Amore

Chapter 6

Andrew woke me up early in the morning so we could eat breakfast and then get on the ship.

I stumbled over a stone as we walked to the ship, carrying our stuff. A sailor looked at our papers and nodded. He handed our stuff up on deck and then easily lifted me up too. My eyes widened as I landed on the deck, Andrew scrambling after me. Everyone I saw was a man. They were all running around doing some kind of chore before the ship set off. The captain came over to tell us where our cabin was, we got the biggest one besides him since I was the only woman passenger on this long voyage. Some men whistled as I walked by, following Andrew, who was glaring, to our cabin.

He pushed the door open, revealing a small room with a medium-sized bed, a window with a small window seat, two chairs, a tiny table, and a heater stove. He set the chest down at the foot of the bed and turned around. He looked big in the small room.

"Nice, for a ship," he commented.

I shrugged, not knowing if this was nice for a ship or not. Some man knocked on the door to tell us when dinner was and where. He looked past Andrew at me, and nodded, "Ma'am."

His voice has a slight twang to it. "Sir." Then he left, closing the door behind him.

"Where is he from?" I asked.

"Probably somewhere around where I used to live," he said, sitting back down on the bed.

"You're voice doesn't sound like that though."

"I've been away from home for a long time," he sighed.

"Are we going to see your house?"

"No!" he said a little too quickly, panicky.

"Why not?" I asked, my curiosity sinking in.

"I don't want to go back there."

"Why not?" I repeated.

"Too many bad memories."

"Maybe you need to go back and let them go," I suggested, "I'm sure people miss you."

"If they remember me," he snorted.

"No one could forget you," I said, walking over and putting my hand on his shoulder in a comforting gesture. He looked up at me with a solemn look, then looked down at his large, slim hands. He stood up and walked over to the window, looking out at the sky and water.

"It's going to get cold soon," he mumbled to no one in particular. He looked back at me, "Unbearably cold."

"I can handle the cold," I said, thinking about the freezing nights in the barn.

He shook his head, "It gets colder out here on the ocean. Especially at night."

He wandered around, looking in a small chest in the corner of the room. He pulled out two extra blankets and set them on the bed, "That'll do for now, but in a month, it'll be very cold."

"What're we going to do?" I asked, looking up at him.

He shrugged, then smiled, "We have a month to think about it."

I stared at him, "Are you always so optimistic in unpleasant situations?"

He blinked, "Am I?"

I nodded.

He sighed, "I just find it easier to go into something cheerfully instead of dreading it. There's always a solution. I'm sure we can think of something between the two of us."

"Surely," I answered.

"Well, I think it's about time for dinner," he said, heading for the door. He turned around, waiting for me. I stood up, straightening my dress, and followed him down the slim corridor. We ended up in a room with a few men who were already eating, even though people were still getting the ship ready to sail. When we walked in, everyman who was in there stood up, watching me. I blushed, not wanting to be the center of attention. Andrew led me past them to the end of the table, where we would be sitting. Andrew made sure I was in the corner, farthest away from anyone. A few men trickled in, sitting down, and eying me like the rest of them had.