JOHN AND MIRIAM
Chapter Three
They arrived on deck just as he ship was
beginning to pull away. All around them, people were shouting and waving to
those remaining on the docks. Next to him, John could hear an Italian accented
voice saying, "You know somebody?" followed by an American accented
voice replying, "No, that's not the point. Good-bye! Good-bye!"
Neither John nor Miriam said a word as they
watched the people on the docks slowly recede, although Mary laughed and
shouted at the commotion. Before the ship had gone far, they heard shouts
coming from the front of the ship. The powerful suction from the Titanic's
movement had pulled a smaller boat free of its moorings, and the two had nearly
collided. Several tugboats had hurried to the rescue and had brought the other
boat back where it belonged, but the incident created a feeling of nervousness
among some people.
Miriam leaned out over the railing, watching.
Her mouth tightened nervously. Mary, squeezed between Miriam and the railing,
shrieked in protest. Miriam stepped back and handed the child to her father.
"Maybe I should have booked us passage
on a more seasoned ship," she commented, looking back out at the docks.
"The Titanic is supposed to be
unsinkable," John reminded her, watching as the shoreline once again began
to recede in the distance.
"I know, but it hasn't really been
tested yet, so how can anyone be sure? I haven't heard anything about anyone
trying to punch a hole in it to see if it still floats."
"They probably wouldn't have called it
unsinkable if there hadn't been a lot of precautions taken to insure that it
didn't sink."
"Well, let's hope not. I really don't
want to go swimming in iceberg infested waters."
"I'm sure it'll be okay. Even if the
ship isn't unsinkable, I read in the newspaper that the captain has twenty-five
years of experience. I think he should know how to steer this ship around any
obstacles."
"You're probably right," Miriam
conceded, but she was still worried as she glanced back out at the fading
shoreline.