The Star Sailor. ®. Romantic Short Story. Magical Realism.

The Star Sailor. ®.

Romantic Short Story. Magical Realism.

Jorge Ofitas. ®.

From the hotel bar, some seagulls could be seen flying over the marina; the birds made circles in the air against the red evening sky. It smelled of frothy sea spray. Ramón savored a glass of green tea and glanced at his watch, which marked ten past nine at night. A late dusk; in summer, along the Atlantic coasts, it gets dark at those hours.

He took some of the savings he possessed and decided to spend a night alone in a large hotel overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. He wore jeans with a blue and white horizontal striped T-shirt. With his right hand, he fiddled with a piece of amber while not losing sight of the imminent sunset. Ramón would watch the king star disappear into the sea; he too would disappear under the shower once his tea was sipped. He thought.

Thirty years earlier, he had visited this place with his parents, although the hotel did not exist at that time. The sun had not yet set, and he called the waiter, ordering a honey rum with ice.

He had a very special memory of that small seaside town. As a teenager, he met a beautiful girl with whom he became close at a party and with whom he danced a couple of songs; they kissed and spent the night together on the beach until dawn, and hours later he returned with his family to the city to which he belonged, thousands of kilometers away. And he never saw her again. They corresponded for a few months until she finally cut off communication, claiming she had found a good boy whom she eventually married. He remained single and deeply saddened; when he saw her for the first time, he had the full certainty that this girl was the woman of his life, his soulmate. After overcoming his love-stricken state, he dedicated his existence to professional fishing, as his family owned three artisanal fishing boats.

Remembering that sweet and romantic dance from his youthful years once more, he drained his honey rum in one gulp and went up to his room to refresh himself under the shower before going down to dine at the hotel restaurant with views of the beach.

Night had fallen over that beautiful maritime setting, and Ramón, after showering and grooming himself, drank two or three vodkas from the mini-bar, sitting in the armchair on the balcony overlooking the sea horizon; at the moon that night, which arrived dressed in full, splendid silver and accompanied by millions of stars…

Due to the economic crisis, his business was on the verge of collapse, just like him. He had always wanted to have a family, but at his age, he no longer harbored illusions of having children or adopting them, and much less of finding a woman to love and be loved in return. While looking at the moon, slightly tipsy from the alcohol, he had the idea of looking up the name of that girl, who remained anchored in the past, in the phone book. He took another small bottle of vodka in one gulp and, without hesitation, dialed the number. It rang and rang, but no one answered, again and again until he gave up. Could it be her number that appeared in those pages? Or would it belong to someone else with the same name as her? Feeling a bit dazed, he decided to forget the matter. He rinsed his face and, after adjusting his tie, headed to the hotel restaurant on the beach where, coincidentally, that night a couple was getting married by Christian rite on the seashore, as he had been informed at reception.

When he crossed the door that gave access to the restaurant, his heart skipped a beat, and his face turned pale when he read the name of the bar. One of the waiters asked if he was alright, and Ramón requested a table away from the night's commotion. He ordered white wine and some fish and noticed that all the waiters serving the tables were glancing at him with half-smiles on their faces. I must look depressing, he thought. The bride and groom had not yet arrived, but the guests for the ceremony had. At that secluded table, he would be safe, and after finishing the last glass of his bottle of wine, he asked for the bill. Of course, it wasn't the bill that they brought him, but a glass of champagne courtesy of the bride and groom who had just arrived to get married. Then he looked again at the name of the bar, in case he hadn't read it correctly upon entering. His astonishment turned into certainty because that hotel restaurant was called: "The Star Sailor." He then remembered the words of his great youthful love thirty years before: "If you ever sail at night and feel lonely, feel that you are the star sailor." Two slow tears then ran down Ramón's eyes. At that moment, the maître d' left him a note and said:

− Sir, someone has left this note for you.

− Alright, thank you.

He opened the small envelope and read: "Please get up from your seat and go to the altar, your bride is waiting for you."

At that moment, everyone gathered there, about five hundred people, turned towards him and began to applaud. Ramón, seized by panic, stood up and ran down the access corridor, thinking, of course, that it had all been a very bad joke. It was then that a voice stopped him:

− Ramón! It's me, Estrella (Star).

He approached, quite surprised, and hugged her. Then he asked her why she was dressed as a bride, to which she replied:

− Do you remember what I told you? That if you ever sailed at night and felt lonely, you should feel that you are the star sailor.

They kissed deeply; she took his hand and led him to the altar where they were married under the full moon dressed in silver, surrounded by millions of stars.

END

Jorge Ofitas Author. 2013. ®. 2025. ®.  

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