Streamers on the Orcades

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The night before the majestic, white Orcades pulled out of Sydney Harbour, Andrew and I spent our last moments together, talking and wishing things were different. We held hands and gazed into each other's eyes, longing for the night to never end. We felt the warmth of each other's young body and closed our eyes trying to soak in as much as we possibly could because we knew what tomorrow would bring. We smiled at remote memories and tried to make plans for a distant future. No sleep.

Clocks moved on. Sunrise came to us, creeping gently into Sydney, no matter how much we wished it would not come this day. We moved the cereal around in our plates and made polite conversation with our hosts. Feelings of dread were like a hole in my stomach. Andrew was reluctant to pack his last bag, but we both knew he had no choice. At nine o'clock we were driven to the ship.

AND LATER... a bit more...

Streamers of all colours joined those people on board the ship to those left on the whalf. It was more than Jenny could bear, as she hung onto one coloured streamer and Andrew held the other. She stood on the whalf and he was leaning over the railing of the ship with his arm outstretched. As the ship moved toward the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the streamer stretched and stretched, then snapped in half and two young hearts snapped too.

"I'll be back. Wait for me, Jenny!" Andrew called, his voice barely audible over the noise of the crowd and the ship's engines.

Jenny could not find the strength to answer him as she felt faint, her legs felt wobbly. She was already missing his presence and longed to touch him, to feel the strength and resolve of his arms around her . It would be nearly thirty years until they touched again but neither of them would imagine such a thing would happen. They were both completely sure that Andrew would return very soon. Not a doubt in their minds."