* * *
At seven o’clock the next morning the front desk was very quiet. Most passengers were still sleeping comfortably in their beds. Sonya was happy to be on the early shift. She hated her job but at least Denise was kind to accommodate her schedule requests. That way she finished early as well and got a bit of time to herself. She opened her heavy float and started organizing the notes in bundles with paper clips so it would be easier to count them later. Then she went through her credit card slips to make sure they matched the log and ordered the traveler’s checks by amount.
“You must be really bored.” Nick observed right from behind her. She shrugged.
“Nick, you scared me.”
He kissed her neck softly and snickered at her.
“What the heck are you doing?” She asked more surprised than upset, since being upset with someone like him would be an absolute waste of time.
“You smell nice.” He observed.
“I know. Don’t you have anything to do? Where is your float?”
“My float is in the drawer. I don’t feel like taking it out. I’m just going to stay here and shadow you.” He replied with a happy grin.
She rolled her eyes and looked heavenwards. “Why? Why do I always attract crazy people?” She mumbled and heard him chuckle next to her. There was no point in arguing with Nick. He was a lost cause.
The phone rang. It was a 911 call and she answered immediately. She saw it was a crew cabin and as soon as Mario, the crew area supervisor, told her there was a guy on the floor who couldn’t breathe she paged the duty nurse and gave Keira all the details. She hung up the phone and a moment later they heard a code Alpha. Sonya had been around long enough to know what that meant. Nick’s smile disappeared and he stared at the phone.
Sofia was getting out of the shower when she heard the code Alpha and put on her uniform as quickly as she could. She ran to the crew cabin on deck 3 where she found Ryan, Mary and Keira trying to resuscitate the young man lying on the floor. Fifteen minutes later Ryan called time of death.
They took the body to one of the morgue spaces in the medical center. He would be taken ashore the next port and sent to his family for burial.
As the investigation started with the doctors, the crew area supervisor who found the body, the security officer and his head of department, Sofia learned that the young man was a Macedonian waiter, twenty five years old.
Bad news spread fast and soon the entire ship’s company knew that a crew member had died that morning. Eventually the word got out to the curious passengers and during the opening hours the doctors answered a lot of questions about the waiter’s death.
Sofia and Ryan examined the body. Although they didn’t have the conditions to perform a proper autopsy, a lot could be learned from the external signs, and together with what they heard from the eye witnesses it wasn’t difficult to guess cause of death.
Not wanting to see or speak to anyone, both doctors ordered lunch from room service and had their meal in the office while preparing the reports and all the extra paperwork that losing a life included.
People died on ships sometimes. Mostly the older passengers and usually of heart attack or stroke. Those are were common cases. Losing a 25 year old left a bitter feeling.
Aware of the events, Denise went to Sofia’s cabin after work to check on her.
“How are you?”
“I’m fine. I’m a doctor. Losing people comes with the job. It’s just something we have to live with.” Sofia replied, not looking too good.
“There is a lot of consternation among the crew. I remember seeing this guy in the crew bar sometimes, but I didn’t even know his name.”
“His name was Alexander. He was twenty five.” Sofia answered gloomily.
“Way too young. Did you find out what killed him?”
“The only way to be sure is with an autopsy, but as far as I can tell he died of the something very common in this world: stupidity!” Sofia replied with a bitter, angry tone.
“What do you mean? How did he die of stupidity?”
“Most people in the world die of some sort of stupidity. Sometimes it’s their own, other times it’s someone else’s, but it all gets down to the same. This one died of self-stupidity. Basically he drank himself to the grave.”
“He died of alcohol poisoning?”
“That’s what it looks like. According to the signs in his body, he committed accidental suicide.”
Denise had heard about people getting into comas and even dying after drinking too much, but she didn’t really understand the process. “How does something like that happen?”
Sofia sighed. “Ethanol, the chemical compound in most alcoholic drinks, is a neurotoxin, which is a substance that can damage and even destroy the nervous system. When a person gets drunk, he or she is actually suffering from a form of poisoning. In small quantities the body can handle it, but in big quantities ethanol can cause coma and death, which is what happened to our young waiter. The body is able to convert ethanol into harmless substances, but this doesn’t happen immediately. If alcohol is consumed at a faster rate than the body can process it, ethanol builds up in the system, begins to interfere with brain function and it starts to modify the chemical reactions in the neurons. The stream of information in the brain is altered and that’s why drunken people have slurred speech, blurred vision, sluggish movement and weakened behavioral restraints. Besides causing these modifications, alcohol can also lead to cell atrophy and destruction, altering the brain’s structure in more extreme cases where damage becomes irreversible.” She explained.
“But shouldn’t he have started to throw up and get rid of it at some point?” Denise asked.
“Depends. As far as I was told this guy used to drink a lot every day. His body was so used to alcohol that it would take a long time for that kind of reaction to occur. Plus alcohol depresses nerves that control involuntary reactions, sometimes preventing the body from defending itself. You should also know that a person’s blood alcohol concentration can continue to rise even when they stop drinking. The alcohol in the stomach and intestines continues to enter the bloodstream. Sleeping it off might not mean the person will be okay. And that was what his supervisors didn’t know.”
“What do they have to do with it?”
“This guy drank a lot last night, probably all night long; this morning he was scheduled to serve breakfast at six, but he arrived so intoxicated that his supervisors sent him to his cabin because he wasn’t fit to work. Of course no one ever considered that the guy had overdosed himself with alcohol. Probably it wasn’t the first time they had to send someone away for being drunk, so they never thought it could be this serious. I don’t blame them. This was a bit of an exceptional situation and they had no way to know. Around seven the head waiter started being a bit worried so he called the cabin. There was no reply. Alexander’s roommate was working so he paged the crew supervisor to go check on him. By the time Mario opened the door he was already dead.”
“Well, I have to agree with you. It is a stupid way to die. I feel sorry for the guy. I bet he never once though drinking could carry him to the grave.” Denise observed.
Sofia nodded. “The way people drink onboard I’m surprised it doesn’t happen more often. They think that because they are young and fit, their bodies can take anything, but it doesn’t work that way. I’ve seen a lot of crew who are alcoholic or on the way there and one day they will pay the price. It’s a matter of time.”
“I know. If they started breathalyzing crew randomly I can promise you half of us would be fired every week. Alcohol is a serious issue onboard, but I also understand that for many people it’s a refuge. When you work every day for months in a row, away from your family, with no privacy and sometimes a difficult working atmosphere, a few drinks after work can be a great escape. Even I nearly went down that road a few times. I was strong enough to resist and be careful, but it’s not easy. Sometimes the bottle is crew’s best friend
.” Denise justified.
Sofia opened the door for fresh air. “I see what you mean, and it’s true, but alcohol is not the answer to loneliness or overstress. These crew members who have six beers every day after work are fighting one problem by creating another; only this one won’t go away by the end of the contract. It will go home with them and it will continue to cause damage long after. This is so frustrating.” She said, her expression disgruntled.
Amy walked by and saw the door open. She went in and shared their concerns. “Drinking is a cultural problem. People drink because they think it’s cool. As long as that mentality stands, things like what we saw today will keep happening.”
“And what are we supposed to do about that?” Denise questioned.
“Honestly, you can give advice to the people who are willing to listen but in the end, they have to make their own choices and we have to accept them.” Amy concluded with a pang of sadness.
Afterward she paged her husband and organized a bridge visit. They went up to deck 16 forward and Matthew, the third officer, opened the door and received them with a warm smile.
They passed the safety center, which consisted of a big room with boards, computer screens and folders and went through the next door to the bridge itself. It was almost eleven in the evening and all the lights were off. Illumination came from the monitors and the lights from outside. In front of them the big windows provided a beautiful view of the sky with its blanket of stars.
Rob, Amy’s husband, received them warmly and with a pleasant smile. He directed them to the central area where the commands were operated. The ship was set up with the latest technology and most of the bridge was a wide open area. The monitors in the front were used to control all the main functions and the bridge was always in contact with the engine control room. A big dark monitor with small lights resembling stars showed the other ships in the vicinity. Rob explained briefly how it worked.
“Thanks Rob. It’s nice to talk to someone who can speak ship.” Denise replied, sitting on the captain’s chair.
Rob giggled. “No worries my dear. If you want to come back I can always teach you a bit more. Maybe one day I’ll let you drive.”
“I don’t mind learning more, but there’s no way I’m driving this thing! I can barely park a car.” She retorted.
“It’s not that hard. I know she’s very big, but these days’ computers make our life very easy.”
On each side of the bridge, the bridge wings, there were a few devices to help navigation and right next to them, two Indonesian deck staff who barely moved, were looking into the darkness outside.
“Who are they?” Sofia asked Rob.
“Observers. Their job is to look at the water and monitor the sides of the ship that we can’t see so clearly from the center of the bridge. These guys have remarkably sharp vision. Of course we also give them binoculars, but their eyes are precious for us. They can spot things in the water that sometimes are missed by radars. A log is not a problem, but a small boat adrift needs help and they are the ones who spot it first. That’s what happened the other night. Also, if a fire starts in a balcony, they see the smoke right away and we can act immediately.” Rob explained.
“I thought the balconies had fire sprinklers.” She observed.
“They do, but only recently.” Amy clarified. “Three years ago balconies didn’t have sprinklers and the chairs and tables were made of plastic. One night in the Caribbean, one of our ships caught fire. It started on a balcony. Three hours later nearly two hundred passenger rooms had been destroyed. It was only by hard work and a bit of luck that the fire was controlled.”
“Did anyone die?” Sofia asked, startled.
“One passenger had a heart attack. Everything else was material damage and a lot of trouble. But we learned a precious lesson. After that, the furnishing in balconies was replaced by metal and sprinkles were added in the entire fleet. Having these guys keeping an extra eye is an additional precautionary measure” Rob concluded.
“Good to know we’re being so well looked after.”
“We do our best.” Andrea claimed. He was just arriving to start his shift.
While they exchanged information the girls waited by the bench in the front, from where they had a privileged view of the sea and also of the crew deck where there was a small pool and two Jacuzzis for the crew. With the ship sailing there was normally no one there because it was too windy.
“So, do you still have the habit to spy the crew with your binoculars?” Denise asked Andrea.
He laughed. “Of course. There’s not much to do here while we’re in port and some of the girls have really nice bodies.”
“Seriously? You spend your time in port doing that?” Sofia enquired with a chuckle and he nodded positively.
“That’s how we met. In my first contract, one afternoon I went for a swim in the crew pool. Of course I didn’t notice I was being observed because the bridge has a darker shade of glass and I wasn’t really looking up. There is a sign saying not to dive, but I couldn’t resist a jump.” Denise said.
“That night I found her in the officers mess and told her something like ‘nice jump, I would give it eight out of ten because there was a little splash’. And Denise turned red as a lobster.” Andrea smirked.
“And I guess that was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.” Amy murmured.
Denise nodded. “Since he made me feel so embarrassed I decided to start visiting him on the bridge and get to know him better to see if I could improve my image. We became friends.”
Andrea came from behind, hugged Denise and gave her a kiss on the cheek. “We had some good times, me and this one.” He said sounding like an older, protective brother.
They stayed on the bridge for a little longer, enjoying the view and playing with the binoculars. Sofia was impressed with how little the observers moved.
“If they weren’t standing up I would say they were statues.” She whispered.
“It reminds me of those guys in London, the ones that are in Downing Street and places like that. They don’t move no matter what.”
“So, I guess the steering wheel and the big bell in the back there are just for decoration, right?”
“Yes.” Andrea confirmed. “We do everything by computer. I’m proud to say there are not many ships out there with as modern technology as this one.”
They looked outside and Andrea pointed some of the stars. Orion, the Big Dipper, Gemini and the Pole Star twinkled in the black sky.
“Beautiful!” Sofia exclaimed, happy that even the worse days could end up well.
Denise was right next to her, their arms touching. “When I was little my mom told me when people die they go to heaven and turn into stars. I never believed it but it is a pretty thought to hold on to.”
They both kept looking, knowing that was just a story people told, but as their eyes focused on the brightness of the thousands of small points that decorate the sky, for a moment they pretended one of them was Alexander.
12
Sofia loved opening her eyes every morning and finding a different scenario. She was very happy when she looked outside and saw Tauranga. Located at the entrance of the Bay of Plenty, this was a peninsula of beauty, charm and life.
Tauranga was a stunning holiday destination, with thriving business, excellent restaurants, stylish shopping and a fabulous beach just a few minutes walking from the port.
In front of the harbor Mt. Maunganui raised abruptly, showing off the majesty and sheer beauty of an extinct volcanic cone. Tauranga was a meca for the lovers of sun, sea and surf but very few adventured in the water. It was cold and windy.
Denise, Sofia, Diego, Keira and Carla had lunch in a fabulous Mediterranean restaurant in town. The entire street was a cluster of restaurants, bars and shops all the way through and it looked just like any costal European city, which caused a strange sense of déjà vu. Lunch was delicious and Keira observed how amusing it was that food could make such
a difference in people’s moods. Diego agreed that food was good but his real happiness was to be the only man in the middle of four women. Denise pretended to get mad at him and instead of throwing things like she normally did, he got punished by having to pay for lunch.
Life was good sometimes and in the middle of working hard and getting stressed on a daily basis, being in a place like that even if just for a few hours made it up for the sacrifices and demands of life at sea.
Denise wondered how far the places where the ‘Lord of The Rings’ had been filmed were.
“They filmed all over New Zealand, nowhere close to where we dock. There’s no way you can see them unless you come on a proper holiday.” Carla replied.
“Oh, is there anything at all we can see?”
“Some scenes were done in Fiordland but you wouldn’t see the places from the ship. Everything else is too far for our few hours off in port.”
Denise made a rueful face. “That sucks. I really wanted to see Hobbiton.”
“Hobbiton is too far, but if you want to go up Mt. Maungani, I’m in.” Diego suggested.
“Ok, if I can’t see Hobbiton that might be the next best thing. Anyone else wants to come?”
Sofia stretched on her chair. “I wouldn’t mind to go relax on the beach, even with this wind, but after a million calories lunch, a walk uphill will make my conscience much easier to live with.”
The scenic track up to the summit of Mt. Maungani was hard. It was a long walk around the cone, always up, but getting there was well worth the physical effort. From the top the view was amazing with the unbroken strip of golden sand of the Bay of Papamoa and the north forests and the Matakana Island embracing Tauranga Harbor. The group had a seat on the grass on the top to catch their breath and enjoy the gift of nature. It was the perfect day, not too warm or cold despite the wind, the sky was clear and the sheep that grazed down the hill completed the idyllic scenario.
“Did you know there are 25 sheep for every person in New Zealand?” Keira pointed.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
“Wow.”
As they walked down through the back of the hill Diego settled on having a quick soak in one of the hot saltwater pools at the base and even though they didn’t have clothes to exchange, everyone jumped in.
They left Mt. Maungani and the golden glow of Ocean Beach and went back to the port just in time for Denise and Diego to start their shifts. The others still had one hour left.
A number of heads turned when they passed through the gate dripping water and a security guard smiled at them.
“Sometimes it’s still hard to believe I’m here. This is so surreal.” Sofia confessed on the way to her cabin.
Carla nodded. “I know. I’ve been doing this for years and once in a while I still wake up with the ship rocking in the middle of the night and for a moment I don’t know where I am. I think because this is so different from everything else, sometimes it feels difficult to believe it’s not a dream, or a nightmare, depends on the day.”
Ian was coming their way and stopped them in front of the medical center. “Hello ladies. What are you up to?” He asked with a broken smile.
“We just climbed Mt. Maungani.” Sofia answered proudly, ignoring the pain on her sore legs.
“Good for you. I’ve been stuck onboard for a while. Dramas, dramas, dramas. I’ve just asked for them to give me night manager and give my job to Tania. She’s sick of working nights and I would love some time off during the day.”
“Fair enough. Maybe next time you can come with us.”
“I hope so. While you were out there having fun I was paged twice by the front desk because I’m the manager on duty and there was a woman disembarking because of a fight with the husband. Not only I had to put up with her endless list of complains about the bloke, I just had him giving me his version. The last time I looked at my job description, couples therapy wasn’t on the list.”
Carla and Sofia looked at each other and laughed.
“Aren’t we happy we aren’t pursers?” Carla stated.
“Yes, we are. I’ve never seen people being paid so little to babysit grownups.” Sofia confirmed before they headed to work, feeling sorry for Ian who was going back to his office to start preparing paper work for the end of the cruise in Auckland the next day.
“I think we need to do something to cheer him up. The poor guy looks really worn-out.”
Sofia looked at her, more scared than surprised. “I know that look on your face. Last time you looked at me like that you came up with a party it took me two days to recover from. Don’t even think about it!”
Carla chuckled. “Who told you to drink like that?”
“I don’t want anything that involves alcohol.”
“I was thinking maybe we could go up to Stardust Disco tonight. If you don’t want alcohol have sparkling water or something.” She suggested.
“I was going to have a quiet night.” Sofia insisted.
“You can have a quiet night tomorrow. It’s for Ian, remember that. He’s our friend and we need to cheer him up.”
Sofia was not very sure if it was for Ian or an excuse for Carla to throw another party, but she agreed. Back in the office she sat in front of the computer and logged on the internet to check her emails before the afternoon shift. There was an email from Kieran.
It’s been three months since I last saw you. Aren’t there phones where you are? I called your brother. How come you didn’t tell him your location? You mother and Ailish don’t want to tell me either. Am I such a great danger?
I slept with another woman. I was lonely. It was bad. I thought about you all the time. Tomorrow I’m starting therapy. Hope you’re happy. I’m sorry. Kieran.
“Hell no!” She yelled in shock and Carla came running from the observation room.
“What’s going on? Are you all right?” The nurse observed her friend’s horrified expression with concern.
Incapable of talking, Sofia turned the screen and let her read it.
“I’m sorry Sofia. I’m really sorry.”
Sofia started pacing back and forth desperately.
“He cheated on me! I can’t believe it. And he told me!” She tried to grasp that information and keep focused. Her heart was threatening to jump out of her chest.
Carla sat on the chair Sofia had just left empty and read the email again.
“Well, if you think about it, no he didn’t. You left him. Maybe what he says here is true and he felt lonely.”
“I left him because I thought he would look for help and take care of himself. I feel lonely too and I didn’t sleep with anyone else.” Sofia hissed unable to hold back her tears anymore.
Carla hugged her. “Hey, don’t do that. Everything is going to be fine. You need to call this guy and tell him where you are. He’s obviously confused. Talk to him. He says here that he’s starting therapy. That’s what you wanted, isn’t it?”
“Y-yes, but I didn’t want him to s-sleep with another w-woman.” She stuttered.
Carla held the doctor’s head between her hands and looked her in the eyes. “Listen, things don’t always go the way we want. Its life and it sucks but this is not the end of the world. Take it easy.”
Carla dragged Sofia to her cabin and made her a tea while her friend curled in bed crying and breathing hard.
“I have to open the medical center.” Sofia mumbled and wiped her tears.
“Are you sure you can work?”
“I have to work. If I stay here I’ll go crazy.” She replied. “Help me put some make up on.”
Carla opened the makeup case and took out a brush and a box of eye shadows. “Sofia, it is okay if you don’t feel well enough to work.”
“No, it isn’t. Men are selfish bastards and I’m not going to compromise my job because of someone who tells me he loves me and sleeps with someone else.”
Carla knew that type of feeling and understood that maybe working was better f
or Sofia. It would keep her mind busy for a few hours and maybe she would calm down after that. When the patients started to arrive she called Ian to invite him for Stardust and asked him to bring the usual crowd. They certainly would need an extra dose of entertainment.
“What’s up? You sound a bit shaken.” Ian noticed.
“Me? No. I’m fine. Sofia is the one a bit shaken. Well, a bit is an understatement. We need to cheer her up.” She responded.
“What happened to her?”
“Sorry, it’s personal. If she wants you to know she’ll tell you.”
“Sure. No worries. I’ll get things sorted and we meet tonight.” Ian replied with his usual easy going attitude that helped him survive ship’s drama every day with a smile. After the call, Carla remembered that the idea was to cheer Ian up and he was going to end up helping someone else. That thought made her smile. It was good to have him onboard.
Denise and Diego stopped by Sofia’s cabin and heard the stories about Kieran. Carla was already there and Sofia asked them to keep it for themselves. It was embarrassing for her and she didn’t know what to do about it anyway.
“Let’s go and enjoy ourselves tonight.” She said like there was any possibility she could do that.
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Diego murmured to Denise’s ear. “She seems pretty nervous.”
“I don’t know. Staying in the cabin feeling sorry for herself won’t do any good either.”
“We better keep an eye on her anyway. Hurt people do stupid things. I know that from personal experience.” He pointed out.
“We’ll make sure that doesn’t happen.” Denise and Diego exchanged an accomplice look.
On the way to deck 15 they bumped into Aaron and his assistant, Richard, who were outside finishing a meal by the grill. After a few minutes of pep talk they too joined the group and took the elevator to Stardust Disco together. The place was quiet and they found a seat in a corner with a fabulous view over the ocean.
When Sofia ordered a Martini, Carla started to worry. “What happened to the no-alcohol policy?”
“I’ll take it back tomorrow. Tonight I need a little help to survive. If you can find something that can delete my memory I’ll be grateful.” Sofia muttered.
“You want to know what would be good? Call Kieran and talk to him.” Carla suggested.
“I’m not ready. Not today.” Sofia retorted harshly.
The night went better than Carla had anticipated. Everyone except Sofia had genuine fun and the doctor only went as far as tipsy because no one allowed her more than she could take. Ian was in a great mood after he was confirmed to be night manager and Diego and Denise looked like they were in a good place with each other. Carla wondered how it was to be in a real relationship and after a while pushed away the though and reminded herself she was better off alone. Relationships were too complicated and she had handled enough complications for a life time already. Her eyes froze on the cute Australian bartender behind the bar. There was someone worth looking at. She winked and he smiled.
They returned to their cabins on time to have the quiet night Sofia was looking for. Ian didn’t make it because he was carried away by a bunch of wild dancers and disappeared somewhere on deck 6 around one o’clock in the morning.
“I’ll have the ‘missing person’ signs ready tomorrow if Ian doesn’t show up to work.” Diego said with a grin when they arrived on deck 4.
Aaron kept quiet and didn’t make any of his usual moves towards Sofia. His face was serious and his eyes sharp. Very politely he wished everyone a good night and disappeared into his cabin, two doors down from the one where Denise and Diego slept.
Sofia returned to her cabin by herself, put on a comfortable track suit, opened her door and before she could even think about it she was knocking on Aaron’s door.
“I feel lonely.” She told him when he opened the door bare chest and with his hair damp and smelling of shampoo. He didn’t hide his surprise when he closed the door behind her and hugged her soothingly.
“What’s going on with you? Why are you here?” He asked and they sat on the bed next to each other.
“I... I don’t know.” She turned around and brushed her lips on his. Caught by surprise and by the softness of those lips he had dreamed of kissing so many times he kissed her back but a moment later he found the strength to push her away.
“Listen Sofia, whatever is on your mind right now, you will regret it later. We’re not going to do this.” He said fighting the urge to have her in his arms.
“I thought you would be happy to have me here.” She replied tipsy and confused.
“I would, if you really wanted me. But you don’t. You are only here because you’re having a moment. I like you, I never kept that a secret, but I won’t be your rebound guy. And I’m not the kind of person who takes advantage of a woman in a moment of weakness.”
Sofia walked to him and leaned against the wall next to him. “You’re a good person Aaron. And I’m an idiot. I’m sorry.” She said, feeling like she was in a place where she absolutely hated to be and didn’t know how to get out of there.
“No, you’re not. You’re going through a hard time. We all do sometimes. You’re human, that’s all. Now if you want a friend and a coffee you’re very welcome to stay.” He turned the kettle on and seconds later the water was boiling. He got two cups from the cupboard, added coffee powder and poured in the water.
Sofia smiled a modest smile. “I’m a really lucky woman, aren’t I? I have such great friends.”
“I know this is going to sound really cliché, but that’s what friends are for.”
She chuckled. “True.”
Two doors down the corridor Diego decided not to tell Denise that he had just seen her friend entering Aaron’s cabin. After all they were both adults. He trusted they knew what they were doing. Remembering Sofia’s broken voice telling about how much Kieran hurt her reminded him of how hurt he had once been and how grateful he should be to have a girlfriend who cared so much. He turned his attention to her.
Denise was organizing some DVD’s, wearing only an old t-shirt of his. She looked incredibly sexy with her legs crossed on the chair and her soft blond hair falling over her face like a curtain, hiding her blue eyes. He stared at her, admired her beauty and felt drawn to that woman who turned his head around with her complications but at the same time she was so desirable… Why did things have to be complicated? Wouldn’t it be easier if people just lived every moment?
She noticed him staring and turned around flashing a wide smile. “What’s up? Are you okay?”
He lifted her of the chair and sat her on his lap. His fingers curled over hers. “You’re beautiful.” He said observing her in the twilight of the room only slightly illuminated by the lamp in the corner.
She wasn’t used to him saying things like that and kissed him passionately instead of answering with words.
He kissed her neck, his lips soft, his tongue hot, and his breathing picking up.
Denise lifted both hands to his face and took his lips. She loved the feel of his hands against her skin.
Pulling her t-shirt out and exploring her body with his lips, Diego felt secretly guilty and wondered why he couldn’t love her as much as she loved him. He knew she deserved more and it was eating him inside that he couldn’t give it to her. He gave her the best he could and hoped that would be enough for the moment.
13
Aaron felt happy and sad all at the same time. He knew he had done the right thing. It was so hard to be that close to her, watching her sleep next to him and not being able to touch that soft beautiful skin. What a torture! All that time chasing Sofia and the day she came to him he had to let her go. Maybe one day it would pay off to be a decent person. In a world where decent was the exception he could only trust that his consideration and respect were worth enough at least for her to see that he was not like most guys, who would simply take advantage of her state of mind and hypocritically apo
logize the next day.
He wished that she wasn’t hurting because of another guy, that she could see him instead. Women like Sofia were rare and he wished with all his heart that he would be able to find someone he could love and admire as much. Deep inside he knew Sofia belonged to someone else and that wasn’t going to change. He had to accept that and enjoy their friendship, if that was the only thing he could expect from her.
Sofia left Aaron’s cabin around six in the morning after spending a few hours talking and fallen asleep in his bed. It was still early but the buzz was on and many people saw her doing the walk of shame. She didn’t really care about what other people thought but it was awkward to have people talking about her having sex with Aaron when all they did was talk. Sober and conscious, Sofia was grateful that Aaron had the strength to do the right thing. She knew she wouldn’t have stopped the previous night and her lack of thinking could have cost her a friendship she now treasured. Aaron had proved that he was a real friend and she knew from her experience how hard those were to find.
Back in her cabin she took a cold shower and before she put on her uniform she considered calling Kieran but she quickly changed her mind. She was too hurt to talk to him.
The morning went slow and she picked up anything she could find to keep distracted. She even went to the hotel secretary’s office to give her the end of cruise documents.
Sylvia received her with a warm smile and apologized for not giving her much attention, but her desk was full of comments she needed to process. When Sofia was about to leave, something on the wall caught her attention. There was a board with a title saying ‘Pearls of Wisdom’ and just underneath, passenger’s comments cut in different sizes and shapes had sentences highlighted with bright colors and between brackets there were comments Sylvia had written with a red pen.
‘I had a really bad dining experience because of a child. Shame that a child is allowed to ruin dinner for so many!’
‘My shore excursion didn’t include lunch. There was no fast food anywhere. Having nothing to eat is very bad for diabetics.’ (I’m sure fast food is great for diabetics)
‘Do you have any idea how many Americans like pizza? You need to send your chefs to a Pizza Hut restaurant in America for training! (What about sending them to Italy instead?)
‘How could you possibly think a wife would enjoy watching young, beautiful women shaking their breasts and bottoms, while sitting next to her husband during last night’s show in the theater?’
‘I was very pleased to receive my room key when we came onboard.’ (Next time we’ll give it to you by the end of the cruise.)
‘Need catholic mass. My husband will not sail with you again unless there is a mass onboard.’
‘Please fire the idiot at corporate who thought playing movies on deck in the middle of the day was a great idea.’ (Totally agree.)
‘You need black napkins for people wearing black dresses.’(We need what???)
‘In the entertainment, British are not funny, mostly they are silly.’ (Or should we say you’re just too ignorant to understand them?)
‘If you’re too old to walk faster than a snail, go to the side of the walkways or don’t take a cruise.’
‘Elevators indicators should be in different colors, like red-up and green-down.’ (And all this time we thought the arrows ˄ and ˅ were working so well)
‘You should get more fit men to eye up and more free alcohol.’ (That would be a dangerous combination.)
‘Our congratulations to the crew for their patience with many of the seniors, who were very ignorant and an embarrassment to others on the ship.’
‘Kids should have their own pool – somewhere off the ship!!!’
‘I must commend the crew with their patience in tolerating the most rude, nasty and obnoxious behavior of 90% of the passengers onboard this cruise. As an adult I was beyond appalled and embarrassed for each and every one of them.’
‘You should allow marijuana on the deck.’ (What about cocaine?)
‘When are you going to get a 13th floor? It is way past time to continue to cater childish superstition!’
‘Fine those passengers who do not return to the ship on time without a very good excuse.’ (We normally just leave them behind, but fines could be good for revenue).
Sofia found all of it hilarious and kept reading and laughing about most comments even forgetting her sorrow for a moment.
“I can’t believe they are really like this.” She said.
Sylvia turned around and looked at the wall.
“Yes, they are, and that’s just from the last two months. I normally pick up the funniest and the most stupid and keep copies. When I’m in a bad mood I read them and it makes me feel better.” She justified with a grin.
“Well, keep it up and don’t forget to share. I think I need to start visiting your office more often.”
“You’ll be very welcome.” She flashed a pleasant smile. “The other great thing about my office is that the coffee bar is right behind my wall and I’m friends with the waiters.”
“I knew we were going to be good friends.” Sofia replied with a wink.