It was a dark and stormy night on the coast of Cata Bay, Aragua State. I was enjoying my day off, when my friend Malcon called in panic. His son was fishing when his motor broke down, now he was lost at sea, and he needed help to find him. Without thinking twice, I offered to accompany him in the search.
I had no sailing experience and it was a big mistake to agree but, after all, how could I resist the chance to have an adventure on the high seas? So we boarded his small fishing boat and headed out into the ocean in the dark of night. Malcon trusted me to handle the helm while he used his GPS and binoculars to find some sign of his son. The rain was pounding hard against the boat and the waves were quite rough. In the blink of an eye, I found myself wet and my phone damaged. Luckily, Malcon had everything under control and, although tired, he knew we would find his son, I knew he was worried but he wouldn't tell me.
After two hours of fruitless searching, the dizziness began to take over. I felt dizzy and was about to fall asleep, I was turning the rudder from one side to the other, so Malcon held it and told me to look at the GPS coordinates, it was then that I made another terrible mistake, in the middle of a big wave I dropped the GPS into the sea, what a disaster. After a while of paddling, my seasickness became even worse and I felt I could not go on. "I can't do this any longer, I need a break," I said in desperation. Malcolm gave me a disapproving look, but then realized I was doing my best. "It's okay buddy, have a drink of this," he said pulling out a thermos. "It's my secret coffee, it's what helps me stay awake in situations like this." I knew coffee was my favorite drink and I didn't hold back asking him for a cup. As I tasted it, I felt the flavor and caffeine revive me. It was as if the coffee had revived my body and soul.
"Unbelievable!", I exclaimed, "I never thought coffee could do anything like this."
"Coffee is like black magic, my friend. Never underestimate its power," Malcolm joked.
From that point on, I was able to maneuver the rudder with ease as Malcon searched more intently. Minutes seemed like hours as we continued to search. Finally, Malcon yelled, "There she is!" Through the fog, I saw the light of a flare. Fortunately, his son had activated his emergency signal and we had found it just in time.
We were happy, but tired and hungry. As we headed for shore, I opened my bag to get my snack, but realized I had nothing to eat. Malcon, noticing my sad expression, pulled out his thermos of coffee once again and offered me another cup.
As we enjoyed our hot coffee, Malcon started telling funny stories that made me laugh so hard I forgot I was hungry. The evening ended in laughter and good humor.
When we reached dry land, Malcon thanked me for my help and told me he had something special for me. He handed me a bag of home-roasted coffee that he had grown himself on his farm. I was surprised and grateful for the gesture. Then, he reminded me that the thermos of coffee he had given me was actually one of his secret recipes with his home-roasted coffee.
In the end, I realized that my salvation came not only from the hot coffee, but from the big heart of my friend Malcon.
And that's how this slightly crazy experience ended last weekend that I will surely never forget. It was a weekend with a series of mistakes that left me full of emotions and adventures, thanks to my friend Malcon and his son. The best thing is that in the end everything went well. But most surprising of all, as I was browsing through the community activities, I saw in community creative writing number 31 an activity that seemed tailor-made for my story. I couldn't help but smile as I remembered everything we had experienced at sea that night, and how the coffee Malcon gave me saved the day.
I hope you enjoyed reading this story as much as I enjoyed living and telling it. Thank you for joining me on this journey and for allowing me to share it with you, see you next time!
