VISITATION (part 2)

Although presumed drowned , she wakes him in the night saving his life

 

VISITATION ----PART TWO OF FOUR PARTS----


Twenty foot waves crashed over our bow. We were loaded to the gunnels, having provisioned for the run to Cabo and on to the South Seas . We were heeled over so far the lead on our bottom was barely grabbing water. And, we were just trying to clear the Golden Gate.
We had throttled back on leaving Baleena yacht harbor, the sun had not cleared the Eastern horizon and we were cautious about disturbing the sleeping tenants.
Lisa and I had spent months planning, provisioning the Catalina and studying to prepare ourselves for this coming adventure.
We had planned a trip to Baja, then Hawaii and if all went well, we would throw ourselves in to the big one, a trip to and through the South Pacific. We planned to visit the New Hebrides, New Caledonia and eventually Australia.
But , for now we just fought to get out The Gate.
One final crashing wave , another burst of wind and we were nearly free. The Potato Patch receding on our right flank, the sun fully ablaze behind us, the Faralons in the distance off our right bow and we were free. Launched on the adventure of our lives. Our lives might very well be at stake .
Well, you have heard the story, probably many times. The story about Lisa, 5'2", 110 lbs, long dark wavy hair, great gray eyes and the smile that was to haunt me for the rest of time.
She would not hear of sailing with crew, I was her man and her Master (her words) and she wanted nothing more out of life. All of Lisa`s devotion was amplified in me. She was my very reason for being. I have to stop here for a moment.
Please forgive my lapse into this intense nostalgia.
You know how it went , the two weeks in Cabo, three days in to the
Pacific, our falling asleep on deck and my awakening to find that Lisa was not on board. Gone ! Lost ! Nothing for miles around, just endless , empty ocean. It was`nt possible , she could`nt be gone, she was more capable, more agile, a better seaman in every way than I.
Slowly the enormity of this penetrated my brain. Lisa was lost at sea.
She was drowned . That small sweet person was gone.
You know the rest, the search of our course by fellow cruisers and by ships from nearby shipping lanes.
For three days I circled in the Catalina, refusing to believe , searching every ripple, wave and spray of water. Finally, reality slowly returned to my fevered brain , I turned and slowly sailed , slogged back to the San Francisco Bay Area.
A funny thing happened the first night of that return trip. It was`nt possible to sleep for any appreciable length of time, there was too much
ship traffic in these waters, or danger because of possible ships crossing my path. I slept fitfully, only to wake with a start . Lisa was calling to me from outside the cabin , somewhere. I raced on deck, searched, shined a light on the waters about the boat. Nothing ! Just the oily black
of the water. Back in the bunk , I tried again to sleep, I needed sleep desperately . Finally , blessed sleep. Remember how She used to waken me ? This blissful kissing of my lips, chest , then my abs, you know how she used to kiss me awake. She was so careful , always, not to startle me . Awakening was always such a pleasure. Now She was
kissing me again and she was warm and sweet, she was`nt gone, she was here with me where she belonged.
I awoke startled, my lips were wet. She had always worn lipstick, at sea, everywhere. There was lipstick on my chest, my stomach. Again I raced on deck only to find a freighter one half mile to port and aimed dead at the Catalina. I took evasive action and recovered in time to ride out the bow waves of the freighter as she passed less than one hundred yards to port. Sick with longing and grief, I returned to the cabin to smell her aroma. She never wore perfume, but to me she always smelled of fresh flowers.
The rest of the return voyage was a nightmare of straining against the pull of the ocean, fitful sleep and more visits from Lisa. I fully expected to turn myself in on my return. I knew I was losing my mind. She was here and then she was`nt , but always the scent of her. Could I be imagining all of this. Could it be that odors would linger in the cabin ?
If she had loved me so much , why was she tormenting me ?
I should have known the truth. Three times on that return trip, I was literally saved from death because she interceded . I was brought to my senses by a strong scent of her, by hearing her voice in the night and by her kissing me awake in time to avoid certain catastrophe.
For the next six months, tied to a secure birth at Baleena , I tried to forget her. There were women, always whiskey, frequent sails around the Bay and a couple excursions up the coast, but Lisa never left the Catalina.
She warned me in a thousand ways, she warned me to leave the ocean, to get away. Knowing that it was impossible to live with her ever present visits, the scent of her everywhere on the boat, the constant reminders of her presence, I gave up finally , sold the Catalina and moved to this tiny town in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains.
She still visits on occasion , pleasant visits, in the middle of the night I will awaken to hear her laughter , smell her delicate scent and yes, sometimes I look in the mirror and find lipstick on my cheek.
------ Eagle Cruagh
 

Reviews

[Iota]

I always like a good story and movie for that fact. I think a love one visiting me as vivid as that would make me rather scared. That's a lot to take in as far as evidence of the unknown.

I like the flow of your writing, the imagery and being inside his thoughts feeling his pain. Nicely done.

[Marie Harrison]

Oh this story is getting more and more mysterious. I'm very curious now. Where did she go?...and why does this Lisa kiss and run now?

[x]

The half reality of the striken....
The madness of the grief....The detail is so vivid because it is real.
It is truly difficult to comment on such a poignant piece because of the clear and sorrowful journey being undertaken by the writer in what must have been a most distressing circumstance.

I feel it should be left unsullied by the utterings of another. Let the masterpiece stand....untouched and appreciated just as it is.

[Tracie Skarbo]

It was`nt possible , she could`nt It was`nt possible to sleep she was`nt gone and then she was`nt (typos I found)

Wow I can't wait to read part three. This story has not gone how I thought it would. I knew he would have a hard time getting over the loss, but the lipstick is certainly a twist. A ghost lover visiting in the wee hours of the night and morning. What a wonderful concept. I am off to read part 3! :)

Tigra

[E. Liza Jayne]

I am still "hooked". After the loss in part I, I can feel the hope mounting in part II. How much love there had to be for the connection to be so strong. I will look for part III.

Thank you

[emmajoy]

As I began to read this, I wondered if I'd missed something; what had happened at the end of the first part, surely Lisa had disappeared. But, clever you, you tell in this part, so it flows naturally rather than pointedly, tick by tick, hour by hour. ('must remember that lesson)

You love the sea! Can read it in your writing, how you mention places, brief episodes, appropriate words.. great reading something different.

As to the 'you' in this, the character is building all the time. He's very much a man but feels something mysterious, strange, yet welcoming and comforting in a way. Sad that he sold the Catalina though, but, his love's presence must have hurt so much. 'I will awaken to hear her laughter , smell her delicate scent and yes, sometimes I look in the mirror and find lipstick on my cheek.' Yes, it's possible to feel someone with you, even though he or she isn't, it's the wanting. Weird about the lipstick traces though. Hmmn

Will wait with ginormous eagerness for the next part of your tale.

Thank you, thank you for sharing.


I reviewed this two years ago; re-reading it I realise that it has so many tangents, each one strong yet subtle .. the sea, the sailing, the woman, her memory, her presence .. everything bound together, yet in an almost out of world, out of mind way .. I need to read the third part again ..

[Julie Dant]

Ahhh, Eagle. What can I say? You have pulled me...anyone who reads this...into your life. I will want more, please..;0) This part made the hairs stand up on my arms...
truth.
Julie