Eat Your Words!

Staring out to sea, Sophie remembered her father’s words on career day at High School.

“You need a career that you can pick up after you’ve had children, something like hairdressing. It’s the man’s job to be the breadwinner and the woman’s job to keep house.”

Oh, how he’d infuriated her. While he encouraged her brothers to choose any career, she was constantly told, “That’s not a job for a lady!” She could have been anything, a lorry driver, an astronaut or even a famous scientist that discovers a cure for Cancer.

As a child she’d been influenced by television, comic books and, most of all, by her two brothers. On Saturdays, she would always follow her brothers down to the local river and pass them maggots as they fished. In the summer holidays they’d build dens in the local forest and play Cowboys and Indians. Her brothers had always encouraged her to come with them, climbing trees, playing football. In a way, Sophie thought they felt sorry for her.

Her father, however, felt differently. He would tell her off when she came downstairs in her Sunday dress that she only wore for tea round Grandma’s. Bruises and scabs would show up all over her arms and legs like some blotchy skin disease. Grandma never noticed and if she did then she didn’t mind but that didn’t matter to him, he would still shout, “You’re a girl! When are you going to learn that girl’s don’t climb trees!”

For Christmas and birthdays Sophie received dolls, prams and other typically mother-orientated gifts. She was so jealous of her brothers when they received their BMX bikes, bright with stickers and silver pegs to perform stunts. She got a bike that year too but it was a pink Happy Shopper with a basket on the front. She remembered her father’s face when she’d brought it home with a buckled back wheel after trying to do bunny-hops like her brothers. She was grounded for a month.

When she was old enough, she received Barbie dolls instead of baby dolls and prams. Barbie’s outfits weren’t all girly but usually they ones in the shops were cocktail dresses and ballet tutus. Sometimes, Sophie would sneak into her brother’s room and undress their Action Men, taking the clothes and putting them on Barbie. Then Sergeant Barbie would lead her troops into war declaring victory over all.

The only time that Sophie felt like she could do anything was when the family took a trip down to the seaside. As they sat on the beach, her father would encourage her to play with her brothers, building sandcastles, paddling in the sea and floating around in their rubber dinghy playing pirates and such like.

Under instruction, Sophie followed the life her father laid out for her and went to college to pursue a career in beauty therapy. Her father was proud of her when she finished college and landed herself a job in a top salon. While she enjoyed her work, Sophie longed for some excitement in her life, spending all her spare cash on flying lessons and extreme sports, like parachuting and rock climbing.

One Friday afternoon, one of her favourite clients, Warren, came in for his regular sports massage. He noticed that she wasn’t her usual chatty self and asked what was wrong. Sophie explained to him that she was looking for a new hobby, explaining to him that she had done so much and was now running out of ideas. Warren asked her if she’d ever tried sailing? And when she said that she hadn’t he asked her to join him at the Yacht Club this weekend.

What started out as just a Sunday afternoon hobby became more of a passion and little by little Sophie progressed from inland sailing to sailing at sea, from sailing for pleasure to weekend racing. It was on one of those races that Sophie remembered how much fun she’d had as a child at the seaside with her brothers and their little dinghy. How she’d longed to just paddle the dingy out to sea but her father kept pulling her back into shore. ‘Oh my God!’ Sophie thought, ironically her whole life had been spent in that dinghy, constantly being held back by her father, never traveling onto the land beyond the waves.

After sailing, Sophie and Warren, who had become more than just friends, went back to the club for a bite to eat and drink. Stopping at the notice board on the way in for a quick look, Sophie noticed a poster that would change her life forever.

Confronting her father was the hardest thing she ever done. “I’ve got something to tell you.” Sophie announced over Sunday lunch. Her brothers were there with their wives, one heavily pregnant, the other feeding a son in his high chair.

“You and Warren are finally going to settle down?” Her father asked in is usual condescending manner.

Sophie looked and Warren for help to which he shook his head. They’d already discussed how this was little chat before they got here and Warren had said to Sophie that he would back her up but she had to tell them.

“No dad, it’s nothing like that.” As Sophie looked round the table she could see that all eyes were on her. “I’m giving up work for a while, selling my flat and I’m going to sail around the world single-handed.” There she’d said it. The silence was unbearable, even the two year-old seemed stunned.

She looked at her father’s horrified face and then to her brothers and mother for support.

“Single-handed doesn’t sound very safe?” Her mother said, breaking the silence.

Her father suddenly dropped his fork on his plate and shouted, “Not very safe. She’s a woman, she shouldn’t even be thinking of doing things like this. Round the world single-handed, where the hell do you get such stupid ideas?”

“Well I think it’s really exciting.” The eldest brother finally sticking up for her as he’d always done when they were children.

“Yeah, go sis!” Said her other brother.

“Will you all see me off?” She said directing the question at everyone but aiming it mostly at her father.

“Of course we will.” Her brothers said in unison.

“Well, I’m not having anything to do with this lunacy. Believe me my girl, one of these days you’re going to end up killing yourself with you stupid stunts!”

Sophie came back to reality, she wondered if her father would be there, waiting for her to arrive. His stubbornness had meant he hadn’t been there to see her off and she’d hoped he’d come round before she returned.

On the horizon she could see the harbor, hear the tunes from the brass band welcoming in the yachts from the One-Manned Round The World Race. And as Sophie brought her yacht, aptly named ‘Eat Your Words’, over the finish line to take second place, she felt an immense satisfaction at proving her father wrong.

End