by Ray Jason
The sailor within me was concerned. But the poet within me was delighted. This was no ordinary squall that was
approaching from the north. It was so
gray and dark and menacing that it looked like molten lead as it churned across
the bay towards me. So I slipped behind
a small mangrove island where I dropped my sails and set the anchor.
As I was finishing that task, the deluge descended. A burst of wind tipped AVENTURA over to
starboard. It also toppled me gently
down onto the cabin top. I laughed as I
wondered whether the deepening voyage into my Middle Years was beginning to
compromise my balance.
When I began to lift myself up to go below and retreat
from the rain, a primal voice from across the centuries prompted me stay where
I was. So I closed my eyes while lying
on my back and let the warm equatorial downpour saturate me. Within a couple of minutes the rain softened
- and I felt an almost blissful contentment as I let it wash over me.
I was not experiencing any deep philosophical insights,
but there was a vague sense that if I remained there something might be
revealed to me. And a few minutes later
this is precisely what occurred, but much differently from what I might have expected.
Suddenly, I noticed that there was another person 15 yards away. An
Indio fisherman had silently rowed his cayuco nearby and was grinning over at
me. My ”laughing in the rain” behavior
was very different from what he had witnessed with most gringos. He paddled closer and quietly asked me if I
was okay. I sheepishly replied that I
was fine. Then we both smiled and he turned
back to his quest for dinner.
