Adrift on the Boat

In our lakeside town, if a woman wanted to marry the love of her life, she must personally build a wooden rowboat to serve as her wedding vessel. On the exact day of our seventh anniversary, my girlfriend, Sarah Granger, held the launch ceremony for her newly finished boat. The crowd cheered as they witnessed the moment, and my heart pounded furiously against my ribs.

However, just as I was about to board the boat, I caught the hushed whispers of her best friends.

“Are you really giving this boat to Logan? Aren’t you afraid Austin will throw a fit?"

“Yeah, Austin can be pretty sensitive. Be careful not to push him too far.”

The next second, Sarah’s casual voice rang out, filled with absolute certainty.

“He won’t. Austin is the easiest guy to appease. He’s completely head over heels for me. Besides, around these parts, if a guy isn’t married by twenty-eight, everyone starts looking at him like a pathetic bachelor. He wouldn’t dare make a scene. Think about it: the marriage certificate goes to Austin, and the wedding vessel goes to Logan. It’s totally fair. Plus, it… makes up for my regrets.”

So, agreeing to get legally married to me was a regret for her? Easy to appease? Pathetic bachelor?

Those words hurt my ears, and I started to choke up, but I didn’t cry. Instead, I pulled out my phone and sent a single text message.

[Mom, I’m taking your advice. I’m twenty-eight now, and I’m not waiting around anymore.]

The boat, fully adorned with fresh roses, hit the water, and people immediately began shoving me forward playfully.

“Austin, get on the boat already!”

“Aussie! It’s been seven years, and you two are finally making it official!”

My close friend, Marcus Bell, spoke with genuine excitement. He was truly happy for me.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Sarah Granger stepped off the boat and walked over in my direction. However, she paused beside me for a split second before walking right past. Instead, she stopped right in front of Logan, her voice soft and filled with affection.

“This is your birthday present. Do you like it?”

An eerie silence filled the surroundings.

Logan’s eyes were wide with pure delight. Then, hand in hand, they walked toward the boat together. This time, as Sarah passed by me, she paused.

She sounded completely nonchalant as she said, “Aussie, I’m letting Logan have this boat first. The next one is already being built, so be patient.”

Some people looked on just for the drama, while others stared straight at me. It felt like everyone was waiting for me, the guy famous around these parts for having a fiery temper, to kick up a huge fuss. However, I just looked at her calmly.

“There’s no need, Sarah.”

She froze, clearly not expecting that kind of reaction from me. Sensing that the atmosphere was growing tense, Sarah’s best friends quickly jumped in to smooth things over for her.

“Austin, don’t overthink it! Sarah is just helping him to fulfill a birthday wish!”

“Exactly! The groom is definitely going to be you.”

Listening to their pathetic excuses, I actually found it funny.

Beside me, Marcus was grinding his teeth in pure rage. “How could Sarah do this? She knows perfectly well that a woman from our lakeside town can only build one wedding vessel in her entire life!”

A sudden wave of bitterness washed over me.

He was right. In our town, even a three-year-old child knows that a woman must marry using the very first boat she built. Only then would it symbolize a lifetime of deep, unbreakable love.

Marcus’s voice buzzed in my ear, thick with anger. “Aussie, I’m furious on your behalf… He’s just an assistant trying to climb the social ladder. Is Sarah blind?”

In reality, Logan wasn’t just a simple assistant. He was the son of an old family friend of Sarah’s, entrusted to their family’s care. Because of that, Sarah showered him with boundless favoritism.

She took him to every event. Any gift she bought for me on holidays would always have a duplicate bought for him. Even the wedding vessel I had anticipated for seven long years could be handed over to him, just like that, all for a silly birthday wish.

“It doesn’t matter anymore, Marcus,” I said, gently patting his shoulder.

Before long, the two people on the boat finished the ritual and stepped back onto the shore. A smug smile still hung on Logan’s face as he strode over to me.

He spoke in his usual, falsely innocent tone. “Austin, Sal was just granting me a birthday wish. Please don’t read too much into it.”

Sal. What an intimate way to address her.

Just as I was about to speak, I was abruptly cut off. Sarah stepped forward and placed a hand on my shoulder.

“Aussie, it’s just a boat,” she said. Her voice remained gentle, but her eyes held an unmistakable warning. “People are watching. Don’t make a scene.”

“I won’t.”

Taking a step backward, I smiled and gave Logan a polite nod.

“Happy birthday.”

The moment the words left my mouth, a suffocating silence fell over the crowd. Sarah looked down at her now-empty hand, visibly dazed for a moment. It made sense; if this had happened in the past, I would have thrown a massive fit by now.

Marcus couldn’t stand it anymore, and he demanded answers at the top of his lungs. “Sarah! You gave the boat to him, so what exactly do you plan to use when you marry Aussie? He’s waited for you for seven years! Give him an answer!”

Every single gaze in the crowd locked onto her. I, too, watched her quietly, a tiny, fragile spark of hope rising in my heart.

This would be the absolute last chance I’d be giving you, Sarah.

One second passed, then two. My fingernails dug deeply into my palms. Just as I was about to lose my resolve and smooth the situation over for her out of habit, Sarah let out a soft chuckle.

She said indifferently, “Next time, for sure.”

It was dismissive and utterly evasive. With those words, the last bit of love I had for her popped like a punctured balloon, finally sinking into total, dead silence.