Regarding the princess in the tower and the Maxi Taxi

I work on a 125 ft. traditional old-school schooner. My hands are rough with the work and my arms are growing thick and strong from hauling lines and clambering over everything. My nose is brown from the sun, and I, err, glisten in the heat. Walk down the docks here in the historic seaport of Key West and you might see me sanding down the forever punky foredeck, wiping the sweat from my cheeks and scowling at the sunshine. I'm just another girl, not Cinderella, not Sita. Virtuous and sweet – maybe. Human – most definitely!

So there I am on the foredeck and I look up to see one of the Maxi Taxis taxi up and open its door to belch out passengers. I was glued to the sight, to the utterly improbable chance that I'd see one of my loved ones jump out. It's a new version of the spinster-bound maiden sitting on her father's porch and waiting for some poor guy to come over after church. Of course, he will catch her eye across the piles of fried chicken and in a gastronomic state of supreme satisfaction with life, his mind will twinkle and sparkle with the realization that this homely girl is indeed the goddess of happiness. He will marry her and they will become fat and happy together, forever after and a day.

One stranger after another tripped out of the Maxi Taxi. It was not my day to be discovered. This sounds weird, I know. But as I bent again to puck up my sandpaper, I realized that in my subconscious mind, I'm the princess in the tower; waiting to be rescued. The thing is, I love my life. I don't want to be rescued from this life. Maybe on this point all previous concessions bust to pieces.

This work is so beautiful, so full and rich and so draining. The chemicals and the repetitive work leach away my vitality but enough of that! I want to share it with someone. To lean over and know that when one or the other goes senile, the other can sit and stroke their hand and recount all the lovely adventures of life had together. Yeah, I know that this whole entry falls in the category of romantic drivel but lump it! Tomorrow we'll be back to crab-cake recipes and other safe subjects. Anyhow, since when did Prince Charming trade in his steed for a Maxi Taxi?