Catch the Wind: My Journey with Caroline

I firmly tell Caroline that it’s too dangerous to chase a warship. We have to go back to the shipyard to report it. Caroline hesitates, but at last she nods. She says that at least with the wind, we’ll get back to the shipyard soon.

I grip the seat and hang on while Caroline steers our skiff back toward Sackets Harbor. The second we reach Abbott’s Shipyard, she calls out to Mr. Tate that a British schooner is heading southwest. He’s off toward the navy men before she’s even finished at the dock. Caroline guides the skiff against the dock with barely a bump and she ties a fancy knot; she’s clearly done this a million times.

Caroline’s already climbing the ladder ahead of me, telling me over her shoulder that it’s almost time for dinner. Following close behind her, I suspect part of her still wishes we’d chased that ship instead of turning for home. It takes real guts to choose the responsible thing over what your heart wants, and Caroline just showed me exactly that. It makes me think of Mom, who’s reporting for duty when the navy calls her, no matter how much it costs her to leave me behind. For the first time, I’m ready to admit she’s doing the right thing.

At the top, I tell Caroline I’d love to stay for dinner, though I’ll need to leave right after. She wishes out loud that I could stay longer. I promise her we’ll stay friends no matter the distance, the same way Mom will still be Mom no matter where the navy sends her. It’d be nice to actually explain time travel to Caroline, but that’s obviously not something I can do.

Caroline suddenly gasps and points across the lake, where a faint rainbow has broken through the clouds. I tell her Mom always calls rainbows a good omen. Smiling back, Caroline shares that her grandmother says rainbows provide both rain and sunshine to everyone. Plenty of hard days are still waiting while Mom’s away at sea, but I’m starting to believe we’ll get through them. I tell Caroline the same goes for both of us—everything’s going to be fine.