Chapter 18 - Page 262 - Pirate Ship

   They arrived in Troy, Illinois, late that night, and rented a motel room. By eleven o'clock the next morning, they were back in the truck and on the road again. Thirty minutes later, the Freightliner approached the Mississippi River. As they crossed the bridge into Missouri, they had a clear view of the St. Louis Archway.

   Rhasha noticed some boats on the Mississippi river and commented, "Aren't those boats pretty? I think it would be fun to ride in a boat."

   Jim remembered that Rhasha had been sick most of her life and never got to do many of the things that most people did. "Have you never been on a boat?" he asked her.

   "I've seen lots of boats," she replied, "but I've never been on one."

   "I've never been on a boat either," Shanha said.

   Jim continued to drive, but the gears in his head began to turn. He realized he was having fun exposing Rhasha and Shanha to new adventures. "Girls," he said, "did you know I own a small sea cruiser?" He looked at Rhasha, but she didn't say anything. She just looked back at him, waiting for him to say something else. Shanha didn't say anything at first. Jim was beginning to wonder if they'd heard him.

   Finally, Shanha broke the silence. "Papa, what's a sea cruiser?"

   "Yeah," Rhasha said, "I don't know what a sea cruiser is, either."

   Jim smiled, realizing why they hadn't answered him. "It's just a boat."

   "Oh!" Shanha said. "You have a boat? Where is it?"

   Before he could answer, Rhasha interrupted. "Could you take us for a ride on your boat?"

   "It's a long ways from here," Jim told them. "It's in Pensacola, Florida."

   "Papa,"Shanha observed, "you have everything, don't you."

   Jim stroked her face. "I do now, sweetheart-now that I have you." He smiled. He had never seen a seven-year-old black girl blush before.

   "You're being silly, Papa," she said, "but I love you."