True Love Never Sinks

New Friends

I breathe in the fresh ocean air as the two men talk next to me. We have left Cherbourg a while ago and are gradually getting closer to Ireland. My home, this is where my heart lies and tomorrow morning, I'll breathe in Irish air for the last time.

Johannes sketches something in his sketchbook. I try to get a peek of it but I still can't.
"What are you drawing?", curiosity wins.

The blonde chap looks up. "Just a sketch of this deck, nothing special."
Viljami grins and takes away his notebook.
"Hey!", Johannes shrieked.

"He's very talented, isn't he?", the Fin said softly.

I lay my eyes upon the drawing. Not ever have I seen such attention to detail in a drawing before. It is everything that is before us and so lively. His hands are full of coal and he seems a bit embarrassed.

"This is so brilliant!", my mouth is open. He blushes a bit.

"Danke." That must have been German.

Viljami looks at him with a bright smile. "See, I told you that people would love your art!"

"You could make money with that." I state. I think he'd be very successful. The sky turns pink and purple as the sun goes down.

"I think that'd put too much pressure on me. I'll try someday."

One thing I have noticed is that both of their English skills are excellent. They speak with a slight accent but nothing too noticeable. The only language I speak is English and a little bit of Irish. My nana was fluent in Irish and she did her best to teach me this beautiful language but she died too soon. Once I get to America, I should enroll in an Irish course, if I can afford it, of course. And if there are any.

"I want to tell you that your English is extraordinary!", I finally say.

Both men blush a little. Viljami smiles, his teeth aren't in the best condition but mine aren't either. His top right canine sticks out a bit. His eyes are almost invisible when he smiles. I even get to make Johannes smile, which seemed like an impossible task a while ago. He must be introverted because the more time I spend with them, the more he opens himself. I cannot say the same thing about myself. I am an open book.

"Thank you", Viljami says. "We were always in love with this language."

He scratches his neck. "Johannes and I - we know each other since we were little and we always wanted to live in the USA. However, when you are poor, you shouldn't get your hopes up, they say. We worked hard for these tickets, so we can finally say that we made it!"

I listen to them with my full attention. The men look at each other with a look on their faces I can't quite describe.

The day is coming to an end, the sky is orange and it's getting cooler outside. Some people around us leave the poop deck to go back to their cabins. I watch them as they walk by. Once they passed, I look back to my newfound friends, who are probably thinking the same thing I am thinking.

"It's time for us to go back. We'll reach Ireland tomorrow and we surely don't want to miss that!", Viljami initiates what we were all thinking about.

The German guy and I nod - it's really late and I really don't want to miss the arrival in Ireland tomorrow. Johannes smiles softly and briefly touches Viljami's hand before he stands up with his sketchbook. The wind blows his hair into every direction, creating an almost dramatic look. Our bench is next to the rails, so he leans against them as his Finnish counterpart gets up as well.

"It was very nice meeting you.", Viljami looks at me. "We should meet again, tomorrow. Maybe here?" He reaches out to shake my hand and I accept. Johannes, still against the railing, gives off a tiny smile.

"That is a splendid idea! I'll get here as soon as I wake up and we'll see Ireland at the same time!"
I smile brightly and take a step back as he lets go of my hand. I wave quickly. "See you tomorrow!"

That woman. On my way back to the cabin, the thought hits me like an arrow. She must be in the cabin next to me. I should talk to her. Why do I want to talk to her?
I made it to the corridor where my cabin is located and take a good look around. A few people walk past me but I don't see her.
I make my way to the cabin and get in. My roommates aren't back yet, but that's good to me. I can get ready peacefully like this.

I go to the sink inbetween the two bunk beds. It has running water, I think this ship is one of the first to provide third class passengers with running water. Everything I've seen up here by now is better than everything I've seen on the streets in the UK.
The water is warm. This is wonderful. I put some of it in my palms and wash my face with it and get ready for bed.

Once I get into bed, euphoria overcomes me once again. Tomorrow, I will see Ireland. For the last time ever. I have friends and my new life begins now. Today was a very exciting day and I feel my body slowly feeling more tired until I finally fall asleep.