seemed eager to be her hands and teased each other in the process.
«Those are weft threads there.» said one crewmember to another, as if he knew it already.
Maria giggled and corrected him, «Actually weft threads go up and down, those are the fill threads that go across, they are the weaker of the two.» Maria said as the man nodded in embarrassment.
She walked out the length of patches to be cut and looked around for a knife. The quartermaster stepped down from his post and pulled a blade from his belt, working it along the sail where Maria pointed.
He cut a large set of patches and placed them over and under the main sail to be sewn together. The men held the weight of the sail as Maria set out to stitch the patches in place, ignoring the attention she drew from each man watching her. Her long blonde hair dancing in the breeze as she knelt and turned over and under the sail.
She looked up and saw their blank faces, all looking at her. «Sorry gentleman, I know it’s heavy, I’ll go as quickly as I can.» She said keeping her eyes on the sail.
«It’s not heavy to me!» One man said, «Nor I!» said another, as each of them wanted to boast of their strength in hopes of impressing her.
After two hours, the stitching was complete, and the quartermaster returned. «Well I’ll be!» he said as he inspected the work, pulling at the edges to test the strength. «That’s excellent work!»
«Thanks, we still need a grommet.» She said still focused on the task.
«Now that I can do!» said the quartermaster as he motioned to one of the men to cut a whole and clamp a ring around it for reinforcement.
Moments later, the sail was lashed to the cross arm and hoisted up as it caught the wind, and the ship made a familiar pull forward. The patch held and took the weight of the breeze as before.
Suddenly the oarsmen, covered in sweat, began to appear on deck, one after another in a long line. It was evident they had been told the news and were all looking at the sail with an inspired smile. Then the quartermaster began to clap as he walked toward Maria acknowledging her with a big smile, the entire deck began to cheer with applause as the men felt relieved to have their sail back.
Maria didn’t understand how important her contribution was to the ship, the southern currents of the Volga routinely made hard work for the oarsmen, but without a sail to help propel the ship it would have been almost impossible to travel North. She was their hero.
The captain also joined in and patted Maria on the back,
«U Nas Kupala!» he shouted, «U-ra!»
«U-ra» the crew responded in unison.
Each member of the crew looked Maria in the eye, thanking her and nodding their head in appreciation before returning below.
The captain remained to speak with Maria. «You’ve done us a great service young lady, and saved me a substantial amount of money in repairs.» He said in a grateful tone.
«Normally we give some money to each of the merchants if we are late getting in but we’ll back on schedule now.» Added the quartermaster who listened in as he packed up the repair gear and old sail.
«Ay, and that as well.» The captain continued, «I’m returning your fare for the trip and hope you’ll continue with us to Neva, but of course you are free to pick another ship at the next port if you wish.» He said as he handed Maria a small bag with gold coins.
Maria’s eyes grew wide with astonishment as she held the coin purse in her hand. «Thank you! I just wanted to help, I didn’t expect all this!» She chirped.
The captain nodded and continued on his way, returning to his duties and shouting at the crew, «Back to work! We’re underway and making time to Cheropovets!» he said in a boastful voice.
The men scattered like ants devouring a piece of bread, all with a destination of haste and purpose.
«That was really sweet of you,» Maria said to the quartermaster, knowing he had spoken to the captain and brought the men on deck.
«Miss, you never asked what the benefit was to you, and on the river, everyone looks for their reward before the work. The captain and I both appreciate that.» He said as he rolled the remains of the old sail. «Thanks again.» He said as he turned to complete his tasks.
Maria stood on the main deck in astonishment. She felt truly valued and respected from people who had every reason to ignore or dismiss her. There was a lesson in the experience she wanted to hold on to, she had asserted and proven herself when she would have normally backed down. At that moment a small part of the shy farm girl faded away, and the woman inside her began to emerge.
She headed below eager to share the news of her adventure and reward with Sveta. It was as if the entire experience had not happened until she told it in full detail to her new dear friend. She stopped in her room to store her gold, packing it in her sack and storing it under her bed before making her way toward the kitchen.
She could already smell the scent of something sweet in the air, there was no mistaking it, Sveta was making blini, her favorite! She rushed down the stairs and raced into the kitchen before the crowd had formed.
Sveta saw her and immediately waved for her to come inside the cooking area. Maria smiled and came around the other side of the wall separating the crew mess and cook space.
«Blinchiki!» Maria shouted excitedly.
Sveta laughed, «Da, my favorite.» She said as Maria agreed on the same.
The two ladies nibbled at their Russian-style pancakes covered with berries and honey as Maria shared the story of mending the sail and the captain’s generosity. Maria detected a hint of jealousy in Sveta’s eyes but quickly dismissed it. She knew Sveta had been the only woman on board, and this meant Maria presented a competition even if it was not intentional.
Sveta sounded genuinely happy for Maria, even though her eyes were a bit far away.
Then Sveta surprised Maria in response, «Well that’s good news, now you can pick a better ship with your own cabin!» She said half laughing.
Maria’s eyes filled with tears, «You want me to go?», She said in horror. «I thought you liked having me there, but yes, of course, I should respect that it’s your home, and I’m imposing…» Maria said trying not to be offended even though she was clearly hurt.
Sveta quickly put her plate down and moved next to Maria, wrapping her arms around her. «Ignore me!» She said apologetically, «I’m a stupid jealous woman.» She said as her voice softened, «I don’t want you to go!» Sveta said as she squeezed Maria tightly.
It was the first time Maria saw Sveta’s softer side, she was not as tough as life on the ship had forced her to be. «I want to stay on board until we reach Neva,» Maria said assuredly.
They wiped each other’s tears and quickly finished their meal as the sounds of the men came into the crew mess looking for their meal. Stools slid across the floor as utensils, bowls and plates began their routine distribution among the hungry shipmates. «Davai Blini!» the men shouted in a playful manner. It was wonderful to feel the positive mood of all after a hard night and exhausting recovery from the storm.
The Unexpected Barber
Sveta and Maria were sitting in their cabin, sharing stories from their childhood after the evening meal. Each of them took turns revealing intimate details about their experiences and adventures while growing up.
Sveta talked about the son of the town blacksmith, his strong hands, smile and piercing blue eyes, and how one night while her father was away at sea and her mother fell asleep, she snuck out of the house to see him.
«Of course, I was only 15 at the time, my mom would have killed me… and my father would’ve killed the boy for sure!» Sveta giggled