We changed clothes too quickly and I put my dress on backward. As my husband waited by the cabin door, I brought the dress up around my shoulders and turned it around. Ready? he asked. Yeah, let's go, I said.

We were chasing the last sunset on the last night of our cruise.

We made our way through the dining room, up a flight of stairs and around to the deck on the port side. As we settled into our seats, we nodded at our fellow shipmates. Gonna be a pretty one tonight. Sure will. Got my camera ready...how 'bout you? Yep, right here.

We settled in. Ordered drinks and toasted to each other's fortunes. More people came to see the sunset, and we raised our glasses to them.

About 10 minutes before sunset, someone noticed the cargo ship.

The huge ship zoomed along the horizon - and basic physics and geometry told us it was set to hide our precious sunset at any moment. Conversation hopped from table to table.

Nah, the sun will set before it comes parallel to us.

No, it will pass the sun before it sets.

Uh-uh, it's going more slowly than you think. It's not going anywhere quickly.

And then the boat covered the sunset, as if the universe put a band-aid over a bruise. Most of us laughed at the timing and absurdity. A few sighed in slight frustration. A man threw his napkin on his table and stormed out.

Yes, the sun came down anyway. And even though we couldn't see it, we knew it was beautiful. And we so toasted to what we couldn't see, but felt from within.

Jacob's Ladder / Come Down

This post is part of a Blogging A To Z series where I write a new, personal story almost every day (except Sundays). The theme is the hidden messages: the language of flowers.

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