How To Lose Weight And Survive The Apocalypse

Chapter 26

"Hmm."

"What?"

"It's just... smaller than I expected."

"That's what she said."

"Omg, don't be that person."

"Sorry. This is a pretty standard size. How big were you expecting?"

I squinted. "I'm not sure. I guess as long as it gets the job done."

Rueben laughed. "I promise, smaller is better in this case – it'll get the job done faster."

The yacht bobbed up and down in front of us, gently sloshing. Bailey and Nev were already aboard, scrambling around in excitement with Mischa and Bella along the pale wooden decks. It was clearly a functional vessel; there were no hot tubs or fully stocked bars here. The sails were strapped firmly to the mast which towered over our heads, and ropes stretched everywhere. Twin helms stood proudly at the back of the deck, as big as pirate steering wheels but made of slender metal instead of thick wood. Everything was sleek and minimal. Zero aesthetics, not even a couch – just perching spots, also made of wood and built into the deck.

Noticing my unimpressed expression, Rueben said, "Less clutter on the desk means that better safety during wind and poor weather conditions."

"Okay, good."

"This is a million-dollar yacht, Karla."

"Seriously? For a million bucks, you reckon they would toss in a few deck chairs or couch cushions." I reached for the rail and placed a foot on the gunwale. The high tide meant the deck floated above the jetty, and I struggled to leverage myself aboard. "Can we steer it to Tassie with just the two of us?"

Rueben placed a firm hand at my lower back, anchoring me. "I'll have to show you the ropes, literally, but yes, this layout of the control lines, with the winches within easy reach of the helmsman and the self-tacking jib, allow easy and safe handling of the boat even with limited crew and over long-distance cruising."

I nodded and grunted, pulling myself up and onto the deck, enjoying the feel of Rueben's warm palm against my spine. "Are you geeking out a bit right now?"

With a grin, he said, "Does it show? The guy who owns this beauty, I work with him and he's been boasting about her- sorry, it, for months. I've been dying to take it out."

"He agreed to let you have it?"

"He was in South Africa when D-day happened. He doesn't have family here. I think he was just glad his baby wasn't going to end up being destroyed for firewood or rot away here in the dock. The Great Escape will have at least one more voyage."

From the deck, the yacht seemed slightly larger. I could walk for several meters from port to starboard (I knew one was right and one was left, but I kept forgetting which and at that stage I was too embarrassed to ask again) and it was a longer journey from the front to the back. Still, the square footage wasn't much bigger than four car spaces. That was fine when we were still at the dock, but I could imagine how claustrophobic it would feel once we were out on the sea.

I glanced over at Rueben, and busted him staring back at me. "What?"

"What?"

"What are you looking at?" I started patting my hair and face, trying to work out if I had a booger on my cheek or a bird poop somewhere unnoticed.

"Nothing. Just you." He cleared his throat, then swallowed heavily. "Karla, I need to tell you-"

"Holy crap, youse guys!" Nev's head poked up from the stairwell. "You have to see it down here!"