Stranded in Love

Chapter Eighteen

- Ella's POV -

The boat's motor died into silence against the waves as the boat drifted towards us. A man with long dreads and a little boy maybe no older than eight looked at us. The young boy was behind the man, peaking around.

"What y'all done doin' out here?" The man started, his Creolean accent thick.

"We were on a plane and it crashed on one of the islands. We've been stranded." Derick said slowly. Even with being rescued, we didn't know who this man was. I watched as the little boy behind the man peaked out again, and then quickly behind the man again.

"Ah! I got a small boat, but I can help all-a-ya get back to da island. Wez gon help y'alls out." He said, with a big smile on his face. I had only seen Derick's face for what seemed like forever, a new person, with a different voice felt foreign.

Our tiny raft brushed up the side of the boat. It was a small fishing boat, nets hanging loosely along the edges of the boat, and the name of the boat was faded, with some letters missing. algae clung to the sides as well, and the boat had small barnacles where the water rested along it.

The man reached his hand out in my direction first, but Derick extended his hand further. I held on as Derick grabbed with his free hand on the edge of the boat, pulling him up. The raft wobbled with the loss of weight from him, and I held on tighter to keep from falling off.

I slipped my hand into Derick's extended one as he reached down to pull me up. I slid my leg over the ledge into the boat, as the raft we had built slowly started to drift away.

"I's Ramon, dis my son Andres, say ello." Ramon reached behind him and pushed the young boy forward even though he looked back at his father.

"Ello." Andres whispered meekly before sliding behind his father again.

"He's shy, we's doin' some fishing to bring him outta his shell," Ramon smiled, nudging Andres. He looked up at his father and smiled as bright as the sun that was casting a warm glow. " Y'all want water? I ain't got nothin' else."

"Yes please!" I answered, and Ramon passed us two waters from the inside of a cooler in the corner of the boat. I graciously took it and twisted the cap. I downed the water, relishing in the refreshing taste; stifling a cough.

"I'm Derick, and this is Ella." Derick introduced us, still holding the bottle in his hand. I smiled with a small wave, and Andres gave a small wave back.

"Ah! Bein stranded lovebirds, dis a movie!" Ramon laughed, wiping his forehead.

I blushed, flashing a glance at Derick before we both stumbled over our words of refusal.

"No we're not toget-"

"We're just-"

"I's got it I's got it. Love is a complicated thing ye? We gonna get y'alls back to where y'alls belong. You's from the states?"

Derick and I looked at each other. I didn't have a lot to say. From leaving the island we had been stuck on, to trying to leave the island and being lost at sea, to now being on a fishing boat in the span of nearly a day in the middle of the night... it was so much to process.

"We work in New York, but we were here for a business trip before our plane crashed. We've been drifting east for about a day now, do you know where we are?" Derick asked.

"You's is far from home! No need! I know da way around da waters. I has a map, take a look." Ramon lifted one of the benches and passed it over to us. Derick opened it up, and I peaked around his arm to see it. Ramon was on his left, and pointed a finger. "Dis is where we is. How long was yas drifting?"