"It is nice to be back home," I said as I sank into a chair on board the newly refitted Roxy.

Melody didn’t answer right away so I tried again.

"This is your home too you know. Get yourself sorted out about what you want to do with your life. I guess that everything you ever thought about was being Melody. Now you are. You are legally Melody and have the documentation to prove it. Now you have the chance to think long and hard about what you want from your life as Melody."

“I know and it is hard.”

I chuckled.

“I know that only too well. Those nights I spent camping in the Australian Outback when I was looking for gold gave me a chance to reflect. As soon as I had a decent stash of the yellow stuff, I relaxed and began to think about the future. On my next trip into Kalgoorlie for supplies, I bought a sketchbook and some pencils. I began to draw. As I did so, my mind went to a different place. A happier place. What convinced me that being an artist was the way to go was how easy it was to sell those sketches when I went back to town.”

“I can’t draw,” said Melody in a virtual whisper.

“That’s not the point. Being free of worries allowed me to think. The same applies here, I hope. In return for being my companion and working the locks, you get room and board and someone to bounce ideas off of.”

“What if I make a mistake?”

“Then you learn from that and begin again. That’s like learning to ride a bike. You fall off a few times then you learn that staying upright is a whole lot nicer than the alternative. We learn from our mistakes, don’t we?”

“I suppose so.”

I stood up walked towards the steps that lead up onto the stern of Roxy.
“We both have a lot to learn now that Roxy is fully electric. It might not work. I simply don’t know but it is worth trying isn’t it. No more smelly exhaust to breathe in.”

“But you still have a generator? I saw it when I stowed away our bags.”

“I do and that is for emergencies. If the battery is totally flat then that will charge it enough to allow us to get moving.”

“It is a risk.”

“Life is a risk as you well know don’t you Melody? What would have happened if I hadn’t let you jump on board?”

“I would have been beaten up after being made to suck their dicks at the very least.”

“There you go. You took a risk and jumped on board Roxy and… here we are.”

I left Melody to think things over while I headed for the Boatyard Office so that I could settle my bill.

An hour later, we left the boatyard in blissful silence. I headed north along the Oxford Canal and moored up for the night just where the canal and the river Cherwell almost meet near the hamlet of Thrupp.

As I was preparing something to eat, I asked Melody,
“It is Good Friday tomorrow. Are you and Heidi going to do anything?”

“I was thinking of going into Oxford. She’s not working until Tuesday.”

“Why don’t you invite her to come over tomorrow? We don’t have many locks to traverse on our way to Heyford. There is a station there where she can get a train back to the city.”

Melody smiled.
“Are you sure about that?”

“I’m sure. If I wasn’t sure then I would never have suggested it.”

She didn’t move right away.

“What are you waiting for?”

---

“You will wear that deck out with all that pacing,” I commented.

Melody was waiting for Heidi to arrive. She'd texted a little over an hour ago to say that she was on her way. Melody had started clock watching less than five minutes later.

I left her to it and headed down into the cabin to prepare lunch. I’d be testing out the new electric oven for the first time and I was praying that it would work properly.

Our short trip yesterday had been very educational. Roxy now had a lot more acceleration than before and it was very, very easy to exceed the speed limit. I’d looked at the battery gauge and was pleased when the level hadn’t dropped by as much as I had expected. My new estimates meant that we’d easily reach Banbury and could even make Cropredy where I knew that there was a place to plug Roxy in for a recharge.

Melody and I had planned on taking Roxy a few miles north and tying up while we had lunch. Then we’d head to Heyford, where Heidi could take the train back to Oxford. That was the plan and if I didn’t manage to get the oven working, we’d be eating cheese sandwiches for lunch instead of a roast.

I suddenly heard Melody’s footsteps run along the deck at the side of the cabin and then stop. I guessed that she’d gone ashore. Heidi must have arrived so I stopped preparing the veg and after wiping my hands, I went up on deck.

Melody and Heidi were embracing as if they’d not seen each other for years. I hadn’t realised that things had gotten so serious between them.

I then noticed someone else standing on the quayside.

“Hello?” I said slightly nervously.
“Did you come with Heidi?”

“Yes. I’m her flatmate. I’m Jenna Carlsson.”

"Hello, Jenna. I'm Savannah. This is Roxy, my narrowboat. Please come aboard? If you are staying that is?”

Jenna smiled back at me.
“I only came with Heidi to see one of these boats. I’ve seen them on the canal but I’ve never seen inside and all that.”

I smiled.
“Then please come aboard. It appears that Melody and Heidi are away on their own planet for the immediate future.”

We both looked at the others. They were walking together along the canal. Thankfully, they were heading in the direction we were going to travel.

I helped Jenna climb on board.
“Welcome to Roxy. Capt’n Savannah at your service.”

“Pleased to be here Savannah,” said Jenna.

She was effing gorgeous. How she wasn’t married or at least engaged was a mystery to me. Oh well! Someone is going to be lucky barstweard.

“Come on down below, I’ll give you the guided tour. There isn’t a lot but it is my home.”

“I admire you. Being able to up sticks and move to a new place whenever you want.”

“It isn’t as easy as that. Besides, she’s limited to 4mph on canals. You can walk faster than that.”

“Isn’t that part of the attraction. Slowing down, destressing?”

“It is much, much more than that. I use this as my base for my work.”

“Oh? What do you do?” asked Jenna.

I could tell from the tone of her voice that she was genuine in her interest.

“I’m an artist. I paint Landscapes. There are a couple of examples of my work on the wall behind you.”

She turned around and did an ‘ahhh’.

“That’s the wharf at Bedwyn,” she said excitedly.

I grinned back at her.
“That is perfectly correct. Not many people would have known that

It was her turn to grin back at me.
“I grew up in Hungerford. I’ve walked and canoed down the canal many times.”

“Then you know how peaceful it can be.”

“Until some motorised craft comes chugging by.”

I laughed.
“Not Roxy. She’s now fully electric.”

“Good for you.”

“Come this way, I’ll show you the rest of her. There isn’t much. Roxy isn’t that big.”

Two fairly small cabins and my junk room, sorry studio and we were back in the sitting/dining area. The small table was set for three.

“Can I tempt you with lunch? There is plenty.”

Jenna shook her head.
“I have to get back. I have to work.”

“What do you do?”

“I’m a pharmacist at the John Radcliffe. We have to be there 24/7. Patients are always needing new medication.”

“Well, you are more than welcome to visit any time,” I said more out of hope than anything.

She grinned back at me.
“I may well take you up on that.”

Then I had an idea.
“What are you doing we week tomorrow in the evening?”

“Why? Are you asking me out on a date?”

I laughed.
“Not really. I have an exhibition of my work at a gallery in London opening that night. I wondered if you would like to come along as my guest?”

“And get me to buy one of your paintings?”

“That is not the reason I would like you to come. As you seem to know the Kennet and Avon Canal then there may well be some other places you know in the paintings. I’d never pressure anyone to buy a painting.”

Jenna didn’t really react so I tried another tack.

“Let me give you the address of the gallery. Then you can make up your own mind. No pressure from me at all.”

I found my shoulder bag and searched for one of the galleries cards. I found one and gave it to her.

“Thanks. I’ll give it some thought.”

“Please do. I hope you can make it.”

“Thanks once again for the tour. Roxy is a nice boat.”

“Thanks. I like her.”
After a chuckle, I added,
“She is my home after all.”

Jenna smiled as she climbed up the steps and onto the read deck. I followed.

I looked along the canal for Melody and Heidi. They were almost out of sight.

“Thanks again,” said Jenna as she climbed back onto dry land.

“How are you getting back to Oxford?”

She grinned.
“My car is parked just up the road. Heidi was very late getting up this morning and missed the bus so she roped me into giving her a lift.”

“I’m glad that you did.”

“Me too,” she said as she turned away.

I felt myself go very red in the face so I ducked down into the galley to avoid my embarrassment being seen.

When I emerged again, Jenna was nowhere to be seen. I felt a mixture and sadness and joy. Sadness that she’d not been able to spend the rest of the day with us and joy because I felt that she seemed to like me.

Then I came down to earth. I’d been wrong about women so many times in the past that it was embarrassing to even think about it for very long.

Then I saw the joint that we were having for lunch sitting on the countertop. That reminded me that Lunch needed to be cooked. I switched on the oven and put the dish inside. Then I went up on deck and began to cast off.

After edging Roxy away from the quay, I engaged forward gear and she surged away. I quickly throttled back to a more sedate 3mph. The new Roxy was very sensitive to the slightest movement of the throttle lever. Thankfully, the boatyard had provided instructions on how to adjust the sensitivity. I mentally added that to my ‘ToDo’ list for another day.

---

“Do you want me to pick you up?” I called as I came level with Heidi and Melody.

“No, we will carry on walking,” said Heidi with a smile on her face.

“Ok. I’ll tie up about a mile and a half ahead. Lunch will be ready at one. Don’t be late.”

“We won’t,” said Melody with a sheepish grin on her face.

I was very happy for her. She’d blossomed into a lovely young lady these past two and a half months. That had been especially evident since she’d met Heidi. Her confidence had grown enormously.

The canal between here and Banbury meanders along the Cherwell Valley. Nowhere it is straight for very long. That is part of the beauty of canals. Sometimes you are on top of the world such as when traversing the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct [1], going deep underground as when going through the Standedge Tunnel [2] or like today, on a canal that takes ages to get virtually nowhere (as the crow flies). The weather was bright and sunny. There were swans nesting and many little ducklings following their mother around in the hope of getting some food.

I kept thinking of Jenna. I would like to get to know her a lot better but she seemed to be happy in her job in Oxford. I was nowhere ready to settle down. There is a lot more that I want to do with my life before I put down fixed roots.

---

I moored Roxy about two miles along the canal from where I’d left Melody and Heidi. I attended to the lunch and also set up a table on a flat area next to the towpath. Luckily, I had seating for three. One folding chair, one portable chair and one stool. I even found a tablecloth.

I sat on the stern of Roxy enjoying the warm spring sun. The lunch was coming along nicely, the weather was nice and the glass of wine that I cradled in my hand was rich and smooth. All seemed well in the world. All I needed was a good woman to share it with. Fat chance of that at the moment.

I'd realised a long time ago that buying Roxy was a risk. A risk that I had to take but one that would make it hard to find the right person who was willing to spend the rest of their life with me. Sometimes, life sucks but today it wasn't that bad.

---

I was beginning to get a bit anxious when Lunch was just about ready and there was no sign of the missing couple. The towpath was empty as far as the eye could see in both directions.
With a sigh, I turned off the oven and the veggies that were in the steamer hoping that they would not be ruined by the delay when I heard voices.

I poked my head up out of the galley only to see Melody and Heidi squeezing through a gap in the hedge a few metres down the towpath.

“Sorry, we are late,” said Heidi.
“Melody here suggested that we took a shortcut where the canal almost doubles back on itself. That ended up in a quagmire where a load of cows had been sheltering from the rain during the winter.

Their footwear was muddy. No, make that very muddy.

“A shortcut that ended up not being very short or a cut. Yep. Been there done that,” I joked.

"There are some flip-flops in the locker at the stern. Take off your shoes and give them a clean in the canal. From the smell, it seems that you picked up more than just mud. The shoes can dry in the sun while we eat."

"Thanks, Savannah. It will be a long time before I trust Melody’s navigation,” she joked.

It was then that I knew that they were together for the long term. The incident with the mud would have ended many relationships on the spot.

---

After a very nice lunch, Melody volunteered to do the washing up leaving Heidi and me to clear away the table and chairs.

“I was lucky that Jenna was around this morning,” she said as she folded the tablecloth.
“I was late getting up. If she hadn’t given me a lift, I would have been very late.”

“That’s what friends are for aren’t they?” I replied.

“They are.”

“Too bad that she had to go to work,” I remarked.
“There was more than enough food for a 4th although I don’t know what they would have sat on.”

Heidi laughed.
“She didn’t have to go to work. She’s on the same course as me.”

“But… Jenna told me that she was a Pharmacist at the John Radcliffe?”

Heidi shook her head.
“That’s her stock line to put people off.”

My shoulders visibly sank.

“Oh well. She seemed like an interesting person.”

“Don’t worry. She’ll see you at the opening of your show.”

“Eh? I don’t follow? First, she gives me the thumbs down and then you are saying that she’s coming to the opening of my exhibition?”

“Jenna texted me about an hour after she left you. Let me show you.”

She fished out her phone and showed me the text.

“Heds, tell Savannah sorry. Period pains again. Tell her that I’ll see her next weekend for her grand opening, Jens.”

“Jenna has terrible period pains. I’ve told her to see the doc but she won’t.”

“So, she wasn’t having me on then?”

“No, she wasn’t. Her last boyfriend dumped her because of them. He couldn’t understand the sort of thing that we go through every month.”

“I hope she does make an effort to sort it out. It could lead to more severe problems later in life,” I replied.

“I know but she won’t listen. I had them too but the doc put me on the pill and everything has been great ever since.”

“Thanks for telling me but I can’t understand why she had to lie to me?”

Heidi smiled.
“That’s because she does not know you. Yet!”

Her last words filled me with hope and dread at the same time.

[to be continued]
[1] https://www.pontcysyllte-aqueduct.co.uk/
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Standedge_Tunnels