the water. Dad relaxed a little. So did the rest of us. We held our faces up to catch a few rays.
"Don't forget to use plenty of suntan lotion," Grandma said.
Sheila slathered it all over herself. By the time she was done she smelled like a coconut factory.
"I never burn," Jimmy told Grandma.
"Me neither," I said.
"Aren't you lucky!" Grandma said.
We sailed along that way for an hour before Dad called, "Anybody ready for lunch?"
"Yes!" we all answered at once.
We dropped the anchor near a small island. I handed out our lunch bags. Jimmy had brought his favorite--sardines and onions on rye. The rest of us had cold chicken, left over from last night's dinner.
"Am I hungry!" Jimmy said, gobbling up one sardine-and-onion sandwich and starting on the next.
"Me too!" Sheila said. "I've never been so hungry in my entire life."
"It's the salt air," Grandma said. "It does wonders for your appetite."
The three of us polished off a bag of chips,
114
a box of cookies and all the juice. Then we hit the fruit. "Don't stuff yourselves," Grandma told us. "It's better to eat lightly when you're sailing." "But we're anchored now," Jimmy said, helping himself to a second peach. Grandma raised her eyebrows. After lunch we relaxed for a while. Dad took a snooze. Grandma and Mrs. Tubman had a heavy discussion about the problems of the city. Mr. Tubman read a mystery. And the three of us played Hearts with the deck of cards Sheila had brought in her pack. "I'm always prepared," she told us. After a couple of hands she said, "Speaking of prepared... is there a bathroom on this boat?"
"Look around," I told her. "Do you see a bathroom?" Since we were in an open boat it didn't take much to figure out the answer to that question. "Well, what's a person supposed to do?" she asked.
"A person is supposed to go before" "I did." "Then a person is supposed to wait until we're back." She checked her watch. "That's almost two more hours."
115
"If it's an emergency Dad has a bucket," I told her.
"A bucket?" Sheila said. "That's..."
"Disgusting!" Jimmy and I sang at the same time.
"Just when I think it's possible that the two of you are human beings, you prove that I'm wrong!"
Sheila's outburst woke Dad. He checked his watch. "We better get started. We'll be heading into the wind on the way back so it's going to take longer."
Once we were under way it felt a lot colder than before. We pulled on sweatshirts. Sheila shivered and moved closer to me. I moved away from her and closer to Jimmy. It got more and more windy as the sky filled with big gray clouds. The boat tipped and water splashed over the rail, spraying us.
That's when Jimmy grabbed my arm and said, "I feel funny."
"Dad," I called. "Jimmy feels funny."
"Keep your eye on the horizon," Dad told him.
"What horizon?" Jimmy asked. His eyes were rolling around in their sockets and he was turning green.
Grandma said, "Breathe through your nose,
116
Jimmy. inhale, exhale... inhale, exhale..."
There were waves now, with white caps. The boat tipped way over and Sheila screamed, "Do something... before we all drown!"
"It's all right," Grandma said. "This is a keel boat. It can't go over."
It can't go over, I told myself. It can't go over. Jimmy was trying to breathe through his nose, like Grandma said. I think he was more scared than sick.
"A puff is coming, Warren!" Grandma called.
"A puff of what?" Sheila cried, grabbing me.
"A puff of wind," Grandma said. "Look at the water... you see how it's rippling in front of us?" Then she shouted to Dad, "Warren... head up in the puff!"
All of a sudden the boat, which was already tipped halfway over, tipped so far the sails touched the water.
The Tubmans screamed and clung to each other. Sheila dug her fingernails into my hand. Jimmy groaned and hung on to me. He breathed his sardines and onions right into my face.
"Let Muriel take the tiller!" Mrs. Tubman yelled.
"You want Muriel to be captain?" Dad said. "Fine!"
"Really Warren..."
"Don't forget to use plenty of suntan lotion," Grandma said.
Sheila slathered it all over herself. By the time she was done she smelled like a coconut factory.
"I never burn," Jimmy told Grandma.
"Me neither," I said.
"Aren't you lucky!" Grandma said.
We sailed along that way for an hour before Dad called, "Anybody ready for lunch?"
"Yes!" we all answered at once.
We dropped the anchor near a small island. I handed out our lunch bags. Jimmy had brought his favorite--sardines and onions on rye. The rest of us had cold chicken, left over from last night's dinner.
"Am I hungry!" Jimmy said, gobbling up one sardine-and-onion sandwich and starting on the next.
"Me too!" Sheila said. "I've never been so hungry in my entire life."
"It's the salt air," Grandma said. "It does wonders for your appetite."
The three of us polished off a bag of chips,
114
a box of cookies and all the juice. Then we hit the fruit. "Don't stuff yourselves," Grandma told us. "It's better to eat lightly when you're sailing." "But we're anchored now," Jimmy said, helping himself to a second peach. Grandma raised her eyebrows. After lunch we relaxed for a while. Dad took a snooze. Grandma and Mrs. Tubman had a heavy discussion about the problems of the city. Mr. Tubman read a mystery. And the three of us played Hearts with the deck of cards Sheila had brought in her pack. "I'm always prepared," she told us. After a couple of hands she said, "Speaking of prepared... is there a bathroom on this boat?"
"Look around," I told her. "Do you see a bathroom?" Since we were in an open boat it didn't take much to figure out the answer to that question. "Well, what's a person supposed to do?" she asked.
"A person is supposed to go before" "I did." "Then a person is supposed to wait until we're back." She checked her watch. "That's almost two more hours."
115
"If it's an emergency Dad has a bucket," I told her.
"A bucket?" Sheila said. "That's..."
"Disgusting!" Jimmy and I sang at the same time.
"Just when I think it's possible that the two of you are human beings, you prove that I'm wrong!"
Sheila's outburst woke Dad. He checked his watch. "We better get started. We'll be heading into the wind on the way back so it's going to take longer."
Once we were under way it felt a lot colder than before. We pulled on sweatshirts. Sheila shivered and moved closer to me. I moved away from her and closer to Jimmy. It got more and more windy as the sky filled with big gray clouds. The boat tipped and water splashed over the rail, spraying us.
That's when Jimmy grabbed my arm and said, "I feel funny."
"Dad," I called. "Jimmy feels funny."
"Keep your eye on the horizon," Dad told him.
"What horizon?" Jimmy asked. His eyes were rolling around in their sockets and he was turning green.
Grandma said, "Breathe through your nose,
116
Jimmy. inhale, exhale... inhale, exhale..."
There were waves now, with white caps. The boat tipped way over and Sheila screamed, "Do something... before we all drown!"
"It's all right," Grandma said. "This is a keel boat. It can't go over."
It can't go over, I told myself. It can't go over. Jimmy was trying to breathe through his nose, like Grandma said. I think he was more scared than sick.
"A puff is coming, Warren!" Grandma called.
"A puff of what?" Sheila cried, grabbing me.
"A puff of wind," Grandma said. "Look at the water... you see how it's rippling in front of us?" Then she shouted to Dad, "Warren... head up in the puff!"
All of a sudden the boat, which was already tipped halfway over, tipped so far the sails touched the water.
The Tubmans screamed and clung to each other. Sheila dug her fingernails into my hand. Jimmy groaned and hung on to me. He breathed his sardines and onions right into my face.
"Let Muriel take the tiller!" Mrs. Tubman yelled.
"You want Muriel to be captain?" Dad said. "Fine!"
"Really Warren..."
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