The side of the ship by the breakwater crunched against it and sent shivers along the hull. It was loud like trees splitting, and the ferry spilled over this time. Everybody left on board went tumbling. The bow on the starboard side had slammed into the seawall. The ferry rolled to port and I thought we were going to capsize, but it righted itself a little. We stopped moving forward but the stern swung toward the breakwater like a hammer.
I looked down at the waves and all the screaming people and I knew if I didn’t go now, I never would. Jimmy said I should get out of my shoes, but I was in too much of a hurry to sit down and do that. I grabbed the handrail like Jimmy had and rolled headfirst over it. I remember thinking I had got on and off the ferry the same way. It’s funny where your
