Dawn was breaking, the tide was turning, it was time to leave. I had risen early, showered, and changed into my uniform. I gathered my few personal items and quickly scanned the room, checking that I had left nothing behind.

My eyes lingered briefly on the bed with its sleeping occupant, the rumpled bedding evidence of the previous night. A smile hovered on my face as I recalled the events. I only had one night on this particular trip; it would be weeks before I returned. We had dined in a small, family-run Cypriot restaurant under grape vines and a sky full of stars. We ate Dolmades and Moussaka, washed down with chilled village wine.

Then we returned to this nearby apartment, where we feasted on each other with a hunger born from absence. Our bodies were in perfect unison as we came together—two bodies exploring, tasting, and caressing as if it was the first, or perhaps the last, time. We enjoyed the pleasures of being reunited, whispering words of endearment and making promises of being together—promises I would not keep.

Tonight, I would be miles away, dining with another, whispering the same endearments, making the same promises.

It wasn’t all lies. I always mean it at that moment in time. I shut the door quietly behind me and headed down the narrow lane to the harbour. I chatted to the local fishermen who were up early to catch the tide, like me. I was a familiar face. They knew me from my frequent visits.

The sun rose above the horizon, turning the sea to a fiery red. The rays glinted off the gleaming hull of the fabulous sailing vessel moored in the small harbour. “Aphrodite.” She was my only true love, unlike any other. I owned this beauty and was her captain. She enabled me to have many lovers in many beautiful parts of the world. As a chartered vessel, we sailed the Mediterranean and beyond.

This morning, Aphrodite was in Cyprus. Tonight, with a fair wind and tide, we would berth in Rhodes. Another starlit dinner, another love, another night of passion, another hunger for each other, again born of absence. Another night of promises.

It is said that a sailor has a lover in every port. That may well be true.

With a wave to the fishermen and Cyprus, I boarded the beautiful Aphrodite. I was greeted by my crew, who had stayed aboard. Aphrodite’s crew are all female, like her captain.

“Good Morning, Ma’am. Welcome aboard."