Home from Sea

The port was busy that day. All the sailors were anxious and had a hard time tending their posts. When the captain announced, 2 weeks ago, that they would be returning to port, the men all cheered with excitement. None of them had seen their families in months. A young man, named Arthur, was among the crew. He was a young man, in his early twenties. Arthur wasn’t as excited as the other men. After all, he had joined the navy to get away from his family troubles. His father was an alcoholic and the two of them had always butted heads.

Arthur leaned against the rail of the ship letting all these things weigh on his mind. The one thing that he could not be more excited for was to see Elizabeth again. She was the one person that he could not wait to see. The first person that entered his mind when the captain announced the news of their return was Elizabeth. Arthur and Elizabeth had been childhood friends. His whole childhood had been spent playing in the yard, river, and pond with Elizabeth. They were best friends, but as they got older she became more appealing. Before Arthur had joined the Navy, He would admire how beautiful Elizabeth had become. She was the most beautiful thing he had ever laid his eyes on, and in a matter of minutes, he would finally lay his eyes on her again.

The sails flapped with the wind as it drove them to their dock. Arthur’s job was to throw the rope to the man on the dock and to tie the boat up. He had been scrambling around the deck reassuring that his ropes were in place and the right knots were tied. The captain was not big on mistakes, and when one was made the whole crew had to be punished. It became routine for Arthur to double and even triple check himself. The sails began to drop, signaling their final approach to port. Arthur glanced over the side of the ship to get a look at where to toss the rope. The rope was heavy and thick, and needed a strong man to be thrown at such a great distance. Arthur was not very big, but he was very strong and was the best at throwing the rope for docking

Arthur got a running start at the dock and hurled as hard as he could. He didn’t want to miss because everyone wanted to get off the boat as quickly as possible. It was a perfect throw and the ship was docked in record time.

After finishing their docking routine, they were allowed to leave the ship. The men rushed down the plank to see their families, and friends. Arthur lagged behind, waiting. Since he did not know if Elizabeth would be there, he had no rush to see his family. The only one that he had missed was his mother. She was a good Christian woman. She was very beautiful, and always very elegant in the way she dressed and acted. She taught him manners and the proper way to treat women. She would comfort him and protect him from his father when he was in his drunken fits. Arthur’s mother was a good women, and was always there for him when his father was not.

As Arthur began walking down the plank, he started looking for his family in the crowds of people that had come to welcome the ship home. He strained to see with all the people waving and hugging, but could finally see his tall father waving at him clumsily. They were standing in the very back closest to the road.

Was he drunk? It wouldn’t surprise Arthur. “He comes drunk to everything,” Arthur mumbled under his breath. He started walking in the direction of his father. The butterflies began to churn in his stomach. He kept thinking of all the things that he wanted to tell his mother. All the adventures he had had. He most of all wanted to thank her for being such a good mother. She had taught him so much, and he didn’t realize it until he was gone and living on his own. And even though he didn’t like his father, he was still excited to see his familiar face.

“Arthur!” a booming voice called to him. Arthur strained his neck to see his father and sister standing their waiting for him. They were standing off the dock and by the road leading into town. With his heart racing, he began to run towards them.

“I didn’t think you would come!” Arthur said.

“Well I wouldn’t miss picking up my only son from a long naval deployment!” Arthur’s dad also served in the navy. It was the only thing that Arthur and his dad had in common.

Arthur gave the both of them a big hug. “Where’s mom?”  Arthur asked.

Arthur’s father looked at his sister. They looked at each other with mournful eyes. There was a long pause. Arthur felt the tension build, and a sickening feeling came over him. The way that his father had looked at his sister was eerie.

“Well, where is she?” Arthur’s voice sounded a little more panicked.

“Arthur!” A women’s voice that was familiar called to him.

Arthur turned to look at Elizabeth running towards him. She was in all black. Even though she looked like she had been mourning all day she still looked beautiful. She had truly turned into a woman. The feeling in his stomace began to get worse. Why was she in all black? had someone died? Arthur turned to look at his family, and noticed that they were all in black also. The absence of his mother and the black attire…

“Arthur,” Elizabeth embraced him. She held him and stroked the back of his head. He gripped her tight. This wasn’t a welcome home embrace, but one of consoling.

“I’m so sorry,” Elizabeth whispered in his ear. “We were going to wait for you, but she wanted to be buried at a certain time.”

Arthur waited for a long time. His worst fears had been confirmed with a couple of words. His mother had died in his absence.

“It’s okay,” Arthur said. The butterflies instantly died in his stomach and turned into a cavernous hole. The one person in his family that understood him had died, and he didn’t have the chance to tell her any of the things he had planned. Arthur began to sob, gently.

“She wrote a letter for you.” Elizabeth pushed back to look into his eyes. “I have it with me. I’ll take you to her grave if you’d like?” She grabbed Arthur’s hand with both of hers. They began a slow walk to the graveyard, with Arthur’s family close behind.