This is episode forty-five of the novel Two Tamas in Paradise. There are fifty episodes. This is the fourth novel in the Trace Troy South Pacific Adventure series.
It may now be purchased on Amazon. It is available in paperback or Kindle digital format.
Nearness
Three days after leaving Oeno, Trace spoke to the passengers after supper.
“I don’t think anyone is in any hurry to get to anywhere,” Trace said. “Sure, we all want to get on with our lives, but you know what I mean.”
“If I don’t show up Monday morning, nobody’s going to fire me,” Calvin joked, “Come to think of it, I have no place to show up to.”
There was some mild laughter.
“Anyway,” Trace continued, “there is an island we come very close to. If you folks can promise to stay out of trouble, I’d like to stop there.”
“We promise,” Wilma winked.
“The island is Raivavae,” Trace said. “We could use some water before going too much further. Makani has a list of food items. If there is a meal you might like, let Makani know. If we can find ingredients in Raivavae, he’ll get it.”
“When will we be there?” Maxwell asked.
“Two or three days,” Trace said. “Would you like to stay there for a few days?”
Everyone looked at each other with no apparent objection.
“Would it be okay with you and the crew?” Maxwell said.
“None of us has had much of a break in a while,” Trace said. “I don’t think the crew will object.”
A little more than two days later, Trace steered The Tramp Islander into a small harbor on the northwest side of Raivavae Island.
Sage and Coyote tied the lines at a pier. A policeman soon showed up. He checked passports and asked the usual questions. He told them to stay as long as they wish, but stay out of trouble.
A small hotel sat about fifty yards from the beach, and within a short walk of The Tramp Islander. Maxwell and Darlene, and Calvin, and Wilma got rooms there. They planned a three-day stay. That was fine with Trace and the crew.
Trace made arrangements for the water tanks to be filled and the gas tanks to be topped. Makani had a full list of items to buy. He completed his tasks immediately. Sage and Coyote went off on their own. They said they’d be back before sunset every night.
Trace and Adam found a nearby restaurant. They had a meal on the terrace overlooking a white sand beach. The table was cleaned, and they sipped on a couple of glasses of beer.
“You can’t even imagine something so beautiful,” Adam said. “It seems like every island is more beautiful than the last.”
“It’s kind of like picking Miss America,” Trace said.
“That reminds me,” Adam said, “aren’t Darlene and Wilma looking prettier? They’re not twenty-year-olds, but they’re not bad-looking women. And they’ve gotten better looking.”
“You’ve been at sea too long, Dad,” Trace smiled.
“Nah,” Adam said. “You know what I mean.”
“I remember working at that dude ranch over the summer for a couple of months,” Trace said. “You said it would be good for me to work somewhere else for a while. Anyway, five beautiful girls and one plain-looking girl came from Los Angeles. After three days, the beauties looked haggard, and that plain gal, my goodness, she was stunning.”
“I remember that one,” Adam said. “Took you three months to get her out of your mind, and back on the ranch and back on your school work.”
“Mom was like that, wasn’t she?” Trace said.
“Yes, she was,” Adam said. “When I first saw her, I couldn’t take my eyes off her. I’d close my eyes and just see her. I still do.”
Adam gazed toward the surf.
Trace followed his line of sight. “It must be hard wishing somebody was with you all the time.”
Adam smiled. “She’s here, you just can’t see her. She’s always with me. In fact, she helped me raise you.”
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