Whale Watching
Take these. Warm, thick gloves are pushed over the counter. And this, you’ll need this. Under your coat. A heavy knit sweater, too big for me.
The room is tiny and cramped but it’s a warm refuge from the whipping wind of the coast outside. I stand in front of a cash register, watching dust floating in the sunlight. The shop owner, a stranger, has taken it upon himself to give me everything I didn’t know I needed before I get on a boat headed out in search of whales.
Do you get seasick?
I don’t know.
Here.
A pressure-point bracelet and granola bar. I turn the package over and inspect. Blueberry and ginger and whey.
How much for all this? I’m so warm I’m sweating.
He shakes his head, pushes a hat toward me.
Hurry, it’s boarding. Get yourself up to the top deck.
The air outside is briny and bone-deep cold. Seagulls peck at food on the dock, fly off in an explosion of white feathers when a kick is leveled at them.
The wooden pier creaks and I board the boat, a little unsteadily, as dark water splashes up the sides. Someone points to a ladder and I climb to the top deck. Bracing wind coming off the sea lashes at my cheeks and makes my eyes water. A few other people are there, huddled together…
