Chapter 19
Fridays duty was so easy, it sailed by. The afternoon watch was spent bringing stores on board, mainly food for the weekend, fresh bread, salad gear, eggs and meat for Sunday dinner, then at around 3, it was fresh veg, potatoes, carrots, cabbage and swedes, So by the time it was time to be relieved, Mike was ready for a shower. In the mess, there was only Shinner sat at the table, the rest of the lads were ashore. Mike went to the bathroom and had a shower, and as he was leaving Shinner was just walking in. Changing into blue shorts and shirt, Mike made his way to the galley to see what was on the menu for evening meal. "What do you fancy peddler." the chef asks him, Mike looked at the chips and beans on the counter. "Any chance of a cheese omelette chef," Mike asked. "Of coarse mate." the chef said. Give me five minutes. Shinner arrives at the galley hatch. "What's the crack," he asks the chef as he watches him break eggs into a bowl. "Peddler's having a cheese omelette, what do you fancy." "Great," Shinner says. "Make it a double." Ten minutes later the two watchkeepers were sat in the mess, a plate of food in front of them fit for a king, plus a large mug of tea. Sat at the table they made small talk, Mike spoke about Maureen, and Shinner spoke about his own wife, her name was Anita, and she was Maltese. They had met the previous year, she was a shop assistant, and they took to each other instantly. Shinner had gone into this shoe shop in Floriana, it had been recommended by one of the guys on one of the other minesweepers, anyway, he sat trying on a pair of sandals, and Anita was the shop assistant who served him. Shinner sat, his mug in his hand almost looking into space, then said. " yes, I was trying on these sandals and Anita knelt on the floor in front of me, I don't know why I said it, it just came out, I looked down at her and said, I've never had a girl knelt at my feet before, then Anita looks up at me and says in a voice I could only just hear, I would be happy to kneel at your feet forever. Well from that moment onward, we both knew what we wanted, and that was, to be together always. But her family were dead against it, she was Roman Catholic, and I was church of England, even the parish priest was bought in to try and stop the affair, but it didn't work, in fact, it made matters worse. Anita gave up her church and her family, then she told me she wanted my baby, and we would have to marry, so that's what we did." "Bloody hell mate," Mike said. "So where do you both stand now." "Well," Shinner said. "We got married in the church on Manoel Island back in May, Anita is now a member of the church of England, and her family, apart from her younger sister don't speak to her." "And what about the church," Mike asked. "Forget that lot," Shinner said. "Her parish priest has said, they have turned there back on her, and when she dies, she will go to hell and burn." Shinner laughed. "I suppose we will, for a short time, we plan to be cremated when we both kick the bucket." "Any children," Mike asked. "Not as yet, but we are working on it." Shinner smiled almost to himself. "Yes, we are definitely working on that one. "So." Mike asked, where do you live." "We have a flat on Princess Elizabeth street at Ta Xbiex," Shinner said. "I know where that is."Mike said, "I'm staying on the front at Msida creek." "Well mate," Shinner said. "The four of us will have to get together and have a meal out one night.
At around nine thirty the two men got there heads down for a couple of hours, they slept well only to be shaken at a quarter to midnight with a cup of coffee. Dressing in blues they went and took over the watch, as they washed down the deck and polished the brasswork, they kept a beady eye out for the officer of the guard, but he didn't come, not by land rover anyway. At 4 Mike went to shake the duty chef, and tell him that there was a cup of tea waiting for him in the galley. Once back on the gangway the two men completed the morning jobs. At 5 Mike again went below and shook their reliefs, he put a mug of tea on the table for the two of them and returned to the gangway. As Shinner and Mike were talking the chef came on the gangway with two cups of tea and two egg and bacon sandwiches. "Cheers chef," Mike said. "That's alright peddler, thanks for switching on in the galley." Then he was gone. "What's all that about," Shinner asked biting into one of the sandwiches, Mike looked at Shinner. "Nothing really, but when I went down to the galley on that first morning after our duty to get my breakfast, I asked the chef if there was anything I could do, to help make his life easier in the mornings, anyway, he showed me a couple of switches that if I turned them on, would start to warm up the oven and hot plate so that he could get on and organise breakfast and lunch. Anyway, from now on, when we have this watch, I do my little bit, and we get this." Mike held up his cup and sandwich. "Well done mate," Shinner said. "We'll have you an able seaman yet.
At just after six Shinner told the chef, that they would not require breakfast, they were heading home. Sat in Shinner's Morris Minor Shinner had Mike home within ten minutes, sat in the car outside Mike's flat Shinner said he would pick Mike up on the Sunday at 17-00, "And don't be late mate, Sundays a boring day on board, but I have this feeling that Monday morning will be hectic." Mike got out of the car, said thanks for the lift and headed into the main door and up to the flat. It was 06-20 when he opened the door with his key, going quietly into Nann's room, he stripped off leaving just his pants on and climbed into bed snuggling up to the woman he loved, as Mike cuddled into Nann, she turned over, opened her eyes, gave him a kiss, put her arms around his waist closed her eyes again and went back to sleep
Mike woke up at around 9, on the bedside cabinets were two cups of tea, Nann was lay watching her man. "You look so peaceful lying there, but tell me, why did you wear your pants in bed, you normally sleep in your birthday suit." Well to be honest love." Mike said, when I saw you lying there, I wanted so much to make love to you, I felt that if I didn't wear my iron draws, I might in my sleep try and do something we would both regret." Nann leaned down and kissed Mike's mouth, then laying her head on his chest, she said." Darling I really wish we could make love because I love you so much, I want you to understand, that this body is yours, and has been since we swam at Delamara Point, and we were laid together in that sort of cave, I fell in love with you on the bus, when we first met, but that was a different kind of love, more like falling in love with a film star, you will never meet, but it feels good in the mind and heart. but that day in the cave, if you had tried to make love to me, I think looking back, I would have let you."
Nann went to the bathroom, and Mike was waiting outside the door, as Nann came out, she kissed him and headed into the bedroom to get dressed Mike then used the bathroom and then headed for the bedroom. Inside Nann was dressed in a blue button down dress, around her waist she had a belt that was leather and white, as Mike looked at her and the dress, he realised that the dress had very small white flowers on it and these were sort of made more prominent by the belt. She looked beautiful, Mike went to kiss her and Nann held him, in her embrace, the kiss went on for some time, it was Nann that had to pull away saying."If we carry on, we will be here all day. As Mike headed for the lounge, Roger was at the front door. "Michael old son, can you show me how this canoe of yours works under sail." Mike followed Roger down to the boatyard and showed Roger how to set everything up, how the sail worked, and that if he worked the tiller and Grace looked after the sail, then things would work very well. Mike also showed Roger the working of the keel but did advise them both, not to try and go under Manoel Island bridge until they were very good at sailing the canoe, because, with a good breeze in the sail, the canoe was fast, If they were going to the little beach, then use the other route. As Mike spoke, Roger was taking it all in. The one thing Mike seemed to want to impress on Roger was the depth of water at the bridge, anything under 6 inches, and you can forget it, you will get stuck on the bottom, and as the canoe was canvass, you will rip the bottom out, and sink like the Titanic. Mike laughter. "Alright under the bridge, you step out and walk away, in the middle of Sliema creek, a different story." Roger fully understood and said that he and Grace would take very good care of where they went and what they did. Back in the flat, there was a lot going on in the kitchen, Nann and her mother were talking, Nann was getting Mike's breakfast and Grace was sorting out food and drink for her and Rogers canoe picnic. Within fifteen minutes both Roger and Grace were out the door and Mike was looking at sausage, eggs and toast on his plate. Mike went to the balcony and watched as Roger and Grace sorted themselves out in the canoe, then slowly headed up the creek, once they had caught the breeze, they were doing fine, Mike watched as they passed the Forth and then out of sight.
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