Morning came as Captain Nikolas gathered his strength. He placed his hands on his narrow cabin bunk and slowly pulled himself up. Standing in front of the sink, he splashed cold water on his weary face―a welcoming sensation.
The large black circles and bags beneath his eyes made him look much older than he actually was. For a moment he thought his strong will was abandoning him and hope was losing its grip. "What is the use?" he thought. "I'll never find her. I never will. For years now I have been looking for Anna. Why not stay dead and not disrupt her life? Why can't I let it go?" He said, whispering. "Why can't I let you go?"
Unwanted tears surfaced as he rested his forehead on the mirror, and with clenched fists, he struck the wall of his cabin, as the negative thoughts began to fade away.
"No. No! I must find her and tell her how much I still love her, and how much I have missed her."
Like a rusted old robot with stiff, unoiled joints, he systematically put on his black trousers and a black cotton T-shirt. He looked into the mirror again and painfully realized how much grayer his uncut hair had become. He ran both his hands through it, as if in hopes of combing away the silver with his fingers.
"Is the captain going out?" Yanni popped his head inside.
"Yes, Yanni, I am. I must find Dr.
Tsipras. I need to talk to him."
"It is rather early, isn't it, sir?"
"Yes, Yanni, it is," murmured the captain, although he was unaware of what time it actually was. "Please, be sure to have the boat prepared. Get provisions with Adoni and when I return, I expect us to be ready to set sail."
"Aye-aye, sir," said the crewman, moving away from the cabin door.
Captain Nikolas walked the few steps up to the platform. His young sailor Adoni was asleep peacefully on the open-air deck. A sense of protective fatherly love came to him as he knelt down to cover Adoni with a wool army blanket. If he and Anna had married when they had first met, they might have a son who would grow up to be just like him.
Adoni awoke slightly and looked at the captain. His eyes filled with recognition as he met the captain's eyes. The older man took the warm blanket with both hands and tucked it under Adoni's chin, like a father at bedside. A deep contented sigh rose from the young man's lips as he appreciated the loving gesture.
"Thank you, sir," Adoni mumbled with gratitude before slowly turning his head to the side and going back to sleep.