It was noisy.
As soon as they set foot on the ferry, all they could hear was the deafening sound of the engine from below. The organizers have to shout to get everyone's attention and lead them the way to the passenger area.
The noise doesn't bother Shiro though. She looked around and could see the overly fat ropes and huge chains on the deck. She tried to lift the chains up but it's far too heavy.
"Look guys," Shiro called Taka and his friends. "It's so big and heavy, I can't lift it. Can you?"
Taka and his friends tried lifting the huge chain. It was so heavy but they managed to lift it a bit together. The Group 2 members of the tour was behind them and could see them struggling. Taka saw one of the guys laugh.
"Damn, we look stupid, aren't we? They're laughing at us!" Taka told his friends.
"No bro! I don't think they are laughing at us.. but at her," answered Taka's friend pointing at Shiro.
Shiro has been struggling to lift the fat rope. She lifted it up to her waist and got one of the sailor to take her picture as she pose to the camera flexing her arm to show her nonexistent muscle. It was indeed a funny sight.
Shiro thanked the sailor and went to Taka. She forced him and his friends to lift the chains so she can take a commemorative photo. After that, they proceeded to the passenger area. Shiro wanted to stay longer and admire the chains for she'd never seen anything like it before.
"I wonder how heavy those chains are..." Shiro wondered talking to herself loudly.
"A shackle as big as your leg weighs around 10kg, but that's only a piece of a chain.. Figure the math if many shackle is chained," a guy from Group2 answered her nonchalantly.
Shiro looked back to see who the guy was. They locked eyes and then he shrugged. The girl with the guy gave Shiro a snide look.
"Shiro let's go! Our group has already gone up the deck," called Taka.
The passenger area in the upper deck isn't what the two girls in their group expected. They kept on commenting how small their leg space is, how crowded is the area, and how some passengers smell. Though they are talking in a hushed tone, it still gave Taka and his friends bad vibes from the girls. They compared the girls to Shiro who is busy admiring the old ferry.
"Is she some kind of a ship fanatic?" asked Taka's friend.
"When I met her in the elevator, I remember she said something about a Ship Museum, so I think she is fascinated by ships," answered Taka.
After checking out the deck, Shiro went back to her seat. She checked her phone signal and smile with contentment knowing she still have a connection. She opened the dating app and sent Seiji some photos.
She typed a message:
"I met some friends, they are like a big brother to me. Here's them lifting the ferry's chain." Shiro sent the photo of Taka and his friends.
"And here's the ferry docked at the pier. Majestic isn't it? I'm in awe!" Shiro sent the photo of the ferry.
She checked the other photos on her phone. What remains are her portraits taken by Taka. A notification banner popped, Seiji replied to her message.
"They must have taken a liking to you because you're too cute. They probably have a crush on you too. I know boys, I'm one."
"Hahaha! I dont think so. They are pretty nice people. Y'know what, I realized that meeting strangers and befriending them is fun," Shiro typed.
YOU ARE READING
The Sailor and The Traveler
RomanceShiro thought everything in her life was perfect.. She could travel to a lot of places, her career is going smoothly, and she got a boyfriend who builds ships! She's happy and contented with her life, she's only waiting for him to marry her. But a s...
