No woman is an Island

 A brisk breeze pushed through the hatchway, cooling

her sunburned cheeks. Saltwater lapped at the hull.
A mariner's lullaby. Chloe smiled, pondering her
perfect life. No people. No stress. Just the
occasional storm, and sojourns to the mainland
for provisions. Whoever said no woman is an island didn’t know what the shit they were talking about.

She pushed back the wide-brimmed straw hat on her head, revealing her burnished auburn tresses, and rubbed the head of her adored dog, a  Jack Russell terrier named Revel.  Just as her tired  green eyes closed,
violent knocking and shouting erupted on her
starboard side...

She sat still for a few minutes, hoping that whatever was causing it would go away. But when it continued and got louder and more frantic, she sighed and got up from her canvas lounge chair, Revel  following after her. Whatever the hell it was, she was getting rid of it, and fast.  It was causing the boat to rock wildly in the water.

Her eyes widened and then slanted in anger when she saw two men climbing over the railing of her boat. Revel began to bark and advanced on the men, and Chloe didn’t stop him.

“What the hell do you think you are doing?! This boat is private property!”, she told them irately.

 “Sorry to bother you, Miss, but we were out  fishing and our boat developed a leak we couldn’t plug. We were hoping you might take us to the mainland?”, one man said. He was tall, tanned, and had hair like spun gold. “I’m Clay Walker, and my friend is Jake Palmer.”

Chloe debated about what to do for a few minutes. Her first impulse was to call the Coast Guard, and let them help the two men. But then, she needed to go to the mainland anyway, for supplies……so why not take them along for the ride? She smiled, and nodded. “Sure, I’ll take you to the mainland. I’m Chloe, and that is Revel.”, she replied, as she motioned to her dog.

That night, as they sailed, Chloe and the men played cards, and polished off a bottle of golden rum that Chloe  had tucked away on the boat. She was lucky that night, grinning as she and Revel were in bed for the night that she had won 400 dollars from the men.

“Just think of the provisions that I can get for us, Revel!.”, Chloe told him enthusiastically, as she rubbed his head lovingly.  They curled close to one another, and both were soon asleep.

The next morning, Chloe pulled on some faded jean shorts and a sea green tshirt and joined the men for breakfast, which was coffee and granola bars. Then they were on the way to the mainland.

They docked about 4 in the afternoon, and the men thanked Chloe for her help, as well as giving her 200 dollars for her trouble.

“Anytime. I was glad I could help.”, she told them sincerely.  She watched until they were out of sight in the tourist crowd. She went in a clothing store, and bought jeans, two tshirts, and a bright green sundress for herself, as well as a new straw hat, and a silver anklet with a starfish charm on it. For Revel, she bought sunglasses and a canvas visor.

Next stop was for provisions. She bought coffee, tea, sugar, salt, pepper, lemons, limes, a pineapple, bananas, four kinds of granola bars, canned dog food, dry dog food, dog treats, oatmeal, cinnamon, black and green olives, dill pickles, Cheddar cheese, butter, a carton of pimento cheese, a carton of chicken salad, a bag of crushed ice, a loaf of sourdough bread and one of whole wheat, orange juice, 3 bottles of white wine, 2 bottles of red, 1 of sangria, honey, crunchy peanut butter, grape jelly, a box of animal crackers, 2 Mounds candy bars, canned green beans, canned beets, canned yams, mayonnaise, 2 tomatoes, soda water, ginger ale, RC Cola, some small red-skinned potatoes and T-bone steaks.  There were also cleaning supplies, toothpaste, a toothbrush, deodorant, shampoo, body wash, scented lotion, sunscreen, nail polish remover, a bottle of red nail polish and one of pink, a pack of razors, and tampons. She arranged to have her purchases delivered to the boat later.

Lastly she went to a liquor shop, and purchased dark and light rum, a bottle of gin, some Irish whiskey, and a pack of fruit flavored rums.

She took her clothes and the liquor back to the boat, and was petting Revel, when the provisions delivery arrived.

“What did I tell you, Revel? We’re going to eat extra well the next little bit. And,  I still have some of the extra money left!”, she told him happily, as she rubbed his back. Revel licked her.  “We’ll leave tomorrow morning for the open seas. We have everything we need for awhile.”

Chloe walked to a restaurant near where they were docked and got some fresh grilled seafood for dinner, as well as some key lime pie for dessert. She walked back by a bar and got herself a strawberry daiquiri in a to-go cup. It was a peaceful evening for Chloe and Revel.  They curled up together and were soon asleep.

The next morning at dawn, Chloe and Revel set said on their next adventure. Chloe smiled as she thought that whoever said that no woman is an island didn’t have a clue what they were talking about!