A week later
Reaching into the bedroom closet, Eleanor withdrew a new pair of bright coral flip-flops. The color was almost neon, and it made her feel happy wearing the summery look. She had picked out a bluish-green dress with short sleeves to wear today—anything to feel cooler and more comfortable during their long bike ride into town.
Eleanor filled a small tote with a couple of water bottles to quench their thirst and put a little snack bag of trail mix inside, in case either of them needed a pick-me-up on this outing.
Vic locked up the cottage and waited near the garage door for Eleanor to close up the tote. She soon joined him and watched as Vic checked the rear tire on his bike. It looked like it might be a little low, but Vic declared that it should be fine for their ride.
Eleanor placed the tote into the basket of her bike, where it would be safe. “I can’t believe that this is our last day in Sarasota,” she said, wheeling her bike out of the small garage attached to the cottage. “It’s going to be hard to leave the warm sunshine and go back north to the colder weather.” Even though the day had started out cloudy with some sprinkling of rain, she felt the heat rising and the humidity starting to climb. It would be another bright and cheerful day to enjoy with her husband. Eleanor had brought along a small notepad on their trip to jot down any highlights she wanted to remember. She was sure that today there would be something else to add to the growing list of memorable items they’d experienced.
Eleanor looked up toward the sky, watching the clouds breaking up and moving more inland. She didn’t think there would be any need to bring an umbrella on their outing today.
Vic pushed his bike out behind hers. “I can’t say I’m looking forward to much of anything about going home.”
Eleanor could tell from the way his shoulders drooped that seeing their vacation almost at its end was a disappointment for her husband. The thought of leaving saddened her too, but they couldn’t stay here indefinitely. Vic’s family was in Pennsylvania, not to mention his job and the house they were buying. Moving to Florida would mean starting over, with a new home, new job, new friends, and no family living here. If only they could afford to come back again. The cottage had been just right for them to stay in, with all that it had to offer. The location was nice, and it had a homey feeling about it. If she and Vic could afford to buy a cottage by the beach like this one, they would be able to come anytime they needed a vacation and relax from the pressures of life.
She squelched a sigh. I wish we could afford to have a second home, but that’s only a fantasy for us since we don’t have enough money.
Eleanor looked over at Vic and offered what she hoped was a reassuring smile. “When we leave this lovely cottage tomorrow morning, we’ll take all the wonderful memories we made here with us.”
“Guess you’re right.” Vic pushed his shoulders back and stood solidly, holding on to the handlebars of his bike. “That’s enough talk about going home. We have someplace important to go, and they’ll leave without us if we’re late.”
Eleanor tilted her head to one side. “Who will leave without us, and where are we going?”
Vic gave her nose a light pinch and jiggled his brows. “It’s a surprise, and it is for me to know and you to find out.”
Eleanor couldn’t imagine why he was being so secretive, but she was eager to discover what the surprise was all about.
“Are we eating lunch here again?” Eleanor questioned as she followed Vic into the parking lot of the Marina Jack restaurant.
“Nope, not this time.” Vic found a place for them to chain up their bikes. “When we were here the last time, I made reservations for us to go on the Marina Jack II boat cruise, where we will take a tour of the bay while eating lunch. I picked up a brochure about it and learned that the cruise vessel is ninety-six feet and it’s docked behind the Marina Jack restaurant.”
Her eyes widened. “Seriously?”
“Jah.”
“I—I don’t understand. When would you have had the chance to make reservations for the cruise without me knowing about it?”
“After we finished eating lunch that day, while you were in the restroom, I hurried over to the gift shop, where they take care of reservations.” He flashed her one of his biggest grins. “I wanted it to be a surprise.”
“Oh, Vic, everything you’ve done on this trip has been a surprise.” She got off her bike and clasped his hand. “Danki for making this the best vacation I’ve ever had.”
He gave her fingers a tender squeeze. “It’s been my best one too.”
Once their bicycles were safely locked up, they headed for the gift shop, where Vic said they’d need to go to check in and pick up their tickets.
Eleanor’s pulse quickened. She could hardly wait for this afternoon’s adventure to begin. Although they had seen Sarasota Bay, as well as the Gulf of Mexico from the shoreline, she and Vic had not seen either body of water while on a boat. And how nice it would be to eat lunch while they cruised the waters of this beautiful bay. She was also eager to find out what food would be served.
After picking up their tickets, they were instructed to wait on the deck out back until it was time to board the boat. Eleanor took a seat beside Vic on one of several wooden benches. Most of the other people waiting had also found seats, but a few stood around in clusters excitedly talking and laughing. Numerous boats of different sizes were moored in the marina, most empty. The Marina Jack II loomed over them by the deck, obviously the largest boat in the marina. There were two decks, with covered seating on both. They’d been told that the boat also had restrooms. Eleanor couldn’t wait to board and see how this cruising vessel looked inside.
The sun sparkled on the surface of the water, which appeared to be quite calm on this warm, windless day. If not for her eagerness to board the boat, Eleanor thought she could probably just sit here all day on the bench, watching boats come and go and observing the many pelicans and seagulls hanging around the waters surrounding the marina.
“I wonder what they will serve us for lunch.” Eleanor leaned close to Vic’s ear and spoke quietly.
Vic pointed to the ramp leading down to the boat. “They are starting to load the people now, so I think we’re about to find out the answer to your question.”
Once they were on the boat, Vic guided Eleanor into the dining area on the lower level and found the table marked with their name. Every table had been draped with a white cloth, and a place setting of silverware with red cloth napkins had been placed in front of each seat.
“Pretty fancy, huh?” He looked at Eleanor and wasn’t surprised to hear her deep intake of breath.
“It’s a lovely setting. I’ve never been on a luxurious boat like this before.” She motioned to the large windows. “It looks like every seat on this level offers a view of the water.”
“It does,” a middle-aged English woman commented as she and the man who accompanied her headed to a nearby table. “And on a hot day like this, it’s so nice that the boat has air-conditioning.”
Eleanor looked at Vic with a bemused smile. “Were you tempted to mention that we Amish don’t have air-conditioning in our homes?” she whispered as the couple walked away.
He shook his head. “Naw, she’d probably wonder how we survive without it, and then I’d have to explain.”
They seated themselves, and soon a server came and asked if they would like a glass of iced tea.
“Yes, please. We both would,” Eleanor said before Vic could respond.
Vic smiled and reached for Eleanor’s hand. “You know me so well.”
“Of course I do. All wives should know what their husbands want.”
The waitress returned a short time later and set tall glasses filled with iced tea and a fresh lemon wedge in front of them.
“Thank you,” Vic and Eleanor said.
Seeing the look of awe on his wife’s pretty face confirmed to Vic that this boat ride and everything else they’d done on this trip had been worth every penny he’d spent. Not only had the last two weeks been fun, but Vic and Eleanor had gotten back the closeness they’d once had. Vic felt stronger emotionally, and he was sure that his and Eleanor’s marital relationship would continue to grow even stronger in the days and years ahead.
Eleanor listened with interest as the boat’s captain shared his knowledge of the sea and pointed out various things to look at on the intercoastal water journey. The boat had left the dock at noon and would return at one thirty, which meant Eleanor and Vic had one and a half hours to absorb everything about this wonderful cruise.
Soon their waitress came again and said it was time for them to get their food from the buffet table. Eleanor and Vic followed a family of four who’d been seated at a nearby table. Eleanor and Vic picked up plates and dished up their salads. From there they loaded their plates with chicken marsala, the chef’s daily fish catch, a mix of fresh seasonal vegetables, and plenty of plump rolls.
Eleanor returned to their table, wondering if she would have room for dessert after eating everything on her plate. She had spotted key lime pie, as well as a few other scrumptious-looking dessert choices that had been placed on a separate serving table. Since this was their final day of vacation, Eleanor was determined to eat one last piece of key lime pie, which she had come to enjoy when they’d eaten out several times during the last two weeks. Eleanor patted her stomach. “I bet during this trip I’ve gained some weight.”
Vic shook his head. “Naw, you look just as slender as you did before we left home.” He gestured to their plates. “Guess we’d better close our eyes and pray.”
With no thought of what others around them might think, Eleanor bowed her head and prayed. She thanked the Lord for the food they were about to eat and asked Him to give them and their driver a safe trip as they headed back to Pennsylvania in the morning.
When she’d finished praying and taken her first bite of food, Eleanor’s eyes closed with pleasure. “Oh, this chicken is so flavorful and tender.” She looked at Vic and noticed that he hadn’t eaten anything yet. He sat staring out the window, a wide smile on his face.
“Look over there, Eleanor! Do you see those dolphins?”
She looked in the direction Vic had pointed. Sure enough, three or four dolphins were bobbing up and down in the water, not far from the boat.
About that time, the boat captain spoke through the loudspeaker. “If you look to the right side of the boat, you’ll see some dolphins.”
Everyone seated at tables on this deck were either commenting on the playful dolphins or taking pictures. Some had gone to the open-air outside deck for a better look. Since Eleanor had seen other dolphins at Lido and Siesta Beaches, she chose to stay inside and finish her delicious meal. Vic remained at their table as well.
As the boat continued to tour Sarasota Bay, the captain pointed out several attractions, such as the Ringling Bridge. When they approached the area he referred to as “Bird Key,” the captain talked about some of the beautiful homes, many worth millions of dollars, that had gorgeous water views.
I think it would be quite difficult to stay humble if Vic and I possessed a fancy house and property like the ones we’ve seen along the water today. She pondered the thought awhile, trying to imagine what type of job it would take to own any of those expensive homes, not to mention what it would cost to maintain such a large estate year-round.
Eleanor gave a slow, disbelieving shake of her head. “It’s hard to believe people have that kind of money.” She found it especially surprising when the captain mentioned that some home owners were only part-time residents, using their houses for vacation purposes only.
“I agree.” Vic pointed at one very large three-story home. In addition to having its own infinity pool, a dock had been built in front of the place and a pontoon party boat was secured at the dock. Some of the other homes with docks had bigger boats, but none were as large as the Marina Jack II. Even so, the day Eleanor and Vic had eaten lunch at Marina Jack’s downstairs restaurant, she’d seen several large, expensive-looking yachts that had either been moored there or were for sale. Eleanor didn’t know anyone who had enough money to buy a yacht or one of the expensive homes here in the Bird Key area. Although some of the houses in their part of Pennsylvania were larger than her and Vic’s home, none were nearly as extravagant as what they were seeing now.
Vic cut up the last piece of chicken and ate it, then finished off the rest of his tea. “I hope you’re not too captivated, seeing all these amazing homes and boats,” he said, looking at Eleanor. “Even if I worked two jobs, I’d never earn the amount of money needed to own anything like what we’ve seen today.”
Eleanor gave a quick shake of her head. “There’s no need to worry about that, Husband. I have no desire to live like the wealthy.” She smiled and placed one hand against her chest. “My heart is full, and I’m satisfied just being married to you.”
A slow smile spread across Vic’s face, and he reached across the table to touch her arm. “And you, sweet Eleanor, are all that I will ever need.”
How good it felt to hear her husband’s tender, loving words. At this moment, Eleanor was more convinced than ever that this getaway to Sarasota had been exactly what she and Vic needed. She felt confident that things really would be better once they returned home.