The Distance Affliction

A he stood there staring at the vastness that was the ocean, that lay in front him. His vessel bobbed with every rise and fall as it lay afloat on her breast. The ocean, inky blue, mirroring the night sky, that seemed like a velvet robe embellished with tiny gems. Somewhere over the horizon dawn was breaking, and with it he could retire to his cabin, to his bed. But till then it was night still, his watch had not yet ended.

He had been a sailor as long he could remember. Sailing ran in his blood, there was salt in his vein. He was born to belong to the sea, and it was here he felt most home. A sailor he was meant to be. But still today he felt a loneliness, an emptiness, a longing. It was strange feeling to him, on a day when the world celebrated love, especially considering that he didn’t believe in the whole act of celebrating love on just one day. He considered it foolish, a clever marketing gimmick to trap fools. But still he felt something missing.

They had been married for a couple of years now, and were getting used to their time spent apart, no matter how difficult it may have seemed. But these feelings caught him by surprise. He felt a deep longing for her, to hold her in his arms, to have her bury her face in his chest so that he could smell the top her head. He closed his eyes, and in the the breeze that caressed him, he felt her breath on his face, her body close to him. He could see that look in her eyes, as they met his. In the salty air he could taste the sweetness of her lips as they pressed against his, but she was out of his reach.

He felt something stir within him, a longing, a stirring, an arousal, threatening to burst within him, consume him. But it brought a feeling of loneliness. Was this what the lonely hearts felt on this day? He empathised with them, felt a brethren with them, the lonely hearts club, if ever there was one. He thought about those who wouldn’t be able to express their love because they didn’t meet society’s norms, they were not allowed to be themselves, love who they chose to be, who they chose to love. He thought of the ones who had no one to love. Surely they felt greater sorrow than he. 

He stood there all caught in his thoughts that threatened to consume him. He longed to hear her voice, even if it was just a whisper in his ear. He would see her reflection in the sky, with the stars adorning her appearance. He saw her name written in the stars. The ocean was a cruel mistress, drawing him into her bosom, taking him away from her. 

As soon as his watch ended, he went to cabin, called her. He didn’t care what the time was, where she was, he had to hear her. And as he heard her voice on the other end, he got an orgasmic release.