted him to leave now. She had the bracelet.
“Choice is a roll of the dice.”
“What?” she repeated, with some irritation.
“It means we’re never really choosing, everything is chance.”
“How is that relevant?” This guy was either unhinged or stupid, and annoyingly the bracelet wasn’t doing a thing. She retched again.
“Well everything is chance really, it’s complex but trust me. Minute by minute you think you’re making decisions but everything is chance.”
“I don’t get it.”
“Let the dice decide whether you should be seasick.”
This guy was definitely stupid. “I didn’t decide to be seasick. Christ.”
His face appeared a hands breadth from hers. He was nice looking, sandy haired, tanned, looked like he was born on a boat.
“Wanna try it?”