“Jesus, Ade, you know how to press my buttons.” Sylvie snorted. “I’m at the campus filing some paperwork. I can be with you in fifteen minutes. Message me the dock location, and I’ll drive straight there.”
Ade ended the call. The students screeched and tousled at the other end of the boat. Suddenly the sea breeze had lost its meditative power, and she pressed her ears to ground herself.
“Ade, when are we heading off? The others are getting a bit restless.” Greg held a stack of clipboards in his hand. “Should I give these out to keep them busy?”
“Great idea.” She put her head in her hands, struggling to comeup with a plan until Sylvie arrived.
“You okay there?” Greg asked.
“We’re just going to be a bit late getting started. Professor Boucher is on her way.” She stared at Greg’s eager, innocent face. He was much more of a help than a hindrance. “I got a bit mixed up with the safety guidelines.”
“I’d be happy to keep everyone entertained while we wait,” Greg said. “We can go over the safety procedures and take a quick quiz on the parts of the boat.”
Ade drummed her fingers on the boat’s fiberglass hull. She hated herself for screwing up the plans.
Within fifteen minutes, Sylvie arrived.
She pulled on a life vest and folded her silk blouse beneath its zipper. “I’m hardly dressed for this excursion.” She nodded to the group of students huddled on deck. “Can we talk somewhere privately?”
“Head below deck if you need to,” George said, flashing Ade a concerned look. “I’ll steer us out. It might be a bit bumpy to start with, so hold onto the rails.”
Ade followed Sylvie down the short stairs. “Before you say anything, I know I’ve fucked up here.”
“That’s correct.” Sylvie’s eyes flared.
“I’m really sorry.” Ade swallowed.
“But you’re not appearing to learn any lessons from your mistakes.”
Ade tried to work out whether Sylvie was asking something but came up empty. Silence seemed the best option.
Sylvie ran her hand through her hair, already windswept from boarding the boat. “Aren’t you going to say anything?”
Ade clenched her fists. This was going badly wrong. She’d called Sylvie because she might know what to do, and she didn’t have anyone else to turn to at work. “I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you were asking me to respond.”And we’re late. We really should’ve been out on the water by now.She shuffled from one foot to theother, fanning her hands to expel some of her nervous energy. “I tried to get my head around the paperwork for this trip, and I really thought I’d nailed it. But when George said he wasn’t included in the numbers, I didn’t know who else to call.” Ade bit her lip. “I don’t have anyone else to call here.”
It was too much, dumping her problems on Sylvie. That she’d stayed with her on Thursday night had been a wonderful surprise, but it had obviously pushed Sylvie to her limit of helping Ade out.
Sylvie’s shoulders dropped, and her face softened into the hint of a smile. Was it pity?
“I’m sorry.” Sylvie touched Ade’s sleeve. “You should be able to reach out to me when you need to. I’m your supervisor; it’s what I’m here for.”
Ade scratched her head, confused by the unraveling situation. “So, it’s okay that I called you?”
“Yes. I’m just flustered by having to drop everything and come over here. Now I’m on a boat trip instead of marking test papers.” Sylvie laughed.
“That’s a good thing?” Ade craved clarification and needed to repair the tiny tear in their rapport.
“I guess it is. Who wouldn’t want to go out onto the water first thing on a Monday?” Sylvie pointed to the ceiling. “Talking of which, we’d better go and keep an eye on our fledglings.”
They wandered onto the boat’s deck, where the students had gathered at the stern with their clipboards, ready for observation. For a group that could make a lot of noise and trouble, they were on their best behavior this morning.
“Let’s go up to the bow and watch from there,” Ade said, gaining her sea legs now they’d made it out into the water.
At the front of the boat, the horizon stretched out before them, a wide expanse of nothing but blue sky resting on top of an indigo blue sea. Ade breathed in. She beckoned Sylvie, craving her closeness, but conscious of the audience of George and the students beyond the helm.
“Is this not too loud for you, Ade?” Sylvie asked, raising her voice above the engine noise.
Ade nodded. “A little. But I grew up out on the Pacific. I guess I’m used to the rumble of a boat. It can be quite therapeutic.”
