want."
Jack interrupted, “there are always exceptions to every rule, but most of the women I meet aren't the exception. They are stereotypically and categorically the epitome of a prostitute and I don't respect them for their lack of initiative.”
I couldn't stand where this conversation was heading, the man was an idiot and nothing I said was going to change his egotistical views of the world. I stood up from the bench and excused myself, “I'm going to make a call, have a good evening Jack,” I said as I downed the last of my whiskey and set the glass in the dishwasher.
There was no point in continuing our talk and I didn't see any reason to waste my breath talking to him. Jack was a male chauvinist who didn't respect women for anything beyond his base needs. Whatever his issues were, I was no therapist and took great offense to his attitude.
Jack just shrugged as if he didn't really care and I left him to it. If I had stayed and continued in the vein of that conversation, I would have blown a fuse. He was a disgrace to the male population and it bothered me as to how I was going to get through the next couple of days with him in my company. I wasn't even sure that Denna was going to be any easier to handle either, both of them seemed to have some deep rooted issues, like they both had huge chips on their shoulders. Thank God the weather was forecast to be tranquil, we had enough of a tempest brewing on board. I just had to remember that I was the one in control; if at any point I was unhappy with the way things were going I could channel a route home and the decision would be final, I refused to get in the middle of their mutual angst.
Up on the deck I could see the sun was just about to disappear beyond the horizon, lazily descending into its final blaze before resting and then rising again the next day. This was my favorite time of the day; the world seemed to stop momentarily as the sun took a bow. Denna was watching from the port side of the boat, leaning over the rails.
“It gets more beautiful each night,” I said as I joined her.
“It certainly does, I never tire of watching sunsets, if ever I have a problem in my day I always put it to bed with the sunset. I know it's still going to be there the next day but I approach it in a different way from the previous day … it always seems to work that way.”
She looked wistfully out across the water, almost lost in a nostalgic sadness. I wondered what Denna's story was, everyone had a story, it's what makes us function; act and react. Denna gave the impression that she was a one-woman show and that her independence was not to be messed with. Perhaps she'd been hurt in the past, (I assumed from a man) but she was hard to figure out, a closed book, not to be opened until she said so. In that very moment though, I sensed a slight softness in her manner. She was more relaxed with me, it was possible that the cold, hard Denna was in fact just a facade, a mask she wore to fend off unwanted situations; her protection against the world.
“I'm sure you're trying to work me out Captain Seth…but I won't let you, not until I'm ready.” How had she known what I was thinking? I was startled by her intuitive statement. I should learn to keep my thoughts a little quieter if she was able to read me so well, but I understood completely what she meant and found there was no need for reciprocation.
We stood silently for a moment, enjoying the view and savoring the peace. In a hushed voice, Denna broke the silence.
“I'm sorry for my terribly juvenile reactions to Jack but his kind just gets my back up, I've no patience for macho bullshit,” she explained.
“I've no patience with it either, no need to apologize, Denna, I know exactly what you mean, but I've got it all under control, you don't have to worry.” Who was I kidding? I was just as uncomfortable with Jack as she was.
“I'm not the one who needs to