OPULENT OTTOMAN

I must admit I had my doubts. As we were preparing to go to sea, none of the crew had seen fit to stow the flowers that were placed on the shelf just behind the lower helm. This wasn’t some posy in a little fat pot, but a tall glass vase containing a towering bunch of Asiatic lilies. Just as it was hard to miss them, it was hard to imagine them staying upright for very long once we left the harbor. They’re probably secured to the shelf, I said to myself. With the engines warmed and lines cast off, I turned my mind to other things. They must be. Don’t be ridiculous.