The Hitchhiker in Panama (Love and Wanderlust Book 1)

by Liz Alden

  We requested two Ubers and loaded Marcella into one that would take her and all of my new stuff back to the marina. Eivind and I hailed another and went to a chandlery—a boat supply store.

  Eivind helped me pick out a headlamp and a harness. Like a gentleman helping me with a jacket, Eivind held the harness up for me to stick my arms in.

  “Now this strap”—he tugged at the webbing that dangled in front of my crotch—“goes like this.” The strap slid through his fingers as the back of his hand swept down my shorts and stopped between my legs.

  “Eivind!” I hissed at him.

  “Yes?”

  I looked around frantically. The shelves on either side of the aisle hid us from view, but enough people wandered the store to make me nervous.

  Eivind’s fingers pressed firmer, and for a millisecond I ground down against him. He smirked at me and kissed the corner of my mouth.

  “Okay, really, Eivind.” It came out breathier than I’d intended.

  “Really?” he whispered.

  I shook the spell off. “This is blatant misconduct, and as the personal safety officer tasked with keeping me alive, I expect more from you.”

  Eivind laughed. “Yes, ma’am.” He tried to “help” me with the straps again and I pushed his hands away.

  “I’m not falling for that,” I muttered. Reaching in an awkward maneuver, I pushed the strap between my legs and grabbed it from behind. Eivind showed me how to clip it on the side of the harness.

  “Well, that’s bloody uncomfortable.” I adjusted my shorts, which were giving me a front-wedgie. We fiddled with the straps until only half of my underwear was up my bum. Then Eivind moved on to the safety features.

  A thick zipper ran from one side around my head to the other. Eivind pulled the zipper along and bright yellow material popped out.

  “This is the inflating part.” He dragged a matching fluorescent hood over my head. “Aw, you look so cute.”

  We also found a tether, and Eivind showed me how to clip it onto my harness. I’d use the other end to attach myself to the boat so I wouldn’t fall off. Eivind said I didn’t have to tether to the boat all the time, but I should use my tether if conditions were bad or if I was out on the deck.

  I tried to pay, but Eivind insisted on using his card since the items would stay behind when I left.

  When we returned to Eik, I sat down to bite the bullet. I called Dad at work first since he was an early riser and, frankly, the calmer of the two.

  My mum did not take it well. She didn’t yell at me, but she did that scary mum-silence before she answered.

  “Honey, I need you to think about this. You don’t know these people. What if I don’t hear from you and you disappear? I don’t know anything about them or where I would start to look for you!”

  “I’ll send you all the information you need, Mum. You’ll have everyone’s name and our contact information so you can email me while we are out at sea. Jonas has a cool tracker showing exactly where we are on the map.”

  “But what if something goes wrong? What if the boat sinks?”

  I described all the safety supplies Jonas had on board, using my fancy new nautical words like drogue and EPIRB.

  “I don’t know about this, Lila. I don’t trust strangers like this.”

  “But I do, Mum. Eivind will take good care of me.” I looked up to find Eivind watching me, and smiled at him. Mum scoffed.

  “You barely know him—”

  I interrupted. “Mum, it’s going to be okay. I’ll email you every day. I promise.”

  Mum sighed. “I’m going to talk to your father when he comes home, and we will see about this.”

  I smiled a little bit. Dad would calm her down.

  Twenty-Five

  We sat around the table eating dinner when my phone rang. Marcella had to let me out of the booth to grab it.

  “Hi, Dad,” I answered, heading up the companionway and into the cockpit for some privacy.

  “Hey, sweet pea. Your mum is in a tizzy.”

  “Ugh. I know.”

  “If it would make your mum feel better, why don’t you put Eivind on the phone to talk to me?”

  “What? Dad! Absolutely not. You do not need to talk to Eivind. This is my decision!”

  “Sweet pea, just let me talk to him.”

  I sighed and gripped my phone in my lap with both hands. Was it worth it to put my foot down? I decided not.

  “Hey, Eivind?” I called down. “Could you come out here?”

  People and plates shuffled around as Eivind made his way up to me.

  “My dad wants to talk to you.”

  Eivind watched me for a moment and nodded. He took the phone from me and held it up to his ear. “Hallo?”

  I strained to try to hear what Dad was saying, but he was too muffled for his words to make sense.

  Eivind looked at me. “Yes, sir.” He nodded. Eivind pulled the phone away from his ear and grabbed my hands with his. I realized I’d been wringing them. “Go downstairs, darling.”

  “But—”

  He pulled me in and kissed my head. “It is fine. Go eat, okay?”

  “Okay,” I grumbled.

  I sat back at the table with the rest of the crew and finished my dinner. By the time Eivind came back down, his food was cold. Marcella offered to reheat it, but Eivind said no and slid into the booth next to me. I passed his plate over and he gave me my phone back.

  He took a bite and chewed, thinking for a moment. “Your dad is a little scary.”

  “What? No way! He’s, like, a normal guy. He’s not a cop or military or anything.” I paused and fortified myself with some beer. “What did he say?”

  “He asked if we were sleeping together.”

  “What? Oh my God, no. What did you say?”

  “I told him the truth.”

  “WHAT? EIVIND.”

  Eivind started laughing.

  “Are you serious?”

  He laughed so hard he couldn’t respond to me.

  “Okay, you’re kidding, very funny.”

  “I am not kidding.” Eivind was still laughing, but he put his head in his hands. That was when I realized he was laughing hysterically . . . maybe even manically. “I told your dad we are sleeping together,” he said with disbelief.

  I gasped. “Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God.”

  Eivind ran his hands up over his head and then back down his face. “It is fine. He said he was glad I told him the truth.” Eivind grinned at me and suddenly I was suspicious.

  “What exactly did my dad say?”

  “He said that he appreciated learning the truth from me directly instead of finding a used condom on your bedroom floor.”

  “Oh no.” I groaned and put my head on the tabletop. Then I remembered that the rest of the crew was still in the salon, listening to our conversation. “I was a stupid, horny sixteen-year-old, okay? It was a rough patch with my dad, but I’m not anymore.”

  “Not horny anymore?” Eivind teased.

  I shoved him with both hands, but he barely budged. “I’m not stupid anymore. Well. I’m less stupid, but that’s all we can hope for anyway. What else did my dad say to you?”

  Eivind’s hand was warm on my skin as he rubbed my back. “He would fly anywhere in the world to help you if you needed it. And also fly anywhere in the world to cut my balls off if I hurt you.”

  “My dad said balls?”

  “I am paraphrasing.”

  “If he hurts you,” Marcella interrupted, “I’ll knee him in the junk.”

  Elayna, who was using tongs to serve herself more salad, snapped them at Eivind’s crotch with a menacing look.

  “Whoa! Why the hate on my balls?” Eivind cupped them protectively.

  My phone chimed.

  I love you, sweet pea.

  The next twenty-four hours were a blur of activity. Each of the crew members would randomly pop their heads in to give me some advice: Lila, do you listen to podcasts? You should download
some. Lila, did you buy enough shampoo? Lila, do you have enough clothes? You should buy a second bather.

  With Jonas, I also went over safety stuff. Jonas showed me their medical kit, which contained several different antibiotics, pain medication, and anti-nausea pills. We talked about emergencies, weather, and how the boat would be able to communicate with people onshore, which meant I could email my parents.

  “Come here.” Jonas crooked his finger, and I followed him to the desk. He pulled a slender book out of a plastic bag. The cover still had a price tag on it. “This is for you. It is more about the basics of sailing a small dinghy than a big oceangoing ship like Eik, but the principles are the same. You can learn the parts of the boat and some of the theory behind sailing, even more than you already know.”

  “Oh wow.” I took the book and thumbed through it, looking at diagrams of little sailboats and wind vanes. “Thank you! I am so excited to learn more, and I’ll have plenty of time to read this underway.”

  I also had my e-reader heaped full with books, hundreds of hours of podcasts downloaded, and though Marcella and Elayna kept reminding me of things I might need, they also assured me that if I ran out of anything, I could use some of theirs.

  Not having boat projects to do, I tried to keep to myself during the day. Eivind often worked on various projects, and he had me sit beside him while he worked. He called them “one-and-a-half-person jobs”—Eivind worked while I read next to him, and sometimes he would ask me to hand him a tool or flip a switch or dump some wash water overboard.

  I voraciously read blogs about sailing while I still had access to the internet. The sailing itself would be boring, and I wondered if I had enough to occupy myself for twenty-five days. I was sure I had enough books and podcasts, but what if I tired of them?

  It was five o’clock on our final night in Panama City. Marcella was slumped in the main salon, a damp cloth over her eyes. She’d spent the entire day organizing, cleaning, and reorganizing the galley.

  Elayna stroked her hair. “What can I do to help?”

  Marcella moaned. “I have to take one more trip to the store.”

  Elayna tsk-tsked. “Can I cook dinner while you do that?”

  Eivind perked up. “I can make Spamaroni?”

  “No!” Elayna and Marcella shouted together.

  I giggled.

  Peeking out from under the cloth, Marcella looked at Elayna. “There is lettuce and chicken for a salad. Can you just make a balsamic dressing?”

  “Of course.”

  I stood up. “I’ll help, and Eivind can drive you to shore.”

  Elayna and I busied ourselves around the galley, washing and chopping vegetables. Marcella would replace everything we used tonight with more fresh goods during her final trip to the supermarket. Her level of planning was epic. The fridge was stuffed full of fresh produce, and cans were stacked in every nook and cranny imaginable, not just in the galley, but under the floorboards and cushions. Sheets of paper were stacked up, her notes for meal planning: Day 1 dinner: rice salad; Day 2 dinner: chicken curry.

  “Do you feel like you did everything you wanted to while you were here?” I asked Eivind when he returned. “I mean, you were in Panama for what? A few days before I met you? You may have been in the country two weeks, but I don’t think you explored much.”

  “You are right. I did not see much. It happens everywhere we go. Someone might fly to Panama City and spend two weeks and tour everything they wanted. For us a two-week visit is really only a few days. There is so much more we have to do to just live.”

  “Nah, yeah. I guess you all have been busy with provisioning and projects and paperwork. That’s tough.”

  “It can be. But Jonas made the decision to sail quickly through the route he wanted to take. People circumnavigate the world in fifteen months or fifteen years.”

  “It’s such a long time.”

  “Yes, but these people are still always moving. And maybe they spend a year or two here or there. But to Jonas, he wanted to be out here sailing. He likes the destinations, yes, but he likes the sailing more.”

  “What about you? Are you here for the places or the sailing?”

  Eivind leaned on the counter, thinking. “I like sailing, but not enough to do many long passages. This much time at sea is hard, but shorter sailing trips are better. When we came through the Caribbean, that was ideal. Spend a few days or a week on one island, sail a few hours to the next one, and keep going. That was nice.”

  “Sailing more of a hobby, I guess?”

  “Ja. A hobby.”

  “It’s nice that you’ve stayed on to help, even if you don’t like the long passages.” I swept chopped tomatoes into a bowl. “What about you, Elayna?”

  “I am in it for the sailing.” She sighed. “I can’t wait to be out at sea. Soon, Lila, you will see how remarkable it is.”

  Twenty-Six

  The next morning we ate breakfast together. Jonas and Eivind went to shore to pay the marina bill and dispose of our trash. I sent one last email to my parents, and then I went out to the bow and took a selfie, the deck of Eik visible behind me. I started a new post:

  I’m doing something a little crazy. Today I set sail to cross the Pacific Ocean with my new friends. As the sailors say, wish me “fair winds and following seas.” I’ll see you in twenty-five days!

  When Eivind and Jonas returned, they put the dinghy back up on the davits, and Jonas quickly went over the departure checklist one last time. Every item was crossed off.

  When everyone started putting their harnesses on, I put mine on too. All five of us stood on deck, and Jonas started up the engine. Eivind stood by the bow, and when Jonas gave him the okay, he untied the mooring line from the cleat.

  Eik shifted away from the mooring, and Jonas pointed us out to sea.

  We motored for a few minutes before Eivind and the rest of the crew started work on the sails. Jonas steered the boat into the wind and slowed us down. Though the waves didn’t seem big, Eik bucked around. I gripped the metal rail of the cockpit, my stomach flipping—was it the motion of the boat and the waves tossing us about, or the fact that reality was hitting me and my decision was final? I really was sailing off into the Pacific Ocean.

  The crew worked together to bring the mainsail up. When Eivind gave the signal, Jonas spun the wheel, turning Eik to port. We picked up speed, and there was this amazing moment of lift, like the boat was eager to take off and fly. The waves calmed, her bow steadied, and Jonas turned off the engine.

  I closed my eyes, overwhelmed with the sensations. The crew still moved around me, but beyond that was the call of the ocean. The wind teased my hair, the waves caressed Eik’s hull, and the sun kissed my skin.

  When I opened my eyes again, the genoa was unfurled and we’d picked up even more speed. Eivind coiled some lines next to me, tidying the boat up now that we were underway.

  “Wow,” I breathed.

  Eivind crawled in to sit beside me. “Well, here we are! Sailing!”

  Jonas grinned, pressed a few buttons, and slouched away from the helm.

  We gathered back in the cockpit and Jonas went over a few things I didn’t quite understand. He talked about the wind angle, the sail plan, the weather conditions . . . and my heart sank a little bit. I wondered if I might be in over my head. Eivind assured me that he’d help me when my shift started at noon.

  Jonas wrapped up. “Eivind, I turn the helm over to you. Any questions?”

  Eivind saluted Jonas and they switched positions so Eivind was by the helm. Jonas, Marcella, and Elayna all disappeared down below. Someone moved around in the galley.

  “What should I do?” I asked Eivind.

  “Whatever you want. I think maybe stay up here until you see how you feel with the seasickness.”

  Jonas’s head popped out of the companionway and he handed Eivind his tablet. “Lila, do you need anything?”

  “Can you grab my e-reader for me? It’s on the table.” Jonas reappeared w
ith it a few moments later, and I settled into the corner of the cockpit.

  I read a few chapters before my eyes tired. I closed them briefly, and the next thing I knew, Eivind was gently shaking me awake.

  Groggily, I blinked up at him. “I guess I took a nap, huh?”

  He smiled gently. “Yes, but that is good. It is almost time for your shift. Do you want anything to drink?”

  “Is there some coffee?”

  “Of course. I will be right back.”

  I eased myself up and looked around. There were some islands off in the distance, but they were hazy and behind us. I was the only one up top, and I could pretend I had the boat all to myself for a moment. How surreal it must be to sail alone.

  Eivind came back up and my personalized briefing began.

  “This box is the autopilot. Do not touch it. Because we have such a long way to go, the plan is to just set the sails right, set the autopilot, and let the boat do her thing.

  Eivind pointed to big letters that spelled cog; this was followed by numbers: 187, 192, 189, 194 . . . the number kept changing. “This number here, this is our course over ground. We want it to be between 180 and 210. If it goes outside of that range, get Jonas. Next, look at this number.” The letters read aws. “Apparent wind speed. If this reads over fifteen, get Jonas. If you see something on the horizon, get Jonas. If you hear any weird noises—”

  “Get Jonas?”

  Eivind tweaked my nose. “Cheeky. Yes, get Jonas. But for today, I will be with you on watch, so you do not have to worry too much.”

  “Okay, the course over ground needs to be between 180 and 200?”

  “Two hundred and ten.”

  “Two hundred and ten. Apparent wind speed is less than fifteen?”

  “Yes.”

  “I need to write this down.” I pulled my phone out and made a note.

  “Most of the time,” Eivind said, “you will do nothing. You can sit up here and read or whatever. Make sure every ten minutes you check the horizon around us. Look for anything new. That will be your whole watch.”