Pa…Pappy?
Pappy was laughing, grinning from ear to ear. He looked at the both of us, before trying to control his laughter and failing to do so.
“Captain, told you my son was a special one. Refugees…ha…your boat looks like a refugee’s raft!”
They know each other? Wait…Pappy, you are tricking me! You knew where I went all along! I sulked. Hmph. Apparently my little adventure was not so secret after all.
“Come on dear, stop sulking. Look, here is Captain David, I asked him to help me give you a surprise!”
“Surprise?” I perked up. A surprise?!
“Yes. You said you want to know how sailing on the sea feels like, right? I got Captain here to borrow me his rafts so all of us can go rafting.”
I opened my mouth wider than I thought possible. Sailing? Like I always wanted! I was brimming with excitement now. I am going to be a sailor.
The next few moments happened in a blur. Mum appeared as well, tussling with me to place a life vest on me. Everyone knew where I was all along! Even the Captain knew all about my antics. Wait till I show you what I could do on a boat! I am a sailor, here I come! I will amaze all of you!
The Captain was an old friend of Pappy who retired recently from years of sailing. Apparently, both of them once faced down an actual Somali pirate! As they are setting up the raft, the both of them told me stories of what they did, as I listened on with wonder. I have always wondered what Pappy does when he goes on a sailing trip. Now, I got a little glimpse into their world.
Soon, the raft was up and ready. Pappy picked me up (No! I am not a little child! I can get up on my own!) and placed me right in the center of the raft, saddled between Mum’s legs. The raft was already rocking a little in the waves, making me feel a little queesy. Argh…looks like sailing is not as easy as it seems.
“Don’t move around, ok?” Pappy told me as he and Captain began to paddle. The raft slowly drifted off into the oceans beyond, as I, overcoming the queesy feeling, started to dart my eyes around.
The coastline behind us began to drift away, vanishing further and further into the distance. Soon, it seems as if we are the only ones alone in the vast blue expanse that surrounds us. I got up, stumbled a little (Mum caught me), before I finally stabilised myself and stretched my hands towards the air.
“I am a sailor!” I shouted with excitement. “Pappy, lets go further!”
In that brief moment of time, my dreams and reality merged into one. I was indeed a sailor, sailing into the unknown, exploring further and further into the beyond. We sailed, further and further into the ocean, all the while I became who I wanted to be. It was a moment, frozen in time, that I would treasure forever. A journey, a memory, I hold dear even now.