Chikungunya
By Roger Arsht
When Annie came upstairs for dinner, she was wearing a light-blue, silk pajama ensemble. She had shopped online for hours before finding an outfit that was stylish, sexy, but not too sheer or revealing. It was perfect for dinner onboard Secrets Kept. However, the material was too thin to keep her warm in the chilly, night air so she draped her luscious bathrobe over her shoulders, slipped her fuzzy slippers on her feet, and headed upstairs for dinner.
Bertie was standing in the salon watching a college basketball game with a beer in hand when Annie came up the stairs. “Wow,” he said when he saw her, forgetting that he had his mug of beer at his lips. He quickly blotted the beer dripping down his hoodie. “Those are some…pajamas.”
“Let me get that,” Annie grabbed a napkin and finished capturing the drips. She gently grabbed the front of Bertie’s hoodie and pulled him toward her until her lips pressed against his. She held the kiss for a few seconds before stepping back. “That was yummy. Can I get my own beer?” she said with a mischievous smile.
“Sure,” Bertie said as he turned off the television with his remote.
“Don’t do that. You were enjoying the game. Who’s playing?”
“Georgetown and Xavier. I graduated from Georgetown in ’95.”
“Was that when Ewing was playing or Iverson?”
“Iverson. Why are you so familiar with Georgetown basketball?” Bertie asked, surprised.
“Some of my family went to Villanova.”
“Ah," he nodded in recognition. "Big rivals."
“Let’s watch the game.”
“Okay,” Bertie said, happily. They sat on the sofa and Annie snuggled next to Bertie.
When he called in for dinner, a woman in a white blouse with a Secrets Kept logo brought cheeseburgers and tots to the cocktail table. “I’ll be right back with your beer.”
“Annie, this is our First Mate, Cathy Williams. She’s onboard to assist Captain Ed.”
Having a stranger in their midst caused Annie to reflexively pull away and close the front of her bathrobe.
“Thank you, Cathy.” Bertie could see that Annie was uncomfortable. “I think we’ll serve and clean up for ourselves tonight.”
“Yes, sir,” Cathy left the salon as quietly as she arrived.
Annie was looking at Bertie pensively. “I’ll get your beer,” he said. “Never mind. Come with me. Let me show you the pantry and how things are arranged so we won’t need anyone to wait on us.”
Annie could tell that he was trying to apologize in his own way. However, it wasn’t an apology. “You should have told me there were more people aboard.”
“I thought you knew. When we slowed the boat earlier, Captain Ed was with us. Someone else had to be at the helm.”
“I didn’t put two-and-two together. You assume…a lot.” Annie said with the same annoyance in her voice she had displayed a week earlier.
You’re absolutely correct. I’m sorry. Very sorry. Please forgive me.”
“I’m not comfortable with Cathy or Ed seeing me like this. I wore this outfit for you."
“I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
“They’re used to seeing you with women…when you’re entertaining. My appearance didn’t faze her. There have been a lot of women who have worn lingerie on this yacht outside their stateroom.”
“Do I have to answer that.”
“You’re not going to pull that keeping secrets shit again.”
“It’s not shit. It works for me. Or at least it used to.”
“Good for you,” Annie said while picking up her plate and mug. “I’ll watch the game in my room.”
“Are you asking me to take you back to Annapolis?”
“No. I was in a good mood. Now I’m not. See you in the morning.”
Annie didn't look back as she walked down the steps to the lower level and into her room.
“Shit,” was all that Bertie, despite being a writer, could think of saying. He exhaled and started walking toward the ship’s helm so he could talk to Ed and Cathy about what just happened so they could avoid it from ever happening again.
The next morning, Annie made her way to the deck. Secrets Kept was anchored a half-mile from shore, and the Chincoteague shoreline stretched out in front of her. She thought she could see some of the wild ponies on the beach, but she couldn’t be sure from that distance.
Bertie handed her a cup of coffee. He could see from her jeans and boots that she was ready for riding.”
“How did you sleep?” Bertie asked with a tinge of nervousness in his voice.
“Great. I feel great. A little stiff in the arms from riding the jet ski.” Annie took the cup of coffee and put it down on a table before pulling Bertie into a hug. “I’m doing the best I can. I came here to spend the weekend with you. I’m all in. However, I need to be true to my feelings. I was embarrassed last night. This is still a new and unusual relationship. I’m trying,” Annie said evenly.
“Thank you for being honest. I’m sorry. You’re right. This is an unusual setup. I'll try and be more thoughtful,” Bertie acknowledged, and then pointed to three horses on the shore. “Those horses are waiting for us. Can I ask you to eat a quick breakfast?”
“How do we get to shore?”
“We can ride the jet skis, or Captain Ed can take us to shore in the dinghy. If we take the jet skis, then we’ll get a little wet coming ashore. Which do you prefer?”
“The jet skis.” Annie answered, enthusiastically.
Bertie handed Annie a backpack. “Put your boots in here. Maybe a sweater or light coat for later or anything else you want to change into before we go to dinner at Bill’s. It’s a casual place.”
Annie walked into the salon and quickly ate some scrambled eggs and a croissant. She grabbed her backpack and ran downstairs to pick up a few things. She was at the stern before Bertie. Captain Ed had the jet skis ready for them.
“How did the jet ski perform for you yesterday?” the captain asked.
“It was great. It goes a lot faster than I thought it could.”
“One of the biggest issues for beginners is being able to control the throttle. Some people keep the throttle wide open because they’re using it to balance themselves. The next step for you, if you don’t mind a suggestion, is to stand up when you’re going over a wave or the boat’s wake. It takes some practice. You might want to try it another day. You’ll want to arrive on shore relatively dry.”
“Thanks for the advice.”
Bertie arrived and they took off for the shoreline. When they arrived, a man in well-worn jeans and a cowboy hat was waiting to help pull the jet skis onto the beach.
“Annie, this is Jackson. He’s going to be our guide.”
Annie shook his hand. “Who’s this beauty? Is it a Quarter Horse?”
“That's right. Her name is Maddie. She’s strong, gentle, and can read her riders. She knows who can gallop and who shouldn’t go any faster than a canter. How much riding have you done?”
“I rode every weekend until I was eighteen. Mostly saddle seat.”
“Great, so you'll have no trouble,” Jackson said, enthusiastically. “Bertie, you know Brownie.”
“My old friend,” Bertie reached into his pocket and pulled out a carrot stick for Brownie. He then handed Annie her own plastic bag of carrot sticks.
“We’re going to work our way up the coast. Then we’ll turn back in time to watch the ponies swim the channel," Jackson explained.
The three rode excitedly for two hours through sand and surf. Eventually, they moved inland to a spring to water the horses. Bertie pulled a couple of sandwiches and bottles of water from his backpack.
“What do you think?” he asked.
“This is spectacular. I haven’t ridden in years.” Annie pulled Bertie into an embrace and kissed him passionately. “Can we sit and talk?”
“Sure.”
“How did you come up with this idea? Secrets Kept, the horses, the jet skis.” Annie expected Bertie to answer like many men would—that he had evaluated hundreds of yachts and how Secrets Kept was best suited to his needs, that the jet skis he had selected performed better than other models, and how Jackson was the best wrangler on Chincoteague.
Instead, Bertie dipped his head a little so that she couldn’t see that he was embarrassed. “The truth is, I come out to places like this to separate myself from the craziness of the world. The process gives me the feeling that I can’t be touched or affected by all the terrible things that go on in the world. The yacht, the jet skis, almost everything, was selected by Ed. He even plans the itineraries. His only instructions from me is that I want my desire for privacy and relaxation to be the first priority.”
“He did a fantastic job, but no one can escape turmoil and discord.”
“I consciously know that I’m not immune from sickness, death, economic downturns, or anything else. But I don’t like protests, strife, even traffic noise. Even worse is the divisive and nonsensical chatter coming from the media. When I invite someone aboard, I take three to four days to be alone, to get into the right perspective, to settle myself."
“Wow, 3 to 4 days. That seems like a lot. Do you ever feel like you are not up to entertaining and want to cancel? Do you tell your guest that you’re sick?"
“Well, let's just say that there have been a couple of times when Captain Ed had to play a lot of cards and jet ski with a guest. I don’t want company when I’m not feeling well. I had one guest who pushed so hard to take care of me that I lied about having an infectious disease, so she’d stay away. I’m not proud of that," he said sheepishly. "She got even with me. She told the CDC that I was suffering from the bubonic plague or Chikungunya…something like that. The Maryland health authorities put me and the yacht in quarantine for two weeks.”
“They didn’t believe you when you told them you made the whole thing up?”
“They weren’t amused by my lie. I learned from that experience that it’s better to try and tell the truth.”
“Try?”
Bertie opened his mouth to respond. Annie cut him off. “It’s okay. We’re both trying to make this thing work.”