The True Blue

Scott and Donna’s relationship began as a digital thing. They met online. As with most dating app couplings the initial attraction was physical. Donna presented herself as neither exotic or sensual or suggestive in her poses yet, she was very pretty. Scott looked fit, neat and handsome in a simple, honest way. His wavy brown hair was trimmed in a common cut, her large hazel eyes didn’t appear to be hiding any deep, dark, mysterious secrets. They were what romance novelists might deem, most likely to ignore.

After a couple of months of texting, chatting and phone calls, they decided to meet for brunch at Hemmingway’s on the Beach, Pensacola Beach to be precise. Scott owned a house on the beach which, to any single woman living along the Florida's Redneck Riviera, was a plus. Houses along the long narrow isthmus were expensive and most were set aside to rent to tourists. 

    “It’s nice to finally meet you, Donna.”

    “Same here Scott. I hope you don’t mind the day date.”

    “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

    “Ha, you wouldn’t rather be sharing a table with a bottle of wine, a candle and some DJ pretending to be Jimmy Buffet?”

    “Actually, I’m glad my first look at you is in the sun. I doubt a single candle could do that face justice.”

Donna’s assumed immunity to sweet talk just let her down.

    “Okay, should I take my clothes off now?” she joked, Scott laughed. Donna knew it was an honest and not just a polite one.

    “Not now, I don’t want my Eggs Benedict to get cold.” Donna‘s laugh was also sincere.

After an hour of sharing equal parts flirt, fact and moments of silent eye contact, the couple agreed a walk on the beach was in order. The soft, sugary white sands the area is famous for were right across the street. But, since it ‘twas the season’ the shore was crowded. The first thing they had to do was decide, which way to go. A walk to the west would take them through the most congested section with lots of screaming kids, fat men in Speedo’s and outdoor cocktail places where young couples got drunk too early. They chose to head east. The further they went, the fewer tourists there were. After a few hundred yards, they had the whole place to themselves. Scott took Donna’s hand in his. It was the perfect time to do it, and she didn’t mind at all.

    “So, I guess this means we’ll have a second date?” Donna asked.

    “I hope so and hope you believe me when I tell you, I like you very much.”

‘I like you very much.’ There it was again, simple honesty. 

    “I think I like you very much too, Scott.”

    “Then I guess we’ll have to have a second date. We must get you past the ‘thinking you like me’ phase or there’ll be no chance for us or the children.”

    Donna laughed lightly, “Oh really? So, we’re going to have kids?”

    “Only, if we run out of things to talk about.”

When Donna mentioned on her dating app profile of how she loved walks on the beach, this was precisely the walk she was hoping for.

    “Would you dare go on a boat ride with me?” Scott asked.

    “That’s right, I forgot, you own a boat!”

    “The True Blue. It’s an antique Egg Harbor. I restored it myself.”

    “You go fishing a lot?”

    “In a manner of speaking.”

    “What does that mean?”

    “Me and the fish have an agreement; I won’t eat them if they won’t eat me.”

Donna stopped in her tracks.

    “Uh-oh, you’re going to hate me. I had the Finnan Haddie for brunch.”

    “No, you didn’t.”

    “Yes, I did.”

    “No, you didn’t.”

    “Yes, I did! I can’t believe our first fight is over Finnan Haddie.”

    “Finnan Haddie is haddock. The last haddock to swim these waters did it before the Ice Age. What you had was a grouper pretending to be a haddock.”

    “No way! I want my money back!” Donna joked.

    “It wasn’t your money.”

    “Oh yeah, I forgot. I guess you win again.”

    “So, what about that late afternoon cruise on the luxurious True Blue?”

    “Sure, why not. I’ll bring the candle.”

    “Candle?”

    “Just in case, we stay out after dark.”

Scott released Donna’s hand and put his arm around her waist. She didn’t mind a bit.

A few days later Donna arrived at Scott’s place. Like most houses along Pensacola Beach it stood on stilts. It took a few hurricanes for the locals to learn, this was a smart idea. The front half of the ground level was the garage. The rear half had a small exercise room with a few pieces of fitness equipment. Across the hall was a game room with a dartboard, pinball machine, pool table and a small but well stocked bar. The second floor was where most of the living was done and the third was all bedrooms, four to be exact. There were spacious decks on both sides. The one in the front overlooked the gulf, the one in the rear, the bay and city of Pensacola. The backyard was fenced and had a large barbecue area and a swimming pool for entertaining.

Donna was forced to admit, “This place is beautiful.”

    “The cleaning people were here yesterday; you’re seeing it at its best.”

    “I bet you have a lot of parties out here.”

    “Not so much anymore.”

    “Why’s that?”

    “It’s kind of a drag to be going stag at your own parties.”

Donna was tempted to ask why such a good looking, charming and obviously financially stable young man was ‘going stag’ but she wasn’t ready to open that door, not yet.

    “Well, are we going for a boat ride or not?”

    “Let’s go!”

Scott led Donna to the private dock where The True Blue was waiting. One didn’t have to know much about boats to see, The True Blue was a special one. True to its name, its hull was painted blue, a tropical turquoise that matched the gulf waters it sat upon. The sun reflected off brass and hard wood trim it as if it were a mirror, that’s how well polished it was. The deck was wide, with a table and comfortable chairs. There wasn’t a hint of carelessness to be seen. The cabin had a small air conditioner, bar, more comfortable furniture, including a bed. Donna was, to say the least, impressed.

    “Damn, this is quite a yacht.”

    “It’s a cabin cruiser, a pleasure boat.”

    “Well, it’s my pleasure to be on it.”

    “The best is yet to come,” Scott said, a playful twinkle in his eye.

    “Hmm, I’m sure it is,” Donna’s replied with a different flavor of twinkle.

    Scott laughed and instructed his crew mate.

    “Release the aft line, I’ll get the bow.”

They went their separate ways to free the True Blue from its mooring. Off to sea they went.  The old boat rode smooth and made good speed. As Scott manned the wheel on the elevated bridge, Donna changed into her bathing suit in the cabin. She had included a picture of herself in this same yellow bikini on the dating app so, she knew Scott had already seen her in it. This time it would be in the flesh and there was plenty of that to see. Donna climbed the ladder to the bridge. From where he stood, Scott could easily look down for an eye full of what the top of the suit was meant to hide. When she looked up and saw him looking not at that but at her eyes, she was relieved. He held out his hand to help her up the final few steps.

    “Welcome aboard mate! I see you’ve donned the proper seafaring attire!”

    Donna laughed, “My dad doesn’t think it’s so proper.”

    “Ha! Dad must be an Air Force man, most likely, a Methodist one!”

Donna laughed again, “So, where we headed captain?”

    “A spot about a mile that-a-way, my friends usually hang out there this time of day.”

    “Friends?”

Scott put his arm around Donna’s bare shoulder and positioned her at the helm.

    “Here, take the wheel, I’m going to make some sandwiches.”

    Donna protested, “I’ve never driven a boat before!”

    Scott pointed, “Just keep going that-a-way. Don’t worry about the stop signs. I always ignore them.”

Donna gripped the wheel and locked her eyes straight to stay on course. Scott patted her on the back then gently kissed her on the shoulder near the nape of her neck. Donna closed her eyes hoping he’d kiss her again.  He didn’t. Alone on the bridge Donna could only hope she was still on course and heading to where Scott said his mysterious friends were waiting.

After about twenty minutes she heard Scott call up to the bridge.

    “Turn it off!”

She looked down to see the table was set with chips, two bottles of cold beer, a flower in a single stem vase and more sandwiches than the two of them could eat, 

   “Pull the throttle to neutral and turn the key!  I’ll weigh anchor!”

It took Donna a minute to figure out the throttle and pull it back to where the propellers stopped turning. Then, she turned the key. The engine went silent. Donna looked to the bow to watch Scott release the anchor. He browned like a chocolate bar and was muscular in a simple way, not like some bodybuilder trying to impress. This was the first time any serious thought of sex had entered into her mind. Along with it came another funny thought, ‘what if he didn’t want to?’ How strange. She doubted many red-blooded American men, seeing her in this bikini would decline the opportunity. But Scott was different, he was, a gentleman. They sat and ate sandwiches and drank beer on the deck.

    “Would you rather we dine inside? I'll the air conditioner on.”

    “No, I like this. The sun feels good and the air smells so fresh.”

    “You look beautiful Donna.”

Donna blushed and thought maybe the notion of sex had seriously entered into his mind, too.

    “Thanks, you don’t look so bad yourself.”

    “Bah, men are built for function, women for art and you m’lady are a masterpiece.”

    “I guess this is going to lead to something, am I right?”

    “That’s not up to me, that’s up to us.”

Damn that simple honesty! The man was as true blue as the boat. Scott looked to the side at the sea, stood and pointed.

    “Look! Here they come!”

Donna shielded her eyes from the sun but the glare on the surface of the water proved equally blinding. She put on a pair of polarized sunglasses. What she saw frightened her. Three dorsal fins, clearly belonging to sharks were headed for the True Blue. Scott rushed to the rail with a pair of sandwiches and waved toward the visitors.

   “Hey guys! Good to see ya! Come on over, I want you to meet someone!”

   Donna’s eyes widened as the words echoed in her mind, “Meet someone?  Me?”

Scott answered the thought, immediately.

   “Donna, come here! Say hello to my friends!”

Donna’s jaw dropped, “Friends?”

   “Don’t be afraid, they won’t bite! And bring another sandwich!”

After a quick what-the-hell shrug Donna picked up a sandwich, joined Scott at the rail and looked down. The three sharks swam in a circle at the surface, they took turns rubbing against the hull of the True Blue. It looked, to her, as if they were petting the boat. Scott tossed a sandwich to the closest predator.

   “Here you go pal! It’s deviled ham, your favorite.”

   “He likes deviled ham?” Donna asked.

   Scott whispered, “Bah, these guys will eat anything.”

Donna was sure they would. These were bull sharks, one of the most aggressive breeds of the species.

   “So, uh, these are your friends?”

Scott tossed a second sandwich to the second shark.

“Hey! Where are the others?” he asked the fish.

   “Others?” Donna muttered to herself and looked over the horizon.

   “Sometimes there’s as many as a dozen of ‘em,” Scott clarified.

An unsettling notion crept into Donna’s thoughts, ‘Is this guy some kind of twisted psycho who brings beautiful women in bikinis out to sea to feed to the sharks as some kind of sacrifice ritual?’ She stepped back from the rail.

  “My cell phone’s still on. They can track where I've been using the GPS and…”

Scott roared with laughter.

  “You think I’m gonna kill you?”

  “Just take me back, okay, please?”

  “Take you back?  You'll miss the best part.”

  “I don’t want to be eaten by sharks.”

  “Neither do I. I just want to play with them.”

  “Play with them?!”

  “They’re a lot of fun.

Donna lost it.

“Fun? Those are bull sharks! Now I know why you always go stag to your parties. Every girl you meet gets eaten on the second date!” 

  “Don’t be ridiculous.”

  “Me? Ridiculous?”

Scott pointed into the water.

  “Here comes number three. She hasn’t had a sandwich yet. Give her yours.”

  “You’re not going to take me home, are you?”

  “Feed the bull shark first.”

Summoning all her courage, Donna inched closer to the rail.

   Scott whispered, “Just don’t tell her its tuna fish.”

Donna peeked over the rail. The nearly ten-foot-long beast caressed the True Blue and glanced back up with hungry eyes. She closed hers and tossed the sandwich in.

   “Now, that didn’t hurt, did it?”

Donna leaned a little further over the rail. The three fish were engaged in a bizarre sort of bull shark ballet. They swam in a tight circle then a wider one. They then weaved amongst each other. From somewhere on deck, Scott had found a remote control. He hit a button. The theme song from Jaws began to play. Scott laughed.

   “They love this one.”

One shark nestled close to the True Blue hull while the other two separated wide and in opposite directions. The French horns blared. Ta daaaa! The sharks turned. Two vicious, mean flat faces with determined looks held still in the water. Bulls are the only sharks that can do this. The tubas launched into the theme songs most familiar part, Dum, dum, dum, dum. The two fish charged!  To Donna it seemed they were headed for a collision and ending in some horrific bloody battle.

   “You’re going to love this,” Scott said. 

The speed of the bulls astounded Donna. A moment before the flattened snouts were about to collide, the bull by the hull sped directly into the path of danger between the other two. At the last second one charging shark dove under the intruder, the other flew up and breached the surface. It performed a delicate midair spin, finished with a flawless flourish and nosedived into the water. Spray from the splash hit Scott and Donna in the face and she laughed.

Scott applauded and grabbed Donna by the arm.

   “Come on Donna, they want us to play.”

Donna pulled away, “I’m afraid.”

Scott pleaded with his eyes.

“Donna, they’re inviting us into their home. Let’s not be rude.”

The ridiculousness of the point struck Donna in the funny bone. She tried stifling a nervous laugh and felt the fear melt away.

“What the hell. If they can run with bulls in Spain, why not swim with them in Pensacola?"

Scott took a pair of masks with snorkels from under a deck cushion and offered one to Donna.

“That's the spirit! Here you go.”

Donna hesitated.  Scott pushed the snorkel into her hand.

  “Any friend of mine is a friend of theirs. They won’t hurt you, I promise.”

On a boat, half-naked, in the middle of the Gulf of Whatever-You-Want-to-Call It, with a man she’d only met once and three bull sharks waiting to make her acquaintance, Donna decided to embrace the madness. She grabbed the snorkel.

“You, first.”

Scott balanced on the rail and dove in, Donna followed. Beneath the surface she held tight to Scott’s arm. The three bulls circled side to side and over and under as the couple swam. The largest of the three offered its dorsal fin. Scott freed Donna’s hand from his arm and placed it on the fin. She gripped hard. The shark took off and reached a speed of almost sixty miles an hour with Donna in tow. Somehow the shark knew when to breach for Donna to catch some air. The incredible strength of the beast enabled it to soar, with Donna clinging to its fin, several feet into the sky.

When the fish decided Donna’s first bull shark test drive had gone on long enough, it slowed to cruising speed, stopped and dropped her off aside the True Blue. Scott was waiting at the ladder that draped over the rail. She climbed up.

    “Holy shit, that was fucking awesome!”

Scott took her hand.

   “I knew you’d love it!”

   “I want to do it again!”

Scott looked over the horizon at the fins swimming away. The sun was about to set. Donna was disappointed.

   “Aw, I wanted to do it again.”

   “We will, only next time I suggest you wear a tighter suit.”

   “Huh?”

Donna looked down. Her bikini bra had fallen off during the ride.

   “Oh shit!” She covered her breasts with her arms. Scott smiled.

   “I’ll get you a towel.”

Donna lowered her arms. “No, I’d rather we light that candle.”

They entered the comfortable cabin and made love.

Donna c face to face with her fears and overcome them. At the same time, she discovered how joyful love can be when paired with simple, honest truth and unconditional trust. That night she enjoyed the sweetest sleep of her life, aboard the True Blue.