A VOYAGE TO REMEMBER
Chapter Ten
Harold grinned when he saw Isolde
wading towards him. He grabbed her hand and pulled her against him, placing a
quick kiss on her lips. She smiled at him. She could feel muscle twitch beneath
his skin. He gently led them out further into the water. She wrapped her arms
around his neck as the water became deeper. He stopped at the very far end of
the pool, about a foot away from the edge. The water reached his shoulders.
"Now, just let go," he
said, as if it were the easiest thing in the world.
"Are you insane?"
Isolde asked, her arms tightly around his neck. "My own feet can't even
touch the bottom!"
"I'm right here," he
said reassuringly, prying her arms off of him. "Just grab the wall for a
moment."
Isolde did so, but she clung to
it for dear life. She watched Harold curiously. His legs looked as if they were
moving on one of the fancy bicycles. His arms moved at the same time back and
forth just beneath the surface of the water. He was in one place, and still
floating.
"Try and do the same,"
Harold said, grabbing her waist and pulling her from the wall.
Isolde felt him behind her, still
holding her waist. She started by putting her legs in the pedaling motion. She
added the arms. The young woman bobbed up and down, unsure if she was doing it
correctly. She tried to turn to ask Harold, but noticed he was standing nearly
three feet away from her. She let out a small squeak and stopped the motion,
sinking like a stone to the bottom. Harold rushed for her and pulled her over
to the wall. She coughed up a bit of water and pushed the wet locks from her
face.
"You did it!" he
exclaimed. "That's called treading water."
"You let go!" she
accused him angrily.
"If you hadn't stopped to
look for me, you could've continued that for a very long time," he
protested. "If you ever fell into the North Atlantic, keep doing that to
keep your blood going," he added thoughtfully at the end.
"Why would I be in the North
Atlantic?" she asked with narrowed eyes. "I thought the ship was
unsinkable."
"No ship is
unsinkable," Harold said, shaking his head. He saw her look of fear.
"Don't worry, Isolde. This is a strong ship. I don't think anything could
stop her."
There was a moment of silence,
until Isolde piped up, "Teach me how to actually swim."
Harold grinned and instructed her
to watch him. He did freestyle, his arms making a crawling motion, his legs
slightly kicking. He turned his head to the side for breathing. He eased his
way across the pool, barely creating a ripple.
When he got back to her, Isolde
launched off the wall and attempted to do the same. She struggled for a few
moments on the breathing, Harold at her side to help. Now breathing correctly,
they worked on her actual stroke for nearly a half hour. By about one, Isolde
was swimming like a fish. Harold called her a natural.
Harold lifted her by the waist
and set her up on the edge. He pulled himself up and sat beside her. She turned
towards him and smiled. He thought she looked more lovely than ever. Her wet
locks lay against her face. He brushed a stray one away. She loved how his own
wet hair flopped across his forehead. He leaned down and kissed her softly.
"We should get ready to
leave," he said quietly. "Then we can have a quick stroll around deck
before I have to work."
Isolde nodded and made her way to
the changing room. She got ready as quickly as possible. When she came out, she
was wringing her hair. Harold pushed himself off the wall, his own hair still
dripping onto his shirt. Her suit was dry now and she followed him out the
door. He tossed the key to a young steward, who headed towards them. Harold
grinned at Isolde, offering her his arm.